Effects of sodium salicylate on productivity of postpartum dairy cows

Abstract

Inflammation has been proposed as a contributor to metabolic disorders in transition dairy cows. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, sodium salicylate (SS), benefits transition cows. At calving, 78 cows (primiparous, n = 39; second lactation, n = 28; ≥3 lactations, n = 11) were assigned alternately to either a control (CON) or SS treatment for 7 days and remained on study until 21 days postpartum. Treatment was administered via individual water bowls at a concentration of 2.5 g/L, delivering a mean of 183 ± 8.5 g/day SS during the 7 days of treatment. Milk yields were collected daily and milk samples were collected twice weekly. Data were analyzed using mixed models with repeated measures over time. No treatment effects were detected for daily feed or water intake. Milk yield for third or greater lactation cows tended to increase (P < 0.10) with SS at the end of the trial (days 19 to 20). Milk protein content increased (P < 0.05) with SS in first- and second-lactation cows during week 1 and milk urea nitrogen (MUN) decreased (P < 0.01) with SS. Milk fat content increased (P < 0.05) with SS in weeks 2 and 3 postpartum. A 10% increase (P < 0.05) in energy-corrected milk (ECM) was observed for SS cows during week 3. Metritis incidence increased (P < 0.01) with SS in third or greater lactation cows, but no other effects on disease incidence were detected. In contrast to our hypothesis that SS treatment would decrease transition disorder incidences, SS treatment seemed to promote increased milk fat content and milk energy output during early lactation with no effect on total disorder incidence.