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Body length in dairy cattle is an essential linear trait to thoroughly investigate because cattle's bodies are stretched horizontally, unlike humans. As a result, the current study aimed to identify dairy cattle's most prominent body length characteristics primarily related to milk delivery as a selection basis. One hundred twenty-one heads of Holstein cows were employed as a research sample. The samples were utterly lactating, with ages between 2 and 6 years. Principal component analysis (PCA), correlation, and regression were used consecutively to examine the data. The R type 4.2.1 with RStudio software was applied as an instrument for statistical analysis. A stipulated output of the PCA has unmasked four body length traits as major components, comprising absolute frame lengthiness (AFL), relative frame lengthiness (RFL), rump lengthiness (RML), and fore udder lengthiness (FUL). The correlation and regression analysis designated the FUL as the priority in dealing with the milk delivery characteristic, followed by the long distance between teats side-view (TSL). However, with PCA excluding TSL as a substantial component of body length, the second priority was given to the RFL. The ultimate recommendation is to prioritize the FUL trait for the initial cow selection program. Presumedly, the RFL could be used as the first initiative trait for the calf-heifer selection plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Animal health and well-being have become essential criteria for the acceptability of animal-derived products. In dairy cow production, environmental enrichment has become a significant advancement in providing a higher quality of life for these animals, enabling them to cope with the stressful challenges of daily management, as this is one of the production lines that require greater human–animal interaction. Using music and tactile stimuli separately or in combination before the milking period, we discovered that when stimuli are provided, there is a real change in the productivity of the animals. This is supported by data on residual milk quantity and dripping. Additionally, there was an improvement in their quality of life due to an increased level of serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for providing a sense of well-being and reducing reactive responses during daily management. The two alternatives for environmental enrichment addressed in this study have shown promise and can be easily incorporated into animal production due to their low installation and maintenance costs. However, more pronounced effects seem to come from the use of music, which also has the advantage of not posing any risk to the animal's health or milk quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of tactile stimuli and music during daily milking on the productive, physiological, well-being, and health parameters of dairy cows. The experiment, which lasted 39 days, was conducted on a commercial farm with forty crossbred cows (age: 36 to 42 months; weight: 350 to 400 kg) distributed in a completely randomized design (2 × 2) via the following treatments: (Con)—cows not exposed to stimuli, (Tac)—cows exposed to tactile stimuli before milking, (Mus)—cows exposed to music during milking, (Tac+Mus)—cows exposed to both stimuli. In this study, classical music with a slow (75 to 107 BPM) and moderate tempo (90 to 100 BPM) was played, and tactile stimuli was provided manually using a flexible stick in the posterior region and udders of the cows. Cows not exposed to any of the stimuli had up to 41% higher residual milk quantity compared to those exposed to one of or both of the stimuli. The sound stimulus promoted an increase in milk letdown before the start of milking. Cows exposed to stimuli showed higher serotonin levels, indicating a beneficial effect on animal well-being. However, cows exposed to pre-milking tactile stimuli showed an increase in somatic cell count. Combining both techniques may have positive effects on milk productivity and well-being. However, using music alone may be more recommendable as it does not pose health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Johne's disease is an infectious disease affecting cattle, other ruminants and non-ruminant wildlife worldwide, caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). This review provides an up-to-date concise overview of the pathogenesis of MAP, the significance of Johne's disease in cattle and the use of diagnostic testing at both animal and herd level in the context of seasonal pasture-based herds. While MAP can only replicate intracellularly, the bacterium is sufficiently robust to survive for months in the environment. Transmission of MAP is mostly via the faecal-oral route, however in-utero transmission in also possible. The bacteria evade the immune system by persisting in macrophages in the small intestine submucosa, with this latent stage of infection lasting, in most cases, for at least two years before bacterial shedding and clinical signs begin. The slowly progressive nature of MAP infection, poor performance of diagnostic tests and management systems that expose susceptible calves to infection make control of Johne's disease challenging, particularly in seasonal calving herds. Testing of individual animals provides little assurance for farmers and vets due to the poor sensitivity and, in the case of ELISA, imperfect specificity of the available tests. Repeated herd-level testing is utilised by the IJCP to detect infected herds, identify high risk animals, and provide increasing confidence that test-negative herds are free of infection. The IJCP aims to control the spread of Johne's disease in cattle in Ireland, in order to protect non-infected herds, limit the economic and animal health impact of the disease, improve calf health and reassure markets of Johne's disease control in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is the causative agent of paratuberculosis (PTB), incurable enterocolitis, affecting domestic and wild ruminants. Economic losses, impacts on animal health and welfare, and public health concerns justify its herd-level control. Aim: To systematically collect information to answer: What are the control and eradication strategies of PTB in dairy cattle worldwide? Methods: The search procedure was carried out on October 2nd, 2019, and updated on August 3rd, 2021, using OVID®, SciELO, and Redalyc databases, and the registers from the International Colloquium on Paratuberculosis (1991-2018). The inclusion criteria considered articles published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish and in peer-reviewed journals. The exclusion criteria included irrelevant topics, species other-than bovines, and not original articles. Definitive studies were obtained through the consensus of the authors on eligibility and quality. Data extraction was performed, considering bibliographic information, control and outcome strategies, follow-up time, and results. Results: Twenty-six relevant studies were found, reporting the use of three grouped control strategies: hygiene and management strategy (HMS), test-and-cull strategy (TCS), and vaccination strategy (VS). The HMS was the most common one (20/26), followed by TCS (17/26) and vS (7/26). Combined control strategies such as TCS-HMS (12/26), TCS-VS (1/26), and HMS-VS (1/26) were also described, and the consideration of the three control strategies (TCS-HMS-VS) was reported in two articles. The HMS included practices such as neonates/juvenile livestock hygiene, biosecurity, prevention of infection introduction into the herd, and environmental management. Within HMS, the most frequent practices were to remove calves from their dams as soon as possible after birth and to keep the minimal exposure of calves and heifers to adult cattle. As limitations, within the HMS, it is considered that some strategies cannot be included due to lack of compliance, or the application of the same strategy among one study and another may have a different degree of interpretation; publication bias was not controlled since the results of the control programs in endemic countries may be not available. Conclusion: The main PTB control strategies in dairy cattle worldwide are HMS, TCS, and VS. The use of one or several combined strategies has been found to succeed in controlling the disease at the herd-level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University / Erciyes Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Erciyes University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine 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.)

Copyright of Journal of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University / Erciyes Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Erciyes University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine 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.)

Simple Summary: The management of body condition scores of dairy cows during the dry period affects postpartum health. It is therefore important to monitor the body condition scores so as to predict the occurrence of postpartum diseases. In this study, statistical process control technology was used to monitor body condition scores and to explore its effects on nutritional strategies and the development of postpartum subclinical ketosis. The results showed that the statistical process control technology was not a good tool for the diagnosis of postpartum subclinical ketosis, but an appropriate tool for the guidance of nutritional strategies. The management of body condition score (BCS) during the dry period is associated with the postpartum health outcomes of dairy cows. However, the difference between the actual BCS and the fixed ideal value is not able to accurately predict the occurrence of postpartum diseases. This study aimed to use statistical process control (SPC) technology to monitor the BCS of dry cows, to evaluate the effect of control charts on nutritional strategies, and to explore the utility of SPC in predicting the incidence of postpartum subclinical ketosis (SCK). The BCS and SCK data of 286 cows from the dry off period to 60 days postpartum were collected to set up the early warning function. Three control charts, including a control chart for the average BCS of the herds, for the BCS of each dry cow, and for individual BCS, were established. The early warning signs for postpartum SCK development were: (1) an individual BCS more than 3.5 that remained unchanged for six weeks; (2) a capability index (CPK), an SPC tool, greater than −0.52. Using these parameters, the early warning signs of SCK development were verified in 429 dry cows. The results showed that the accuracy of early warning signal was 0.64 and the precision was 0.26. The control chart showed that the average BCS of dry cows was consistently higher than the expected upper limit of BCS during the experimental period, and that the addition of new cows to the herds increased the average BCS. In summary, the application of SPC technology to monitor the BCS of dry cows was not a good tool for the prediction of postpartum SCK occurrence but was an appropriate tool for guiding positive nutrition strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The first few days after calving can be stressful for young dairy cows since they must acclimate to many unfamiliar situations that are required for milking, including novel noises and sensations to their udders. Furthermore, the human–animal relationship is simultaneously jeopardized during this time since cows may display undesirable or dangerous behaviors during milking, such as kicking and stomping. These cows are also at risk for bacterial mammary infections that can be painful and damage tissue. In a controlled experiment, young cows that investigated the milking area and had their teats sanitized weekly for 3 weeks prior to calving were more comfortable during post-calving milking procedures as indicated by reduced kicking and restlessness behaviors. Furthermore, they had fewer mammary infections caused by the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus after calving. Results from this experiment indicate that sanitizing teats and providing opportunities to acclimate to the milking area prior to calving may improve the wellbeing and mammary health of young cows and promote a positive human–animal relationship. Heifers and their human handlers are at risk for decreased welfare during the early lactation period. This experiment investigated pre-parturient teat dipping and parlor acclimation to reduce mastitis and aversive behaviors in early lactation heifers. Three weeks prior to calving, heifers were randomly assigned to receive either: (1) a weekly 1.0% iodine-based teat dip in the parlor (trained; n = 37) or (2) no treatment (control; n = 30). For the first 3 days of lactation, heifers were milked twice daily, and treatment-blinded handlers assessed behaviors and clinical mastitis. Aseptic quarter milk samples were collected within 36 h of calving and analyzed for pathogens. Control heifers had (OR ± SE) 2.2 ± 0.6 times greater (p < 0.01) odds of kicking during milking. Trained heifers had (OR ± SE) 1.7 ± 0.4 times greater (p = 0.02) odds of being very calm during milking, while control heifers had 2.2 ± 0.8 and 3.8 ± 2.1 times greater (p < 0.04) odds of being restless and very restless or hostile during milking, respectively. Quarters of control heifers had (OR ± SE) 5.4 ± 3.4 greater (p < 0.01) odds of intramammary Staphylococcus aureus infection, yet clinical mastitis was similar among treatments. The results indicate that teat dipping in the parlor weekly for 3 weeks before calving may alleviate some aversive milking behaviors and protect against early lactation S. aureus intramammary infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]