ABSTRACT
Purpose
Over the past several decades there has been an appreciable, persistent, and concerning
rise in dairy cow mortality. The purpose of this review was to integrate epidemiological,
pathophysiological, and historical perspectives to improve our understanding of why
dairy cows die and what can be done about it.
Sources
Refereed scientific journal articles, USDA reports, and conference proceedings available
in online databases were consulted in this review.
Synthesis
Explorations of causes of dairy cow death frequently have focused on associations
between mortality and population characteristics, management, and environmental factors.
These studies often suggest that intensification of the dairy industry may influence
high on-farm dairy cattle mortality. Other studies have focused on pathophysiologic
descriptions of specific deaths, alongside the utility of incorporating postmortem
evaluations into on-farm management. Although it is most certainly useful to establish
broad associations between population characteristics or specific disease entities
and higher death rates, mitigation strategies must be based on an understanding of
why those associations or diseases are present in the first place.
Conclusion and Applications
A multitude of factors and complexities act in concert to influence why cows die in
US dairy herds. Understanding differences related to why cows die requires insight
into the impacts of environment, operational practices, economic concerns, and animal
interactions on overall performance. Although there are practical suggestions for
addressing dairy cow mortality such as incorporating postmortem examinations and standardized
nomenclature, questioning why dairy cows die is part of a larger discussion regarding
the welfare of animals in modern agricultural systems.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
October 5,
2019
Received:
September 6,
2019
Footnotes
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
