PARALYSIS OF MILK COWS

Shannon News, 22 April 1927, Page 4

PARALYSIS OF MILK COWS

CAUSED BY DEFICIENCY IN MINERALS. Milk cows are very requently affected with a partial or complete paralysis during the late winer or early j. spring monhs. This rarely ever I occurs unless the animals have been 5 on dry feed for some little time. The I symptoms are usually progressive and will be observed for some lititle time before the paralysis actually occurs. The first symptoms usually noticed is a difficulty in walking. The cpw shovye a marked lameness in walking in one or both legs. The gait is stiff and straddling, and ina short time the cow walks with considerable difficulty. Many owners look upon this as a form of rheumatism. Others are Of the opinion that the animal may have slipped or injured herself. The milk flow is decreased gradually and the lameness and difficulty in walking gradually increases.

After a time the animal begins.to have difficulty in getting upon her feet. Later on it may be necessary to give the animal, some assistance ere she may be able to stand. Later on the animal is unable to rise. The ccuv's appetite may be fairly good while in this condition and to all outward appearances the animal is as healthy as ever. Such, animals may linger for several weeks before death relieves them. In most cases death does not take place quickly. Such animals ar e paralysed from lack of mineral-rich feeds, and it is probably due to the act that they withdraw such large amounts of calcium from their bones that the joints at the spinal column enlarge and press upon the spinal cord, with the resulting paralysis or a fracture of some vertebra results with consequent pressure on the cord.

This affectation is found in cows that are usually very rich, heavy milkers and that have been supplied for several weeks or months with dry rations made up largely of cereal grains or their by-products. Cows that are fed ampl e quantities of linseed or cottonseed meal and alfalfa or clover hay, with steamed bonemeal or minerals, are not often affected with this condition.

When the symptome are first -ribtle- | ed the animal should be dried -oft if j possible and a mineral-rich ration given her. Feeds mentioned above ; should be used, and, in addition to that, it might be well to give the animal two or three ounces of codliver oil in a little milk as a drench once or twic e each day. The animal should be kept in the sunlight as much as possible,and should not receive large amounts r r of maize. Such animals should have a two and, a half or three months' rest period before freshening after showing symptpm& of

this condition. This condition ia steadily increasing and is purely a dietary one, which could be prevented in practically all cases by careful and intelligent attention to the mineral content of the feed.