Farm animal welfare is a major concern to the European Union’s citizens, addressed in the Rural Development Programmes by a specific animal welfare support measure. Previous evaluation results reveal that the implemented action-oriented measures fail when it comes to improving animal health, an important dimension of animal welfare. Results-oriented measures could compensate for this deficiency, but little is known about their design. In order to improve the effectiveness of current animal welfare measures for dairy cows, we analysed the elements of such a measure in an interdisciplinary, application-oriented research project involving agricultural economists and livestock scientists. We have used a mixed methods approach including a written Delphi survey, group-discussions and on-farm data-collection to select suitable indicators, develop an approach for the identification of threshold values and to design a support measure. Results suggest that, in animal welfare support measures, action- as well as results-oriented elements are necessary to address all dimensions of animal welfare. Full article

Monitoring the body condition score (BCS) of dairy cows is a management strategy that can assist dairy producers in decision-making. The BCS and its variations reflect the level of body fat reserves and fat mobilization throughout the different stages of lactation. Cows that mobilize excessive amounts of fat reserves in response to the increased energy requirements of the transition period are more likely to have higher beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentration in blood, leading to a higher incidence of hyperketonemia postpartum. In this study, our main objective was to evaluate how both BCS (at 21 d prior to the expected calving date, −21 BCS) and change in BCS during the late dry period (−21 d to calving, ∆BCS) are associated with temporal patterns of blood BHB concentrations during the first two weeks of lactation. Our secondary objective was to characterize the relationship between the change in BCS in the late dry period, and milk yield and milk composition in the first milk test postpartum. In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed BCS at 21 (±3) days before the expected calving date and within three days after calving. Blood BHB concentration was measured at days 3 (±1), 7 (±1), and 14 (±1) postpartum. Hyperketonemia (HYK) was defined as blood BHB ≥ 1.2 mmol/L. To evaluate how −21 BCS and ∆BCS during the late dry period were associated with BHB in early lactation, linear mixed-effects regression models with an unstructured covariate matrix were performed. The association between ∆BCS and incidence of postpartum HYK were determined using a multivariable log-binomial model. A linear regression model was used to evaluate the association between ∆BCS and milk yield and milk composition in the first monthly test-day. Covariates used for model adjustment include parity, season, and baseline BCS. We observed that cows with BCS ≥ 4.0 at 21 d before their expected calving date had the highest BHB concentration postpartum, but no evidence that BCS ≥ 4.0 at 21 d was associated with fluctuations of BHB over time. Cows that experienced a large BCS loss (larger than 0.5 units) during the late dry period had a 61% (95% CI: 1.04, 2.50) higher risk of developing HYK in early lactation and had higher BHB concentrations during early lactation compared with cows with no ∆BCS prepartum. These associations were observed independently of the BCS at −21 d prepartum (baseline). In addition, cows that lost more than 0.5 BCS unit in the late dry period produced 3.3 kg less milk (95% CI: −7.06, 0.45) at the first milk test compared to cows that had no ∆BCS during the late dry period. No evidence of an association between −21 BCS and ∆BCS in the late dry period and milk composition was observed in our study. These results suggest that dynamic measures of BCS during the late dry period, such as ∆BCS, are better at evaluating blood BHB patterns in early lactation than BCS measured at a single time point. Cows with larger BCS loss during the late dry period and with greater parity are more likely to have higher concentrations of blood BHB postpartum, with the highest concentrations reported at 7 d post-calving. Full article

Currently, subclinical metabolic imbalances at the individual cow and herd level are detected by measuring biomarkers in single blood samples. However, diurnal variations have not been fully described yet but need to be considered when sampling for a robust ad consistent analysis. The study describes the influence of lactation phases on circadian rhythms and diurnal variations for non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), total bilirubin (tBIL) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in dairy cows. In an observational pilot study, we used 16 clinically healthy Simmental dairy cows subdivided in four different lactation stages (dry-off, fresh, high and late lactating). Every cow was monitored for 24 h, with blood sampling and assessment of clinical parameters every 2 h. Time and lactation stage influence the concentration of the biomarkers NEFA, BHB and tBIL in serum. Further, circadian rhythmicity was found in high lactating cows for NEFA peaking at 5:39 am and BHB peaking at 4:20 pm. We suggest blood sampling for single-point measurements within three hours after the first feeding until two hours after the last feeding of the day. The results provide a new insight into the physiology of circadian rhythms in dairy cows and enable improved metabolic monitoring. Full article

We aimed to establish a model for prediction of iCa from tCa, using multivariable regressions with diverse blood constituents. Blood was taken from 14 cows at days −2, 0, 2, 4, 7, and 14 relative to parturition. Cows were clinically healthy, and no hypocalcaemia prophylaxis and treatment were applied. Total calcium and further parameters were determined from frozen serum. Ionized calcium, blood gases, and electrolytes were determined from heparin-stabilized blood samples. Linear regression between iCa and tCa was estimated. Precision improved only slightly using a multivariable model. Best precision was achieved when estimating the iCa:tCa ratio from other blood constituents. To identify the reason behind the poorly predictive value of tCa for iCa, the relative changes of iCa and tCa around calving were calibrated to the respective values of day −2 (=100%) for each cow. An increase in the iCa:tCa ratio was observed from 0.43 at day −2 to 0.48 at day 0, followed by a gradual decrease towards 0.43 at day 7. We conclude that routine measurement of iCa should be implemented in the diagnosis of hypocalcaemia. An optimized estimate of iCa from tCa with non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyric acid, cholesterol, and phosphorous as co-predictors is still poorly satisfying. Full article

The objectives of this study were to identify caretakers’ perceptions and stressors related to performing on-farm euthanasia as well as potential ideas for intervention strategies to alleviate negative effects of performing euthanasia on caretaker well-being. Additionally, we aimed to determine how euthanasia methods, procedures, and training correlate with dairy caretakers’ attitudes toward performing on-farm euthanasia and their job satisfaction and sense of well-being. Thirty-eight dairy caretakers (19 workers, 15 supervisors, 3 owners, 1 veterinarian) participated in focus groups or interviews conducted and recorded on five Northern Colorado dairies. Thematic analysis of focus group and interview transcripts revealed seven recurring themes. Variation in available training and euthanasia protocols among dairy farms was evident. There was a lack of awareness regarding available mental health resources and little communication between farm personnel about euthanasia-related stress. Training was correlated with caretaker knowledge about euthanasia procedures and the language used to refer to euthanasia. Human-animal bonds and empathy toward animals were evident in participants regardless of training, job position, or dairy experience. Interventions such as training programs, mental health resources, and other support systems should be tested for effectiveness in addressing euthanasia-related stressors, improving euthanasia decision-making and practice, and increasing animal wellbeing on dairy farms. Full article

Animals display movement patterns that can be used as health indicators. The movement of dairy cattle can be characterized into three distinct cluster types. These are cluster type 1 (resting), cluster type 2 (traveling), and cluster type 3 (searching). This study aimed to analyze the movement patterns of healthy calves and assess the relationship between the variables that constitute the three cluster types. Eleven Holstein calves were fitted with GPS data loggers, which recorded their movement over a two week period during spring. The GPS data loggers captured longitude and latitude coordinates, distance, time and speed. It was found that the calves were most active during the afternoon and at night. Slight inconsistencies from previous studies were found in the cluster movements. Cluster type 2 (traveling) reported the fastest rate of movement, whereas cluster type 1 (resting) reported the slowest. These diverse movement patterns could be used to enhance the assessment of dairy animal health and welfare on farms. Full article

Non-perforating abomasal lesions occur with a high prevalence in slaughtered dairy cattle. Ante mortem diagnosis is a challenge, but the presence of occult blood in feces is suggested as a diagnostic criterion. The lower detection limit of Hemo-Fec^® (Med-Kjemi, Asker, Norway) and Hemoccult II^® SENSA^® (Beckman Coulter, Brea, California, USA) for fecal occult blood were estimated. The Hemo-Fec^® and Hemoccult II^® SENSA^® could detect 1–2 mL and 2–4.5 mL of blood in 1000 g of feces, respectively. Therefore, the Hemo-Fec^® test was selected to access hemoglobin degradation in the rumen to establish if blood from outside the gastrointestinal tract could result in false-positive tests and an observational study to estimate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Rumen microbiota did not degrade hemoglobin in a 1% blood concentration in vitro during 48 h of fermentation. The Hemo-Fec^® test was only able to detect cattle with ≥4 acute lesions (diagnostic sensitivity: 0.40 [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.32–0.48] and ≥4 chronic lesions (sensitivity: 0.44 [95% CI: 0.35–0.52]). The Hemo-Fec^® test had no diagnostic potential to detect superficial erosions or scar tissue in abomasa. Furthermore, the specificity was 0.71 [95% CI: 0.68–0.75%], and a positive test is thus not equivalent with abomasal lesions in cattle. Full article

This study was undertaken to identify metabolite differences in plasma of dairy cows with a normal or high calving body condition score (CBCS), using untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomics. Sixteen multiparous dairy cows were assigned to one of two groups based on CBCS (0 to 5 scale): Normal group (NBCS, 3.25 ≤ BCS ≤ 3.5, n = 8), and high BCS group (HBCS, BCS ≥ 4, n = 8). Plasma samples were collected for metabolomics analysis and evaluation of biomarkers of lipid metabolism (nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB)), and cytokines (leptin, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor–α (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6)). A total of 23 differential metabolites were identified, and functional analyses were performed using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Among these metabolites, the concentrations of six lysophosphatidylcholines and one phosphatidylethanolamine, were lower in the HBCS group than in the NBCS group (p < 0.01). Furthermore, these metabolites were involved in these four pathways, among others: glycerophospholipid metabolism, retrograde endocannabinoid signaling, autophagy, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor biosynthesis (p < 0.05). In addition, plasma concentrations of leptin (p = 0.06) and TNF-α (p = 0.08) tended to be greater while adiponectin (p = 0.09) lower in HBCS cows than in NBCS cows. The concentrations of NEFA, BHB, or IL-6 did not differ between NBCS and HBCS groups. More importantly, based on the results of the Spearman’s correlation analysis, the seven important metabolites were negatively correlated with indices of lipid metabolisms, proinflammatory cytokines, and leptin, but positively correlated with adiponectin. These results demonstrate that CBCS has a measurable impact on the plasma metabolic profile, even when NEFA and BHB are not different. In addition, the identified differential metabolites were significantly correlated to lipid metabolism and inflammation in the over-conditioned fresh cows, which are expected to render a metabolic basis for the diseases associated with over-conditioned dry cows. Full article

Continuous assessment of the herd status is important in order to monitor and adjust to changes in the welfare and health status but can be time consuming and expensive. In this study, herd status indicators from routinely collected dairy herd improvement (DHI) records were used to develop a remote herd assessment tool with the aim to help producers and advisors benchmark the herd status and identify herd management issues affecting welfare and health. Thirteen DHI indicators were selected from an initial set of 72 potential indicators collected on 4324 dairy herds in Eastern Canada. Data were normalized to percentile ranks and aggregated to a composite herd status index (HSI) with equal weights among indicators. Robustness analyses indicated little fluctuation for herds with a small HSI (low status) or large HSI (high status), suggesting that herds in need of support could be prioritized and effectively monitored over time, limiting the need for time-consuming farm visits. This tool allows evaluating herds relative to their peers through the composite index and highlighting specific areas with opportunities for improvements through the individual indicators. This procedure could be applied to similar multidimensional livestock farming issues, such as environmental and socio-economic studies. Full article

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two levels of fat mobilization at the close-up period in dairy cows with an equal body condition score (BCS = 3.0) on the circulating concentrations of metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative stress biomarkers, incidence of diseases, behavior, milk production, and fertility during the postpartum. Late-gestation multiparous Holstein cows (n = 59) with a body condition score of 3.0 (5-point scale) were enrolled at the beginning of the close-up period and then were followed during the entire lactation. Cows were retrospectively allocated into two groups: animals with prepartum non-esterified fatty acids concentration over 0.3 mmol/L were categorized as high fat mobilization (HFM) (n = 26), and below this threshold as low fat mobilization (LFM) (n = 33). Blood samples were collected 21 d before expected calving and once weekly for 3 wk postpartum in order to analyze β-hydroxybutirate, haptoglobin, fibrinogen, total proteins, and malondialdehyde. Health was observed daily for 21 d postpartum. Behavioral data was collected with an accelerometer and milk production and fertility were obtained from the farm records. An increased fat mobilization in dairy cows with equal BCS modified the inflammatory and oxidative stress responses during the early postpartum without impairing their health status and fertility. Moreover, milk production and behavior were markedly affected by excessive prepartum fat mobilization through lactation. Full article

In 2019–2020, a particularly bad bushfire season in Australia resulted in cattle being exposed to prolonged periods of smoke haze and reduced air quality. Bushfire smoke contains many harmful pollutants, and impacts on regions far from the fire front, with smoke haze persisting for weeks. Particulate matter (PM) is one of the major components of bushfire smoke known to have a negative impact on human health. However, little has been reported about the potential effects that bushfire smoke has on cattle exposed to smoke haze for extended periods. We explored the current literature to investigate evidence for likely effects on cattle from prolonged exposure to smoke generated from bushfires in Australia. We conducted a search for papers related to the impacts of smoke on cattle. Initial searching returned no relevant articles through either CAB Direct or PubMed databases, whilst Google Scholar provided a small number of results. The search was then expanded to look at two sub-questions: the type of pollution that is found in bushfire smoke, and the reported effects of both humans and cattle being exposed to these types of pollutants. The primary mechanism for damage due to bushfire smoke is due to small airborne particulate matter (PM). Although evidence demonstrates that PM from bushfire smoke has a measurable impact on both human mortality and cardiorespiratory morbidities, there is little evidence regarding the impact of chronic bushfire smoke exposure in cattle. We hypothesize that cattle are not severely affected by chronic exposure to smoke haze, as evidenced by the lack of reports. This may be because cattle do not tend to suffer from the co-morbidities that, in the human population, seem to be made worse by smoke and pollution. Further, small changes to background mortality rates or transient morbidity may also go unreported. Full article

The peripartum period of a dairy cow is characterized by several physiological and behavioral changes in response to a rapid increase in nutrient demands, to support the final stages of fetal growth and the production of colostrum and milk. Traditionally, the transition period is defined as the period 3 weeks before and 3 weeks after parturition. However, several researchers have argued that the transition period begins at the time of dry-off (~60–50 days prior to calving) and extends beyond the first month post-calving in high producing dairy cows. Independent of the definition used, adequate adaptation to the physiological demands of this period is paramount for a successful lactation. Nonetheless, not all cows are successful in transitioning from late gestation to early lactation, leading to approximately one third of dairy cows having at least one clinical disease (metabolic and/or infectious) and more than half of the cows having at least one subclinical case of disease within the first 90 days of lactation. Thus, monitoring dairy cows during this period is essential to detect early disease signs, diagnose clinical and subclinical diseases, and initiate targeted health management to avoid health and production impairment. In this review, we discuss different strategies to monitor dairy cows to detected unintended disruptions in performance and management strategies that can be implemented to improve the metabolic health and performance of dairy cows during the transition period. Full article

For on-farm welfare assessment many automatic methods have been developed to detect indicators of reduced welfare. However, there is still a need to integrate data from single sources to obtain a complete picture of the welfare of an animal. This review offers a basis for developing integrated automatic systems to assess dairy cow welfare by providing an overview of the main issues that challenge cow welfare (e.g., lameness) and of well-established indicators that could detect these issues on the farm. Based on a literature review of 4 reviews on cow welfare in general and 48 reviews on single welfare issues, we identified 18 different major welfare issues and 76 matching indicators that could be detected automatically on the farm. Several indicators, e.g., feed intake, showed a consistent association with welfare across many different issues. Although some of these indicators are discussed critically, this means there are many indicators that potentially could detect reduced welfare in general. Other types of indicators could detect one specific welfare issue, e.g., increased respiratory rate for heat stress. These different types of indicators combined provide a basis to develop integrated automatic systems that ultimately would help farmers to detect welfare problems at an early stage. Full article