A 15-wk 2 x 3 factorial trial in a university dairy herd compared the effects of two alley surfaces and three free-stall beds on indices of lameness. Alley surfaces were grooved concrete (Ct) or 1.9-cm-thick interlocking rubber mats (R). Stalls were deep sand (S), rubber mattresses (M), or concrete (C). Mattress and concrete stalls were bedded with sawdust. At wk 1 and 15, the hind claws and hocks of 120 primi- (n = 69) and multiparous (n = 51) cows were scored for lesions and three claw measurements (dorsal wall length, heel depth, and toe angle) were recorded. Rates of lateral and medial claw growth and wear were calculated by measuring the migration of a reference mark away from the coronet. Digital photographs of claw surfaces were used to rescore claw lesions. Clinical lameness was evaluated by assigning a locomotion score from 1 to 4 to each cow during wk 1, 5, 10, and 14. Digital dermatitis (present/not present) and interdigital dermatitis (mild, moderate, or severe) were recorded at wk 15. The number of days that cows spent in a hospital barn was recorded. Before assignment, cows were professionally foot trimmed, sorted by initial claw lesion score, and then randomized in consecutive blocks of three to stall treatments. Photograph scores were highly repeatable. Nonparametric statistical techniques were used for analyses of rank data. Claw lesion score increased significantly for all treatment groups except RC and RS; however, when early lactation cows were excluded, no differences were found between treatment groups. Hock scores increased significantly more for cows in CtC than in CtS or RS. Significantly more animals from RC spent more than 10 d in the hospital pen compared with RM and RS. Groups did not significantly differ for clinical lameness. Cows in RS and RC had significantly lower rates for lateral claw net growth than those in CtM. Having moderate or severe interdigital dermatitis at wk 15 was associated with greater increases in claw lesion score and more treatments for digital dermatitis. All claw measurements were correlated; however, toe angle was most strongly correlated with the other two. In this experiment, stall and alley configurations did not lead to significant differences in several indices of lameness.
The objectives were to determine the effects of PGF(2alpha) treatment on the prevalence of subclinical endometritis (SCE) and fertility of dairy cows. A total of 406 Holstein cows (167 primiparous and 239 multiparous) from 5 herds were used. Uterine lavage for diagnosis of SCE, PGF(2alpha) treatment, evaluation of body condition scores (BCS), and collection of blood samples for estrous cyclicity determination were performed at 21, 35, and 49 d in milk (DIM). Polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) were quantified and thresholds for diagnosing SCE were selected by receiver operating characteristics analysis. Cows classified as having SCE at 35 DIM (>or=6.5% PMN) and 49 DIM (>or=4.0% PMN) had increased time to pregnancy; however, cows classified as having SCE at 21 DIM (>or=8.5% PMN) did not. Median days to pregnancy were delayed by 30 (151 vs. 121 d) and 40 (169 vs. 129) d for cows classified as having SCE at 35 and 49 DIM, respectively. Treatment with PGF(2alpha) did not affect the prevalence of SCE either at 35 (37.9 vs. 38.4%) or at 49 DIM (34.0 vs. 40.4%). Treatment with PGF(2alpha) did not affect time to first insemination (AI; median 76 DIM for cows treated with PGF(2alpha); 79 DIM for control. Nonetheless, PGF(2alpha) treatment increased pregnancy to first AI in all the cows (35.5 vs. 24.1%) and hazard ratio (HR) of pregnancy in cows with BCS
Our objectives were to determine the effects of early ovulation on fertility and uterine health of dairy cows. Four hundred and forty-five Holstein cows (185 primiparous and 260 multiparous) from five herds were used. Blood samples were collected at 21, 35 and 49 days in milk (DIM) and cows were considered to be cyclic at 21 DIM (Cyc21) if serum progesterone (P4) concentration was above 1 ng/ml, cyclic by 49 DIM (Cyc49) if P4 concentration was above 1 ng/ml at 35 or 49 DIM, or not cyclic (NotCyc) if P4 concentration was below 1 ng/ml at all sample times. Endometrial cytology for diagnosis of subclinical endometritis was examined at 49 DIM in a subset of 414 cows. Cows in the group Cyc21 had increased hazard of insemination, for the first service, compared with cows in Cyc49 [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.10-1.79; p = 0.006] and NotCyc (HR = 2.07; 95% CI = 1.52-2.82; p < 0.001). Cows in the Cyc49 group also had increased hazard of insemination compared with cows in the NotCyc group (HR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.13-1.93; p = 0.005). Median days to insemination were, respectively, 71, 76 and 96 for cows in Cyc21, Cyc49 and NotCyc groups. Cows in Cyc21 had greater first service pregnancy per AI than Cyc49 [38.6 vs 28.1%; adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.01-2.75; p = 0.04] and NotCyc (38.6 vs 23.6%; AOR = 2.08; 95% CI = 1.08-4.00; p = 0.03). Pregnancy per AI was similar in Cyc49 and NotCyc cows (28.1 vs 23.6%; AOR = 1.25; 95% CI = 0.70-2.24; p = 0.45). Cows in Cyc21 had increased hazard of pregnancy up to 300 DIM compared with Cyc49 (HR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.17-1.96; p = 0.002) and NotCyc (HR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.41-2.78; p < 0.001). Cows in Cyc49 tended to have increased hazard of pregnancy compared with NotCyc (HR = 1.31; 95% CI = 0.96-1.77; p = 0.09). Median days to pregnancy were, respectively, 103, 147 and 173 for cows in Cyc21, Cyc49 and NotCyc groups. Cows in the Cyc21 group had decreased prevalence of subclinical endometritis compared with cows in the NotCyc group (29.9 vs 43.7%; AOR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.29-0.97; p = 0.04); however, the prevalence did not differ from the Cyc49 group (29.9 vs 39.1%; AOR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.41-1.14; p = 0.15). Cyc49 cows had similar prevalence of subclinical endometritis compared with NotCyc cows (AOR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.46-1.29; p = 0.32). Early postpartum ovulation was associated with improved uterine health and fertility.
Summary A severe myopathy leading to death or euthanasia was identified in 4 Belgian and 4 Percheron draught horses age 2–21 years. Clinical signs ranged from overt weakness and muscle atrophy in 2 horses age 2 and 3 years, to recumbency with inability to rise in 6 horses age 4–21 years. In 5 horses there was mild to severe increases in muscle enzyme levels. Clinical diagnoses included equine motor neuron disease (2 horses), post anaesthetic myopathy (2 horses), exertional myopathy (2 horses), myopathy due to unknown (one horse), and equine protozoal myelitis (one horse). Characteristic histopathology of muscle from affected horses was the presence of excessive complex polysaccharide and/or glycogen, revealed by periodic acid‐Schiff staining in all cases and by electron microscopy in one case. Evaluation of frozen section histochemistry performed on 2 cases indicated that affected fibres were Type 2 glycolytic fibres. Subsarcolemmal and intracytoplasmic vacuoles were most prominent in 3 horses age 2–4 years, and excessive glycogen, with little or no complex polysaccharide, was the primary compound stored in affected muscle in these young horses. Myopathic changes, including fibre size variation, fibre hypertrophy, internal nuclei, and interstitial fat infiltration, were most prominent in 5 horses age 6–21 years, and the accumulation of complex polysaccharide appeared to increase with age. Mild to moderate segmental myofibre necrosis was present in all cases.
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