The Incidence of Puerperal Metritis in Postpartum Holstein Friesian Dairy Cows

Puerperal metritis affects dairy cows during the early postpartum (p.p.) period and causes fever, decrease in milk yield, dehydration, reduced rumen fill and activity, and a fetid watery reddish-brown vaginal discharge. The disease is severe and treatment is often required. The objectives of this study were: 1) to evaluate the association among abnormal calving (AC), parity, and season on the incidence of puerperal metritis (PM) during first 14 days p.p.; 2) to describe the rectal temperature (RT) of cows before and offer diagnosis of PM, and 3) to describe associations among PM, and reproductive performance in Holstein Friesian dairy cows. This study Holstein Friesian dairy cows. This study followed a retrospective observational study design in a research dairy herd, after implementation of a health protocol to identify lactating, cows with pp metritis. Cows were classified as cows with normal calving (NC) or abnormal calving (AC), as having PM or not having PM, and according RT at diagnosis: cows with PM without fever, cows with PM and fever and cows without PM. Cows with AC had greater odds of PM than cows with NC. Primiparous cows that calved during the warm season had lower adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of PM than during the cool season. Multiparous cows did not have seasonal effects on PM. There were not detected differences in first – service conception risk or cumulative pregnancy risk by 150 days p.p. between cows with or without PM. In the study the health protocol to identify cows with PM may have resulted in earlier diagnosis and treatment of cows with PM.