Associations of Vulvovaginal Lacerations, Fecal Consistency, Ketosis, Body Condition, and Parity with Vaginal Discharge in Early Postpartum of Dairy Cows

Several indicators are used in dairy farms to monitor health status during the puerperal period. Uterine disease complex is one of the compromised health issues during this period. This study mainly aims to evaluate the relationship between abnormal vaginal discharge scores (VDS), indicative of uterine health impairment (e.g., metritis), and reproductive and non-reproductive risk factors during the first three weeks postpartum of dairy cows. An ordinal logistic GLMM was used to evaluate the influence of vulvovaginal lacerations, fecal consistency, ketonuria, body condition, parity, day of reproductive evaluation and farm on normal (0–2 points; control group), moderate (3–4), and high (5–9) VDS from 2860 calvings in 14 Danish farms (2023–2025). Vulvar and vaginal lacerations (odds ratio, OR = 2.4 and 17.1, respectively; p < 0.001) and soft feces (OR = 1.7; p < 0.001), ketosis (OR = 1.8; p < 0.001), low body condition score (OR = 1.7; p < 0.01), and multiparous cows (OR = 2.1; p < 0.0001) were associated with moderate and high VDS. These results suggest that vulvovaginal lacerations, even if considered as a potential residual confounder regarding dystocia and other periparturient reproductive abnormalities, and non-reproductive factors, such as fecal consistency, should be included to assess uterine health during postpartum, regarding normal, moderate, and high VDS. A large study involving all relevant reproductive occurrences during puerperium and their impact on further fertility can provide additional information for reproductive herd health management.