Milk fever in cows – Causes,symptoms&Control/prevent

Mshindo Media

Milk fever in cows

Milk fever (hypocalcaemia) as a nutritional disorder defined as  a metabolic disorder due to insufficient calcium, commonly occurring during calving,this happens when the dairy cow has lowered levels of blood calcium.

• This disease occurs shortly after the cow gives birth (< 72 hrs).

• The word “MILK FEVER” has nothing to do with the cause of the disease itself.

• The cause of the problem is the lack of Calcium minerals in the body of the mother cow – HYPOCALCAEMIA

OTHER SYMPTOMS ARE:-

– Stop eating.

– Dullness

– Twisting the neck to the side

– Normal body temperature (but as time goes by the body temperature drops) other problems like this are known as DOWNER SYNDROME

TREATMENT

– A cow with these symptoms is injected with a medicine called Calcium borogluconate

PROTECTION

– Make sure the pregnant cow is given food with mineral and vitamin supplements, especially two months before calving (dry period). These supplements are like Farmers Super Lick, Farmers mineral block or Oligovit® injection, Lime, Bone meal, seafood meal, green leaves etc.

• “Downer Cow Syndrome” combines the following problems:-

– Careful examination is required professionally

• Downer Cow is the cow that fails to stand after being treated with Calcium borogluconate

A COW BEING TREATED

1. Milk fever

Cause- deficiency of Calcium in the body (Hypocalcaemia)

Symptoms- Stop eating – Lack of excitement – Twisting the neck – Normal temperature

Rx– Calcium boroglyconate

2. Ketois

Cause– Lack of glucose (Hypoglycaemia)

Symptoms– Eat as usual – Excitement – Normal temperature

Rx– Glucose – Dextrose – Oligovit

3. Vagina trauma

Cause- Pulling the calf hard (1Dystocia)

Symptoms – Stop eating – Scratching sores inside the vagina – Fever

Rx– Antibiotics – Oligovits

4. Coxo-femoral joint luxation

Cause– Slipping

Symptoms– Eating as usual – normal temperature

Rx– TLC – Adjust the joints

5. Acute mastisis

Cause- Germs like bacteria

Symptoms- inflammation of the udder – milk changes color – Fever

Rx– Antibiotics – slaughter

6. Obturatory nerve paralysis

Cause- Pulling the calf by force (Dystocia)

Symptoms- Eating as usual – Normal temperature

Rx– TLC – Slaughter

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