Avitaminosis of cattle

Avitaminosis in calves and cows often occurs at the end of winter, when the animal has used up all vitamins and microelements during the winter period. If at the beginning of spring the animal became lethargic and refuses to eat, then this is due to a lack of vitamins. A complete and balanced diet is an important factor in the health of cattle.

Norms for vitamins for cattle

In order for the calf to grow well, develop and not suffer from beriberi, healthy supplements must be included in the diet. To provide calves with fortified feed, it is necessary to know the feed rates.

Norms for a dairy heifer:

Norms for breeding bulls:

Causes of beriberi

Vitamins for calves are in the first place for full growth and development. With enough vitamin supplements, the body of young animals functions normally. With a deficiency, a failure occurs in the body, which leads to a decrease in milk yield. As a result, the farmer has no profit, and the cow suffers from beriberi.

Vitamins play an important role for the proper development of young animals and prevent the occurrence of beriberi:

• support health, as each vitamin plays a specific role;
• with the right selection of vitamin supplements, pregnant cows tolerate childbirth better, and lactation proceeds normally;
  Important! When feeding a calf, the cow gives away most of the nutrients with milk, therefore, 2 weeks before calving, an adult animal is given a double vitamin dose.
• in the dry period, they provide the basis for the full development of the fetus, and also prepare the cow for the upcoming lactation;
• thanks to fortified top dressing, bulls of meat breeds quickly increase body weight.

Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms

With an unbalanced diet without the addition of nutrients and trace elements, the organism of young animals suffers first of all. Avitaminosis often occurs in winter and early spring. This is due to the reduction of sunny days and the lack of green vegetation. In regions with severe winters, animals spend little time outdoors, which affects their health.

With beriberi, the animal is observed:

1. Decreased appetite. This is due to the fact that the lack of nutrients responsible for the functioning of the digestive system provokes a partial refusal of food, which leads to a sharp decrease in body weight.
2. Low milk yield of cows. Lack of healthy nutrition affects the quantity and quality of milk. If you approach feeding irresponsibly, then the cow can not only reduce milk yield, but completely stop it.
3. reproductive passivity. With beriberi, breeding bulls lose their desire to mate. Cows in this state are less likely to be inseminated, and during gestation, a miscarriage often occurs or dead calves are born.
4. Calves should not be allowed to suffer from beriberi, as they stop growing and developing.
5. Meat breeds dramatically lose body weight.
6. Avitaminosis opens the door to chronic and infectious diseases.
7. If an animal has a thorn, then beriberi can lead to blindness.

What vitamins are most often lacking

Most often, cows suffer from a lack of vitamins: A, B, D and E.

The source of retinol is green grass. It contains carotene, which is responsible for the production of cells throughout the body.

Due to the lack of carotene, milk yield decreases, vision deteriorates, and damaged skin is poorly regenerated.

Carotene deficiency in cows can be recognized by the following symptoms:

• frequent inflammation of the eyes and mucous membranes;
• a sharp loss of vision – animals stumble upon various objects, bow their heads closer to the ground;
• decrease in milk yield;
• inflammation of the digestive and respiratory systems;
• violation of coordination of movement;
• reproductive function is suppressed.

B vitamins renew blood cells, strengthen the nervous system, and are responsible for brain activity. Particular attention is paid to vitamin B12, as it is a good prevention of many infectious diseases and saves from anemia.

With its deficiency in cows, there is:

• lack of appetite, which leads to thinness and slow growth of calves;
• excited state, nervousness;
• skin diseases in the form of eczema, dermatitis;
• joint inflammation;
• cavalry march. The cow raises high and strongly bends its legs;
• miscarriage at an early stage of pregnancy and premature birth of dead calves.

Vitamin D is responsible for the growth and development of the body. If it is not enough, the calf stops growing, and the supply of calcium also stops, which leads to rickets, brittle bones and teeth.

With a lack of calciferol in a calf, the following are observed:

• periodontal disease, tooth loss;
• rickets;
• lameness;
• pain on palpation in the area of ​​the ribs, joints, pelvic bones;
• eating bones and stones, as well as licking various objects;
• refusal to eat;
• malfunction of the digestive system.

Cows enrich the body with calciferol through the use of green grass and with prolonged exposure to the open air.

Vitamin E is responsible for the functioning of all internal organs, is involved in metabolism and is responsible for the reproductive system. The lack of tocopherol affects the development of the fetus and is responsible for the health of the young.

With a lack of tocopherol, cows have the following symptoms:

• a cow does not get pregnant for a long time;
• regular miscarriages;
• stillborn fetuses;
• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• the activity of spermatozoa in breeding bulls decreases;
• the growth and development of calves stops;
• meat breeds slowly build muscle mass.

With an acute shortage of tocopherol, paralysis of the limbs can occur.

Treatment of beriberi in cows

If symptoms of vitamin deficiency are detected in cows, treatment should be started immediately. To do this, you need to properly balance the diet and start helping.

With a lack of carotene, add to the feed:

• «Biovit-80» – improves the digestive system and strengthens muscle tone;
• “Eleovit” – improves immunity, the drug is recommended to be added to feed for calves at birth;
• “Vilofoss” – the drug saturates the body of cows with proteins and vitamins.

Also, carrots, fish oil, alfalfa hay, oatmeal and oatmeal jelly are introduced into the diet. Kissel is prepared in the evening. For this, cereals or whole grains are poured with boiling water and covered with a warm blanket. During the night, the drink will infuse, and it will be possible to give it to the calf. For young animals at the age of 1 month, the daily dose should be 2,5 kg of jelly, and the norm of root crops is 2 kg.

If it is not possible to introduce carotene into the diet, it can be replenished with medication. For an adult pregnant cow, daily oral intake should be 100 IU, and for young calves, the dose is 1 million IU at the first feeding. Cows can also be given an intramuscular injection of 100000 IU every 2 weeks.

At the first sign of vitamin B deficiency, treatment should be started immediately, without waiting for complications. Treatment consists in adding carrots, brewer’s yeast and bran to the feed.

With a neglected form of beriberi, intramuscular injections of vitamin B12 are prescribed. To do this, use a 0,1% solution in a volume of 100 ml.

If the farmer finds an animal suffering from a lack of calciferol by symptoms, then first of all it is separated from the general herd. The calf is transferred to a certain diet, more often taken out for grazing on sunny days, since the best helpers for beriberi are the bright sun and green grass.

At the advanced stage of beriberi, drug therapy should be used. Before starting treatment, blood is taken from the cow for the content of electrolytes.

Drug treatment of vitamin deficiency is carried out in several ways:

• ultraviolet radiation – 10-15 minutes daily;
• intramuscular injections of vitamin D at a dosage of 200 IU;
• with a progressive disease, a 20% solution of calcium gluconate is prescribed;
• intravenous injection of 10% calcium chloride.

To replenish the supply of tocopherol, an oil solution “Trivitamin” is used. The dosage is prescribed only by a veterinarian after a complete examination.

Preventive measures

To prevent the appearance of beriberi, you must follow simple rules:

1. Prepare fresh vegetables for the winter: carrots, potatoes, beets.
2. Keep the stall clean, warm and well lit.
3. Always add vitamin B to the compound feed, they are found in bran, in vegetables, in green hay, in fodder and baker’s yeast.
4. In the spring-summer period, prepare silage – corn, clover. Bone meal and chalk are added to the feed. If it is not possible to keep the grass fresh, it is dried and fed to livestock in the form of hay.
5. Sprouted grains of wheat are added to the diet.
6. On a frosty sunny day, cows are often taken out for a walk.

Conclusion

Avitaminosis in calves is a dangerous disease, because with a lack of vitamins, young animals lag behind in growth and development, cows have reduced milk yield, and beef breeds do not increase body weight. Subject to the rules of care, introducing fortified supplements into the diet and conducting regular walking, you can not be afraid of the development of a terrible disease.