MILK FEVER PREVALENT

Chronicle (Levin), 8 October 1948, Page 4

MILK FEVER PREVALENT

Cows Affected By False Spring Weather There has been a greater ineidence of milk fever aifiong CDWs ifi tfie district during the past year than for some time, aeeording- fo Mr, R. H. Long, veterinary surg'epn attached to the Levin Co-operative Dairy Company. Tljjs could be attjributed to the good conditions prevailing and the more or lpss "false spring" experjenced since last July, he said. ' "Wrongly termed milk fever, this disease attacks only the best eows," said Mr. Long. "One pf its symptems is loss of temperature, usually anything up to ten degrees. "Lack of calcium in the body brought about by the extra drain Off of milk at caiving time is the main eause of the disease. Whep it is realjsed that it takes anything from 40 to 50 lbs. of blood to make one pound of milk, 'it can be sgen that with/ the extra production, the beast's calcium reserves are drained1. When this happens, it loses the co-ordination of its legs, and the muscles over which it has no control, such as the intestinal muscles, grow weak." It was a very serious and acute disease, commented Mr, Long. It appeared at or spon after parturition and was eharacterised by loss of con.sciousness and paralysis, seldom by convulsions. The malady appeared to have been known from an early period, but fhe first exae.t description of the symptoms had appeared in a book written by a man named Skellett in 1807, He had ealled it miik fever. . "Many people have the idea that this disease has only beeome apparent in fater years, but aetu-ail-y it has been reeognised since the 18th century," commented Mr. Long. "It is only since cows have been bred to better standards that it has become more obvious and more prevalent. That the. disease has made its appearance in comparatively receht times has a distinct bearing on its nature. Only in the past century or so have cows been bred so wejl that they make so much milk that the lime is drained from their bodies." Heavy miiking cows were most liable to a-ttack, and1 especially those whiph had been subjected to generous feeding towardS the end of parturiency. When, as at pres-: ent, there was a great d.eal of feed about, the incidenee of- ihe disease became greater. The best way to prevent the disease, said Mr. Long, was* to use moiasses freely, This helped to. build up reserves. When he treated the animal, he often found' that as soon as he had finished the intravenous injection of five; o.unees of calcium it was ready to g'et up.