Mansoura Veterinary Medical Journal

Prevalence and risk factors associated with downer cow syndrome at smallholders dairy farms in Middle Egypt

Noha A. Beder, 1Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, Egypt.
Besheer G. Elshafey, Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour 22511, Egypt.
Sabry A. El-Khodery, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt

Document Type

Original Article

Subject Areas

Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases

Keywords

DCS, prevalence, risk factors, Middle Egypt

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with downer cow syndrome (DCS) in Middle Egypt. Design: Case-control study Animals: A total of 1,300 cross breeding Holestein dairy cattle in 30 small scale farms were involved in the study during the period from September 2018 to August 2019. Procedures: Three hundred and twenty downers (24.6 %) were investigated and were subject to clinical examination. A questioner to farm owners was designed focusing on risk factors for occurrence of downers. Results: The prevalence of downers due to metabolic, digestive, infectious, musculoskeletal and nerve injuries was 8.1%, 6.9%, 5.4%, 2.3% and 1.9%, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that conventional ration (OR: 2.8, CI 95%: 4.3-6.2), indoor housing (OR 3.4, CI 95% 2.1-3.7), inadequate hygienic measures (OR: 2.05, CI 95%: 4.55-6.5), concrete flooring (OR: 3.89, CI 95%: 1.4-10.9), > 20 kg daily milk yield (DMY) (OR: 3.037, CI 95%: 1.46-6.34), poor body condition score (BCS) (OR: 20.6, CI 95%: 6.6-6.9), older age (OR: 1.05, CI 95%: 1.05-2.20), first 45 days in milk (DIM) (OR: 12.4, CI 95%: 3.3-4.3), and winter (OR: 1.47, CI 95%: 0.16-1.36) were potential risk factors. DCS showed an association with hyperthermia (P<0.01), tachycardia (P<0.01), polypnea (P<0.01), ruminal hypomotility (P<0.01) and inappetence (P<0.01). Conclusion and Clinical relevance: The present results indicate that DCS is a prevalent issue at smallholders dairy farms. It is mainly due to metabolic causes. Appropriate control strategies are recommended, focusing mainly on the potential risk factors identified in this study.

How to Cite This Article

Beder, Noha A.; Elshafey, Besheer G.; and El-Khodery, Sabry A. (2020) "Prevalence and risk factors associated with downer cow syndrome at smallholders dairy farms in Middle Egypt," Mansoura Veterinary Medical Journal: Vol. 21: Iss. 4, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21608/mvmj.2020.142649