Down Beef Cow

Question 1

What is compartmentalization Syndrome?

Answer 1

This is when a lot of weight is placed on a region of the body and pressure necrosis begins (Example, down cow)

Question 2

How do you know a cow is down for musculoskeletal, peripheral/spinal nerves or starvation?

Answer 2

She will eat grain

If she wont it could be mineral deficiency, toxicity or sever septicemia

Question 3

What may cause a cow to go down in the last 2 months of gestation?

Answer 3

Starvation or Musculosketal Injury
Winter Tetany

Question 4

What may cause a cow to go down in immediately post calving?

Answer 4

Musculoskeletal
Mineral deficiency or toxic mastitis

Question 5

What may cause a cow to go down in 2-30 days post partum?

Answer 5

Musculoskeletal

Mineral deficiency, toxic mastitis, toxic metritis

Question 6

What are some causes of musculoskeletal or peripheral nerve injury?

Answer 6

Calving paralysis, spinal nerve damage, dislocated hip

Question 7

How might you know that calving paralysis is the cause of your down cow?

Answer 7

She never got up after birth, had a dystocia or large calf, has a swollen or bruised vulva (calves head may be swollen and tongue stuck out)

Question 8

How do you treat calving paralysis?

Answer 8

Aqua cow, hiplift and sling critical (prevent compartment syndrome), Antinflammatory, dexamethasone and NSAID

Question 9

What are some common causes of spinal nerve damage?

Answer 9

Lymphosarcoma, Disc Disease or Abscess

Treatment of any of these is unrewarding

Question 10

What is starvation?

Answer 10

Energy:Protien malnutrition
-high trough
-high loft
-energy deficency

Question 11

What can lead to starvation despite feeding the animals?

Answer 11

Poor quality hay taking up space in the rumen and they cant get enough in to get the nutrients needed

Question 12

Which group of cows is commonly affected by starvation and why?

Answer 12

Spring calvers because their energy needs are the highest when having to be fed hay at end of winter

Question 13

What is key to remember when harvesting hay?

Answer 13

Earlier you cut more nutrients, later cut more hay itself… so cut somewhere in between

Question 14

When it is cold and the cow is lactating what happens to energy requirements?

Answer 14

Increase

Question 15

What does a good quality hay look like to nutrient analysis?

Answer 15

1st cutting, high dry matter, crude protein 9 and up, TDN 50 and low NDF good (still not enough for lactating cow in cold - need some grain to help)

Question 16

When does average hay start to not meet energy needs of cow?

Answer 16

Late gestation and peak lactation

Question 17

What happens to spring calving cows on hay?

Answer 17

They lose a BCS in a month!

Question 18

Do protein blocks work?

Answer 18

Out west yes, not really here

Question 19

When does hypocalcemia occur? What cows get it commonly? What are some signs? What do you treat with?

Answer 19

First 24 hours of calving, dairy, down, dull, hypothermia, 1-2 500ml bottles of CMPK slow

Question 20

When does hypomagnesaemia (Grass Tetany) occur? What are some signs? What do you treat with? Prevention?

Answer 20

2-5 days or 20-30 days post calving, staggering, down hyperesthesia, 1-2 500ml bottles of CMPK and oral Magnesium, >10% Magnesium mineral mix and ensure good intake

Question 21

When does winter tetany occur?

Answer 21

6-9 mont gestation
Ca, Mg and K all low but not low enough to cause the cow to be down by itself

Question 22

What causes winter tetany?

Answer 22

poor quality hay or hay grown during fast growing conditions
-poor mineral avaliablity
Herd outbreak 2-5% over 24 hours
weather coming through

Question 23

How do you treat winter tetany?

Answer 23

1-2 bottles CMPK
Oral ca-mg-k
Anti-inflammatories

Question 24

What causes toxic mastitis?

Answer 24

Coliforms (gram negt rods - e.coli and klebsiella)
Uncommon in beef cattle, clost to calving, less common after weaning
Treat like dairy cow (oxytet IV)