Uterine involution and fertility of holstein cows subsequent to early postpartum PGF2alpha treatment for acute puerperal metritis.
The objective was to evaluate the effect of 2 doses of PGF(2alpha) injected early postpartum on uterine involution, serum concentration of acute phase proteins at 12 d postpartum, and fertility in Holstein cows with acute puerperal metritis. Only cows diagnosed with retained fetal membranes and metritis and treated with ceftiofur hydrochloride for 5 d were used in the study. Two hundred cows were assigned randomly to be treated (n = 100) or to serve as controls (n = 100). Treatment consisted of 2 i.m. injections of PGF(2alpha) 8 h apart on d 8 postpartum. A subsample of 90 cows was selected randomly (45 treated cows; 45 controls) to evaluate uterine diameter using ultrasonography, uterine score, and serum concentrations of acute phase proteins at 12 d postpartum. The outcome variable for all cows was conception rate at first service. Postpartum, primiparous, treated cows had smaller uterine diameters and lower uterine scores than controls. Cows with a uterine diameter <5.1 cm at 12 d postpartum were 5.5 times more likely to conceive at first service than cows with larger uterine horn diameter. Treatment significantly reduced the concentrations of serum alpha1-acid glycoprotein. Within primiparous cows, treatment also increased conception at first service by 17%. It was concluded that 2 doses of PGF(2alpha) 8 h apart at 8 d postpartum in primiparous cows with acute puerperal metritis decreased the diameter of uterine horns and serum concentration of alpha1-acid glycoprotein at 12 d postpartum and increased the conception rate at first service.
Melendez
P
P
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610, USA. melendezp@mail.vetmed.ufl.edu
McHale
J
J
Bartolome
J
J
Archbald
L F
LF
Donovan
G A
GA
D000208:Acute Disease; D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004716:Endometritis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D009961:Orosomucoid / Q000032:analysis; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000662:veterinary; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014599:Uterus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*
D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D009961:Orosomucoid; D015237:Dinoprost