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Feeding behaviour identifies dairy cows at risk for metritis Urton, Geoffrey D. G.
Abstract
Dairy cows experience a high incidence of disease in the weeks immediately after calving, but early and accurate diagnosis remains a challenge. Cows suffering from metritis, one common disease after calving, exhibit reduced milk yield and reproductive performance. However, afflicted cows show few overt signs of illness and frequently go unnoticed in the absence of veterinary examination. To determine if changes in feeding behaviour could be used in the identification of animals at risk for metritis, attendance at the feed alley was monitored continuously for 26 Holstein cows during the transition period, beginning 2 weeks before and ending 3 weeks after calving. Every 3±1 d cows were diagnosed for metritis based on rectal body temperature and condition of vaginal discharge. Over the 3 weeks of observations after calving, 69% of cows showed some signs of metritis. These cows spent on average 22 min/d less time at the feed alley during the transition period than did non-metritic cows. For every 10-min decrease in average daily feeding time, cows were twice as likely to be diagnosed with metritis. A threshold of 75 min of average daily feeding time was 89% sensitive and 62% specific for detection of acute metritis. In conclusion, reduced time at the feeder can be used to identify dairy cows at risk for metritis. More research is required to determine how soon before calving at-risk cows can be identified, and if these behavioural differences can also be used in the early diagnosis of other diseases.
Item Metadata
Title |
Feeding behaviour identifies dairy cows at risk for metritis
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2005
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Description |
Dairy cows experience a high incidence of disease in the weeks immediately after calving,
but early and accurate diagnosis remains a challenge. Cows suffering from metritis, one
common disease after calving, exhibit reduced milk yield and reproductive performance.
However, afflicted cows show few overt signs of illness and frequently go unnoticed in the
absence of veterinary examination. To determine if changes in feeding behaviour could be
used in the identification of animals at risk for metritis, attendance at the feed alley was
monitored continuously for 26 Holstein cows during the transition period, beginning 2
weeks before and ending 3 weeks after calving. Every 3±1 d cows were diagnosed for
metritis based on rectal body temperature and condition of vaginal discharge. Over the 3
weeks of observations after calving, 69% of cows showed some signs of metritis. These
cows spent on average 22 min/d less time at the feed alley during the transition period
than did non-metritic cows. For every 10-min decrease in average daily feeding time, cows
were twice as likely to be diagnosed with metritis. A threshold of 75 min of average daily
feeding time was 89% sensitive and 62% specific for detection of acute metritis. In
conclusion, reduced time at the feeder can be used to identify dairy cows at risk for
metritis. More research is required to determine how soon before calving at-risk cows can
be identified, and if these behavioural differences can also be used in the early diagnosis
of other diseases.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-12-16
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0092208
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2005-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.