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Postpartum paresis in cows has long been the scourge of cattle breeding. Although today the situation has not improved much. Animals began to die less, thanks to the methods of treatment found. But the number of cases of the disease has not changed much, since the etiology of postpartum paresis has not yet been properly studied.
What is this disease in cattle “postpartum paresis”
The disease has a lot of other names, scientific and not so. Postpartum paresis can be called:
- milk fever;
- puerperal paresis;
- postpartum hypocalcemia;
- puerperal coma;
- hypocalcemic fever;
- coma of dairy cows;
- puerperal apoplexy.
With a coma, folk art went too far, and postpartum paresis was called apoplexy because of the similarity of symptoms. In those days when it was not possible to make an accurate diagnosis.
According to modern concepts, this is a disease of a neuroparalytic nature. Postpartum paresis affects not only the muscles, but also the internal organs. Postpartum hypocalcemia begins with general depression, later turning into paralysis.
Usually paresis in a cow develops after calving during the first 2-3 days, but options are also possible. Atypical cases: development of postpartum paralysis during calving or 1-3 weeks before it.
Etiology of puerperal paresis in cattle
Due to the wide variety of case histories of postpartum paresis in cows, the etiology has so far remained unclear. Research veterinarians are trying to link the clinical signs of milk fever with possible causes of the disease. But it turns out badly for them, since theories do not want to be confirmed either by practice or by experiments.
Among the etiological prerequisites for postpartum paresis include:
- hypoglycemia;
- increase in insulin in the blood;
- violation of carbohydrate and protein balance;
- hypocalcemia;
- hypophosphoremia;
- hypomagnesemia.
The cause of the last three is considered to be the state of stress at the hotel. From the release of insulin and hypoglycemia, they built a whole chain. Perhaps, indeed, in some cases, the trigger for postpartum paresis is precisely the increased work of the pancreas. The experiment showed that when administered to healthy cows, 850 units. insulin in animals develops a typical picture of postpartum paresis. After the introduction of 40 ml of a 20% glucose solution to the same individuals, all symptoms of milk fever quickly disappear.
The second version: increased calcium return at the beginning of milk production. A dry cow needs 30-35 g of calcium per day to maintain life. After calving, colostrum can contain up to 2 g of this substance. That is, when producing 10 liters of colostrum, 20 g of calcium will be removed from the body of a cow daily. As a result, there is a deficit that will be replenished within 2 days. But these 2 days still need to be lived. And it is during this period that the development of postpartum paresis is most likely.
High-yielding cattle are most susceptible to postpartum hypocalcemia
The third version: oppression of the parathyroid glands due to general and generic nervous excitation. Because of this, an imbalance in protein and carbohydrate metabolism develops, as well as a lack of phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. Moreover, the latter may be due to the lack of the necessary elements in the feed.
The fourth option: the development of postpartum paresis due to overexertion of the nervous system. This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that the disease is successfully treated according to the Schmidt method, blowing air into the udder. The body of a cow does not receive any nutrients during treatment, but the animal recovers.
Causes of postpartum paresis
Although the mechanism that triggers the development of the disease has not been established, external causes are known:
- high milk production;
- concentrated type of food;
- obesity;
- lack of exercise.
Cows at the peak of productivity, that is, at the age of 5-8 years, are most susceptible to postpartum paresis. Rarely, first-calf heifers and low-producing animals get sick. But they also have cases of the disease.
Symptoms of paresis in cows after calving
Postpartum paralysis can occur in 2 forms: typical and atypical. The second is often not even noticed, it looks like a slight malaise, which is attributed to the fatigue of the animal after calving. With an atypical form of paresis, a wobbly gait, muscle trembling and a disorder in the gastrointestinal tract are observed.
The word “typical” speaks for itself. The cow shows all the clinical signs of postpartum paralysis:
- oppression, sometimes opposite: excitement;
- refusal to feed;
- trembling of individual muscle groups;
- decrease in overall body temperature to 37 ° C or less;
- the local temperature of the upper part of the head, including the ears, is lower than the general one;
- the neck is bent to the side, sometimes an S-shaped bend is possible;
- the cow cannot stand up and lies on her chest with bent legs;
- eyes wide open, unblinking, pupils dilated;
- paralyzed tongue hanging out of open mouth.
Since, due to postpartum paresis, the cow cannot chew and swallow food, concomitant diseases develop:
- tympanum;
- bloating;
- flatulence;
- constipation.
If the cow is not able to heat up, manure accumulates in the colon and rectum. The liquid from it is gradually absorbed into the body through the mucous membranes and the manure hardens / dries up.
Does paresis occur in first-calf heifers
Postpartum paresis can also develop in first-calf heifers. They rarely show clinical signs, but 25% of animals have below normal blood calcium levels.
In first-calf heifers, milk fever usually manifests itself in postpartum complications and displacement of internal organs:
- inflammation of the uterus;
- mastitis;
- detention of the placenta;
- ketosis;
- displacement of the abomasum.
The treatment is carried out in the same way as for adult cows, but it is much more difficult to keep the first-calf heifer, since she usually does not have paralysis.
In first-calf heifers, the risk of postpartum paralysis, although lower, cannot be discounted
Treatment of paresis in a cow after calving
The development of paresis after calving in a cow is rapid, and treatment should be started as soon as possible. Two methods are most effective: intravenous injections of a calcium preparation and the Schmidt method, in which air is blown into the udder. The second method is the most common, but you need to know how to use it. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.
How to treat puerperal paresis in a cow using the Schmidt method
The most popular treatment for postpartum paresis today. It does not require on-farm storage of calcium preparations and intravenous injection skills. Helps a significant number of diseased queens. The latter shows well that the lack of glucose and calcium in the blood may not be the most common cause of paresis.
For the treatment of postpartum paralysis according to the Schmidt method, an Evers apparatus is required. It looks like a rubber hose with a milk catheter at one end and an injection bulb at the other. The tube and pear can be taken from an old tonometer. Another option for “building” the Evers apparatus in the field is a bicycle pump and a milk catheter. Since there is no time to waste with postpartum paresis, the original Evers apparatus was improved by Zh. A. Sarsenov. At the modernized device, 4 tubes with catheters depart from the main hose. This allows you to pump 4 parts of the udder at once.
Mode of application
To give the cow the desired dorsal-lateral position, several people will be needed. The average weight of an animal is 500 kg. The milk is harvested and the tops of the nipples are disinfected with alcohol. Catheters are carefully inserted into the channels and air is slowly pumped up. It should affect the receptors. With the rapid introduction of air, the effect is not as intense as with a slow one.
The dosage is determined empirically: the folds on the skin of the udder should straighten out, and a tympanic sound should appear when tapping the mammary gland with your fingers.
After blowing air, the tops of the nipples are lightly massaged so that the sphincter contracts and does not allow air to pass through. If the muscle is weakened, the nipples are tied with a bandage or a soft cloth for 2 hours.
It is impossible to keep the nipples bandaged for more than 2 hours, they can die
Sometimes the animal rises already 15-20 minutes after the procedure, but more often the recovery process is delayed for several hours. Before and after rising to its feet, the cow can observe muscle tremors. Recovery can be considered the complete disappearance of signs of postpartum paresis. The recovered cow begins to eat and move around calmly.
Cons of the Schmidt method
The method has quite a few shortcomings, and it is not always possible to apply it. If there is not enough air pumped into the udder, there will be no effect. With an excess or too rapid pumping of air in the udder, subcutaneous emphysema occurs. Over time, they disappear, but damage to the mammary gland parenchyma reduces the productivity of the cow.
In most cases, a single breath of air is sufficient. But if there is no improvement after 6-8 hours, the procedure is repeated.
Treatment of postpartum paresis with the Evers apparatus is the simplest and least expensive for a private owner
Treatment of postpartum paresis in a cow with intravenous injections
Apply in the absence of an alternative in severe cases. An intravenous infusion of a calcium preparation instantly increases the concentration of a substance in the blood several times. The effect lasts 4-6 hours. For immobilized cows, such therapy saves lives.
But it is impossible to use intravenous injections for the prevention of postpartum paresis. If the cow does not show clinical signs of the disease, a short-term change from calcium deficiency to its excess interrupts the work of the regulatory mechanism in the animal’s body.
After the effect of artificially introduced calcium stops, its level in the blood will decrease significantly. The experiments carried out showed that during the next 48 hours the level of the element in the blood of “calcified” cows was much lower than that of those that did not receive an injection of the drug.
Intravenous calcium requires a drip
Subcutaneous calcium injection
In this case, the drug is absorbed into the blood more slowly, and its concentration is lower than with intravenous infusion. Due to this, subcutaneous injection has less effect on the work of the regulatory mechanism. But for the prevention of puerperal paresis in cows, this method is also not used, since it still violates the calcium balance in the body. Albeit to a lesser extent.
Subcutaneous injections are recommended for the treatment of cows with pre-existing paralysis or uteri with mild clinical signs of postpartum paresis.
Prevention of paresis in the weed until it is stolen
Prevention of postpartum paralysis can be done in several ways. But it must be borne in mind that, although some activities reduce the risk of paresis, they increase the likelihood of developing subclinical hypocalcemia. One of these risky ways is to deliberately limit the amount of calcium in the dry period.
Dead wood calcium deficiency
The method is based on the fact that even before calving, a lack of calcium in the blood is artificially created. The calculation is that the body of the cow will begin to extract metal from the bones and, by the time of calving, will respond more quickly to the increased need for calcium.
To create a deficiency, the uterus should receive no more than 30 g of calcium per day. And this is where the problem arises. This figure means that the substance should be no more than 3 g per 1 kg of dry matter. This figure cannot be obtained with a standard diet. Feeds containing 5-6 g of metal per 1 kg of dry matter are already considered “calcium-poor”. But even this amount is too much to start the desired hormonal process.
To overcome the problem, in recent years, special supplements have been developed that bind calcium and prevent it from being absorbed. Examples of such additives are the silicate mineral zeolite A and conventional rice bran. If the mineral has an unpleasant taste and animals may refuse to eat food, then bran does not affect the taste. You can add them up to 3 kg per day. By binding calcium, bran, at the same time, is protected from splitting in the rumen. As a result, they “pass through the gastrointestinal tract.”
Calcium is excreted from the body of cattle along with rice bran
The use of “acid salts”
The development of postpartum paralysis can be influenced by the high content of potassium and calcium in the feed. These elements create an alkaline environment in the animal’s body, which makes it difficult for calcium to be released from the bones. Feeding a specially formulated mixture of anionic salts “acidifies” the body and facilitates the release of calcium from the bones.
Give the mixture for the last three weeks, along with vitamin and mineral premixes. As a result of the use of “acid salts”, the calcium content in the blood with the onset of lactation does not decrease as quickly as without them. Accordingly, the risk of developing postpartum paralysis is also reduced.
The main disadvantage of the mixture is its disgusting taste. Animals may refuse to eat foods containing anionic salts. It is necessary not only to evenly mix the supplement with the main feed, but also to try to reduce the potassium content in the main diet. Ideally, to a minimum.
Vitamin D injections
This method can both help and hurt. Vitamin injection reduces the risk of postpartum paralysis, but can provoke subclinical hypocalcemia. If it is possible to do without an injection of a vitamin, it is better not to do it.
But if there is no other way out, it must be borne in mind that vitamin D is injected only 10-3 days before the planned calving date. Only during this interval can the injection have a positive effect on the concentration of calcium in the blood. Vitamin enhances the absorption of the metal from the intestines, although at the time of injection there is still no increased need for calcium.
But due to the artificial introduction of vitamin D in the body, the production of its own cholecalciferol slows down. As a result, the normal calcium regulation mechanism fails for several weeks, and the risk of developing subclinical hypocalcemia increases 2-6 weeks after vitamin D injection.
Conclusion
Postpartum paresis can affect almost any cow. A nutritious diet reduces the risk of disease, but does not eliminate it. At the same time, it is not necessary to be zealous with prevention before calving, since here you will have to balance on the verge between milk fever and hypocalcemia.