Large Animal - Nutrition and Pregnancy Flashcards
What are the six essential nutrients needed for pregnancy?
Water Energy Protein Minerals Vitamins Roughage
Describe the typical energy requirements of the dairy cow normally
1 litre of milk requires 5MJ of energy
Maintenance requirement (700kg cow) - 72 MJ/day
High level activity (700kg cow) - 19MJ/day
Describe the energy requirements for a pregnant dairy cow
Month 2 - extra 0.5 MJ/day Month 4 - extra 1.6 MJ/day Month 6 - extra 5.0 MJ/day Full term - 35.0 MJ/day Overdue - 44.0 MJ/day
How can energy requirements for the cow be approximately calculated?
Maintenance+Activity+Milk Yield+Pregnancy+Growth etc.
When do we include growth energy requirements in calculating energy requirements?
Up until lactation 3
What does energy requirement vary with?
Different breeds
Different milk compositions
Breed of sire for calf
What is the main sourceof energy for cows?
Cereals
What are some high sources of energy for cows?
Cereal grains
By product feeds
What are some moderate sources of energy for cows?
TMR Maize silage Haylage Good quality pasture Good quality hay
What are some low sources of energy?
Low quality hay
Low quality pasture
Straw
By products
What does grass have a metabolic energy of?
10-11 MJ/kg DM
What would happen if we met energy requirements with cereals only?
Acidosis
SARA
When is voluntary feed intake reduced?
Around calving - late pregnancy, early lactation
Fat cows
What is voluntary feed intake expressed as?
Dry matter intake (kg/day DM)
What affects the voluntary feed intake?
Type of feed Palatability Fresh Heated Mouldy Trough space
What is the aim for nutrition in the ewe gestation period?
Minimize embryo loss - kale/rape may reduce fertility
No abrupt changes
Allow for growth - ewe lambs and ewes being bred second time need extra feeding
What can abnormal BCS cause with pregnancy?
Too fat - dystocia
Too thin - puts health/ewe/lamb at risk
Unable to cope with sudden demands of lactation after lambing
What is it important to determine when feeding pregnant ewes?
Number of foetuses - essential for proper management, essential for proper feeding of ewe
Separate groups depending on number of foetuses
What are seven basic considerations when feeding pregnant ewes?
Too much concentrate causing acidosis
VFI/DMI/appetite of sheep is limited - may not be able to eat all the food it is offered
VFI particularly reduced around lambing
How much is actually being fed - can calculate but not sure how much is actually being eaten
Feed must be fresh and palatable
Need to monitor BCS closely to ensure you’ve got things right
After lambing keep feeding appropriate for lamb number/milk production
Describe pregnancy toxaemia/twinlamb disease in sheep
Excessive energy demand from foetus Causes severe negative energy balance in ewes Late pregnancy or on point of lambing Recumbent Neurological signs Twins or triplets Often some stress Life threatening exmergency Prognosis very poor Need to reduce energy demand Induce abortion Need to get energy source into ewe - i/v glucose, oral propylene glycol, oral electrolye carbohydrate source
Describe pregnancy toxaemia in cattle
Much less common than in sheep Recumbent cow Usually late lactation Twins Usually suckler cow Low BCS Not getting enough supplementary feed Often stress factor involved
What should the BCS of calving cattle be? Post-calving drop?
Around 3.0 in calving
Post calving drop no more than 0.5 BCS
What BCS should we ensure that a cow is dried off at?
Same as calving - 3.0 BCS
What should we avoid in the dry period?
Weight loss
Describe Fat Cow Syndrome
Around calving normal tendency for fat mobilisation
Hormonal influences
Increase in Free Fatty Acids in blood is normal
Fat processed by liver
Increase in fat level in liver is normal around calving
Excessive fat deposition is fatty liver syndrome
If very severe is called fat cow syndrome
What can fatty liver syndrome cause?
Immunosuppression Retained foetal membranes Endometritis Infertility Ketosis Mastitis
What occurs with fat cow syndrome?
Life threatening
Cow recumbent
Inappetance
Poor prognosis
What five risk factors make fat cow syndrome morelikely to occur?
Fat dry cow - cows with high BCS at calving, must be dried off at proper BCS
Never put dry cows on low energy diet to lose weight - start mobilising excessive fat
Fat cows at calving have a much lower appetite - mobilize more fat, encourage to eat more
Dry cows undergoing a sudden change of diet at calving
Cows which lose excessive weight in post partumperiod
When should a transition diet be introduced?
2 weeks before calving
What are the three types of protein in a cows diet?
Rumen degradable protein
Rumen undegradable protein
Bypass protein
What are high sources of protein in a diet?
Protein meals - soyabean, cotton seed
Fish meal
NPN
What are sources of moderate protein in the diet?
Alfalfa/legume hays
What are sources of low protein in the diet?
Grass hay
Cereals
Straw
Why do we do pregnancy diagnosis?
Detect non-pregnancy - need further intervention to get pregnant or cull
What do we need to know for proper management of pregnant animals?
Stage of pregnancy - accurate time for drying off cattle, date of parturition
Number of foetuses - accurate feeding of sheep
What are the four methods for pregnancy detection?
Non return to oestrus - polyoestrus species
Measurement of hormones and other substances
Detection of gravid uterus - manual palpation, ultrasonography, radiography
Identification of changes in gross and microscopic structure of the genital system related to pregnancy
Describe early pregnancy in cow
After a proper service
90% have fertilised oocyte
From 13 days Interferon Tau is produced by embryo
Prevents luteolysis of Corpus Luteum and so prevents return to heat
How can pregnancy be diagnosed in the cow?
Non return to oestrus after service - 18-24 days
B-mode real time Ultrasonography - 30 days
Progesterone in plasma and milk - 21-24 days
Membrane slip - palpation of chorioallantois from 33 days
Disparity in horn size - unilateral cornual enlargement with fluctuation, thin uterine wall from 35 days
Palpation of foetus 45-60 days
Presence of placentomes from 80 days
Hypertrophy of middle uterine artery from 85 days - broad ligament with fremitus, turbulence of blood flow in artery, don’t confuse pulse with some of the arteries
Oestrone sulphate in milk and plasma from 105 days, better at 120 days
Palpation of foetus at 120 days
Describe progesterone analysis
Milk or plasma
Milk has higher concentrations so better discriminator
ELISA
Test for non-pregnancy
Why could you get a false positive PD with milk progesterone?
Luteinised cyst Persistence of CL Error in ID/labelling Shorter than normal oestrus cycle Incorrect timing of AI Inadequate mixing of sample Embryo mortality
Describe ultrasound
Transrectal 7.5 MHz and later 5 MHz head Favourable lighting Moderately expensive equipment Care with machine Biosecurity
What is ultrasound not?
Substitute for proper manual palpation skills
Foolproof way of being 100% accurate with PD
How can a ewe be pregnancy diagnosed?
Non-return to oestrus - 16-19 days after service
Plasma progesterone assay - 15-18 days after service
Transabdominal B mode ultrasonography as early as 30 days
Doppler ultrasound transabdominally from 50 days
Vaginal biopsy
Palpation of caudal uterine artery from 60 days
Radiography
How can a goat be pregnancy diagnosed?
Failure to return to oestrus around 21 days after service
Milk or plasma progesterone 21 days
Oestrone sulphate in plasma or milk from 50 days
Transabdominal B mode ultrasonography from 30 days
Abdominal palpation from 60-70 days
How can a sow be pregnancy diagnosed?
Non return to oestrus 18-22 days after service
Plasma progesterone assay 16-24 days after service
Transrectal B mode ultrasonography from 12 days
Oestrone sulphate in plasma 24-28days
Vaginal biopsy 18-22 days after service
Rectal palpation from 30 days
Transabdominal B mode ultrasonography from 24 days
A-mode transabdominal ultrasonography from 30 days
Transrectal doppler ultrasonography from 25days
