16-Title: Survey on medication usage in retained placenta, acute puerperal metritis and chronic endometritis of dairy cattle
Authors: Djalel Eddine Gherissi, Aziza Ferag, Ahmed Abdelouahed Kechroud, Nadjat Bordja and Mohamed El Haddi Daia
Source: Ruminant Science (2025)-14(1):81-92.

Abstract

16. How to cite this manuscript: Gherissi Djalel Eddine, Ferag Aziza, Kechroud Ahmed Abdelouahed, Bordja Nadjat and Daia Mohamed El Haddi (2025). Survey on medication usage in retained placenta, acute puerperal metritis and chronic endometritis of dairy cattle. Ruminant Science 14(1):81-92.
Abstract
This study aimed to describe the use of reproductive therapeutics for three major postpartum reproductive disorders in dairy cattle: retained placenta (RP), acute puerperal metritis (APM) and chronic endometritis (CE). A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 75 veterinarians and inseminators affiliated with the Algerian National Centre for Artificial Insemination and Genetic Improvement (CNIAAG), representing 24 departments in Algeria. The questionnaire collected information on therapeutic strategies, routes of administration, hormone use, antibiotic use and clinical decision-making criteria. For RP cases without general clinical signs, 30.7% of practitioners reported systematic intervention. The most frequently reported treatments for RP included manual removal of fetal membranes (90.7%), antibiotic administration (66.7%), systemic antibiotic therapy (68.0%), oxytocin (46.7%), prostaglandin F2alpha (38.7%) and anti-gangrenous serum (5.3%). In APM cases, systemic antibiotic therapy was the predominant treatment (89.3%), followed by intrauterine antibiotic administration (45.3%) and hormonal therapy. In CE, therapeutic approaches were more heterogeneous, with combined intrauterine antibiotic administration and prostaglandin F2alpha being the most frequently reported strategy (34.7%). Approximately half of the practitioners adjusted uterine infection treatment according to ovarian activity status. Multiple correspondence analyses (MCA) revealed marked heterogeneity in therapeutic practices for RP, APM, and CE, allowing identification of distinct practitioner typologies based on medication combinations and intervention sequences. These findings reflect the diversity of opinions reported in the literature regarding postpartum reproductive therapeutics. The study highlights the lack of standardised treatment protocols and emphasises the need for evidence-based guidelines and further research to optimise reproductive health management in dairy cattle.
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