Welfare of dairy cows can be assessed using welfare assessment protocols consisting of resource, management and animal-based measures. Welfare Quality® Assessment Protocol is one of the best-known protocols, which depends almost entirely on animal-based measures. To gain more objective and rapid welfare assessment, new techniques have been developed to measure welfare of animals, such as hair cortisol concentration. As cortisol is released in response to stress, it has long been used as a biomarker of stress in animals. While the precise mechanism of cortisol incorporation into hair is unknown, hair cortisol concentration seems to be a marker of long-term systemic cortisol concentration. Hair cortisol is, therefore, a potential marker of chronic stress and is not likely to be affected by acute stress. Studies on cattle show connections between hair cortisol concentration and factors such as pregnancy, parity, diseases, ectoparasites, body condition score, environmental changes, stocking density and milk yield. Hair cortisol concentration appears to be affected by time of sampling, cow age and breed, UV radiation, season, body region of sampled hair and hair colour. Its concentration also depends on sampling and analytical methods. Hair cortisol is a promising non-invasive tool to evaluate welfare of dairy cows, however, more research is needed to determine the extent of effects on its concentration and the appropriate method of sampling and analysis. Correlations between Welfare Quality® Assessment Protocol scores and pooled hair cortisol concentrations have not yet been found, and more research is needed with larger sample size, a standardized protocol of hair sampling, processing and analysis. With proper attention to detail, hair cortisol levels in pooled hair samples might come to be used as a reliable indicator of dairy animal welfare.
The COST action “Standardising output-based surveillance to control non-regulated diseases of cattle in the European Union (SOUND control),” aims to harmonise the results of surveillance and control programmes (CPs) for non-EU regulated cattle diseases to facilitate safe trade and improve overall control of cattle infectious diseases. In this paper we aimed to provide an overview on the diversity of control for these diseases in Europe. A non-EU regulated cattle disease was defined as an infectious disease of cattle with no or limited control at EU level, which is not included in the European Union Animal health law Categories A or B under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2002. A CP was defined as surveillance and/or intervention strategies designed to lower the incidence, prevalence, mortality or prove freedom from a specific disease in a region or country. Passive surveillance, and active surveillance of breeding bulls under Council Directive 88/407/EEC were not considered as CPs. A questionnaire was designed to obtain country-specific information about CPs for each disease. Animal health experts from 33 European countries completed the questionnaire. Overall, there are 23 diseases for which a CP exists in one or more of the countries studied. The diseases for which CPs exist in the highest number of countries are enzootic bovine leukosis, bluetongue, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, bovine viral diarrhoea and anthrax (CPs reported by between 16 and 31 countries). Every participating country has on average, 6 CPs (min–max: 1–13) in place. Most programmes are implemented at a national level (86%) and are applied to both dairy and non-dairy cattle (75%). Approximately one-third of the CPs are voluntary, and the funding structure is divided between government and private resources. Countries that have eradicated diseases like enzootic bovine leukosis, bluetongue, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis and bovine viral diarrhoea have implemented CPs for other diseases to further improve the health status of cattle in their country. The control of non-EU regulated cattle diseases is very heterogenous in Europe. Therefore, the standardising of the outputs of these programmes to enable comparison represents a challenge.
In this Research Reflection we review management practices in small family farms with less than 100 cows. Small farms represent the majority of farms in the EU and the world, and they are of great importance for the economy of a country. On cattle farms, the welfare of calves is of primary importance for the profitability of the herd, and poor management is one of the main factors influencing calf health and survival. Data on the risk factors for calf welfare issues in small-scale farms are limited. For this purpose, the literature data from six world countries were presented and compared, including Serbia and Slovenia where a survey related to the issue was carried out within the COST Action FA1308, DairyCare. Some practices within the following areas in calf management were considered: calving management, care for new-born calves, use of painful procedures, colostrum management, cow–calf separation, calf feeding, weaning, calf housing, and general monitoring. In each of the countries, the health and welfare of calves are threatened by some omissions in rearing practices and the major are related to the new-born calf management, the feeding and watering management, and the application of hygienic measures. Many farmers are well aware of the importance of proper calf rearing; others would need more incentive to improve calf management. Each country should pay attention to the education of farmers about the most common deficiencies in calf management.
This Research Reflection short review will discuss vitamin D metabolism, its role in nutrition, disease prevention, and welfare of dairy cattle, as well as its toxicity. Vitamin D is an important fat-soluble vitamin. However, some researchers regard it as a hormone due to its function in the organism. Its role is not limited just to Ca homoeostasis and bone metabolism but is also associated with immunity. In dairy cattle it is known for preventing milk fever. Cows can acquire vitamin D in many ways for example through feed, parenteral injections or through UVB irradiation from the sun or artificial lighting. The vitamin D in feed can either be plant-/ fungi- based ergocalciferol or animal-based cholecalciferol. There is currently only one registered feed vitamin D supplement for cattle in the European Union and it is cholecalciferol. Animals can also synthesize their own vitamin D when 7-dihydrocholesterol in the skin is irradiated with UVB light resulting in cholecalciferol production. Despite its importance, many cattle are deficient in vitamin D due to inadequate supplementation or insufficient sun exposure. In a study performed at the Veterinary Faculty in Slovenia 12 high producing Holstein Friesian cows at a commercial dairy farm were blood tested for vitamin D status for three succeeding months and all but one were vitamin D insufficient in all testings. The cows were not exposed to direct sunlight and the content of vitamin D3 in feed was <400 IU/kg dry matter, which is less than half of the NRC (2001) recommendation. Deficiency can also occur due to diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, such as paratuberculosis, which lower the absorptive capacity of the gut. Vitamin D can be toxic if cows are over-supplemented or consume large quantities of plants like Trisetum flavescens, which contain an active form of vitamin D-calcitriol or its glycosides, that are activated by digestion in the rumen.
Background: Early lactation is period followed by changed metabolism in organism of the cow. This is the consequence of negativ energy balance, metabolic stress and milk production. Early lactation is characterised by high lipide catabolism (high NEFA) and low anabolic capacity (low insulin and IGF-I concentration). The aim of this study is to examine differences in metabolic adaptation of cows in early lactation (eight weeks after calving) in accordance to anabolic (insulin, IGF-I) and catabolic (NEFA) indicators in first week after calving.Materials, Methods & Results: The experiment included 50 Holstein-Friesian cows. Blood samples were collected in first, second, fourth and eight week after calving by venepunction of v.coccigea. Based on median value of indicator, cows were significantly (P < 0.001) classified in two groups: cows under metabolic stress (indicators of anabolism below the median Me-: indicators of catabolism above the medianMe+) and cows in control group (indicators of anabolism above the median Me+: indicators of catabolism under median Me-). Following criteria for comparison were given: based on classification of cows according to one indicator of metabolic load (insulinMe-:insulinMe+; IGF-IMe-:IGF-IMe+ and NEFAMe-:NEFA Me+); based on classification of cows according to combination of two indicators (insulinMe-+NEFAMe+: insulinMe++NEFAMe- and IGF-IMe-+NEFAMe+:IGF-IMe++NEFAMe-). Cows loaded with metabolic stress showed significan difference in metabolic adaptation in relation to control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01): higher values of STH, BHB (criteria were insulin, IGF-I, NEFA, insulin+NEFA, IGF-I+NEFA), higher values of bilirubin, AST, ALT, GGT, AP (criteria NEFA and IGF-I+NEFA) and MDA (criteria NEFA) and lower levels of glucose, total proteins, albumin (criteria IGF-I, NEFA, IGF-I+NEFA and body condition (criteria insulin, IGF-I, NEFA, insulin+ NEFA, IGF-I+ NEFA) were noted. Differences were expressed the most in first two weeks after calving. Differences in the body condition were the most notable later in weeks. Usage of NEFA indicator in first week after calving allows the most quality recognition of cows with metabolic parameters in extreme quartiles (ROC AUC= 0.87, P < 0.01) in first eight week of lactation.Discussion: Inverse relation betwen NEFA with insulin and IGF-I is consequence of next phisiological concept: plasma insulin and IGF-I decrease in same mannure after calvig and insulin aplication increase IGF-I; low insulin concentration leads cow to lipolysis and low IGF-I leads to STH resistance with increase concentration of STH and high lipolysis. Catabolism of adipose tissue and high NEFA concentration is most important for metabolic adaptation in periparturient period. Cows with insulin resistance, ketosis and fatty liver with many problems in metabolic adaptation showed high NEFA concentration. Atenuation of NEFA by niacin or anti-inflammatory drug decreases metabolic change due to high lipide mobilisation in early lactation. Low antepartal IGF-I showed significant effect on postpartum health, but our measuremens are in first week postpartum. In addition, increase catabolism of lipide viewed in NEFA value contributes to metabolic variation and adaptation in the first eight weeks of lactation much more than decrease of anabolic indicators such as insulin and IGF-I. The combination of the indicators does not lead to better recognition of cows with extreme metabolic change in relation to classification only to the value of NEFA.
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