Effects of meloxicam on milk production, behavior, and feed intake in dairy cows following assisted calving

Parturition is a necessary event for production in dairy cattle, and assistance at calving is common. There is limited use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs for the alleviation of calving pain and a paucity of research on the effects of these drugs on postpartum health and performance. This randomized triple blind clinical trial involved Holstein cows (n = 42) and heifers (n = 61) that experienced an assisted parturition. These animals received either 1 injection of meloxicam (0.5 mg/kg of body weight) or placebo subcutaneously 24 h following calving. Outcome measures included dry matter intake (DMI) and milk production for the first 14 d in milk, blood metabolites sampled over 12 d, health events for the first 60 d in milk, as well as lying and feeding behavior 24 h following injection. Continuous data were analyzed using multivariable regression models. Binary outcomes were analyzed using a mixed logistic model with cow modeled using a random intercept. This study failed to show any significant effects of treatment on DMI, milk production, blood metabolites, or health events. A possible explanation for the lack of treatment differences could be that the meloxicam was administered too late after calving. Meloxicam increased feeding time as well as bunk visit frequency in the 24 h following injection. Regardless of treatment, animals that had retained fetal membranes produced less milk and had higher serum haptoglobin concentrations. Future research is warranted to examine the effects of antiinflammatory drugs administered closer to the time of calving on health and production.