Abstract
The objective of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of an intravaginal thermometer in the field prediction of the second stage of labor and to determine its impact on the health of dams and newborn calves. Holstein cows (n = 241) were randomly selected about 5 (mean ± SD: 4.7 ± 2.0) days before the expected date of calving and the thermometer was inserted into the vagina. Another 113 cattle served as controls. There was no false alarm during the experiment. The risk of dystocia (Score >1) was 1.9 times higher, the prevalence of stillbirth was 19.8 times higher, the risk of retained fetal membranes (RFM) was 2.8 times higher and the risk of clinical metritis was 10.5 times higher in the control group than in the experimental group. The prevalence of stillbirth was 7 times higher in cows with dystocia compared to cows with eutocia. The presence of dystocia and stillbirth increased the risk of RFM 4 and 5 times, respectively. The occurrence of RFM increased the risk of development of clinical metritis with a 22 times higher odds. The results indicate that the use of calving alert systems not only facilitates controlling the time of parturition and providing prompt and appropriate calving assistance but also decreases the number of dystocia cases and improves reproductive efficiency, postpartum health of the dam and newborn calf survival.
Highlights
Dystocia has been defined as a difficult birth resulting in prolonged calving or severe assisted extraction of a calf at birth [1]
The odds for the presence of dystocia were 1.9 times higher (OR: 1.9, P 1⁄4 0.005) in the control group compared to the experimental group, while parity and presentation of the calf did not influence the occurrence of dystocia (Table 1)
According to Chanvallon et al [20] the sensitivity of the thermometer to detect calf expulsion was 100% for both heifers and cows, which is consistent with our findings because no false alarms were detected during the trial involving 241 animals
Summary
Dystocia has been defined as a difficult birth resulting in prolonged calving or severe assisted extraction of a calf at birth [1]. Several protocols have been recommended for predicting the exact time of calving by measuring hormonal changes and/or evaluating clinical signs (relaxation of the pelvic ligaments, decrease in body temperature), recording feeding and rumination behavior before calving as reviewed recently by Saint-Dizier and Chastant-Maillard [10] or determining the electrolyte concentrations in the mammary gland secretion [11]. These methods may help predict the time of calving, the inaccuracy and practical limitations of some methods may limit their use in the practice. On-farm devices like inclinometers and accelerometers detecting tail raising and behavioral changes, abdominal belts monitoring uterine contractions, intravaginal thermometers detecting a drop in body temperature and/or the expulsion of the allantochorion, and devices fixed in the vagina or at the vulvar lips signaling calf expulsion via
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