The present study aimed to monitor the practices of European veterinarians for the diagnosis and treatment of retained fetal membranes in cattle. A questionnaire was established and distributed to veterinarians from five European countries. A total of 700 veterinarians participated in the survey. A vaginal examination, general examination and uterine palpation are carried out by 71%, 38% and 23% of veterinarians, respectively. Moreover, half of the veterinarians attempt to remove the placenta manually, 70% of them administer a combined local and general treatment if the cow has a fever (more than 39.5 °C), and 50% of them only administer IU treatment if no fever is observed. Tetracyclins, cefapirin and penicillins are the most used intrauterine (IU) antibiotics, whereas penicillin is the most used parenteral one. All other European veterinarians were less likely to use cefapirin and more likely to use oxytocin, Ca perfusion and NSAID than French and Walloon veterinarians. In conclusion, our study confirms the necessity of improving and rationalizing the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of the RFM, mainly to reduce the important problem of antibiotic resistance.
Keywords: cattle; diagnostic; practitioner; retained fetal membranes; survey; treatment.