Content
When breeding cattle, owners may encounter not only pathologies of pregnancy, but also problems during the hotel or after it. One of the postpartum abnormalities, hypocalcemia in cows, can result from the owner's best intentions.
Causes and risk factors
The causes of hypocalcemia are not fully understood. The situation is about the same as with rheumatic inflammation of the hooves. The disease has many other names:
- milk fever;
- hypocalcemic fever;
- postpartum coma;
- postpartum paresis;
- milk fever;
- labor apoplexy.
Latin name: Hypocalciemia puerperalis.
At one time it was believed that hypocalcemia occurs due to a lack of calcium in the feed. But more recent studies have shown that cows that are rich in calcium and protein concentrates are more susceptible to hypocalcemia.
Calcium cannot be absorbed without phosphorus and vitamin D, so the cause of hypocalcemia may indeed be a lack of calcium in an imbalance. That is, the cow receives too much calcium, which "passes through".
According to another version, hypocalcemia occurs as a result of a decrease in the level of calcium and sugar in the blood with an increased intake of insulin. Rarely, but sometimes hypocalcemia appears 1-2 days before calving. Sometimes the disease can appear 3 months after calving. Against the background of such "leaps" in terms of timing, it is really possible to assume that the matter is in hormonal imbalance.
They also do not deny a hereditary predisposition, since with the same diet, not all cows from the herd get sick. If it was only a matter of feed, then if kept on the same diet, all individuals would be susceptible to hypocalcemia. Even in the same herd and with the same diet, some cows suffer from hypocalcemia more than once, while other members of the herd only have it once or not at all.
Practicing veterinarians have their own opinion: they believe that cows that are late in the dry period are most susceptible to hypocalcemia.
Symptoms of Hypocalcemia in Cows
The most susceptible to hypocalcemia are high-yielding cows over the age of 5 years. The course of the disease can be mild to severe. Private owners often do not pay attention to the mild course of hypocalcemia, writing off the staggering gait for fatigue after calving. With this flow, the cow will either cope on its own, or the hypocalcemia will go into a stage where it can no longer be ignored. Symptoms of more severe forms:
- unsteadiness;
- anxiety;
- trembling muscles;
- S-shaped curvature of the neck;
- absent look;
- dilated pupils;
- lack of appetite;
- the desire to lie down with legs bent under oneself;
- decrease in body temperature to 37 ° C;
- cold surface of the body, including the bases of the horns and limbs.
Severe disease can lead to coma and subsequent death of the cow. You can distinguish between two types of hypocalcemia by symptoms. With a severe form of the course, the signs differ:
- decrease in body temperature to 35 ° C;
- arrhythmic, weak and rare pulse;
- hoarse, rare breath;
- paralysis of the pharynx and tongue;
- lacrimation;
- tympany;
- clouding of the cornea of the eyes;
- head thrown to the side;
- outstretched legs;
- loss of skin sensitivity;
- lack of reflexes.
With these symptoms, treatment should be started as soon as possible, but there is no longer a guarantee of recovery.
With this course of the disease, the cow is outwardly healthy, but cannot stand up on its hind legs.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis is clinical. Since postpartum paresis does not pose a threat to other cows, pathological examinations can only help differentiate hypocalcemia from infectious diseases.
Differential diagnosis is necessary to exclude acute infectious diseases and poisoning. The latter, although not contagious, can affect the entire herd.
Differentiating hypocalcemia from other internal non-contagious problems in the cow will provide little comfort to the owner. This procedure is of interest to the veterinarian.
Pathological changes in hypocalcemia are poorly expressed:
- accumulation of fluid in the uterus;
- insufficient involution of the uterus after calving;
- bruising;
- congestive hyperemia of organs;
- signs of aspiration bronchopneumonia;
- expansion of the heart;
- pulmonary edema;
- muscle rupture.
Histological examination shows:
- hypertrophy of the adrenal cortex, pituitary gland and thyroid gland;
- dystrophy of the nervous system, parathyroid glands and muscular apparatus.
There are also changes in the udder, digestive tract, lymphatic system and internal parenchymal organs.
Treatment of cow hypocalcemia
With hypocalcemia, it is impossible to delay treatment, but rather specific drugs are needed. Cows are injected subcutaneously with a 20% caffeine solution. The nipples are wiped with alcohol and the Evers apparatus pump air into the udder. The device is available in two versions: monocotyledonous and four-lobed. It is essentially a hand pump with a catheter that is inserted into the nipple.
After pumping air, the nipples are tied with a bandage for 15-20 minutes. The sacrum and lower back are rubbed with burlap and wrapped warmly.
If necessary, pumping air is repeated after 6-8 hours or 600-1000 ml of fresh milk from a healthy cow is poured into the udder.
Intravenous injections of calcium gluconate or calcium chloride are given. Vitamin D₃ is injected subcutaneously.
Forecast
In the typical course of the disease, the prognosis is favorable. Cows respond positively to treatment. In the atypical form, treatment is ineffective.
Preventive actions
In the dry period, concentrates with a high protein content are excluded from the diet of cows. Vitamin and mineral premixes are added to the feed. Particular attention is paid to the content of vitamin D in feed and premixes. Drinking with sweet water is carried out.
Do not delay starting a cow under any circumstances. In addition to the high risk of hypocalcemia with late start-up, there is a high likelihood of a cow not having milk after calving or giving birth to a malformed calf.
Conclusion
Hypocalcemia in cows can be easily prevented if you are not zealous with concentrates and monitor the calving process. An owner who knows his animal well will notice the onset of hypocalcemia even at an early stage.
