THE PERIPARTUM COW: PRACTICAL NOTES

1. Introduction
The stages of the peripartum period
2. The dry period
Physiology
Drying-off: Why?
Drying-off: When?
Drying-off: How?
Dry cow management
Treatments that can be applied during the dry period
Podiatric treatments
Vaccinations
Antiparasitic treatments
Other preventative treatments
3. Late pregnancy and calving
Pregnancy monitoring before drying-off
Late pregnancy examination
Pregnancy-related disorders
Foetal mummification
Diagnosis
Treatment
Imminent miscarriage
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prepartum uterine torsion
Diagnosis
Treatment
Calving
Physiological calving
Hormonal changes
Stages of calving
Preparation (duration: 2-8 hours)
Dilation (duration: 2-6 hours)
Foetal expulsion (duration: 0.5-2 hours)
Expulsion of the placenta (duration: 2-12 hours))
Puerperium (early postpartum)
Indications for calving
Dystocia
Problems of the mother or foetus as causes of dystocia
Disproportionate foetus
Primiparous cows
Posterior presentation
Malpresentations
Maternal diseases
Changes in environment (facilities and handling) as causes of dystocia
When to suspect and how to confirm dystocia calving
4. Nutrition and body condition
Diet management
Case studies on dry cow management
The importance of diet
Food distribution methods
Automatic concentrate distribution (ACD)
Unifeed system
Appropriate diet and production
Lactation curve
Case studies on peak lactation
How to predict and improve production potential
Body Condition
Case studies on body condition
Changes in body condition
Rations
Case studies on ration management
Behaviour of the cow towards its ration
Evaluation of cow manure
Case study on manure evaluation
5. Postpartum diseases
Uterine prolapse
Aetiology
Treatment
Hypocalcaemia
Pathogenesis
Clinical signs
Treatment
Prevention
Retained placenta
Aetiology
Clinical signs
Treatment
Prevention
Metritis
Aetiology
Clinical signs
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Ketosis
Aetiology
Pathogenesis
Clinical signs
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Left displaced abomasum
Pathogenesis
Clinical signs
Diagnosis
Treatment
Rolling procedure
Surgery
Paramedian approach
Right flank approach
Left flank approach
Pharmacotherapy and monitoring
Mastitis
Estimated costs of mastitis
Compiled data
Study results
Costs of discarded milk
Treatment costs
Costs due to loss of production
Conclusions
6. General management
Collective management
Solid feed
Amount
Quality
Water intake
Rest
Cubicle dimensions
Exercise
Individual management
Planning the dry period
Twin pregnancies
Heifers
Grazing cows
Batch creation and mobilisation
Prevention of postpartum metabolic problems in dry cows
7. Case studies
Case 1. Abscess in the hoof wall
Case 2. Lameness in a dry cow: the perils of inaction
Case 3. Left displaced abomasum complicated by surgical abscess
Case 4. Drying-off and social relationships
Case 5. Perineal tears in first-calf cows
Case 5.1. Partial perineal tear
Case 5.2. Full perineal tear
Case 6. Multifactorial reproductive failure with complications due to anaplasmosis
Case 7. Outbreak of acute clinical mastitis on a farm
8. Bibliography

The cow’s peripartum period from a practical and dynamic point of view, explained through theoretical explanations and a huge collection of clinical cases. Normally, disorders or conditions occurring in the peripartum period are not independent events; they are the result of the interaction of several events occurring over time. The authors highlight here the importance of assessing bovine pathologies as a whole. It is the only manner for the clinician to anticipate conditions that may appear during the peripartum period.

Authors
• Manuel Fernández Sánchez
Manuel Fernández Sánchez obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science at the University of Zaragoza. His professional career, now 20 years long, has always been related to ruminants, since his training in Bristol, Belgium and Scotland until his current position as technical responsible for ruminants of Evialis Galicia.
His work developing genetic and reproductive improvements in meet sheep atA.N.G.R.A. (National Association of Rasa Aragonesa breed Farmers), as well as his work controlling reproduction and milk quality in cows in Asturias, have both been remarkable. His professional experience in different scopes of business in conjunction with his experience as a practitioner and in the service of reproductive control in dairy cows have provided him with an ample vision of the veterinarian’s needs when it comes to solving reproductive problems. This image atlas is the result of a practitioner’s work, who knows what it means to confront real problem “at the field”.
• Manuel Liz López
Manuel Liz López obtained a Bachelor’s degree at the University of León in Veterinary Science in 1988, the same year in which he started his professional activity as a beef and dairy cattle clinical veterinarian in Lugo (Spain) and which he is still carrying out today. He is co-founder of the veterinary service company da Pontenosa S.L.P and is a specialist in artificial insemination and cattle selection and improvement.
Throughout his whole professional trajectory he has completed numerous courses and training seminars of pathology, surgery, ultrasonography and cattle farm management.
• Matilde Hernández Solís
Matilde Hernández Solís owns a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science from the University of León since 1987. Since then she has worked as a cattle veterinarian, and specialised in milk quality after 2003, year in which she starts to develop a quality of milk improvement programme in 70 cattle farms in the province of Lugo. Since 2008 she has been an associate partner of the veterinary service company da Pontenosa S.L.P, and during two years she was the trainer of the Official Quality Control of Milk courses imparted to government employees of Junta de Castilla y León
She is the main researcher of the veterinary service company da Pontenosa S.L.P, of the I+D of “Influencia de la instalación de ordeño en la producción de leche y en el estado sanitario de los rebaños de vacuno de leche en Galicia. Repercusiones económicas en las explotaciones (2007-2010)” (Influence of the milking facilities on milk production and on the sanitary status of the dairy milk herd in Galicia. Economica repercussions in the farms 2007-2010).