Bovine Diseases 3 Flashcards
Prevention of Mastitis:
- Good milking technique:
- Make sure the milking machine is working properly. Improper vacuumed will damage teat canals and/or force milk back up the teat canal.
- Milk the cows with mastitis last.
- Keep the cows with mastitis separate from the healthy cows.
- Cull cows with chronic mastitis.
- Treat all cows at the end of lactation with a “dry cow” antibiotic treatment.
- Maintain good records to catch mastitis early, when it is curable.
Good milking technique:
o Pre-dip teats before milking with antiseptic.
o Wipe off teats with a clean towel for each cow.
o Dip teats again after milking with an antiseptic dip that seals the teat ends
Causes of abortion in cattle:
- Bacterial: Brucellosis, Salmonellosis
- Viral: BVD, Bovine Herpes virus
- Protozoal: Neospora
- Nutritional: toxic plants, deficiencies, ect.
Diagnosis of abortion:
Abortion kits
• State Vet Pathology labs have kits for diagnosis.
• Fetal membranes and fetus should be submitted as soon as possible.
• Many causes of abortion are zoonotic.
• Many causes of abortion are contagious.
Milk Fever or Periparturient Hypocalcemia:
- A problem with calcium regulation.
* Fetal skeletal growth and milk production consumes a lot of calcium.
* High dietary calcium before parturition can decrease the action of the parathyroid gland. - Occurs in late gestation or right after parturition.
- More common in high producing dairy cows and Jersey & Guernsey cows.
Clinical Signs of Milk Fever:
- Anorexia
- Tremors
- Low blood calcium
- Flaccid paralysis
- Bradycardia
- Decreased rumen contractions
- Death
Calcium gluconate intravenously
Must be given slowly to prevent cardiac arrest.
Often combined with phosphorus and magnesium.
Calcium gluconate subcutaneously.
Used in combination with IV calcium.
Contains dextrose. Use aseptic techniques.
Calcium gluconate gel orally:
Comes in a huge tube.
Dose is one tube per cow.
Calcium Supplementation
o Calcium gluconate intravenously:
o Calcium gluconate subcutaneously.
o Calcium gluconate gel orally:
Prevention of Milk Fever:
- Feed quality grass hay prior to calving instead of alfalfa.
- Avoid mineral supplements with high amounts of calcium.
- Supplement the diet with highly digestible protein and energy feed.
- Recent research has linked hypocalcemia with pregnacy toxemia (ketosis).
Pregnancy Toxemia or Ketosis
(Also called acetonemia)
• Occurs in fat or thin cattle during the last month of gestation or first 60 days of lactation.
• Occurs in muliple fetus pregnancies.
• Cattle are deprived of feed or unable to ingest adequate energy due to large uterus or heavy lactation.
• Often combined with hypocalcemia.
2 Types of Ketosis:
Wasting Ketosis
Nervous Ketosis
Wasting Ketosis:
- Rapid weight loss.
- Anorexia: refuses grain at first.
- Decreased milk production.
Nervous Ketosis:
- Bizzare behavior of rapid onset.
- Hyperesthesia
- Tremor
- Ataxia
Clinical signs of ketosis
- Anorexia
- Rumen stasis
- Scant feces
- Weakness
- Recumbancy
- Ketonuria
- Metabolic acidosis
- Ketonia: can smell ketones on breath.
- Fatty liver syndrome
- Delivery of the fetus.
- Intravenous fluids with glucose & bicarbonate.
- Insulin: helps get glucose into the cells.
- Propylene glycol orally as a drench.
- Corticosteroids: increase glucose metabolism.
- Treatment is often unsuccessful.
- Delivery of the fetus.
- Intravenous fluids with glucose & bicarbonate.
- Insulin: helps get glucose into the cells.
- Propylene glycol orally as a drench.
- Corticosteroids: increase glucose metabolism.
- Treatment is often unsuccessful.
Prevention of pregnancy ketosis:
- Avoid overfeeding or underfeeding cattle in late gestation and the dry period.
- Supplement the dry cow ration with a high quality concentrate 4 weeks prior to parturition.
- Insure adequate energy consumption at parturition and during the first 2 months of lactation.
- Gradually increase the amount of concentrate to avoid rumen acidosis.
Failure of Passive Transfer(FPT):
- Ruminants must have colostrum to receive maternal antibodies.
- Gut closes to absorbtion of antibodies in 24 to 36 hours after birth.
- Absorbtion of antibodies by the gut gradually decreases over the first 24 hours.
- The first milking of colostrum has the most antibodies.
Causes of FPT:
Inadequate consumption of colostrum
Poor quality colostrum
Inadequate consumption of colostrum:
o Calf needs at least 2 liters in the first 12 hours (4 liters is best).
o Some calves are weak and can’t suckle.
o Some teats are hard to reach or suckle.
o Some cows won’t allow the calf to suckle.
Poor quality colostrum
o Pre-milking the dam will decrease antibodies.
o Some cows don’t have quality colostrum.
o Feeding colostrum from later milkings instead of first milking colostrum.
Prevention of FPT:
- Milk the cow and feed the colostrum to the calf in the first few hours of life.
- Feed at least 2 liters in the first few hours.
- Bottle feeding is best, but if the calf won’t nurse, give the colostrum by stomach or esophageal tube.
- In beef cattle, make sure the calf is suckling and the dam has milk.
Diagnosis of FPT:
• Serum IgG < 500 mg/dl o Test 8 to 12 hours after birth. • Several tests available. • Total Protien< 5.0 g/dl o Dehydration can give false elevations in TP. o Practical and easy test.
