The main objective was to characterize behavioral changes in metritic primiparous cows treated with chitosan microparticles (CM) or ceftiofur (CEF). A secondary objective was to compare behavioral patterns of metritic cows with nonmetritic (NMET) cows. Nulliparous Holstein cows (n = 311) were fitted with a neck-mounted automated health-monitoring device (AHMD) from -21 to 60 d relative to calving. Cows diagnosed with metritis (d 0), characterized by watery, fetid, red-brownish uterine discharge within 21 d in milk were assigned randomly to CM (n = 45), intrauterine infusion of 24 g of CM dissolved in 40 mL of sterile distilled water on d 0, 2, and 4; CEF (n = 47), subcutaneous injection of 6.6 mg/kg ceftiofur crystalline-free acid on d 0 and 3; and control (CON; n = 39), no treatment. For comparison, NMET cows (n = 180) were matched with metritic cows according to age at calving and calving date. Postdiagnosis, there was an effect of treatment and an interaction between treatment and time on rumination and activity. The interaction showed that CM had lesser rumination than CEF from d 1 to 11, d 18, and d 20; CM had lesser rumination than CON from d 2 to 8; and CEF was not different from CON. The interaction showed that CM had lesser activity than CON on d 2, from d 6 to 11, and d 13 to 14; CM was not different from CEF; and CEF had lesser activity than CON on d 8, 9, 13, and 14. Prediagnosis, cows in CM, CEF, and CON had lesser rumination and activity than cows in NMET. Postdiagnosis, cows in CM, CEF, and CON had lesser rumination than NMET from d 0 to 2 and had lesser activity than NMET from d 0 to 5. In summary, CM decreased rumination and activity compared with CON, which indicates a negative systemic effect of CM. This may be associated with exacerbated inflammation in the uterus. Additionally, metritic cows had decreased rumination and activity prediagnosis, which may allow for the use of AHMD for metritis diagnosis.
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