Ultrasonographic Screening of Dairy Cows with Normal Uterine Involution or Developing Postpartum Uterine Disease...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Reproductive Physiology
• Dairy Science

Background:

• Postpartum uterine disease (PUD) impacts dairy cow reproductive efficiency.
• Understanding uterine involution and ovarian activity is crucial for herd health.
• Ultrasound offers a non-invasive method for monitoring postpartum recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess uterine involution, ovarian activity, and PUD incidence in dairy cows.
• To compare ultrasound findings between healthy cows and those with PUD.
• To evaluate the utility of B-mode and Doppler ultrasound in postpartum assessment.

Main Methods:

• Forty-eight dairy cows were monitored from calving to 10 weeks postpartum.
• B-mode, color Doppler, and spectral Doppler ultrasound of the uterine artery were used.
• Data from PUD cows were compared to matched healthy cows.

Main Results:

• Normal calving cows exhibited rapid uterine involution and ovarian follicular dynamics resumption.
• No significant differences in Doppler spectral parameters were found between PUD and healthy cows.
• No correlation was observed between Doppler spectral parameters and uterine involution.

Conclusions:

• Transition diets and normal calving promote swift uterine involution and ovarian activity.
• Comprehensive ultrasound evaluation is valuable for assessing postpartum uterine involution.
• Doppler spectral parameters did not show significant differences in cows with PUD.