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An antioxidant therapy based on vitamin E and selenium subcutaneous (sc) injections administered prior to and after parturition, was evaluated by measuring the incidence of uterine pathologies and fertility in lactating Holstein cows. Cows (n = 353) were randomly distributed into three groups: Group pre-postpartum (n = 122), cows received a sc injection of 50 mg Se and 680 IU vitamin E (10 mL of Mu-Se) on 60 and 21 days prepartum and 30 and 90 days postpartum; Group prepartum (n = 117) received a sc injection 21 days prior to parturition; control Group (n = 114), cows received sc injections of saline solution (SS, 10 mL) on 60 and 21 days prepartum and 30 and 90 days postpartum. Incidence of retained fetal membranes (RFM) in control Group (20.1%) was similar (P > 0.05) to prepartum Group (12.8%), but it differed (P < 0.05) from pre-postpartum Group (6.5%). The percentage of cows with haemorrhagic metritis (HM) was similar among groups (8.7%; P > 0.05). Proportion of cows with purulent metritis (PM) in control Group (37.7%) was similar (P > 0.05) to prepartum Group (33.3%), but reduced (P < 0.05) in pre-postpartum Group (23.7%). The global proportion of cows showing any of the evaluated pathologies was similar (P > 0.05) for control groups (44.7%) and prepartum Group (40.1%) but lower (P < 0.05) for pre-postpartum Group (27%). Pregnancy rate at 150 days postpartum (PP) was greater (P < 0.08) for pre-postpartum Group (70%) than control Group (58.9%). In conclusion, an antioxidant therapy based on vitamin E and selenium administration, 60 and 21 days prior to parturition and 30 and 90 days after parturition, reduces the incidence of uterine pathologies and improves pregnancy rate at 150 days postpartum in Holstein cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Veterinaria México is the property of Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia UNAM and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A single dose of bovine somatotrophin (bST) given at the time of insemination improves conception rate (CR) in repeat-breeding cows, but there is no clear evidence that this treatment is useful in first service cows. The effect of bST applied at the time of insemination on conception rate in first service Holstein cows was evaluated. This study was conducted using 435 lactating Holstein cows from 15 dairy herds located in Tizayuca, Hidalgo. Cows were divided in two groups. The bST group (n = 185) received a subcutaneous injection of 500 mg of bST; the control group (n = 250) received 2 mL of saline solution. Insulin growth factor type I (IGF-I) and insulin concentrations were measured daily on seven randomly chosen cows of each group from the day of the bST injection until day 14 post treatment. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by rectal palpation 45 days after insemination. The effects of treatment, herd, synchronized method (spontaneous or synchronized estrus with prostaglandin F2α), parity and days in milk on conception rate were analyzed by logistic regression for binary variables. The concentrations of IGF-I and insulin were compared using ANOVA for repeated measurements. Conception rate did not varied (P > 0.05) between treatment groups [bST (36.2%) vs control (34.8%)]. There were no herd, parity, days in milk or synchronized method effects (P > 0.05) on conception rate. IGF-I and insulin were higher (P < 0.05) in the bST group than in the control group. It is concluded that a 500 mg bST injection at the time of insemination does not improve fertility in first service Holstein cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]