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The Cutting Edge - Article 3 - The first study to demonstrate an improvement in milk yield in eutocic cows treated with meloxicam pre-calving
Meloxicam administration either prior to or after parturition: Effects on behavior, health, and production in dairy cows
First study to examine the effect of meloxicam administration before calving on behavior, health and production in dairy cattle.
Published by Swartz, Schramm, Bewley, Wood, Leslie, Petersson-Wolfe
Objective: To test the effect of the administration of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (meloxicam) on the behavior, health, and production of peripartum cows.
Hypothesis: The administration of meloxicam before calving would increase activity measures and milk more so than postcalving administration, and that both treatment groups would be more active on the days following calving, display fewer lying bouts on the day of calving, and produce more milk than controls. They also hypothesized that NSAID-treated dystocic cows would be more responsive to treatment than NSAID-treated eutocic cows.
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Methods: Meloxicam was dosed at 1 mg/kg of body weight, and an empty gel capsule served as a placebo. Both were administered orally with a balling gun. Dairy cows and heifers were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: (1) meloxicam administration before calving, with a placebo administered after calving (MEL-PRE, n = 60), (2) placebo administered before calving, and meloxicam administered after calving (MEL-POST, n = 69), and (3) a placebo administered before calving and after calving (CTL, n = 65). To identify imminent calving events, a vaginal thermometer was inserted approximately 2 wk before the expected calving date and a drop in temperature was used to identify cows close to calving. Calving events were monitored via video cameras, and the amount of time that elapsed between the appearance of the amniotic sac at the vulva until delivery of the calf was used to determine calving difficulty score. Eutocic calving events were defined as cows that calved in ≤70 min, and dystocia was defined as cows that took longer than 70 min to calve. Milk yield and components were measured for the first 15 wk of lactation and accelerometers were used to record activity and lying behaviors.
Outcomes: Regardless of the time of administration, dystocic cattle that received meloxicam were less active than dystocic CTL. Dystocic animals displayed more lying bouts on the day of calving and then displayed fewer lying bouts and were less active during the days following calving. No effect of treatment was noted on any health outcomes. Eutocic MEL-PRE animals produced 6.8 kg/d more milk than eutocic CTL.
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By Eric R
5
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Meloxicam administration either prior to or after parturition: Effects on behavior, health, and production in dairy cows
First study to examine the effect of meloxicam administration before calving on behavior, health and production in dairy cattle.
Published by Swartz, Schramm, Bewley, Wood, Leslie, Petersson-Wolfe
Objective: To test the effect of the administration of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (meloxicam) on the behavior, health, and production of peripartum cows.
Hypothesis: The administration of meloxicam before calving would increase activity measures and milk more so than postcalving administration, and that both treatment groups would be more active on the days following calving, display fewer lying bouts on the day of calving, and produce more milk than controls. They also hypothesized that NSAID-treated dystocic cows would be more responsive to treatment than NSAID-treated eutocic cows.
Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
Methods: Meloxicam was dosed at 1 mg/kg of body weight, and an empty gel capsule served as a placebo. Both were administered orally with a balling gun. Dairy cows and heifers were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: (1) meloxicam administration before calving, with a placebo administered after calving (MEL-PRE, n = 60), (2) placebo administered before calving, and meloxicam administered after calving (MEL-POST, n = 69), and (3) a placebo administered before calving and after calving (CTL, n = 65). To identify imminent calving events, a vaginal thermometer was inserted approximately 2 wk before the expected calving date and a drop in temperature was used to identify cows close to calving. Calving events were monitored via video cameras, and the amount of time that elapsed between the appearance of the amniotic sac at the vulva until delivery of the calf was used to determine calving difficulty score. Eutocic calving events were defined as cows that calved in ≤70 min, and dystocia was defined as cows that took longer than 70 min to calve. Milk yield and components were measured for the first 15 wk of lactation and accelerometers were used to record activity and lying behaviors.
Outcomes: Regardless of the time of administration, dystocic cattle that received meloxicam were less active than dystocic CTL. Dystocic animals displayed more lying bouts on the day of calving and then displayed fewer lying bouts and were less active during the days following calving. No effect of treatment was noted on any health outcomes. Eutocic MEL-PRE animals produced 6.8 kg/d more milk than eutocic CTL.