Metabollic Diseases Of Cattle Flashcards
What deficiencies does a cow with milk fever have?
Hypocalcaemia
+/- Hypophosphataemia
What is the common signalment of a cow with milk fever?
Dairy cow after calving
Increasing parity - 3rd gestation onwards
What element is important in parathyroid hormone function?
Magnesium
What factor reduces calcium binding in the blood?
Acidic pH eg ketoacidosis
What is the clinical presentation of acute hypocalcamia?
Shortly after calving Initial excitability and tremors Recumbency S bend neck - typical No faeces or urine Dry nose Bloat Bradycardia
What is the first thing you should do with a recumbent cow?
Put her in sternal to prevent bloat
List some differentials for a recumbent cow following calving?
Milk fever
Acute coliform mastitis - high HR, pyrexia, congested mm, D+
Botulism
Other acute disease eg salmonellosis
Injury at calving - femoral / obturator n. ligament trauma
What clinical signs are seen if hypophosphataemia is complicating milk fever?
Peri-parturient haemoglobinuria
Unable to rise fully after calcium (but responds after foston)
How should you treat hypocalcaemia in the downer cow?
Put in sternal
1 bottle of calcium borogluconate 40% IV
Foston IV
Subcut is too slow to be absorbed if she is already down
What diseases are cows predisposed to when there is sub clinical hypocalcaemia?
Coliform Mastitis
Endometritis / metritis
How can a farmer prevent hypocalcaemia?
Low calcium / high magnesium diet pre calving
Maximise DMI pre calving
Calcium boluses at calving
Ensuring a dietary cation-anion difference
= negative difference - calcium mobilisation
What is the presentation of hypocalcaemia in sheep?
Occurs pre lambing, due to a stressor causing a reduced dry matter intake
It presents as recumbent ewes
How should you treat hypocalcaemia in sheep?
20ml of calcium borogluconate IV
Or 80ml subcut
How does grass staggers (hypomagnesaemia) occur?
There are no body stores of Mg, relies totally on dietary intake
Anorexia - no magnesium intake
High potassium in the diet reduces Mg absorption -
lush pasture / fertilisers
What are the clinical signs of grass staggers?
Peracute / acute - often found dead
Acute - initially muscle fassiculations and hyperaesthesia
- progressing to convulsions and recumbency
What factors predispose to hypomagnesaemia?
Lush pasture
High milk output
Stress
What groups of animals are affected with hypomagnesaemia in relation to the seasons?
Spring - seen in dairy cows and twin bearing ewes
Autumn - suckler cows with a large calf at foot
How should you treat hypomagnesaemia?
- Be quiet
- Control convulsions - 5-7ml of xylazine IV
- Calcium borogluconate 40% IV
- Slowly give up to 200ml MgSO4 IV
If not you can give MgSO4 sc in multiple sites to aid absorption
How can a farmer prevent hypomagnesaemia?
Move the cows off the affected pasture
Dairy Cows - high magnesium cake
Beef cows - magnesium supplements or boluses, wean calves, give straw to slow gut transit time
What is the pathogenesis of fat mobilisation syndrome and ketoacidosis?
A negative energy balance leads to fat mobilisation and the use of acetate and butyrate to form ketone bodies
= energy source for the muscles but not for the brain
- leads to neurological signs as the brain is starved of nutrients
What are the clinical signs of ketoacidosis?
Reduced milk yield
Refuses concentrates
Ketotic smell to the breath
Rothera’s reagent turns the milk purple (ketoacidosis)
Using ketosis ticks to measure ketone bodies
Firm, shiny faeces
Clinical signs of nervous ketosis - hyperexcitable, muscle fasiculations, maniacal licking
What are some differentials for nervous ketosis?
Hypomagnaesaemia
Listeriosis
BSE
How should you treat clinical ketoacidosis?
Propylene glycol
Corticosteroids
Glucose 40% IV
Vitamin B12
What is the main clinical presentations of sub clinical ketoacidosis?
Reduce milk yield
Increased incidence of disease eg LDA, lameness, mastitis
When do the 2 types of sub clinical Hypomagnaesaemia occur in cattle?
Type 1: 5-21 days post calving
Type 2: 22-50 days post calving
How can you diagnose sub clinical ketoacidosis?
Beta hydroxybutyrate test
Test cows post calving - less than 10% above 1.4mmol/L
Non-essential fatty acids
Test dry cows in the last 14 days before calving
Less than 10% above 0.4 mmol/L
Milk recording - low protein in milk, very high butterfat %
How can a farmer monitor his heard and prevent further sub clinical ketoacidosis?
Regular body condition scoring
Cows should be entering dry period BCS 2.5-3
Should not lose more than 0.5 of BCS in a lactation
DONT LET COWS GET FAT
What should a farmer so to prevent sub clinical ketoacidosis occurring again?
Improve dry cow management Maximise DMI and feed a low energy density feed (8.5-9) * maximise comfort * palatable diet * provide food at all times Monitor condition score Don't let cows get fat
