Reproductive Disorders in Dairy Cattle; Retrospective Study in Asella Town, Central Ethiopia

A retrospective type of study was conducted to determine the prevalence of major reproductive problems and associated risk factors in dairy cows in Asella town, central Ethiopia, from November 2017 to April 2018. Face-to-face interviewing of the cow owners using a semi-structured questionnaire on the randomly selected dairy cows was employed to get the necessary information. A total of 310 dairy cows were studied, employing a questionnaire survey, out of which, 30.3% (n = 94) were affected by at least one or more clinical reproductive health problem. Dystocia, repeat breeder, retained fetal membrane, abortion; metritis, anestrous and uterine and vaginal prolapse were recorded with prevalence of 15.5%, 8.1%, 5.3%, 4.5%, 2.6%, 2.3% and 1.0%, respectively. The prevalence of clinical reproductive problems showed significant differences (P<0.05) with respect to parity, hygienic condition and age of an animal. The problems were more commonly reported in poor hygienic conditions, higher age groups and greater number of parities. This study indicated clinical reproductive problems, which included dystocia, repeat breeder, retained fetal membrane and abortion as the major factors responsible for the low reproductive performance of dairy cows in Asella town. Improvements in management systems, proper heat detection and proper selection of bulls for breeding could help in minimizing reproductive health problems and hence, improve the reproductive efficiency of dairy cows.