Did you know that using a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) alongside antibiotic treatment for mild and moderate cases of mastitis can improve fertility?
In a study across six European countries, including the UK, more than 500 cows with mild to moderate mastitis received two to four tubes of intramammary antibiotic therapy.
Half were also given the NSAID Metacam and half were given a placebo1.
Milk samples were taken to assess cure rates, fertility records were collected (number of services and pregnancy diagnosis) and cows culled in that lactation were identified.
The results showed that cows with mastitis which were given a NSAID along with antibiotic therapy had significantly improved reproductive performance compared to cows which were given the placebo and antibiotic therapy.
In particular:
- The percentage of cows conceiving to their first service (31 per cent versus 21 per cent)
- The number of inseminations required to achieve conception (2.43 versus 2.92)
- Percentage of cows pregnant by 120 days after calving (40 per cent versus 31 per cent)
- The cows treated with the NSAID also had a higher bacteriological cure rate than those which received the placebo (66 per cent versus 50 per cent)
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health vet adviser Kath Aplin says:
Further analysis showed that adding Metacam to the antibiotic treatment of mild to moderate mastitis was economically beneficial across a whole range of production types and economic situations.
Reference
1. McDougall et al (2016) Journal of Dairy Science 99(3): 20262042.
