Vetalgin

Conservative treatment included amoxicillin (7 mg/kg body weight, Clamoxyl^®, Zoetis Switzerland) or penicillin G procaine (12,000 IU/kg body weight, Procacillin^®, MSD Animal Health) given intramuscularly for 1–13 days, in most cases for 7 (n = 42) to 8 (n = 30) days (median 6 days). Seventy-nine cattle received a daily injection of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (flunixin meglumine, 1 mg/kg, Flunixine^®, Biokema, Crissier, or ketoprofen, 3 mg/kg, Rifen^®, Streuli Pharma) or a pyrazolone preparation (metamizole, 35 mg/kg, Vetalgin^®, MSD Animal Health). All cattle received 10 l of a solution containing 50 g glucose and 9 g sodium chloride per litre daily for 3 days administered as a slow intravenous drip via an indwelling jugular vein catheter (Abbocath-T 14 g, length 14 cm, Abbott AG, Baar). Cows with hypocalcaemia (calcium < 2.0 mmol/L), hypophosphataemia (inorganic phosphorus < 1.0 mmol/L) or hypomagnesaemia (magnesium < 0.7 mmol/L) were treated orally with monocalcium phosphate, sodium dihydrogen phosphate and/or magnesium oxide. Clinical examinations were carried out daily.

All cows were euthanased immediately after initial examination, exploratory laparotomy or unsuccessful treatment. Treatment included intravenous administration of a solution containing 50 g glucose and 9 g NaCl/l via an indwelling jugular vein catheter, antibiotics (penicillin G procaine, 12,000 IU/kg body weight (BW), Procacillin®, MSD Animal Health, or amoxicillin, 7 mg/kg BW, Clamoxyl®, Zoetis Switzerland) administered intramuscularly, and flunixin meglumine (1 mg/kg BW, Flunixin®, Biokema), ketoprofen (3 mg/kg BW, Rifen®, Streuli Pharma) or metamizole (35 mg/kg BW, Vetalgin®, MSD Animal Health) administered intravenously. Pentobarbital (Esconarkon, Streuli Pharma, 80 mg/kg BW) administered intravenously was used for euthanasia. All cows underwent postmortem examination, and a diagnosis of U5 was made when a perforated abomasal ulcer accompanied by omental bursitis was seen.