Clinical Dietetics of Beef Cattle Flashcards
What are the 16 nutritional disorders?
- Washy pastures
- Vit A def
- Mg def
- Vit E/ Se def
- Ca and vit D def
- Thiamine def
- Cu def
- Urea toxicity
- Nitrate/nitrite toxicity
- Hydrocyanide toxicity
- Heat stress
- Sand impaction
- Urinary calculi/ urolithiasis
- Bloat
- Acidosis, ruminitis, liver abscesses
- Hardware disease
Washy pasture
Easrly spring when grasses are high in. moisture and protein
Cause Dx
Prevent by giving hay and straw during the warming up period
Vit A def
Loss of skin and mm protection
decr nutrient abs
Decr repro
calves: decr bone growth and development
Rare on pasture as rich in vit A
Cause: bleached hay
Preventaion: give vit A/betacarotene to late pregnant cows during the winter
Mg deficiency
Will appear low in the blood
NB for lactating
Cause: early spring lush perennial grasses that are low in Mg/Ca and high in K and N (usually from manure/slurry)
Treatment: give legume pastures first and provide salt for transporting the Mg into the cells
What are the 6 lush pernnial grasses that are low in Mg
Rye
Rye grass
Tall fescue
Orchardgrass
Wheat
Triticale
What are the clinical signs of Mg def (7)
Hyperexcitability
Muscle twitching- face and ears
Staggering
Stiff gait
Muscle spasm
Collapse
Death
Vit E/Se def
White muscle disease
In calves: muscular dystrophy, decr immune response in older
Cardiac form: rapid onset, sudden death
Skeletal muscle form: slow onset, difficulty swallowing (tongue), pale
Ca and vit D def
Caused by high grain diet in intensive fattening
Os calcaneous breaks down, as well as the achilles tendon– lameness
Requires supplementation
Thiamine def
Caused by intensice fattening with grains- decr the rumen pH so thiaminase prod bact prolif
CCN
PEM
Molasses and corn gluten contain sulphate- decr thiamine utilisation
Fern and Equisetum- contain thiaminase
Cu deficiency
Soil low ! Also low in Mo, Fe, S
Loss of coat colour
Urea toxicity
From xs urea supplemetation
Clinical signs: salivation, incoordinatio, convulsion, sudden death
Treat: 4L of vinegar or 20-40L of cold water
Nitrate? Nitrite toxicity
Nitrate is naturally converted to nitrite in the rumen (this then used by microbes to amke ammonia) but when xs is consumed in the diet it is absorbed into the bloodstream
Caused by N fertilizers/ manure on grass that then gets into the water
Clinical signs:
decr DMI, Abortion, Methaemoglobinaemia
Heat stress
Decr DMI
Sand impaction
Sandy soil
Rumen, reticulum, abomasum
Latent death
Urinary calculi/ urolithiasis
Struvite from intensive fattening
Silicate from sour grasses
Water belly (bladder rupure)
Bulls
Treat with acidifiers (aim to keep Ca:P at 2:1)
