Methods of diagnosis and treatment of postpartum uterine infection adopted by Algerian veterinarians

Abstract

The present study aimed to monitor the practices of Algerian veterinarians in the diagnosis and treatment of puerperal metritis (PM) and clinical endometritis (CE) in cattle. For this purpose, a questionnaire was established and distributed to collect the information concerning veterinarian profiles and practices related to the diagnosis and treatment of PM and CE. The results showed that examinations of the uterus (rectal palpation), vaginal discharge, and rectal temperature were the most practiced methods for PM (71%, 68%, and 83%, respectively) and CE (86%, 60%, and 65%, respectively) diagnosis. Tetracycline was the antibiotic of choice for intrauterine treatment of PM (54%) and CE (57%), whereas penicillin was the preferred parenteral antibiotic against PM (68%) and CE (64%). In addition, molecules combined with antibiotic treatment were PGF2α (PM: 71%, CE: 79%), vitamins (PM: 73%, CE: 60.5%), and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (PM: 68.2%, CE: 58%). Inseminators were more likely to use IU cephalosporins to treat PM and CE (OR = 3.5, P < 0.05 and OR = 5.1, P < 0.01, respectively). Veterinarians with more than 10 years of experience were more likely to use IU cephalosporins to treat PM (OR = 3.8, P = 0.03). Moreover, bovine practitioners were less likely to observe hyperthermia in cases of CE (OR = 0.29, P = 0.02).