Effects of a single transdermal administration of flunixin meglumine in early postpartum Holstein Friesian dairy cows: Part 2. Milk yield, culling risk, and reproductive performance

This study was conducted to assess the effects of a single transdermal administration of flunixin meglu-mine (FM) in early postpartum Holstein Friesian dairy cows on milk yield, culling risk, and reproduc-tive performance. We hypothesized that FM treatment would reduce systemic inflammation, leading to higher milk yield, reduced culling risk, and better reproduc-tive performance in the subsequent lactation. Holstein Friesian dairy cows [n = 500, 153 primiparous (PRIM), 347 multiparous (MULT)] from 3 farms in northeast Germany were enrolled in a prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial. Farms at risk for cows with excessive postpartum inflammation were identified in a preliminary trial by measuring serum haptoglobin con-centrations in their fresh lactating cows. Only cows that had a eutocic birth and delivered a singleton calf alive, with no signs of milk fever or retained fetal membranes and rectal temperature <= 40 degrees C at first clinical exami-nation, were included within 24 to 36 h postpartum. Treatment included a single transdermal administra-tion of either FM (3.33 mg/kg) or a placebo as control (CON). Milk production, milk solids, urea, and somatic cell count were recorded monthly for 8 mo after calv-ing. Culling risk, first-service conception risk, and days open were retrieved from the farms' herd management software. Separate models for PRIM and MULT cows were built for most parameters because of significant effects of parity and parity x treatment interaction. Energy-corrected milk yield from 8 monthly Dairy Herd Improvement-equivalent tests was slightly greater in PRIM cows treated with FM (29.51 and 30.73 +/- 1.35 kg, CON vs. FM), whereas it was reduced in treated MULT cows (38.23 and 37.47 +/- 1.17 kg, CON vs. FM) compared with CON. Milk fat and protein yields were greater in FM-treated PRIM cows and lower in treated MULT cows compared with CON. Milk urea and so-matic cell count were not affected by treatment. No differences in culling risk, first-service conception risk, or days open were observed. We conclude that a single transdermal administration of FM in early postpartum dairy cows on farms at risk for excessive postpartum inflammation slightly increased milk, milk fat, and milk protein yields in PRIM cows and decreased these vari-ables in MULT cows. Neither culling risk nor fertility was affected by treatment in this study.

Automated summary

This study assessed the effects of a single transdermal administration of flunixin meglumine (FM) in early postpartum Holstein Friesian dairy cows on milk yield, culling risk, and reproductive performance. The study found that FM treatment reduced systemic inflammation, leading to higher milk yield, reduced culling risk, and improved reproductive performance in the subsequent lactation.