Descriptive characterization of clinical morbidity in dairy cows during one year of follow-up in an intensive system in the municipality of Luis Moya, Zacatecas
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71112/4403h939Keywords:
Dairy cows, Clinical morbidity, Descriptive epidemiology, Mastitis, Metritis, Days in milk.Abstract
An observational, retrospective, and descriptive study was conducted to characterize the frequency, temporal distribution, and relationship with days in milk (DIM) of the main clinical events recorded in dairy cows during one year of follow-up in an intensive production unit in the municipality of Luis Moya, Zacatecas. A total of 774 clinical records corresponding to 535 unique animals were analyzed, generated between February 23, 2025 and February 22, 2026. Diagnoses were performed by the herd veterinarian using standardized clinical criteria. The main events were mastitis (35.0%), retained placenta (24.9%), ruminal disorders (19.8%), lameness (8.4%), and metritis (7.5%). Of the animals, 28.8% had two or more records during the study period. The highest concentration of cases was observed between July and September 2025. Retained placenta and metritis were concentrated in the first 30 DIM, while mastitis, lameness, and ruminal disorders showed a wider distribution throughout lactation. A significant association between event type and DIM category was observed (χ²(16) = 574.3, p ≈ 2.27 × 10⁻⁷⁶). Results should be interpreted as proportional frequencies of recorded morbidity, as the absence of population denominators precluded estimation of incidence or risk measures.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Luis Manuel Escareño Sánchez, Fabiola Lydie Rochin Berumen, Francisco Javier Gutierrez Piña, Miriam Damián Sandoval, Zimri Cortes Vidauri (Autor/a)
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