DISEASES IN CATTLE

Hokitika Guardian, 29 June 1929, Page 8

DISEASES IN CATTLE

OJJvSICIt VATJOXS ABROA D

(By the Department of Agriculture.)

Jii speaking about the diseases of dairy cattle which are the subject <>i’ investigation in the Dominion, reference lias been made from time to time to manunitis, contagious abortion, and sterility. A great volume of independent research into these diseases is being carried out in the Dominion, not only in the search for now knowledge but also to enable us to note any outstanding or peculiar incidence of these diseases as compared with other dairying countries. Such research work, especially when carried out in an independent manner, is invaluable from a comparative mint of view.

The experiences and practices observed in other countries enables the investigator to avoid any more duplication of their experiments than is necessary, and with original ideas to nursuo the further investigation and elucidation of those troubles which at the present time await further resea reh.

It. is interesting to note, in a perusal of some of the most recent publications of research workers in Eurooean countries, and in the States, the methods of control recommended in those countries as compared with the •’dvice which has- been given here. There is no doubt that the older settled countries are still baffled with these problems. A Swedish in vest inn tor (Laborator Vils T-o<rerof, Stockholm) has recently visited Denmark. Germany, Swit •'erland and Holland, especially to inquirn into the treatment of mnm'uitis and sleriitv in those countries. r n an article published in the “North Xmrrican Veterinarian'’ for April, t.Dyfl. be saws, in reference to mnmmitis in Denmark: “Streptococcic mastitis is treated according to the very old method of frequent milkings. In Germany, in handling streptococcic mastitis many late promising methods of treatment have been tried, without any real success. For this reason the old method of milking five to six times a day continues to he the method of choice. For streptococcic mastitis, which is very prevalent in Switzerland, bathing with cold water three times a day, and fro •pient milkings. Injections into the udder have not been found of value. In Holland, after experimenting with serums, vaccines, and various chenii-

'•nls in streptococcic mastitis they have gone back to the old frequent milking methods, milking every hour if possible, isolation of the affected subjects and stable disinfection. Here, too, it is forbidden to use milking machines on mammitis-infocted herds as it is considered they spread the disease.”

DEPARTMENT’S ADVICE. It is at once apparent that the essence of treatment in these countries is frequent milkings. This is quite sound, for >t is Imseu on the fundamental principle underlying tlm treatment of all suppurating processes—i.c., drainage. As a comparison, the following is the substance of Bulletin 141 on manunitis, issued last rear by the Department of Agriculture : PREVENTION. 1. Practice rigid cleanliness in all tilings. Pay particular attention to milking machines and teat cups. 2. See that the machines are: 'a) Running at the proper pressure, and not too high ; and (b) That they are not left on too long. 3. All cows known or suspected to have anything wrong with the udder must he milked last by band. I. Never strip an affected quarter on to the ground—always into a receptacle containing disinfectant,. 5. Tile early detection of manunitis cases is of the utmost importance, both from the preventive and curative points of view. This is best done by taking a strip or two of the fore milk from each quarter before putting the machines on. Take these strips into a bucket, the top of which is covered with fine wire gauze. Any •mall cloths in the fore milk are thou imumdiately detected, and a cow whose milk contains them must I>>» regarded as a ease of mammitis and treated accordingly. TREATMENT. 1. Stripping; The most important feature of treatment is frequent stripping. This reduces the invadin ’' army of germs, and also removes the tissue-damaging substances which they produce; moreover, by keeping the affected quarter as empty of milk ,as possible, the germs will he deprived of much of their food supplv. .Stripping should ho done n.t frequent intervals—-the oftener the better. Even if it could ho done every two hours it would not be too often in fact, it would he vprv advantageous. 2. Massage: This should lie done thoroughly hut gently from abo." downwards towards the teat. Do it .after stripping. Olive oil or some simple harmless lubricant must lie used to prevent chafing the skin when massaging. When this is done again strip out the milk that massaging has brought into the milk cistern. 3. Fomentation: This is particularly helpful in acute cases in the early stages. It is best done by applying a flannel wrung out in hot water, keeping the water hot throughout. Not less than half an hour should he spent in doing this. Afterwards nib

n some olive oil to ward off the ef-

fects of cold after the fomentation, tvoid turning the cow out if the .•outlier is bad or there is no sheltcrd place to put her in. Foment lirice daily while the quarter is hot did swollen. VACCINE. The failure of vaccine treatment 'or manunitis is especially, noted in 'Tolland. To quote an American pinion, “So far no one has been sue■essful in actually preventing udder ufection by the injection of a vacine.” (Dr F. S. Jones, Journal of \mcrican Veterinary Association, Deemlicr. 1927.) Experimental work .vith the use of infected milk and intra-mammary injections with varim.s chemicals, has also been done, in New Zealand for some time past without any beneficial results. The precautionary measures. mentioned above, that can he carried out by the farmer himself are of tlm utmost imoortnnee, especially with regal'd.'to the cleanliness and care in handling! milking machines. It is generally accepted that where infection exists it is harder to control in machinc-milk-•d herds. Care relative to milking machines is particularly necessary.

Dealing with sterility, the Swedish : nvcstigat.or mentions that in the •ountries visited treatment is carried •nit according to the methods of Alb reeh ton and Hess-•methods with which we are quite familiar in Now Zealand. Tn short, they consist of manipulation of the ovaries and a specialised method of irrigating the •items. Both methods give excellent •esults in cases where there are welldefined disease conditions; hut unfortunately do not appear to give •qual results in tin' temporary form of sterility, which constitutes by far the greatest majority of cases under investigation. Temporary sterility appears to bo a functional sterility, and noticeable disease conditions of any imnortanco an* conspicuous hv their absence. Following this line, considerable investigational work is on hand in New Zealand with the use of calcium by various methods, mineral supplements, and Hie use of the fairly recently discovered vitamin E, work which should offer a far more promising feed, When ■ commenting on contagious abortion in the countries visited, the investigator mentions the use of live vaccines at Hanover. Tn Switzerland a vaccine is also used but the uterus is treated with an iodine solution. New Zealand has tried vaccination with dead vaccines and found them useless. Been uses live vaccines make carriers of cows in milk, wo will not -ountenanee 4 thoir use. The general lines advocated here are segregation of affected stock by means of the blood test and the building up of a clean herd with heifers reared from the existing herd. Air A. D. VlcKwen, of. the Research Institute in Animn! Pathology, London, who has just completed an extensive lour of the United States with special reference to contagious abortion, writes as follows: “There is no evidence to show that vaccine has any beneficial influence upon the disease once it is established. The distil vantages, and limitations of vaccination have caused the great majority of research workers in America to abandon this method of combating the disease. The method of combating the disease which receives credit is the prevention of the spread of the disease by segregation of the infected animals.”