view - Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health

CHAPTER 4.1
GmbH, Unterschleißheim, Germany) for 3 consecutive days. Ketosis (KET) was defined
as a drop in milk yield accompanied with urinary ketone bodies exceeding 500 µmol/L
(Ketostix, Bayer AG, Leverkusen, Germany). Animals having urinary ketone bodies
between 1,500 and 4,000 µmol/L were treated with 500 mL propylene glycol for 3
consecutive days. Animals exceeding 4,000 µmol/L urinary ketones were treated
intravenously with 500 mL of a 40% glucose solution (B. Braun, Melsungen, Germany),
40 mL of a vitamin b–complex (Vitamin B-Komplex, Serumwerk Bernburg, Bernburg,
Germany), and an intramuscular injection of dexamethasone at a dose of 0.08 mg/kg of
BW (Rapidexon, Albrecht GmbH, Aulendorf, Germany). The diagnosis of a left
displacement of the abomasum (LDA) was made when depressed feed intake and milk
yield were accompanied by the characteristic tympanic resonance (“ping”) during
percussion of the left flank. The method of choice for correction of LDA at the farm was
the ‘roll-and-toggle’ method as described by Newman et al. (2008) except for cases not
eligible for roll-and-toggle (e.g. recurrent cases) in which a laparscopic abomasopexy
was executed as described by Newman et al. (2008). Right displacement of the
abomasum was not included in the present study as it is a less common disease
occurring throughout the entire lactation and therefore less associated with the
transition period (Doll et al., 2009).
Even though not a MD itself, the increased incidence of mastitis (MAST) shortly
after parturition (Koivula et al., 2005) has been associated with impaired metabolic
health in transition cows (Chagunda et al., 2006; Moyes et al., 2009) which has a major
impact on short and long term milk production (Wilson et al., 2008). Cows with clinical
signs of MAST, such as udder inflammation and abnormal milk (IDF, 1997; Chagunda et
al., 2006), were first identified by farm staff in the milk parlor and confirmed afterwards
by the herd manager. All cows having a MAST event before 30 DIM were included in the
analysis in order to restrict the analysis to transition period disease. Affected cows were
treated according to the herd protocol. Animals having mild MAST were treated with an
intramammary application of 88.8 mg cefquinome sulphate per infected quarter
(Cobactan LC, Intervet Deutschland GmbH, Unterschleißheim, Germany) for 3
consecutive days. In case of a severe MAST, the previous protocol was extended with
cefquinome intramuscular at a dose rate of 1 mg/kg BW (Cobactan 2.5%, Intervet
Deutschland GmbH, Unterschleißheim, Germany) and a single intravenous injection of
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