COWS AND MILK FEVER

Hokitika Guardian, 11 January 1928, Page 1

COWS AND MILK FEVER

NEW REMEDY PROPOUNDED. lAI PORT AN CK OF LIME. Alilk fever lias, in the past, been a source of very serious loss to the dairyfarmer. Before the present method of treatment was in practice over half the eases ol milk fever terminated fatally. This treatment, introduced by the Danish veterinarian, Schmidt, in 1897, consisted of, at first, injecting a one-per-cent solution of iodide of potassium into the udder. Later the injection of air was tried and found satisfactory, lhe mortality is now reduced to 10 pc cent.

I he problem as to the actual cause of tile disease lias long remained unsofve< Alanv ingenious theories have been put forward, hut in no ease lias any definite experimental evidence been obtained in support of them'. If we knew the cause of the disease we could then take definite steps to prevent it, and so avoid loss and trouble among the best of otir dairy cattle.

lhe symptoms of milk fever are typical. It may appear one or two days after calving, or several weeks after, and .sometimes even before the birth of the calf. Tlie first symptoms are restlessness and unsteadiness. The nuimr moves with a sfaggering gait and generally tails down. Sometimes considerable excitement i.s manifested, hut when the cow is down it becomes unconscious with its limbs fixed in tetanic spasm. The head i.s usually thrown hack against the chest, hut, in acute cases, the neck and head are fully extended, me eye becomes fixed, and movement of the eyelids ceases. The powers of swallowing arc lost. Afany a good cow lias been destroyed by drenching while the cow i.s in this condition, for the liquid goes to the lungs and pneumonia supervenes, usually followed by death.

After the application of Schmidt’s treatment the cow usually shows signuf regaining unconsciousness, and then suddenly rises. The disease may recur if lhe cow he thoroughly milked out.

Some recent work on milk fever lit Norman C. Wright, ALA., Pli. D., al the National Institute of Research in Dairying, University College, Reading, indicates on what lines we may hope to elucidate the problem involved, and by what means we may attempt to minimise the occurrence of milk fever. ( ONDITION OF THE ANIMAL.

The condition of the animal in milk lever closely resembles human tetany, and experimental tetany produced by the removal of the parathyroid gland. It has been found in human and in experimental tetany that an invariable lecompauiment of the tetanic condition s a greatly reduced percentage of lime a the blood. The investigator thereof© decided to carry out determinations ii the percentage of lime in the blood

of cows “ down ” with milk fever, and, offer recovery, in order to find whether in milk fever there was a similar fall in the lime-content of the blood. This experimental work, carried out in collaboration with .Mr W. L. Little, F.ILC'.V.S., gave very positive results in the 12 cases examined. There was shown to he a very great reduction in the lime-content of the blood during milk fever. Further, the fall in the lime-content always ran parallel with tlie severity of the symptoms. The cause of this fall m lime content is at present uncertain. There are, however. a number ol obvious factors which may contribute to it. The animals may have an actual deficiency of lime in their rations. The cows suffer a considerable loss of lime during pregnancy and in the commencement of lactation. The sudden loss of lime at the commencement of lactation is particularly striking, and, because of its coincidence with the period of the onset of milk fever, this was further investigated by the experimenter. It was shown that the secretion ol half a gallon of colostrum was sufficient to deplete the blood ol the whole of its lime, supposing there was no reserve store of lime in the body li'om which the blood might replenish its lime content. It illustrates the possible part played by the first flow of milk in lowering the lime contenlt of the blood, and lienee in bringing about the onset of milk fever. INJECTION OF LI.ME SALTS.

It is particularly interesting to find that the only successful method of trout incut, i.e., inflation of the udder either with solutions or gases, is just the treatment which would tend to prevent milk secretion from taking place, and would therefore tide the animal over the period of sudden loss of lime. Preliminary experiments indicate that equally good results may be obtained by injection of lime salts either intravenously (i.e., direct into the blood stream) or intramuscularly. Sufficient has been said to indicate the important part played by lime salts in the occurrence of milk fever. Two definite recommendations follow from this work which may assist the dairyfarmer in dealing with milk fever. First, that care should he taken to give animals liberal supplies of foodstuffs containing high percentages of lime (e.g., lucerne, clovers, etc.), through pregnancy and lactation. Secondly, that in the event of an animal going down with the disease, inflation or injection should he carried out at the earliest time possible in order to minimise the loss of lime to the mi lie. I Where milk fever lias been prevalent in herds in the Auckland district it is apparently not the custom to heavily lime the,. pastures. Where milk fever is at present occurring in herds, immediate relief may be obtained by the addition of lime water to the drinking water. It has been noticed that on at least two farms where milk fever is unknown it has been for many years the practice to lime very heavily and consistently. Dairy farmers should welcome this recent work on milk fever as giving them the clue to the cause of a troublesome disease which usually affected the heaviest milk and lmtterfat producers in the herd.