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Plastic sanitary sheaths over artificial insemination (AI) guns have been used at the time of AI to improve hygiene at AI and fertility in cattle, but fertility responses have been variable in studies when AI was performed by professional inseminators. The aims of this study were to investigate whether the use of a sanitary sheath at the time of AI carried out by nonprofessional (do-it-yourself, or DIY) inseminators improves pregnancy rates to AI in pasture-based dairy cows and whether effects of sheaths are greater in cows with contaminated vulvas and in cows at increased risk of extended calving to conception intervals. Lactating dairy cows located in 10 pasture-based herds in a subtropical region of northern Australia were inseminated by herd-based DIY inseminators and assigned to be inseminated with (n = 3,655) or without (n = 3,969) a sanitary sheath, with potential effects assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Overall, use of a sheath at the time of AI did not significantly affect pregnancy rates to AI (36.3% for those inseminated without a sheath vs. 36.8% for those inseminated with a sheath; odds ratio: 1.02; 95% confidence interval: 0.92-1.11). Effects of using a sheath on pregnancy rates to AI varied by herd, with lower pregnancy rates with the use of sheaths in 1 herd and some evidence of increases in 3 herds. Unexpectedly, there was evidence that the effect of sheath on pregnancy rates was less positive (or more negative) when the vulva was classified as dirty before any cleaning of the vulva before insemination compared with when the vulva was classified as clean (interaction odds ratio: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.56-1.00). Interactions between sheath and other explanatory variables that could affect fertility were not significant; thus, there was no compelling evidence that the effect of using a sheath was modified by any of these variables. We conclude that the use of sheaths during AI of pasture-based dairy cows by DIY inseminators does not, on average, markedly improve pregnancy rates to AI. However, responses may vary between herds, and the response to sheaths may be inferior (i.e., less positive or more negative) when a cow's vulva is contaminated with feces or discharge at the time of AI compared with when the vulva is clean., (Copyright © 2019 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study evaluated the effect of equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) on reproductive performance, when incorporated into the first Ovsynch + P4 synchronization following planned start mating (PSM) in pasture-based lactating dairy cows. Two synchrony programs were compared in a randomized controlled trial in Queensland, Australia. Lactating cows from a single dairy herd (n = 782) were randomly allocated to Control and eCG groups. Control cows had their estrous cycles synchronized by treatment with 100 μg gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH; im) and insertion of a progesterone (P4) releasing intravaginal device that contained 1.0 g of P4 on Day 0; removal of P4 device and administration of 500 μg of an analogue of PGF2α on Day 7 (cloprostenol; im); 100 μg im of GnRH on Day 9, and fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) on Day 10. The eCG group were treated the same as the Control group except for the addition of 400 IU of eCG, im on Day 7 of the first synchronized estrous cycle. Following the first insemination, non-pregnant cows from both groups had their estrous cycles synchronized with the same treatment protocol without using eCG. The effects of eCG on 42d cumulative incidence of pregnancy and pregnancy per AI (P/AI) were determined using logistic regression models. The effect of eCG on time to pregnancy was determined using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards models. Adjusted 42 d cumulative incidence of pregnancy for eCG and control groups were 47.2 and 39.3% respectively (Odds ratio [OR] = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.01-1.88). Hazard of pregnancy tended to be higher in eCG cows overall (Hazard ratio [HR] = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.99-1.41) and was significantly higher when restricting to the first 42 days after PSM (HR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.04-1.64). Hazards of pregnancy were not different between groups when restricting to > Day 42 post PSM (HR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.77-1.31). P/AI tended to be higher in eCG treated cows at the first AI (44.0 vs 37.7%, OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 0.94-1.78). P/AI for second and third AIs were not significantly different between groups. In this herd, a single treatment of eCG at the first synchronized estrus after PSM improved reproductive performance in the short term, but not at subsequent inseminations., (Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine if a pre-milking teat disinfection protocol would reduce the incidence of clinical mastitis by greater than 50%., Methods: Two pre-milking routines were compared in a natural exposure trial. Cows from a single dairy herd were randomly assigned to control (n = 246) and experimental (pre-milking teat disinfection [PMTD]; n = 244) groups. For cows in the control group, the pre-milking routine involved minimal teat-washing, except for cows with wet teat contamination. For cows in the PMTD group, the pre-milking routine involved washing of all teats, dipping with a commercial 0.1% available iodine solution, allowing a minimum of 30 s contact time and then drying of the teats using disposable paper towel. Clinical cases encountered during the trial were recorded and pathogens were isolated from milk samples using standard laboratory methods., Results: The effect of PMTD was determined using multivariable binary logistic regression. Multiparous animals in the PMTD group had higher odds of experiencing clinical mastitis overall and of experiencing clinical mastitis caused by environmental pathogens (odds ratio (OR) 1.97 and 4.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15-3.38 and 1.49-11.3, respectively). In primiparous animals, pre-milking teat disinfection did not reduce the odds of clinical mastitis by greater than 50% (OR 1.31, 95%CI 0.52-3.29)., Conclusion: In this herd, PMTD increased the odds of clinical mastitis. The effectiveness of PMTD to prevent clinical mastitis in pasture-based systems is likely to vary greatly between herds. We therefore recommend against the wholesale use of this practice on Australian farms., (© 2018 Australian Veterinary Association.)

Lifetime records of 442 Holstein cows on one farm in North Queensland, Australia, were analysed to evaluate the effects of age at first calving (AFC) and first lactation milk yield on parities per lifetime, longevity, milk yield in subsequent lactations, lifetime milk production and the longevity index (LI), that is the proportion of a cow's life spent in active milk production. The mean daily yield in the first lactation was a reliable indicator of milk yield in subsequent lactations, estimated lifetime production, longevity and LI. The afc had no effect on lifetime days in milk. Neither the AFC nor the milk yield in the first lactation significantly affected the number of parities per lifetime. For the majority of cows, which produced less than 30 l/day in the first lactation, there was a significant positive relationship between longevity and AFC. However, none of the cows that produced more than 30 l/day in the first lactation survived for more than two lactations. The optimal AFC was thus two to two-and-a-half years, as these cows had the highest first lactation yield, estimated lifetime production and LI. The optimal mean daily yield in the first lactation was 20 to 30 l/day, as these cows lived longer and had a higher LI and lifetime production.

Environmental heat can reduce conception rates (the proportion of services that result in pregnancy) in lactating dairy cows. The study objectives were to identify periods of exposure relative to the service date in which environmental heat is most closely associated with conception rates, and to assess whether the total time cows are exposed to high environmental heat within each 24-h period is more closely associated with conception rates than is the maximum environmental heat for each 24-h period. A retrospective observational study was conducted in 25 predominantly Holstein-Friesian commercial dairy herds located in Australia. Associations between weather and conception rates were assessed using 16,878 services performed over a 21-mo period. Services were classified as successful based on rectal palpation. Two measures of heat load were defined for each 24-h period: the maximum temperature-humidity index (THI) for the period, and the number of hours in the 24-h period when the THI was >72. Conception rates were reduced when cows were exposed to a high heat load from the day of service to 6 d after service, and in wk -1. Heat loads in wk -3 to -5 were also associated with reduced conception rates. Thus, management interventions to ameliorate the effects of heat load on conception rates should be implemented at least 5 wk before anticipated service and should continue until at least 1 wk after service. High autocorrelations existed between successive daily values in both measures, and associations between day of heat load relative to service day and conception rates differed substantially when ridge regression was used to account for this autocorrelation. This indicates that when assessing the effects of heat load on conception rates, the autocorrelation in heat load between days should be accounted for in analyses. The results suggest that either weekly averages or totals summarizing the daily heat load are adequate to describe heat load when assessing effects on conception rates in lactating dairy cows.

Hoof growth and wear studies were conducted on ten spring-calving cows over 12 months. The rates of hoof wall growth and wear were lower in autumn and winter than during spring and summer. Both were greater in 2-year-old than in mature cows (p<0.05). Sole wear occurred most rapidly along the abaxial edge of the weight-bearing surface, less quickly in the toe and heel areas, and most slowly in the mid-sole region. Both hoof wall wear and sole wear were greater in lateral digits than in medial digits (p<0.01). Sole concavity, measured using a profile gauge, was greater in 2-year-olds prior to calving than in mature-aged cows (p<0.05) but this difference disappeared soon after calving as concavity was lost in the younger cows. Medial digits almost always had greater concavity than lateral digits. Sole concavity measurements were also made on the hind digits of 24 autumn-calving cows on four occasions at 2-monthly intervals. Prior to calving, concavity was much greater in these cows than in the spring-calving cows. However, concavity was lost rapidly following calving and concavity measurements were soon similar to those found in the spring-calving cows.

All cases of lameness that occurred in cows from three dairy herds between August 198'3 and July 1990 were examined every 2 weeks from the onset of lameness until the lesions resolved. The incidences of herd lameness were 38%, 22% and 2%. Some 186 clinical lesions were identified in 134 cases of lameness in 120 cows. Sole bruising (42%) and white line separation (39%) were the most frequently diagnosed conditions. Lateral digits of the hind limbs were the most affected. The mean time from the onset of lameness to clinical recovery was 27 days and to lesion recovery was 35 days. The peak incidence of lameness occurred during winter for autumn-calving cows and during the late spring for spring-calving cows. The onset of lameness was associated with the stage of lactation and wet weather conditions. Survival analysis revealed that the probability of an individual cow lasting in the milking herd for any specified period of time without becoming lame was highly associated with both her herd environment and her age. Total lactation yields of milk, milk fat and milk protein were lower for cows suffering from lameness than for herd-mates matched on age and proximity on calving date (P<0.05). Reproductive performance was also poorer in lame cows than in their herd-mates.

A longitudinal study of the feet of cows from a seasonal dairy herd was conducted over a 12 month period to measure the occurrence of subclinical hoof lesions. Eleven 2-year-old cows, entering the herd for the first time, and eleven mature cows were randomly selected from a herd of 415 cows at the end of winter (July 1989) prior to calving. The incidence of lameness in the herd over the 12 months was 2%. None of the trial cows became lame during the study. Cows were examined monthly. The type, severity and location of any hoof lesions were recorded. Sole haemorrhage, erosion of the heel bulb and minor white line separation were the most commonly observed lesions. These lesions were observed with specific claw distributions in the cow and at specific times of the year and breeding season, with waves of each type of lesion passing through the herd at a particular time. White line separation was observed commonly during spring (up to 37% of digits affected), disappeared almost completely over the dry summer months and reappeared in autumn, increasing to 40%' again over winter. Lesions were more commonly observed in the lateral digits, with fore feet being more commonly affected than hind feet. Erosion of the heel bulbs was common in August (65% of digits affected, more common in mature cows than 2-year-olds), disappeared quickly during spring, and reappeared in all cows during the following winter (88% of digits; no age differences). There were no differences in distribution between digits. Sole haemorrhages were concentrated over the mid-sole and abaxial sole zones. They were more common in the hind feet than the front feet and more common in the outside claws (p < 0.001). Haemorrhages were not observed prior to or soon after calving, appeared in October and reached a peak of 40% in December, then gradually disappeared by the time of drying-off in May. The 2-year-olds were more frequently affected than the mature cows (p <0.001).