About
97
Publications
9,377
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
2,402
Citations
Publications
Publications (97)
Randomized clinical trial about ude of potassium monopersulfate to control bovine digital dermatitis
The objective of the present study was to quantify the relationships between prepartum nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations and the development of subsequent diseases or culling and to identify the optimal thresholds allowing identification of animals at high risk of developing postpartum diseases or being culled. A total of 1,299 Holstei...
Multiple treatments for hyperketonemia have been studied, and although propylene glycol has been the most constantly reported as successful in mitigating the effects of this condition, a recent study showed that a subpopulation of cows affected by hyperketonemia and hypoglycemia could benefit from a combined treatment of propylene glycol and insuli...
Calves born on Eastern Canadian dairy farms that are not kept in the herds are traditionally sold through auction markets and are raised for meat purposes such as veal calves. Since February 2020, a new Canadian federal regulation has forbidden calves <9 d old to be sold through auction markets. However, in the absence of a real-time birth registry...
The objective of this study was to quantify the reproductive performance of 4 reinsemination strategies in cows diagnosed nonpregnant using corpus luteum color flow Doppler ultrasonography on d 21 after last insemination. A total of 2,140 color flow Doppler ultrasonography exams from 845 Holstein cows from 10 commercial dairy herds were used in thi...
The main objective of this study was to quantify the effect of pegbovigrastim (PEG) as an adjunct therapy for naturally occurring severe mastitis cases on survival, intramammary bacteriological cure, and subsequent milk production. A double-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted on a single commercial dairy farm. During the study period...
The objective of this study was to identify the calf-level colostrum management practices associated with an adequate transfer of passive immunity (TPI; defined as serum Brix refractance ≥8.4% in the first week of life) in small-sized herds. A total of 818 calves from 61 commercial Holstein dairy farms were included in this observational cross-sect...
The objective of this study was to identify herd-level colostrum management factors associated with the adequate transfer of passive immunity (TPI; defined as serum Brix refractance ≥8.4% in the first week of life). A total of 59 commercial Holstein dairy farms were included in this observational cross-sectional study. In every participating herd,...
The objective of this study was to quantify the efficacy of a second intrauterine cephapirin treatment administered 14 d after the initial one on subsequent reproductive performance of postpartum dairy cows affected by purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) or endometritis (ENDO). In total, 4,140 Holstein cows from 30 commercial herds were enrolled in a...
The objective of this study was to validate the diagnostic accuracy of the Petrifilm culture system (3M, St. Paul, MN) for identifying colostrum with excessive bacterial contamination. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2015 and February 2016. Two colostrum aliquots were collected during the first meal of 332 calve...
The objective of this study was to determine communication preferences of dairy producers in Canada. A secondary objective was to evaluate social media engagement of dairy producers. A survey was administered to Canadian dairy producers between March and April, 2015 to collect information on current management practices on their farms. A total of 1...
Purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) diagnosed using a metricheck device and endometritis (ENDO) diagnosed using a leukocyte esterase test are associated with detrimental impact of subsequent reproductive performance of dairy cows. The efficacy of intrauterine cephapirin for treating PVD and ENDO was shown by multiple studies. All these studies validat...
Lameness, injuries, and cleanliness are considered important indicators of dairy cow welfare, milk production, and milk quality. Previous research has identified that farmers globally underestimate the prevalence of these cow-based measurements, but no information on the perceptions of veterinarians is available. Because veterinarians are often per...
Farmer decisions surrounding culling have an important effect on the health and welfare of cull cows. The objectives of this study were to describe the self-reported shipment behaviors of Canadian dairy producers and understand farmer perspectives on the factors that were most influential in their decision to cull a cow. A nationwide survey was adm...
The objective of this study was to describe mortality rates and euthanasia practices used for cows, heifer calves, and male dairy calves on Canadian dairy farms. An internet survey was administered to Canadian dairy producers between March and April 2015 to collect information on current management practices. Approximately 81% (867/1,076) and 63% (...
Dairy calves are at risk of being stressed when transported during the first week of life. A new Canadian federal rule will forbid transportation of calves younger than 9 d old to auction market. However, in the absence of reliable information to determine birth date, other indirect methods would be of interest. This study aimed to determine the pr...
The main objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of corpus luteum color flow Doppler ultrasonography (CLCFDU) to diagnose nonpregnant dairy cows 21 d after insemination. A secondary objective was to determine the accuracy of other indirect tests such as corpus luteum size and progesteronemia. Data from 1,632 Holstein cows (10 commerci...
On dairy farms worldwide, the adoption of biosecurity practices is limited. In order to reduce the risk of introduction and spread of diseases, the Canadian industry is aiming to implement farm-based biosecurity plans and strategies. Herd veterinarians are likely to be involved in the development of the farm biosecurity plan, but it is unclear what...
Biosecurity refers to management practices aiming to prevent the introduction and the spread of infectious diseases, and it has been associated with reduced odds of disease, improved productivity, and decreased use of antimicrobials. In 2013 the Canadian dairy industry developed a tool to help producers implement biosecurity practices; the National...
The use of a brix refractometer on dairy farms for colostrum management is becoming more common. This cow-side test can indirectly assess colostrum immunological quality and provide inputs to make decisions regarding colostrum feeding to calves. Achieving a high prevalence of transfer of passive immunity (TPI) success depends on factors such as col...
The adoption of biosecurity practices on dairy farms is limited worldwide. Multiple aspects, one of which is the perception of the effectiveness of these practices, influence the adoption of preventive behavior. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the general understanding of biosecurity by Canadian dairy farmers and to describe...
Information is scarce regarding the epidemiology of gastrointestinal nematodes in Canadian dairy heifers. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence and fecal egg counts of gastrointestinal nematodes in dairy heifers, and using a novel deep-amplicon sequencing approach, to identify the predominant gastrointestinal nematode species...
The Canadian dairy industry has created national standards to support the adoption of biosecurity practices and to reduce disease risks across the country. There is, however, very little information on the adoption of these practices. The present study aimed to describe the adoption of biosecurity practices on Canadian dairy farms shortly after the...
Hypotheses and Objectives
Hypotheses
1. The prevalence of respiratory pathogens is lower in young calves housed in individual boxes in comparison with older calves housed and fed in groups;
2. The prevalence of respiratory bacterial pathogens antimicrobial resistance is higher in group raised calves;
3. Prevalence of Cryptosporidium parvum and rota...
Digital dermatitis (DD) is a worldwide infectious disease of cattle with high prevalence in dairy herds. It is a painful disease with welfare issues causing economical losses. Identifying the affected animals is crucial to establish early treatment and evaluate the efficacy of a control strategy. The "gold standard" diagnosis of DD is the direct ob...
Care and management of dairy heifer calves early in life has substantial short- and long-term impacts, from affecting calf morbidity and mortality rates to future milk production. In the past decade, substantial changes have occurred in the way dairy heifer calves are managed. Animal welfare standards have also changed globally. While there is some...
Objectives of this study were to: (1) quantify the reliability of an algometer for measuring mechanical nociceptive thresholds when applied to the udder of dairy cows; and (2) evaluate whether covariates, such as cow characteristics or time of the day, would influence algometer measurements. This prospective study was performed in a university herd...
The main objective of the current study was to measure the effect of incomplete milking on luteal activity and on pregnancy hazard. We also aimed to study the effect of early-lactation hyperketonemia (i.e., β-hydroxybutyrate blood concentration ≥1.4 mmol/L during the first 3 wk in milk) on those reproductive outcomes. Multiparous Holstein cows (n =...
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an incomplete milking on risk of mastitis and reproductive tract disease. Multiparous dairy cows (n = 878) from 13 commercial herds were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. Cows were randomly assigned to either a control (milked conventionally) or a treatment group, which consisted of an...
In the past decade, substantial changes have occurred in the way dairy heifer calves are managed. The objectives of this study, part of phase I of the 2015 Canadian National Dairy Study, were to examine heifer calf health and adoption of rearing practices, and to explore factors associated with different rearing strategies on Canadian dairy farms....
Bovine respiratory disease complex is a major cause of illness in dairy calves. The diagnosis of active infection of the lower respiratory tract is challenging on daily basis in the absence of accurate clinical signs. Clinical scoring systems such as the Californian scoring system, are appealing but were developed without considering the imperfecti...
The objective of this study was to quantify the prevalence of hypoglycemia in hyperketonemic dairy cows during the early postpartum period. A prospective observational study was conducted in 100 dairy herds selected by convenience. Within all participating herds, 40 cows (or the entire herd if smaller than 40 cows) were enrolled in the study (total...
Limiting milk production for a short period of time in early lactation could be a relevant strategy to prevent hyperketonemia (HYK). From December 2013 to March 2015, 838 multiparous Holstein cows from 13 herds were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of incomplete milking in early lactation on ketonemia and its effect o...
An incomplete milking in early lactation could help limit negative energy balance in dairy cattle, but its potential effects on culling hazard and on milk production and composition throughout the entire lactation are unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an incomplete milking during the first 5 d in milk on culling haz...
The objective of this study was to estimate Canadian national milk quality parameters and estimate the bulk tank milk (BTM) prevalence of 4 mastitis pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Mycoplasma bovis, and Prototheca spp., on Canadian dairy farms. A questionnaire was sent to all Canadian dairy producers. Of the 1,062 produc...
Background:
The downer cow syndrome (DCS) is a challenging health issue in the dairy industry. No cow-side test is available to provide an accurate prognosis for DCS cases in farm settings.
Hypothesis/objectives:
Local or systemic hypoperfusion and myocardial lesions lead to an increase in blood concentration of biomarkers cardiac troponin I (cT...
Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRD) is a major calf disease during the preweaning period. Thoracic ultrasound (TUS) has been recently described as a reliable tool for assessing BRD-associated lung lesions. The objectives of this study were to define the herd-level prevalence of lung consolidation assessed by TUS (CONSTUS). A total of 39 Québec...
The series of events leading to the decision to cull a cow is complex, involving both individual-level and herd-level factors. While the decision is guided by financial returns, it is also influenced by social and psychological factors. Research studies on the motivational and behavioural aspects of farmers’ decision utility are sparse, and nonexis...
A recent study suggested that postpartum dairy cows simultaneously affected by hyperketonemia (HYPERK) and hypoglycemia (HYPOG) could benefit from being treated with butaphosphan-cyanocobalamin in addition to the usual propylene glycol treatment. However, it remains unclear at this stage if this situation (combination of HYPERK and HYPOG; defined a...
A previous study demonstrated that the doppler ultrasonography could be used to identify cows not pregnant 20 days after last insemination (DALI). Unfortunately, such study was not repeated and it remains unclear if this diagnostic tool could also be used 21 DALI. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the accuracy of using Doppler...
Health disorders, such as milk fever, displaced abomasum, or retained placenta, as well as poor reproductive performance, are known risk factors for culling in dairy cows. Clinical mastitis (CM) is one of the most influential culling risk factors. However the culling decision could be based either on the disease status or on the current milk yield,...
The relationship between cows’ health, reproductive performance or disorders and their longevity is well demonstrated in the literature. However these associations at the cow level might not hold true at the herd level, and herd-level variables can modify cow-level outcomes independently of the cows’ characteristics. The interaction between cow-lev...
A retrospective cohort study was conducted using production and health records from Québec dairy herds which were integrated with the objectives of calculating different lifetime profitability measures and developing analyses of the impact of selected reproduction and health variables on profitability. The dataset for the study consisted of lifetim...
Background
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a major problem in veal calf rearing units. The objective of this randomised clinical trial was to assess the effectiveness of tildipirosin as a metaphylactic treatment in veal calves on the number of BRD treatments, lung consolidation on thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) and average daily gain (ADG). A t...
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of incomplete milking during the first 5 days of lactation on the resting behavior of commercial dairy cows. The hypothesis was that the elevated intramammary pressure resulting from milk retained in the udder in incompletely milked cows could lead to a change in lying behavior. This study w...
Several health disorders, such as milk fever, displaced abomasum, and mastitis, as well as impaired reproductive performance, are known risk factors for the removal of affected cows from a dairy herd. While cow-level risk factors are well documented in the literature, herd-level associations have been less frequently investigated. The objective of...
Using a milk sample for pregnancy diagnosis in dairy cattle is extremely convenient due to the low technical inputs required for collection of biological materials. Determining accuracy of a novel pregnancy diagnostic test that relies on a milk sample is, however, difficult since no gold standard test is available for comparison. The objective of t...
Body condition score (BCS) is strongly correlated with energy reserves. The ease, rapidity of scoring, and high intra- and inter-observer repeatability make it a widely used herd management tool in bovine practice and in scientific studies. Loss or gain of BCS, rather than a single BCS measurement, is frequently used to monitor energy balance in da...
The objectives of this study were to quantify the herd-level prevalence of postpartum diseases in a large number of dairy farms, and to identify prevalence alarm levels of these diseases based on association with a low prevalence of success at first service, with a high prevalence of pregnancy loss following pregnancy diagnosis at first service, an...
The objectives of this study were to validate the performance of on-farm bacteriological culture systems for identification of Escherichia coli in the uterus of early postpartum dairy cows and to determine if an association is present between the results and the subsequent occurrence of puerperal metritis (PM). A prospective cohort study was conduc...
The objective of this study was to identify the key management and disease issues affecting the Canadian dairy industry. An online questionnaire (FluidSurveys, http://fluidsurveys.com/) was conducted between March 1 and May 31, 2014. A total of 1,025 responses were received from across Canada of which 68% (n = 698) of respondents were dairy produce...
Many individual animal-level studies have been conducted to investigate the risk factors for success of passive transfer (SPT) in dairy calves. However, a much smaller number of studies are available to identify risk factors for SPT at the herd level. Therefore, the first objective of this study was to describe colostrum management in dairy herds w...
Thoracic ultrasonography and observation of lung ultrasonographic consolidation has been recently developed as a fast and non-invasive way to assess bronchopneumonia-associated lung lesions. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess the prevalence of lung consolidation in pre-weaned calves in dairy herds.
The objectives of this study were to report the prevalence of Escherichia coli and Trueperella pyogenes in the uterus of postpartum dairy cows before the onset of postpartum metritis (PPM) and to quantify their association with subsequent occurrence of PPM, to quantify the association between the presence of genes encoding E. coli virulence factors...
Postpartum hyperketonemia, endometritis, and prolonged anovulation are known risk factors for poor reproductive performance at first service at the cow level. However, it remains unclear what the acceptable prevalence of these conditions is at the herd level. The objective of this study was to quantify the prevalence of these conditions in dairy he...
The objectives of this study were to: 1) quantify culling rates of Quebec dairy herds, and 2) investigate if Quebec dairy farms could be differentiated based on herd-level factors such as management, reproduction, production and health indices, and explore their relationship with herd culling rate.
While minimizing total losses (sum of production loss and disease control expenditures) is recognized to be the most profitable approach, dairy producers still have flexibility regarding the timing of their decisions, the liberty to make individual choices (e.g., genetic selection), or the handling of certain constraints (e.g., regulations, quotas,...
The objectives of this study were to quantify the effect of an intrauterine infusion of cephapirin on reproductive performance at first service of postpartum dairy cows affected by purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) and cytological endometritis (ENDO) using different diagnostic strategies, and to determine if the presence of prolonged anovulation wou...
The objectives of this observational study were to identify the optimal diagnostic criteria for purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) and cytological endometritis (ENDO) using vaginal discharge, endometrial cytology, and leukocyte esterase (LE) tests, and to quantify their effect on subsequent reproductive performance. Data generated from 1,099 untreate...
Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) has been shown to be an accurate predictor of myocardial injury in cattle. The point-of-care i-STAT 1 immunoassay can be used to quantify blood cTnI in cattle. However, the cTnI reference interval in whole blood of healthy early lactating dairy cows remains unknown.
To determine a blood cTnI reference interval in healthy e...
A prospective cohort study was conducted on 1,081 dairy goats from 10 commercial herds in Québec (Canada) to define prepartum hyperketonemia based on optimal blood β-hydroxybutyrate acid threshold values for the early prediction of pregnancy toxemia (PT) and mortality in late-gestation dairy goats. All pregnant goats had blood sampled weekly during...
Background
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is 1 of the 2 most important causes of morbidity and mortality in dairy calves. Surprisingly, field data are scant concerning the prevalence of respiratory pathogens involved in BRD in preweaned dairy calves, especially in small herds.Objectives
To identify the main respiratory pathogens isolated from cal...
Data S1. Complementory information on the bacteriological cultures and PCR testings perfomed during the study.
The use of the double-ovsynch (DBLOV) protocol at first service in dairy herds has become more popular in dairy practice because of its potential to increase the conception risk (CR), especially in primiparous cows, compared with usual ovsynch or presynch protocols. The use of the DBLOV protocol implies giving four injections of commercial GnRH pro...
Abstract Text: Economic values were estimated by regressing profit, adjusted for opportunity cost, up to the end of the 4th lactation on EBVs, using random regressions within herd-year cohort of first calving. Kilograms Fat, kg Protein, milking speed, temperament, rump and conformation all had positive economic values, whereas herd life, angularity...
The objective of this study was to determine whether eosinophils infiltrate the airway wall of horses with heaves. Eosinophils were evaluated using paraffin embedded lung tissues from six heaves-affected horses in crisis and six aged-matched controls. Slides were stained using Luna's method and eosinophils enumerated using histomorphometric techniq...
The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic and critical appraisal of the quality of previous publications and describe diagnostic methods, diagnostic criteria and definitions, repeatability, and agreement among methods for diagnosis of vaginitis, cervicitis, endometritis, salpingitis, and oophoritis in dairy cows. Publications (n = 1,6...
The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the correlations between blood β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) and milk components [BHBA, acetone, fat, protein, and fat:protein (F:P) ratio], and (2) to establish optimal thresholds for milk components to predict hyperketonemia in dairy cows. Data on 163 cows from 37 herds were used in this cross-section...
Abstract Dairy cattle are considered a Campylobacter reservoir in the epidemiology of campylobacteriosis. Currently, very little data on the prevalence of Campylobacter in dairy herds are available in the Province of Quebec, Canada. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of Campylobacter associated with management practices in...
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) represents 1 of the 2 most important causes of morbidity and death in dairy calves. The detrimental effects of BRD in calves on dairy herds can be substantial and includes decreased profitability because of cost of treatments, decreased growth rate, increased risk of culling before first calving, and death. Calf enz...
A culling rate> 30% in dairy cattle is common in United States and Canada, despite general recommendations to lower cull rates in order to save on replacement costs. Also, higher cull rates are sometimes viewed as a sign of management failure, but the association between culling and disease at the cow level may not hold true at the herd level. Ther...
Postpartum uterine diseases can impair reproductive performance of dairy cows. Diagnostic tools have been developed to identify cows at risk of poor subsequent reproductive performance. Most of these tools focus on identification of inflammation in the reproductive tract during the postpartum period. Endometrial cytology was proposed as a good tool...
The objective of this cross-sectional study was to validate the accuracy of a hand-held electronic on-farm test (Precision Xtra) for quantifying the blood β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) concentration in dairy goats. A total of 114 dairy goats from 3 commercial herds were sampled once for blood in the jugular vein between 1 mo before and 2 mo after partur...
Haptoglobin is an acute phase protein produced primarily in the liver in response to proinflammatory cytokines. Increased haptoglobinemia has been associated with several diseases in dairy cattle including mastitis, peritonitis, metritis, endometritis, and pneumonia. Retained placenta and metritis are postpartum uterine conditions that affect up to...
Over the past years, hyperketonemia has been shown to be associated with health and production of postpartum dairy cows. Many tests are available to detect hyperketonemia in blood, urine, and milk. A procedure that quantifies ketone bodies in milk is now available through the dairy herd improvement association (DHIA) sampling process; however, conf...
A retrospective cohort study was performed with the objective of determining whether the serum concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), or calcium were associated with the risk of culling within 60 d in milk (DIM) in Holstein cows, and to establish thresholds for each metabolite that were predictive of incre...
The objectives were to identify risk factors for and to quantify the effect of postpartum anovulation on reproductive performance in dairy cows. Data from 2,178 Holstein cows in 6 commercial herds enrolled in a randomized clinical trial were used. Data on periparturient disease incidence, calving history, and body condition score were collected. Co...
Hyperketonemia is characterized by an increased concentration of circulating ketone bodies during the postpartum period of cows. A high prevalence of hyperketonemia in herds is associated with decreased milk production, decreased probability of pregnancy at first service, and increased risk of peripartum diseases. The gold standard diagnostic test...
This paper briefly reviews recent data and concepts on the development and mitigation of infection and inflammation in the reproductive tract of dairy cows during the first 2 mo after calving. The incidence of metritis is typically between 10 and 20%, of clinical endometritis or purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) approximately 15%, and of subclinical...
The objectives of this study were to assess the efficacy of antibiotic treatment for preventing postpartum uterine disease among cows at high risk of uterine disease, and to assess the efficacy of PGF(2α) for treating cytological endometritis (CYTO) and purulent vaginal discharge (PVD). A total of 2,178 Holstein cows in 6 herds were enrolled in a r...
The objective was to quantify the effect of postpartum uterine diseases on milk production and culling. Data from 2,178 Holstein cows in 6 herds enrolled in a randomized clinical trial were used. Milk production data from the first 4 Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) test-days and culling data from farm records were collected. Retained plac...
The objectives of this study were to determine the accuracy of the PortaBHBTM milk strip for detection of hyperketonemia in early lactation cows, and to compare the agreement of results from quarter and composite samples. A total of 577 Holstein cows of all parities, from 88 commercial herds, were sampled once during this study. Cows were sampled s...
The objective of this observational study was to investigate the risk factors for metritis, purulent vaginal discharge, and cytological endometritis. The hypothesis was that purulent vaginal discharge and cytological endometritis would have different risk factors because they represent distinct manifestations of uterine disease. Data generated from...
The objectives of this observational study were to determine and compare diagnostic criteria for postpartum endometritis in dairy cows. Data generated from 1,044 Holstein cows (6 herds) enrolled in a randomized clinical trial were used. Cows were examined for endometritis at 35±3 d (exam 1) and 56±3 d (exam 2) after parturition, using endometrial c...
Retained placenta (RP) is a condition associated with aspects of immune function during the prepartum period. Retained placenta has been shown to be a risk factor for uterine diseases and for reduced reproductive performance. Metritis is a condition causing systemic signs of illness (fever, anorexia, decreased milk production) characterized by a fo...
Endometritis is diagnosed cytologically, as endometrial inflammation, or clinically as purulent or mucopurulent vaginal discharge. Cytological endometritis (CYTO) is based on an increased proportion of polymorphonuclear cells in endometrial cytology. Purulent vaginal discharge (PVD) has only moderate diagnostic agreement with CYTO. The prevalence o...