Bovine Top Topics - Anatomy & Physiology

Question 1

how many hours a day does a cow spend ruminating?

Answer 1

7-8 hours per day

Question 2

what is the poll?

Answer 2

just caudal to the ears overlying the first cervical vertebra

Question 3

what are the withers?

Answer 3

bony lump at the caudal aspect of the mane comprised of dorsal spinous processes of thoracic vertebrae

Question 4

udders are smaller in what type of cows?

Answer 4

beef cattle

Question 5

what is the mammary vein in cows? why is it important?

Answer 5

large subcutaneous abdominal vein that drains a large amount of blood away from the mammary gland (very large & close to skin surface)

Question 6

what are short ribs in a cow?

Answer 6

transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae that are NOT ribs

Question 7

what is the hock in a cow?

Answer 7

tarsus - hind limb

Question 8

what are the hooks in a cow?

Answer 8

tuber coxae of the ilium of the pelvis - part of the pelvis that protrudes the furthest lateral when viewing the cow from behind

Question 9

what are the pins in a cow?

Answer 9

tucer ischii of the ischium of pelvis - part of the pelvis that protrudes furthest dorsal when viewing the cow from behind

Question 10

what is the paralumbar fossa in a cow?

Answer 10

space on the right & left caudal abdomen bound by the last rib cranially, short ribs dorsally, & fold of flank caudoventrally - where you auscultate digestive organs

Question 11

what are the 4 compartments of the ruminant stomach?

Answer 11

rumen, reticulum, omasum, & abomasum

Question 12

what is the purpose of the rumen?

Answer 12

~40 gallon fermentation vat - where microbes break down plant material into VFAs for the cow to absorb them for fuel

Question 13

what is the purpose of the reticulum?

Answer 13

receives small batches of fermented feed from the rumen to send down the digestive track where heavy ingested materials accumulate because it is the most ventral compartment (most cows have magnets to bind metal objects)

Question 14

what is the purpose of the omasum?

Answer 14

has many folds of mucosa to absorb water from the ingesta

Question 15

what is the purpose of the abomasum?

Answer 15

true glandular stomach, acidic pH & digestive functions typical of carnivores/omnivores

Question 16

an average holstein cow produces how much milk in a day?

Answer 16

80lbs/milk/day (10 gallons)

Question 17

what cow breeds are selected for milk production? why?

Answer 17

holstein, jersey, brown swiss - they produce far more milk than offspring need

Question 18

how many days out of the year are cows milked? how many times per day?

Answer 18

~300 days of the year - 2-3 times per day

Question 19

what does ‘days in milk’ mean?

Answer 19

refers to how many days a cow has been lactating

Question 20

what is the dry period for a dairy cow? what is the purpose of it? how long does it last?

Answer 20

dry period of 60 days prior to devlivering their next calf where they are not milked so the udder has a chance to heal/rest & prepare for their next lactation - cows can devote all energy stores to the last trimester of gestation

Question 21

when are most dairy breeds bred for the first time?

Answer 21

at 12-13 months per age

Question 22

how long is the gestation period in cattle?

Answer 22

~9 months

Question 23

what is the first 30 days after calving called? what is the importance of this time?

Answer 23

fresh period - elevated disease risk!!

Question 24

when are cows rebred after having a calf?

Answer 24

60-90 days in milk

Question 25

T/F: ideally, cows give birth & start a new lactation once per year

Answer 25

TRUE

Question 26

cows bear more weight on which limbs?

Answer 26

forelimbs!!!

Question 27

what is the purpose of the fat pad on the sole of the foot of a cow? what happens if their BCS decreases?

Answer 27

helps with cushioning when standing - decreased BCS can remove the fat pad which can increase lameness

Question 28

how many times per year are hooves trimmed on commercial dairy farms?

Answer 28

once or twice

Question 29

why don’t we have to trim beef cattle hooves as much as dairy cattle hooves?

Answer 29

usually live outdoors & their hooves are naturally worn down by their terrain

Question 30

how many hours per day do cows typically lay down? why?

Answer 30

12-14 hours per day to ruminate & rest their limbs

Question 31

why not use the mammary vein for venipuncture?

Answer 31

complications such as thrombophlebitis - may send a dairy cow to slaughter!!!

Question 32

what is the purpose of feeding a cow a magnet?

Answer 32

to prevent metal objects from causing damage (hardware disease) - given to a cow <1 year of age