The effect of meloxicam on pain sensitivity, rumination time, and clinical signs in dairy cows with endotoxin-induced clinical mastitis

The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate the use of a pressure algometer and an automated rumination monitoring system to assess changes in pain sensitivity and rumination time in response to endotoxin-induced clinical mastitis and (2) evaluate the effect of the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug meloxicam on pain sensitivity and rumination time, as well as other clinical signs, in dairy cattle with endotoxin-induced clinical mastitis. Clinical mastitis was induced in 12 primiparous and 12 multiparous lactating dairy cows by intramammary infusion of 25 µg of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into 1 uninfected quarter. Immediately after, half the cows were injected subcutaneously with meloxicam (treated group) and half with the same volume of a placebo solution (control group). Pain sensitivity was assessed by measuring the difference in pressure required to elicit a response on the control and challenged quarter using an algometer 3 d before, immediately before, and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after LPS infusion and either meloxicam or placebo injection. Rumination was continuously monitored from 2 d before to 3 d after LPS infusion using rumination loggers. Udder edema, body temperature, somatic cell score, and dry matter intake were also monitored to evaluate the occurrence and the duration of the inflammation after LPS infusion. In control animals, the difference in the pressure applied to the control and challenged quarters (control − challenged quarter) increased by 1.1 ± 0.4 kg of force 6 h after LPS infusion compared with the baseline, suggesting an increase in pain sensitivity in the challenged quarter. Neither the LPS infusion nor the meloxicam treatment had an effect on daily rumination time. However, the rumination diurnal pattern on the day of LPS infusion showed an overall deviation from the baseline pattern. Cows spent less time ruminating in the hours following LPS infusion and more time ruminating later in the day. Meloxicam did not alter somatic cell score or dry matter intake. However, meloxicam-treated animals had less udder edema and a lower body temperature in the hours following LPS infusion compared with control animals. In conclusion, pressure algometers and rumination loggers show promise as tools to detect mastitis and monitor recovery on farm. Further, meloxicam has a beneficial effect in relieving pain and decreasing udder edema and body temperature in LPS-induced clinical mastitis.