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Aarabi N, Hadipour M M. Effect of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin and Flunixin Meglumine on Pregnancy Rate in Dairy Cows. J Altern Vet Med 2024; 7 (20) :1183-1194
URL: http://joavm.kazerun.iau.ir/article-1-174-en.html

Background and aim: Growing infertility and a reduction in pregnancy rates are two of the most challenging issues facing modern dairy cows. Our objectives were to determine pregnancy rates, plasma progesterone concentrations, and corpus luteum (CL) numbers in high-producing dairy cows during two distinct periods (cool and warm seasons). This evaluation followed the administration of: 1) human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on day 5 after AI, 2) a combined treatment with hCG on day 5 and flunixin meglumine between days 14 and 16 after AI, and 3) flunixin meglumine alone between days 14 and 16 after AI.
Materials and Methods: Cows were subjected to pre-synch programming in two experiments (cool period, n = 396) and warm period, n = 181), respectively. Environmental data in the warm period indicated that cows experienced high heat stress during the trial in the warm period (THI = 85-92). Cows in both experiments were randomly divided into four groups: Group 1 received hCG, and Group 2 was given hCG on day 5 and FM on days 14–16, Group 3 was treated with FM on days 14–16, and the untreated group was the control group. Ovarian structures and serum progesterone levels were determined on days 5 and 12 after AI, respectively. Ultrasonography was used to evaluate the pregnant status of cows on days 28-30.
Results: There was a significant difference in p4 concentrations 12 days after IA between groups in the cool period, in both the hCG and hCG+FM groups (p = 0.001). But the discrepancy in p4 was not observed between groups in the warm period (p = 0.7). The increase in CL for cows treated with hCG compared with control cows was greater during the cool (1.7 vs. 1.1) period compared to the warm (1.1 vs. 1.3) period (p = 0.001). In the warm season, no significant difference in pregnancy rate on day 30 between the four groups was obtained.
Conclusion: Our results indicated that administration of flunixin meglumine did not improve pregnancy rates in dairy cows during either the warm or cool seasons. Conversely, treatment with hCG on day 5 after artificial insemination induced accessory corpora lutea, increased plasma progesterone concentration, and improved pregnancy rates in dairy cows during the cool period only. None of these effects were observed during the warm period.