Effects of a single transdermal administration of flunixin meglumine in early postpartum Holstein Friesian dairy cows: Part 1. Inflammatory and metabolic markers, uterine health, and indicators of pain

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of a single transdermal administration of flunixin meglumine (FM) in early postpartum Holstein Friesian dairy cows on serum concentrations of inflammatory and metabolic markers, uterine health, and indicators of pain. The hypothesis was that the anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgetic effects of the pharmaceutic agent would reduce systemic inflammation, resulting in improved metabolic and inflammatory profile, diminished incidence of metritis, and reduced expression of pain. A total of 500 cows (153 primiparous, 347 multiparous) from 3 different commercial dairy farms in the northeast of Germany were included in a randomized controlled clinical trial. Farms were preselected based on high haptoglobin concentrations in their fresh lactating cows. Cows were excluded if they had experienced dystocia, stillbirth, or twin birth, or if they showed any signs of milk fever, retained fetal membranes, or fever (>40°C). The cows were treated once with either FM (3.33 mg/kg) or a placebo as control (CON) through transdermal administration between 24 to 36 h postpartum (d 2). General health examinations were performed (daily from d 2–8 and additionally on d 15 postpartum), vaginal discharge was assessed using the Metricheck device (d 8 and 15 postpartum) and serum samples were analyzed for inflammatory and metabolic markers (d 2, 4, and 6 postpartum). Effects of treatment, parity, sampling day, and their interactions were evaluated using mixed effects models. Primiparous cows treated with FM showed lower serum haptoglobin concentrations (0.90 ± 0.08 vs. 1.17 ± 0.07 g/L; ± standard error of the mean) and higher serum albumin concentrations (35.5 ± 0.31 vs. 34.8 ± 0.31 g/L) on d 6 postpartum. They also had a lower risk for purulent vaginal discharge with or without a fever compared with CON cows on d 15 postpartum (odds ratio for CON vs. FM: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.26–2.00), and body temperature was lower throughout the first 15 d in milk (39.1 ± 0.11 vs. 39.2 ± 0.11°C). Multiparous cows treated with FM had lower serum β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations on d 4 postpartum (0.71 ± 0.05 vs. 0.78 ± 0.05 mmol/L) and d 6 postpartum (0.74 ± 0.05 vs. 0.80 ± 0.05 mmol/L). Regardless of parity, FM-treated cows were significantly less likely to abduct their tail from their body (14.3 vs. 23.6%) and show an arched back (27.9 vs. 39.7%) on the day after treatment compared with CON cows. It can be concluded that FM treatment slightly reduced inflammation and diminished the risk for metritis in primiparous cows, improved metabolic profile in multiparous cows, and reduced expressions of pain in all cows.