Reproductive performance of lactating dairy cows treated with cloprostenol at the time of insemination

Abstract

The effect of intravenous cloprostenol treatment at the time of insemination on reproductive performance was consecutively evaluated in three different subpopulations of high producing lactating dairy cows: Study (1) early postpartum synchronized and fixed-time inseminated (about 50 days in milk) cows (n = 379: 187 control and 192 treated cows); Study (2) presumed high fertility cows first inseminated between 90 and 120 days postpartum (n = 248: 124 control and 124 treated cows); and Study (3) heat stressed repeat breeder cows (n = 183: 93 control and 90 treated cows). Data were analyzed using multiple regression methods. Study 1: Parity (primiparous versus multiparous), milk production, body condition score at AI, insemination season (cool versus warm period) and treatment were included in the analysis as potential factors affecting ovulation, double ovulation, return to estrus, and pregnancy to first AI and to second AI (first AI plus return AI) rates. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the final model for ovulation rate only included the interaction (P = 0.002) between insemination season and treatment. Cloprostenol treatment at insemination led to a 4.2-fold increase in the ovulation rate in cows inseminated during the warm period. There were no significant effects of treatment, parity, milk production, body score or the insemination season on the return to estrus rate. The only variables included in the final logistic model for double ovulation and pregnancy to first AI rates were treatment and season, respectively. Treatment led to a 2.6-fold increase (P = 0.001) in the double ovulation rate, whereas cows inseminated in the warm period were 2.1 times less likely (P = 0.007) to become pregnant at first AI compared to those inseminated in the cool season. The variables included in the final logistic model for the pregnancy rate to second AI were treatment and season. Cloprostenol given at AI increased the risk of pregnancy 1.9 times (P = 0.002), and cows inseminated during the warm season were two times less likely to become pregnant (P = 0.003). No significant interactions were found among these three dependent variables (double ovulation and pregnancy to first and to second AI rates). Study 2: Logistic regression analysis of all the dependent variables: return to estrus, and pregnancy to first and to second AI (first AI plus return to AI) rates indicated no significant effects of treatment, parity, days in milk, milk production or body score at AI. No significant interactions were found. Study 3: The final model for the pregnancy rate only included the interaction between parity (primiparous versus multiparous) and treatment. Days in milk, milk production and insemination number showed no significant effect on pregnancy rate. Cloprostenol treatment at insemination increased the pregnancy rate in primiparous repeat breeder cows (odds ratio: 3.6). The treatment group and parity showed significant (P < 0.0001) interaction. This interaction suggests that cloprostenol treatment of primiparous cows at insemination might enhance pregnancy yet have no effect in multiparous cows. Our findings indicate that cloprostenol administered at insemination promotes ovulation and double ovulation in lactating dairy cows. Cloprostenol treatment showed no benefit in cows with acceptable reproductive performance, suggesting that cloprostenol treatment at AI may only be useful in cows in which stress factors affect ovulation and in repeat breeder cows.