Avaliação dos padrões de comportamento de vacas holandês lactantes diagnosticadas com metrite

Abstract

Metritis is associated with reduced reproductive efficiency, decreased milk production, and higher culling rates in lactating cows. Early diagnosis can facilitate timely treatment and supportive therapies, thus minimizing damage. The objective of this study was to validate the use of monitoring collars to early identify behavioral changes in cows with metritis or metritis associated with other diseases. For this purpose, retrospective data from a commercial farm during January to April 2022 were used, totaling 1367 health diagnosis records, including 83 cases of metritis. Twenty-eight cows that developed metritis and met the selection criteria (having reports of calving and health, and animal behavior data from day 1 to 8 post-calving) were selected. They were divided into group C (control; no clinically detected disease; n=30), M (animals with clinical metritis; n=10), or M+ (clinical metritis associated with other diseases; n=18). Rumination activity, general activity level, and rest time of fifty-eight Holstein cows in the first 8 days of lactation were evaluated using collars with accelerometers (C-Tech, Chip Inside). The data were analyzed as the total time, in minutes, that the animal expressed each behavior within a 24-hour period. Analyses were performed using JMP (JMP Statistical Discovery LLC), where differences between groups at specific time points were determined by Tukey HSD pairwise comparison. Cows with metritis or metritis plus other diseases showed a decrease in activity minutes per day (C 260±10; M 209±17 and M+ 189±13) and an increase in resting time (C 537±12; M 629±21 and M+ 649±16). Additionally, M+ cows exhibited a decrease in rumination time compared to group C, on day 3 post-calving (C 449±14; M 393±23 and 353±17).We conclude that cows with metritis, regardless of the presence of other diseases, exhibit reduced activity and increased idleness time during the first 8 days postpartum. Additionally, cows with metritis, when combined with other diseases, have shorter rumination time compared to healthy cows.