Treatment of Cows with Retained Fetal Membranes with Ceftiofur

Abstract

Retention of fetal membranes occurs after 5 to 15% of calvings. One of the most common treatments is the manual removal of the retained membranes and a local antibiotic treatment. An additional systemic therapy with antibiotic drugs is recommended for cows with a body temperature ~39.5°C. (103.1 °F). However, efficiency of manual removal and local antibiotic treatment is under discussion. The objective of this study was to compare this common treatment of retained fetal membranes to a protocol without manual removal or local intrauterine administration of antiobiotics, but use of ceftiofur as a systemic antibiotic treatment in case of elevated temperature.