Disease frequencies in dairy cows in Sweden. II. Retained placenta

Farm characteristics related to on-farm cow mortality in dairy herds: a questionnaire study

Dairy cow mortality is an important animal welfare issue that also causes financial losses. The objective of this study was to identify farm characteristics and herd management practices associated with high on-farm cow mortality in Swedish dairy herds. A postal questionnaire was sent to farmers that had either high or low mortality rates for 3 consecutive years. The questionnaire consisted of five sections: 'About the farm', 'Milking and housing', 'Feeding', 'Routines' and 'Lame and sick cows'. A total of 145 questionnaires were returned (response rate=33%). Ten of the 77 characteristics investigated met the inclusion criteria for multivariable analysis. The final logistic regression model included: herd size, breed, use of natural service bull, bedding improvement frequency and pasture system. Herds with Swedish Holstein as the predominant breed (odds ratio (OR) 22.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2 to 101.8) or with mixed breeds (OR 5.5, 95% CI 1.7 to 17.5) had a greater risk of being high mortality herds than herds that were predominantly Swedish Red (OR 1). Herds larger than 100 cows (OR 19.6, 95% CI 3.5 to 110.4) and herds with 50 to 99 cows (OR 13.8, 95% CI 3.2 to 60.6) had greater risk of mortality than herds numbering 35 to 50 cows (OR 1). Being a high mortality herd was also associated with having cows on exercise lots during the summer season (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 9.9) compared with on pasture. A missing answer on the question of bedding improvement frequency was associated with high mortality herds. Overall, this study suggests that characteristics that are related to intensification of the dairy industry are also associated with high on-farm mortality of dairy cows.

Herd and cow characteristics affecting the odds of veterinary treatment for disease - a multilevel analysis

Background

Research has indicated that a number of different factors affect whether an animal receives treatment or not when diseased. The aim of this paper was to evaluate if herd or individual animal characteristics influence whether cattle receives veterinary treatment for disease, and thereby also introduce misclassification in the disease recording system.

Methods

The data consisted mainly of disease events reported by farmers during 2004. We modelled odds of receiving veterinary treatment when diseased, using two-level logistic regression models for cows and young animals (calves and heifers), respectively. Model parameters were estimated using three procedures, because these procedures have been shown, under some conditions, to produce biased estimates for multi-level models with binary outcomes.

Results

Cows located in herds mainly consisting of Swedish Holstein cows had higher odds for veterinary treatment than cows in herds mainly consisting of Swedish Red cows. Cows with a disease event early in lactation had higher odds for treatment than when the event occurred later in lactation. There were also higher odds for veterinary treatment of events for cows in January and April than in July and October. The odds for veterinary treatment of events in young animals were higher if the farmer appeared to be good at keeping records. Having a disease event at the same date as another animal increased the odds for veterinary treatment for all events in young animals, and for lameness, metabolic, udder and other disorders, but not for peripartum disorders, in cows. There were also differences in the odds for veterinary treatment between disease complexes, both for cows and young animals.

The random effect of herd was significant in both models and accounted for 40–44% of the variation in the cow model and 30–46% in the young animal model.

Conclusion

We conclude that cow and herd characteristics influence the odds for veterinary treatment and that this might bias the results from studies using data from the cattle disease database based on veterinary practice records.

A meta-analysis of the effects of Vitamin E supplementation on the incidence of retained foetal membranes in dairy cows

A meta-analysis was performed to consolidate the results of studies which have evaluated the effects of Vitamin E supplementation during the dry period on the risk of retained foetal membranes (RFM) in the dairy cow. Twenty studies demonstrated a beneficial response to Vitamin E whilst 21 found no benefit and 3 reported an increase in the incidence of RFM in treated cows. The odds ratios (OR) of the available studies exhibited significant heterogeneity, so multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to enable the identification of factors associated with the response to Vitamin E supplementation. Our multivariable analysis included parity and Vitamin E supplementation (control/treated) in the model, because all other factors were co-linear. Results indicated that Vitamin E supplementation led to a reduction in the incidence of RFM. A second multivariable analysis was undertaken on a subset of the data including only supplemented cows to determine the influence of supplementation factors on the risk of RFM. All factors were co-linear with each other, therefore, only type of Vitamin E supplementation was included in this analysis. The regression model demonstrated that administration of the synthetic Vitamin E alpha-tocopheryl acetate was associated with a lower risk of RFM than treatment with natural Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) (P=0.047, OR=0.49), whereas the difference between the synthetic Vitamin E alpha-tocopherol acetate and natural Vitamin E just failed to attain statistical significance (P=0.059, OR=0.53). Overall the analyses indicate that Vitamin E supplementation during the dry period is associated with a reduced risk of RFM, and that the synthetic forms of Vitamin E are more effective than the natural compound.

A stochastic model simulating milk fever in a dairy herd

A simulation model was developed to evaluate the long-term effect of control strategies against milk fever (MF); here, we present the base model and sensitivity analyses. The representation of the within-herd dynamics was based on the existing SimHerd II model. Because of the relationships between MF and other diseases, the new model (called "SimHerd III") includes diseases common in a dairy herd. The cow level risk factors modelled were: base risk in the herd, parity, milk-yield potential, lactational disease recurrence, disease interrelationships, body condition and season. The diseases include clinical cases of MF, dystocia, downer-cow syndrome, retained placenta, metritis, displaced abomasum, ketosis and mastitis. The effects of diseases were represented by daily milk yield, daily body weight, daily feed intake, risk of stillbirth, conception probability, decision on culling, death and immediate removal. Simulated technical results showed that the herd effects of reduced risk of MF differed according to the reproductive efficiency in the herd. These interactions between reproduction efficiency and the effect of reduced base risk of MF were related to differences in how the simulated herds reacted to the reduction in replacements caused by MF. In the sensitivity analysis, eight potential key parameters were changed to their lowest and highest expected values retrieved from the literature. When measuring the sensitivity on milk production in the herd (as the economically most important technical effect), the model seemed most sensitive to the uncertainty of effect of MF on death risk and MF-recurrence risk.

The association of serum nonesterified fatty acids and cholesterol, management and feeding practices with peripartum disease in dairy cows

A prospective study was conducted to determine the relationship of serum nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and cholesterol concentrations and herd management practices to the occurrence of metritis, mastitis and retained placenta in Holstein cows in Michigan. Serum samples were collected once prepartum and once postpartum from 257 cows. Animals were under observation for disease occurrence from the date of calving until 3 months postpartum. Metabolic variables used were (1) prepartum only; (2) postpartum only; (3) the NEFA/cholesterol ratio for both pre- and postpartum samples. Management variables included maternity management, feed management, and factors such as season and parity. Multivariable logistic models with random-effect terms to account for the herd effect were used for data analysis. Results showed that: (1) metabolic events associated with energy insufficiency-increased fat mobilization and serum lipoprotein metabolism-were related to increased risk of metritis and retained placenta; (2) higher energy consumption during the last weeks of the dry period might reduce disease risk at parturition; (3) serum NEFA and cholesterol concentrations have potential as indicators of disease risk in dairy cows.

Bovine retained placenta: aetiology, pathogenesis and economic loss

The literature on the effects and causes of retained placenta in the cow is reviewed. On a herd basis the condition can adversely affect milk yield and fertility, but on an individual cow basis the effects are unpredictable. The aetiology of retained placenta has been extensively studied and many causal factors have been implicated, but little is known of how many of them cause the condition. As a result its prevention and prediction is uncertain, primarily because of the lack of knowledge of the normal process of placental release. Vascular changes and uterine contractions play a role in placental release, but current opinion suggests that the primary cause of retained placenta is the retention of the feto-maternal union. Release only occurs after a process of maturation, which involves hormonal and structural changes. The factors which are thought to influence these changes, and thus cause the condition, are discussed.

Natural infection with bovine virus diarrhoea virus in a dairy herd: A spectrum of symptoms including early reproductive failure and retained placenta

The consequences of natural infections by bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVDV) in a dairy herd comprising approximately 60 cows were studied over a 3 year period. The outcome of 39 pregnancies after artificial insemination or natural service during a 4 month period of risk for contracting BVDV was nine abortions, one mummified foetus, one still-birth, three calves that died within 1 week of age, 12 calves persistently infected (PI) with BVDV (11 males and one female) and 13 non-PI calves. Retrospective studies showed that only two of the 13 dams (15.4%) of non-PI calves had been inseminated once, which is a significantly (P < 0.001) lower rate than for 192 other gestations (66.7%) during the 3 year period.

The gestational duration of multiparous cows (but not of heifers) was longer (P < 0.01) for five cows with PI calves (mean ± SD 287.6 ± 9.5 days) than for 53 other gestations in 35 cows (280.6 ± 3.8 days). Five of the 12 dams of the PI calves had not expelled the foetal membranes within 2 days after calving, which is a higher (P < 0.001) incidence than the seven cases of retained placenta observed after 198 other calvings. Furthermore, there was a 4.4-fold higher risk (P < 0.01) of treatment for enteritis and/or pneumonia in calves and a 6.0-fold higher risk of calf mortality associated with the introduction of BVDV. The mean heart girth of the PI calves was less (P < 0.05) than that of non-PI calves, at both 80 and 180 days of age.

Circulating PgF2α and nutritional parameters at parturition in dairy cows with and without retained placenta: Relation to prepartum diet

Reproductive and biochemical parameters were studied at parturition in multiparous single-carrying Holstein cows. These were compared in animals with (n=14) and without (n=40) a retained placenta and then according to 2 prepartum diets (corn silage/concentrate, n=44; grass silage/concentrate, n=10) in cows with and without retained placentas. Cows with retained placentas had a 4-day shorter gestation period and gave birth to 5 kg-lighter calves than cows without retained placentas. Furthermore, their plasma PGFM -PgF2alpha main metabolite- (3325 vs 5675 pg/ml; P<0.01) and glucose (79.2 vs 95.2 mg/100ml; P<0.05) levels were lower and their protein concentration was higher (85.7 vs 76.5 g/l; P<0.05) than those of cows without retained placentas. Retained placenta incidence in cows fed grass-silage was higher than in cows fed corn-silage (60% vs 18.2%; P<0.05). Cows with retained placentas and fed corn silage had shorter gestation lengths, gave birth to lighter calves, and had less circulating glucose at calving (77.6 vs 96.5 mg/100ml; P<0.05) than cows without retained placentas and fed the same forage. Cows with retained placentas and fed grass silage had less PGFM (2172 vs 4530 pg/ml; P<0.05) than cows without retained placentas and fed the same forage. Calving number, sex ratio and preceeding milk yield were not different between the two groups of cows whatever their prepartum diet. In the dairy cow, retained placenta could be due to a PgF2alpha or an energy deficiency at calving. Roles of the dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids toward the Pg synthesis and of the energy supply before calving in relation to retained placenta are discussed here.