Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
Doi
Abstract
Dairy Research, 2014 is known as Dairy Day, 2014Inflammation during early lactation is common in dairy cattle, and a high degree of
inflammation during this time has recently been associated with both lower productivity
and greater risk of disease during that lactation. Early lactation treatments with two
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were compared with a placebo treatment to
evaluate effects on whole-lactation productivity and retention in the herd. Both meloxicam
and sodium salicylate increased whole-lactation milk and milk protein yields by 6
to 9%, despite being administered for only 1 or 3 days in early lactation, respectively.
In addition, meloxicam treatment tended to decrease the risk of cows leaving the herd
during the lactation. These results indicate that postpartum inflammatory signals have
long-lasting effects on lactation in dairy cattle