“It’s a widespread issue across the industry,” he said. “Retained placenta has a link to immune suppression, can cause a significant amount of economic loss and is an animal welfare concern, too.”

The grant program, in its second year, awards funding to support the development of new products and services that help improve the health and productivity of beef and dairy cattle. In 2013, the company asked researchers to submit proposals to address ways to improve cattle reproduction or develop models for managing cattle pain.

The grant program has been an effective mechanism to establish collaborative research partnerships aimed at addressing key issues facing the cattle industry, explained Michelle Haven, the company’s senior vice president of corporate development, alliances and solutions. In addition to Bicalho’s proposal, the grant generated new research leads to evaluate pain management in cattle.

“It’s a very important project for us,” Bicalho said. “We’re excited to be able to work on it. We’re hopeful we can produce solutions that will help make animals more comfortable, healthier and more profitable.” 

—From Zoetis news release