Impact of Meloxicam Administration in Cows Prior to Caesarean Section on the Efficacy of Passive Immunity Transfer in Calves

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The improvement of the welfare of cattle is crucial. The aim of this study was to assess the putative benefit of adding pre-emptive analgesia (namely meloxicam) to basic anesthesia during caesarean section (c-section) in beef cows to the efficacy of colostrum intake by the newborn under the assumption that this latter intake could be improved if the dam is not pained. The results demonstrate for the first time the benefit of meloxicam priori to c-section to improve the efficacy of immune passive transfer (an increase of about 3 g/L of IgG in the blood sera of calf coming from dam receiving meloxicam). This is an additional argument to convince farmers and veterinarians to use NSAIDs. ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to assess in the Charolais cow–calf system, the benefit of meloxicam administered to cows prior to c-section to the efficacy of passive immune transfer to the newborn under the assumption that providing analgesia to the dam could lead to an earlier or longer colostrum intake. This study was performed in Burgundy, France in two veterinary private practices. Colostrum quality, delay between the end of the c-section and the first spontaneous colostrum suckling, and the 24 h after birth calf serum IgG content from cows treated 15 min prior to c-section with meloxicam subcutaneously (0.5 mg/kg) (n = 22) or without analgesia (n = 26) were compared. No significant differences were observed in the quality of the colostrum nor the delay between the end of the surgery and the first spontaneous colostrum suckling between treatment groups. However, the number of calves showing a better transfer of passive immunity (IgG content >15 g/L) was significantly higher (p = 0.023) among those originating from dams receiving meloxicam prior to c-section. This effect was notably observed in multiparous cows (p = 0.041). This study confirms that pre-emptive analgesia in cows prior to c-section benefits the calf through an improved colostrum intake that is of paramount importance for calf short- and long-term survival.