Evaluation of the Treatment of Repeat Breeder Dairy Cows with Uterine Lavage plus PGF_{2\alpha }, with and without Cephapirin

Authors: MOHAMMAD RAHIM AHMADI, S. A. DEHGHAN

Abstract: Repeat breeder syndrome is a major source of economic waste in dairy herds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of uterine lavage plus PGF_{2\alpha}, with and without antibiotic treatment, on the conception rate in repeat breeder dairy cows. The study included 33 repeat breeder cows free of any significant detectable pathologic disorders associated with the reproductive tract. The cows were divided into 2 groups. Group A (n = 10), the treatment group, was lavaged with normal saline, and was administered 2 doses of prostaglandin F_{2\alpha } (PGF_{2\alpha }) (13 days apart) and an intrauterine infusion of benzathine cephapirin. Group B (n = 23), the control group, was lavaged with normal saline and administered 2 doses of PGF_{2\alpha } (as above), but did not receive benzathine cephapirin. All cows were lavaged during the luteal phase (7 ± 2 days after estrus signs). After administration of the second PGF_{2\alpha } dose, the cows were inseminated following standing heat. Following the first artificial insemination (AI) treatment, 20 cows (60.6%) became pregnant. Conception rates were 70% (7/10) in group A and 56.52% (13/23) in group B; however, this difference was not statistically significant. The results showed that uterine lavage plus PGF_{2\alpha }, without any antibiotic, may be preferable in the treatment of repeat breeder cows. Uterine lavage plus PGF_{2\alpha } had some advantages, such as no milk waste or side effects on the endometrium, and may have improved the conception rate, to some extent. Further studies are required to confirm these findings.

Keywords: Repeat breeder, uterine lavage, conception rate, endometritis, PGF_{2\alpha }, cephapirin

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