• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.427-430
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• 2012

An infertile, three-year-old primiparous cow was diagnosed preliminarily with pyometra by rectal palpation at 180 days postpartum. Ultrasonography showed that the cranial portion of the right uterine horn was distended with fluid, while the base portion of the horn was missing. A dense band of tissue connected the cranial portion of the uterine horn to the uterine body. However, the left uterine horn was normal. Gross postmortem analysis of the reproductive organs confirmed the ultrasonographic observations. Histopathological observations also showed that dark red-brown mucus filled the thin-walled right uterine horn, where neither caruncles nor uterine glands were observed. Finally, this primiparous Holstein cow was diagnosed with segmental aplasia of the right uterine horn.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.422-430
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• 2014

Pasture-based automatic milking systems (AMS) require cow traffic to enable cows to be milked. The interval between milkings can be manipulated by strategically allocating pasture. The current experiment investigated the effect of replacing an allocation of grazed pasture with grazed soybean (Glycine max) with the hypothesis that incorporating soybean would increase voluntary cow traffic and milk production. One hundred and eighty mixed age, primiparous and multiparous Holstein-Friesian/Illawarra cows were randomly assigned to two treatment groups (n = 90/group) with a $2{\times}2$ Latin square design. Each group was either offered treatments of kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum Hoach ex Chiov.) pasture (pasture) or soybean from 0900 h to 1500 h during the experimental period which consisted of 2 periods of 3 days following 5 days of training and adaptation in each period with groups crossing over treatments after the first period. The number of cows trafficking to each treatment was similar together with milk yield (mean ${\approx}18$ L/cow/d) in this experiment. For the cows that arrived at soybean or pasture there were significant differences in their behaviour and consequently the number of cows exiting each treatment paddock. There was greater cow traffic (more cows and sooner) exiting pasture allocations. Cows that arrived at soybean stayed on the allocation for 25% more time and ate more forage (8.5 kg/cow/d/allocation) relative to pasture (4.7 kg/cow/d/allocation). Pasture cows predominantly replaced eating time with rumination. These findings suggest that replacing pasture with alternative grazeable forages provides no additional incentive to increase voluntary cow traffic to an allocation of feed in AMS. This work highlights the opportunity to increase forage intakes in AMS through the incorporation of alternative forages.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.869-878
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• 2023

Objective: Hyperketonemia remains a major metabolic issue of serious milk production and a major health concern in early lactation cows. Oral supplementation of glucose precursors (GP) can be used to prevent hyperketonemia in dairy cows. The objective of this study was to compare the beneficial effects of orally supplementing a mixture of GP on metabolic health indicators and milk production status of primiparous (PP) and multiparous (MP) dairy cows. Methods: Twenty-eight Holstein cows were blocked by expected date of parturition, previous lactation yield, and parity. The cows were randomly allocated to one of the four treatment groups (n = 7 cows/group) based on their parity and GP supplementation: i) PP cows fed basal diet only (PP-CON), ii) PP cows with oral supplementation of GP (PP-GP), iii) MP cows fed basal diet only (MP-CON), and iv) MP cows with oral supplementation of GP (MP-GP). Glucose precursor (glycoline liquid) was orally drenched (300 mL/d) in GP cows from 7 days prepartum through 7 days postpartum. Other than GP supplementation, all cows were fed similar pre- and postpartum basal diets. Results: In both pre- and postpartum periods, serum glucose concentration was increased, whereas β-hydroxybutyrate and free fatty acids were decreased in GP cows compared with the CON cows. Milk yield and milk components were statistically not different between GP and CON cows over the first 9 week of lactation. The yield of actual milk, energy-corrected milk, 63-days cumulative milk, colostrum yield, and calf birth weight remained higher in MP cows compared with PP cows. Conclusion: Oral drenching of GP around calving can be recommended to successfully improve the metabolic health and reduce the negative effects of hyperketonemia not only in MP but also in PP dairy cows.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2010

The increase in the total number of cows on farms, which breed Korean Native Cattle (KNC), is associated with many problems. In particular, the services per conception and calving interval have increased. In this study, we examined the effect of dietary supplementation with vitamin and mineral complex on the estrus rate, pregnancy rate, gestation length, and birth weight of KNC calves. Multiparous or primiparous KNC were divided into 3 groups with 40 heads per group. Experimental group 1 was administered a consisting of 35,000 IU vitamin A, 100 IU vitamin E, 200 mg $\beta$-carotene, 200 mg Zn methionine, and 1.5 mg Se. Experimental group 2 was administered a vitamin complex (100 g/day) consisting of 100 IU vitamin E and 200 mg $\beta$-carotene. In the case of multiparous KNC, the estrus detection rate in the control group was 90.0% and those in the experimental groups were 75.0% to 95.0%. However, the first-service pregnancy rate after parturition in the control group was 41.2%, which was significantly lower than that in the experimental groups (71.0% to 76.7%; p<0.05). The average duration of pregnancy in the group supplemented with the vitamin complex was days, which was similar to that in the case of the control group. The birth weight of calves from cows fed with vitamin complex was 25.3 to 27.0 kg, which was similar to that in the case of the control group (25.2 to 26.0 kg). In the case of primiparous KNC, no differences in the estrus rate, pregnancy rate, gestation length, or the birth weight of calves were noted between the groups. Thus, dietary supplementation vitamin and mineral complex have no effect on the reproductive efficiency in primiparous cows, but the pregnancy rate was observed to have increased in multiparous KNC with these supplements.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.382-388
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors associated with pregnancy following 3 synchronization protocols in dairy cows. Data were collected on 1,952 cows from 22 dairy farms, including synchronization protocols ($PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ + estradiol benzoate [PG+EB], Ovsynch, and CIDR-ovsynch), cow parity, body condition score (BCS), and dates of previous calving, insemination and conception. The odds ratio (OR) for pregnancy were analyzed by logistic regression using the LOGISTIC procedure in SAS. The analysis revealed that farm (p = 0.005), cow parity (p = 0.0001), BCS (p < 0.005), and AI season (p < 0.05) significantly affected and calving to AI interval tended to affect (p < 0.1) the probability for pregnancy. Although synchronization protocols did not affect the probability for pregnancy (p > 0.05), cow parity and synchronization protocols showed a significant interaction (p < 0.005); the OR (0.60) was significantly lower (p < 0.0001) for multiparous cows compared to primiparous cows using PG+EB, whereas the OR (1.44) tended to be higher (p < 0.1) for multiparous cows compared to primiparous cows using the Ovsynch, and the probability for pregnancy did not differ between multiparous and primiparous cows using the CIDR-ovsynch (p > 0.05). Cows with BCS ${\geq}$ 3.00 were more likely pregnant (OR: 1.41) compared with cows having BCS ${\leq}$ 2.75, whereas cows inseminated during summer had a lower OR (0.73) compared with those inseminated during spring. Cows with a calving to AI interval > 150 days were more likely to be pregnant (OR: 1.20) compared with cows with a calving to AI interval ${\leq}$ 150 days. In conclusion, the OR for pregnancy following synchronization protocols in dairy cows was affected by farm, parity, BCS, calving to AI interval of the cow, and AI season, and there was a significant interaction between cow parity and synchronization protocols; the OR for pregnancy was lower for multiparous cows compared with primiparous cows using the PG+EB protocol.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1524-1534
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• 2022

Objective: The objective was to test if creep feeding (CF) improves the average daily gain (ADG) and weaning weight of calves submitted to temporary weaning (TW) and if the combination of CF and TW improves conception and pregnancy rates of cows. Methods: Primiparous (n = 74) and primiparous and multiparous (n = 104) cows grazing native grasslands were used in experiment 1 and 2; respectively. The experimental design was in plots divided into complete random blocks with two replications. The CF was the big plot and TW the small plot, thus four experimental groups were formed: i) -CF-TW (n = 21 and 27); ii) -CF+TW (n = 16 and 24); iii) +CF-TW (n = 20 and 26); iv) +CF+TW (n = 17 and 27) with cow-calf pairs for experiments 1 and 2; respectively. Nose plate application for TW had a duration of 14 and 15 days for experiment 1 and 2: respectively. In experiment 1, calves were fed at 1% of live weight for 112 days using a commercial supplement with 18.4% crude protein. In experiment 2, the supplementation lasted 98 days, and was carried out with corn dried distillers grains with soluble (DDGS) at 40% of the potential intake on a daily basis. Results: The TW reduced ADG during the TW period and the following 14 days, but the negative effect of TW was maintained until the final weaning only in experiment 2. The CF increased ADG during TW period in both experiments. The TW promoted an earlier conception of the dams (12 days in -CF treatment and 19 days in +CF treatment, p<0.01) and CF increased pregnancy rate in experiment 1, being the effects not consistent between experiments. Conclusion: The CF consistently promoted an increase in ADG during the period of TW and increased final weaning weight of calves, therefore it is economically viable.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.267-270
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• 2011

Ovarian tumors in cows are uncommon and most are granulosa cell tumors. Bovine ovarian fibromas are extremely rare and tend to occur in older animals. This paper reports the case of a large ovarian mass found in a primiparous dairy cow which had shown no sign of cycling after calving. The mass continued to increase in size as detected during six-month serial observations by ultrasonography. An ovariectomy was subsequently performed and the growth was diagnosed as an ovarian fibroma by gross and microscopic examination. This case is the first report of an ovarian fibroma observed in a living dairy cow.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1261-1269
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• 2017

Objective: The effect of flavonoids from alfalfa on the microbial flora was determined using molecular techniques of 16S ribosome deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) analysis. Methods: Four primiparous Holstein heifers fitted with ruminal cannulas were used in a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design and fed a total mixed ration to which alfalfa flavonoids extract (AFE) was added at the rates of 0 (A, control), 20 (B), 60 (C), or 100 (D) mg per kg of heifer BW. Results: The number of operational taxonomic units in heifers given higher levels of flavonoid extract (C and D) was higher than for the two other treatments. The Shannon, Ace, and Chao indices for treatment C were significantly higher than for the other treatments (p<0.05). The number of phyla and genera increased linearly with increasing dietary supplementation of AFE (p<0.05). The principal co-ordinates analysis plot showed substantial differences in the microbial flora for the four treatments. The microbial flora in treatment A was similar to that in B, C, and D were similar by the weighted analysis. The richness of Tenericutes at the phylum level tended to increase with increasing AFE (p = 0.10). The proportion of Euryarchaeota at the phylum level increased linearly, whereas the proportion of Fusobacteria decreased linearly with increasing AFE supplementation (p = 0.04). The percentage of Mogibacterium, Pyramidobacter, and Asteroleplasma at the genus level decreased linearly with increasing AFE (p<0.05). The abundance of Spirochaeta, Succinivibrio, and Suttonella at the genus level tended to decrease linearly with increasing AFE (0.05

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.467-472
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• 2004

Eight primiparous Holstein cows, in late lactation (255$\pm$10 days in milk) and yielding 10.3$\pm$1.3 kg/d of 4% fat corrected milk (FCM) were allocated into two groups randomly. Two diets containing 30% wheat straw either untreated (UWS) or treated with Pleurotus ostreatus (FTWS) were offered as total mixed ration (TMR). In vivo digestibility of the diets was determined, using acid insoluble ash as a marker. Daily milk production was recorded and milk samples were collected and analysed. Diet FTWS resulted in significantly (p<0.05) higher dry matter intake (DMI) (12.2$\pm$0.86 vs. 10.6$\pm$1.3), DM digestibility (58.8 vs. 52.3) and milk yield (9 vs. 7.5 kg). Milk fat contents were 34.2 and 35.6 g/liter that did not differ between cows fed treated or untreated straw. However, the concentrations of lactose, solid non fat, total solids and milk protein for diets UWS and FTWS were 57.3 and 54.9, 98.9 and 93.2, 134.5 and 127.4, 35.7 and 32.3 g/l, respectively, which differed significantly (p<0.05). The average body weights gain (BWG) for UWS and FTWS were 272 and 743 g/d, respectively (p<0.05). The FCM yield per kg of DMI was similar (0.68 and 0.67 liter) for the two groups, but BWG/kgDMI was higher in the FTWS diet.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.68-73
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• 2019

We determined the risk factors for displacement of the abomasum (DA), and the relationships between DA and postpartum disorders, milk yield, and reproductive performance in dairy cows. Initially, we identified the risk factors for DA using data regarding cow health and calving season from 2,208 lactations. Then, we compared the incidence of postpartum disorders, culling, death, and reproductive performance between cows with DA and their control herdmates (each n = 57). In addition, serum metabolites concentrations and milk yield were compared between cows with DA and controls (each n = 33). Ketosis (odds ratio [OR] = 9.27, p < 0.0001) and twin calves (p = 0.06) increased the risk of DA. Cows with a parity of three had a higher risk (OR = 5.23, p < 0.01) of DA than primiparous cows. Serum total cholesterol concentration was lower but non-esterified fatty acid, ${\beta}-hydroxybutyrate$, and alanine aminotransferase concentrations were higher after calving in cows with DA than in controls (p < 0.05). The removal rate from the herd by 2 months after calving was higher (p < 0.05) but milk yield 1 and 2 months after calving (p < 0.01) and the rate of first insemination by 150 days postpartum were lower (hazard ratio = 0.49, p < 0.05) in cows with DA than controls. In conclusion, higher parity, twin calves, and ketosis are risk factors for DA in dairy cows, which is associated with a higher removal rate from the herd, lower milk yield, a longer calving to first insemination interval, and unfavorable levels of metabolites related to energy and liver function.