DISEASES IN DAIRY STOCK.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 270, 10 January 1929, Page 7

DISEASES IN DAIRY STOCK.

(Continued from Page 6) Management and Treatment of the Cow. The modern dairy cow, especially if milking heavily over a full season, is subjected to a steady call upon her system which is far in excess of what would be the case if she were living, and rearing her calf, under natural conditions. There is an intimate association between the functions of milk production and the functions of procreation. Hence it is not difficult to realise that the dairy cow is liable to fail to respond always in a natural way to the requirements of the farmer as to getting in calf quickly after she has concluded a season’s hard work in milk production. It is necessary, however, in the interests of the dairy industry, to do all that is necessary in the light of our present knowledge to get cows to hold at the time required, and the following points should therefore be carefully observed.

1. Examine the passage of each cow as carefully as circumstances permit in order to determine whether there is any indication of an inflammatory condition or whether any discharge is present. If either is the case do not put the cow to the bull until the trouble has ceased, and get skilled advice on the spot if possible as to the treatment necessary in order to bring about recovery. Pending obtaining advice, the passage should be gently washed out once or twice daily with either the salt solution recommended above for the treatment of the bull or with a very weak solution of permanganate of potash. A cow with any discharge from the passage should be isolated from the rest of the herd until the discharge has completely ceased. 2. At the time when it is desired to put the cows to the bull graze them upon paddocks where the feed is fresh and sweet, free from rankness or roughage. This will assist in maintaining normal conditions of bodily health, and preventing digestive disturbance which may react upon the nervous system* and through it upon the generative system. 3. Do not allow cows to run with the bull at service time. Take each to him when she is ready. 4. Any cow which has aborted or has retained the cleansing longer than is normal, or has given discharges from the vagina for a time after calving, and after cleansing, should be at the time washed out once or twice daily with a mild antiseptic solution until the discharge has ceased. The other parts should also be washed with the same solution. In addition to this, she should be washed out once daily for a week with the salt solution described above before she is expected to be ready to go to the bull. It is also a good practice to give such a 1 cow, or for that matter all cows in good health and condition, a dose of laxative medicine a few days before service. Twelve ounces of Epsom salts dissolved in a pint and a half of warm water or thin warm gruel will answer this pur-

5. When a cow fails to hold to her 5. When a co wfails to hold to her first service two courses are open to the farmer. One is to allow her to miss the next period of heat and try her again when the following period occurs. This often results successfully. The other course is to try her again at the next period, and if this is adopted it will certainly be advisable to give her, a few days before service, a dose of laxative medicine as advised in paragraph 4 above. Care' should be taken to graze her on the best and cleanest pasture available. The practice of washing out the vaginal passage is largely adopted, and provided mild and suitable liquid solutions are used no

harm is likely to result and some good may be done in individual cases. The salt solution already mentioned is safe and perhaps useful, and the same applies to a very weak solution of potassium permanganate. On account of the trouble experienced by many dairy farmers through their cows not holding when desired it has become quite a common practice to let a cow miss a complete season when she has failed to hold to her first services. When this is done she almost invariably holds when she is later put to the bull. But this means a loss, and what is wanted is to get as many cows as

| possible in calf at the proper time, j Hbnce farmers are advised to adopt las fully as they can the methods j which have been described. It may I be added that, apart from the exact and extensive research which is being I carried out, the department is this ; season conducting a number of experimentg with foods, soil treatment and special form of medicinal treatment. The results of these experiments are not yet available but they will be made known as soon as the work is completed. _