NZ Vet Nurse Journal 99 September 2021

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PART-TIMEAND DISTANCELEARNINGfor our Bachelor ofVeterinary NursingIf you’re a registered veterinarynurse, you only need to completeone additional year of study tograduate with our degree.• Upskill in your current practice• Qualify for higher-level positions• Loads of research opportunitiesGet your qualification at unitec.ac.nz/vet
ENDOMETRITISEndometritis in the Dairy HerdBy Ashley Hider(BVT) Canterbury Vets, AshburtonIntroductionBovine endometritis is a common condition seen in NewZealand dairy herds shortly after calving, and is definedas inflammation of the uterine lining.Contamination occurs when bacteria enters the uteruswhile the cervix is open during calving. Most cows canclear the bacteria without treatment but, in 10-20% ofcows, this will develop into a chronic clinical or subclinicalendometritis. Systemic clinical signs are often absentand can cause a significant reduction in reproductiveperformance and profit to the dairy farm. It is important toidentify infections early to allow treatment before mating,and increase the chances of a successful pregnancy(Barański et. al., 2012).Herd History and AssessmentIn September 2020, we were called out to a dairy farmin the Manawatū region. Our goal was to identify casesof endometritis in preparation for the planned start ofmating in a months’ time.The 300-cow herd consisted of Holstein-Friesians, Jerseysand Kiwicross. Body conditions of the cows ranged fromapproximately 4.0 to 6.0 out of 9.0. The recommendedscore for mating should be approximately 5.0, whichsuggests that some cows are not reaching their target.Many of the cows had diarrhoea, possibly due to lushgrass growth. The facilities consisted of a herringbonedairy shed with 50 bails.At-risk cows had been marked with a red dot, whichincluded those with difficult calvings or twins. Aveterinarian was previously required for an assistedcalving in breech presentation. The farm has also had afew cases of down cows from hypocalcaemia this year,which is another important risk factor for endometritis.Risk FactorsPrevention is beneficial for the long-term reproductivehealth of the herd. Even when cured, cows will have alower reproductive performance and profitability in thefuture. Risk factors include:• Dystocia and retained placentas• Abortions and stillbirths• Older cows or those with metabolic disturbances• Inadequate nutrition and low body condition beforecalvingThe best way to prevent endometritis is through effectivemanagement of the transition period, keeping cows in agood body condition, and minimising the number of cowswith diseases around calving (DairyNZ, 2020).Differentials and DiagnosticsPost-partum uterine diseases include metritis, ovariancysts and, less commonly, pyometra. Clinical endometritisis characterised by the presence of purulent ormucopurulent uterine discharge 21 or more days afterparturition with no systemic signs (Šavc et al., 2016).To diagnose cows in the herd with endometritis, aMetricheck device was used, as seen in Figure 1., toexamine the vaginal discharge. The handle is used toclean the vulva lips and the cup is advanced through thevagina to the cervix. The handle is slightly elevated andremoved to collect a sample of discharge in the rubber cupat the end of the rod. The device is cleaned with diluteddisinfectant after each use to prevent contaminationbetween cows.The discharge is examined and scored on a scale from 0to 3 to identify inflammation and potential infection, asshown in Figure 2. A “dirty” cow is described as one witha score of 2 or higher. For this case, it was decided to treatFigure 1: Metricheck deviceAshley is a recent graduate with a Bachelor of VeterinaryTechnology from Massey University. She has just started workingin a mixed animal practice for Canterbury Vets Ashburton, whereshe is pursuing her interests in equine and large animal medicine.11 September 2021
Page 1 and 2: VOLUME 27 No. 99September 2021Refle
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTSVOLUME 27 No. 99 September
Page 5 and 6: NZVNALetter from the EditorFirstly,
Page 7 and 8: REFLECTIVE PRACTICEReflective pract
Page 9: REFLECTIVE PRACTICEThe Fook and Gar
Page 13 and 14: ENDOMETRITIS• Increase in service
Page 15 and 16: RADIATION SAFETY LEGISLATIONUnder t
Page 17 and 18: RADIATION SAFETY LEGISLATIONWhile i
Page 19 and 20: NZVNAInstructions for authors submi
Page 21 and 22: RESCUE CATS AND CARERSWorld-first s
Page 23 and 24: RESCUE CATS AND CARERSHPNZ is a cha
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NZ Vet Nurse Journal 99 September 2021

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