Two experiments were designed to determine whether
prostaglandin treatment within one hour postpartum would reduce the incidence of
retained placentas after induction of parturition in beef cattle. In the first experiment, 70 cows were induced on day 276-278 of gestation with the combination of 500 mug
cloprostenol and 25 mg
dexamethasone (CP + Dex). Within one hour after parturition, cows received either 500 mug CP or 25 mg of
dinoprost (DI). The incidence of
retained placenta (RP) was 64.3% in induced groups and 0% in noninduced control cows and postpartum treatment with either CP or DI had no effect on placental retention.A second experiment, utilizing 132 cows and heifers, was conducted to determine whether induction with Dex alone, rather than with CP + Dex, would influence the rate of placental retention after postpartum treatment with either CP or DI. The incidence of
retained placenta ranged from 28.5 to 58.3% in induced females but was 0% in noninduced control females. As in the first experiment, postpartum
prostaglandin treatment had no effect on placental retention.The results of these experiments do not support the use of
prostaglandins within one hour of induced parturition to reduce the incidence of
retained placentas.