ANIMAL HEALTH DISEASES THAT OCCUR AFTER CALVING​

A. Hypocalcaemia (Milk Fever)

·       Occurs Due To Low Calcium Level In Blood, There Is Actually No Fever. May Also Cause Dystocia, Rop And Uterine Prolapse.

·       Occurs Usually Within 72 Hours Of Calving. Initial Stage Is Excitability With Fine Tremors Over Flank And Loins, Ear Twitching And Head Bobbing.

·       Complete Milking During The First 48 Hours Of Calving May Precipitate Milk Fever In Some Cases.

·       The Animal Is Unable To Stand Up And In Later Stages Become Recumbent, First With Its Neck Turned To One Side And Then Laterally. Eye Reflex Is Also Lost.

·       In Last Stage The Animal Becomes Unconscious With Sub-Normal Temperature.

·       Hypocalcemia Also Exists In Sub-Clinical Form With Greater Risk Of The Animals Developing Fever, Metritis & Ketosis. More Losses Are Thought To Occur From This Form.

Prevention And Treatment Of Milk Fever

·       Do Not Feed Calcium Supplements In Excess During Late Pregnancy.

·       Chances Of Milk Fever In Prone Animals Is Reduced Greatly If Given 3-4 Doses Of Oral Calcium 12- 24 Hours Before Calving To 48 Hours Post Calving, With Each Dose Providing 40-50 G Of Calcium.

·       Anionic Salts Like Ammonium Chloride And Magnesium Sulphate Or Ammonium Sulphate (50- 100 G Each/Day) May Be Fed During Last 3 Weeks Before Calving.

·       Contact Veterinarian Immediately If Symptoms Are Seen, Animals Respond To Therapy Instantly. If Left Untreated, The Animal Will Succumb.

·       Some Animals May Relapse Within 24-48 Hours And Require Further Treatment.

·       An Animal Should Ideally Have A Urine Ph Between 6.5-7 Near The Time Of Calving. Higher Ph Indicates Increased Risk Of Milk Fever.

B. Hypomagnesaemia

·       Occurs Due To Low Magnesium Levels In Blood, Adult Lactating Animals Are Most Susceptible. May Occur In Calves Also.

·       Normal Animal Suddenly Throws Up Its Head, Bellow, Gallop And Fall Exhibiting Severe Paddling Convulsions Which Are Repeated In Short Intervals.

·       In Milder Cases Animal Walks Stiffly, Is Hypersensitive To Touch And Sound, Urinates Frequently And May Progress To Convulsive Stage After 2-3 Days.

·       Often Occurs Along With Hypocalcemia. Untreated Animals Will Die.

·       Soils Fertilized With Potash And Nitrogen Are High Risk Areas.

Prevention And Treatment Of Hypomagnesaemia

·       Provide Magnesium Oxide @ Around 50 G Per Day To Animals At Risk.

·       Contact Veterinarian Immediately If Symptoms Are Seen, Animals Respond To Therapy Instantly. May Relapse After 1-2 Days Which Require Further Treatment.

C. Ketosis

·       Occurs In Lactating Animals Usually During The First 2 Months Of Lactation.

·       Initially There Is Slight Decrease In Feed Intake, Drop In Milk Production, Lethargy And Firm Mucous Covered Dung.

·       As Disease Progresses, There Is Marked Weight Loss, Pica (Animal Seeks Course Materials), Humped-Back Posture. Some Even Show Frenzy And Aggression.

·       Compulsive Licking Of Mangers, Bodies, Head And Nose Pressing, Chewing Bellowing May Occur.

·       Walking May Be Abnormal With Staggering, Circling And Falling.

·       If Untreated, Milk Production Decreases To An Insignificant Amount.

·       Once A Cow Develops The Condition, It Is Likely To Recur In Succeeding Lactations.

Prevention And Treatment Of Ketosis

·       Proper Feeding During Late Lactation And Dry Period.

·       Body Score At Calving Should Be 3.5 On A 5 Point Scale.(See Chapter On Body Scoring)

·       Sudden Change Of Feed /Overfeeding Should Be Avoided.

·       Conditions Like Rop, Metritis, Mastitis, Environmental Stress Etc. Should Be Managed Properly.

·       Contact A Veterinarian When Above Symptoms Are Seen.

D. Post Parturient Haemoglobinuria

·       Recent Parturition, Heavy Milk Production, Phosphorous & Copper Deficiency, Excess Consumption Of Turnips, Rape (Brassica Species), Sugar Beet Pulp Etc, Are Considered As Predisposing Factors.

·       Symptoms Are Hemoglobinuria, Marked Drop In Milk Production, Fever, Diarrhoea, Severe Anaemia , Weakness And Pallour And Sloughing Of The Extremities.

·       Diseases Like Babesiosis And Theileriosis Have To Be Ruled Out.

·       Contact A Veterinarian When Above Symptoms Are Seen.

E. Prolapse Of Uterus

·       More Common In Buffaloes Than In Cattle.

·       May Have Genetic Predisposition And May Occur Pre Or Post Partum.

·       Place The Prolapsed Mass Gently Over A Clean Surface And Protect It From Soiling /Flies/Birds Etc.

·       Do Not Attempt To Remove Anything Or Push The Uterus Back, This May Cause Severe Bleeding.

·       Gently Wash With Saline Solution If Excessively Soiled.

·       Call A Veterinarian For Further Treatment At The Earliest.

·       Prone Animals May Be Kept With The Hind Quarter At A Slight Elevation.

·       Check The Valval Area For Any Stitch Marks Before Purchasing An Animal.

F. Retention Of Placenta (Rop)

·       Normally Foetal Membranes Are Expelled Within 3 To 8 Hours After Delivery.

·       It Is Termed As Rop If Fontal Membranes Are Not Expelled Even After 12 Hours Of Parturition.

·       Chances Of Rop Are Increased In Cases Of Abortion, Dystocia, Milk Fever, Twin Birth, Induction Of Calving, Infection And Nutritional Disturbances.

·       Never Pull The Placenta On Your Own.

·       Consult A Veterinarian To Avoid Complications Like Metritis, Septicemia Etc. Which May Lead To Even Death Of The Animal.

·       Dispose The Removed Placenta By Deep Burial. Avoid Handling It With Bare Hands.

G. Udder Oedema

·       Accumulation Of Excess Fluid In Udder And Sometimes In The Belly Around Calving Time.

·       Mainly Due To Increased Blood Flow To Udder Against Decrease Flow From Udder And Increased Permeability Of Blood Vessels In The Udder.

·       More Prevalent In High Producing Animals, Especially Heifers.

·       Udder Is Not Painful Or Hot And Should Not To Be Confused With Clinical Mastitis.

·       Predisposing Factors May Be Genetic, Nutritional, Obesity, Lack Of Exercise.

·       May Become Chronic And Persist Throughout Lactation.

·       Veterinarian May Be Consulted If The Oedema Interferes With Milking The Animal.

H. Fatty Liver Syndrome (Lipidosis)

·       Fatty Liver Can Develop Within 24 Hours Of An Animal Going Off Feed.

·       This Is Typically Happens Around Calving Time. Fat Mobilization Occurs As A Result Of Negative Energy Balance Which Is Exacerbated When Off Feed.

·       The Broken Down Fat Is Then Converted Back To Fat In The Liver Thus The Liver Is Filled With Fat Even When The Cow Is Losing Condition.

·       Once Fat Is Deposited In The Liver, Its Concentration In The Liver Does Not Fall Until The Cow Gets Into Positive Energy Balance, Which Can Be Over Ten Weeks After Calving, Particularly If The Fatty Liver Is Severe.

·       Fat Cows (Body Condition Score Greater Than 3.5) Are Much More Prone To Fatty Liver. (Please See Chapter On Body Condition Scoring)

·       It Is An Important Economic Disease Especially In High Yielders Because Cows That Develop Fatty Liver Are Affected By Multiple Metabolic And Infectious Diseases.

Symptoms

·       Lower Milk Yields

·       Depressed Appetite

·       Incidences Of Milk Fever, Ketosis, Mastitis, Retained Fetal Membranes Etc

·       Reduced Fertility

·       This Condition Can Be Detected By Blood Tests.

·       Mortality Can Be High.

Prevention

·       There Is No Proven Treatment For Fatty Liver.

·       Ensuring That Cows Are Calving At The Correct Body Condition Would Prevent The Breakdown Of Fat And Fatty Liver.

·       An Ideal Body Condition Score To Calve Would Be Between 3 To 3.5 Cows Should Be Dried Of At This Score And Weight Maintained Through The Dry Period.

·       Changing Diets During This Period Should Be Avoided.

·       Consult A Veterinarian Immediately If The Above Symptoms Are Seen.

·       Glucose Supplements Can Be Given To Overfat Animals As Preventive Measure.

·       Minimizing Stress Is Important For Prevention Of Fatty Liver. Sudden Changes In Environment Should Be Avoided.