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Hypotrophy in calves is a common non-contagious disease that occurs for many reasons. Hypotrophy is most common on large dairy farms, where the main concern of the owner is getting milk. Calves on such farms are treated as a by-product of production. If a cow, after one calving, gave milk for the rest of her life, she would be winged only for the first time.
But the lactation period in cows is limited in time. The animal will give milk again only after calving. A diet that provides the maximum amount of milk and an artificial reduction in the dry period on a dairy farm contribute to the birth of calves with malnutrition.
This disease is not only a scourge of large dairy farms. Private owners may also experience malnutrition, since the causes of the disease are quite numerous.
What is hypotrophy
The prefix “hypo-” means a lack of something when it comes to the health of a living being. But if in everyday life the terms “hypovitaminosis” and “avitaminosis” are used as equivalent, then it is no longer possible to say “atrophy” instead of “hypotrophy”. The first term usually refers to the degradation of soft tissues due to some disease. Atrophy can occur at any age.
The term “hypertrophy” is used in the case of the birth of a weak cub with a lack of weight. With moderate malnutrition, the calf weighs 25-30% less than normatrophics, that is, individuals with normal weight. With a severe degree of malnutrition, underweight can reach 50%.
After birth, malnutrition cannot develop. But due to the similarity of signs, casein protein disease is often mistaken for malnutrition, which occurs a few days after birth and has a similar etiology. In the video, an autopsy of a calf with casein protein disease. There is usually no need for this procedure unless the owner has deliberately decided to starve them to death.
Causes of malnutrition in calves
Among the reasons for the development of malnutrition in the first place is the violation of the diet of a pregnant cow. In second place is the lack of movement and poor living conditions. With improper maintenance, the metabolism worsens, which leads to malnutrition of newborns. The overexploitation of the dairy cow and the artificial reduction of the dry period is the third cause of malnutrition.
Other reasons are possible, but they are more likely the nature of a statistical error:
- inbreeding;
- infections: in this case, abortion of the fetus or the birth of a freak occurs much more often;
- pregnancy pathologies: like infections, they usually lead to abortion or miscarriage.
Early mating of a cow, at 8-9 months instead of 15-16, also usually leads not to malnutrition, but to the birth of a premature calf or the death of the uterus during calving.
Symptoms of malnutrition
The main external symptom of the disease is lack of weight. In addition, hypotrophic calves observe:
- wrinkled, dry, inelastic skin;
- lack or absence of subcutaneous adipose tissue;
- frequent, shallow breathing;
- weak pulse;
- pale or cyanotic mucous membranes;
- muffled heart sounds;
- low or at the lower limit of the normal body temperature;
- cold in the lower part of the leg;
- absent or mild pain sensitivity.
A normal calf rises to its feet within an hour of calving. In a hypotrophic, this time is delayed from 2,5 to 3 hours. Sometimes it can take 6-7 hours.
Hypotrophic gets tired quickly, trying to suck his mother. Pain sensitivity is checked by pinching the croup. Normotrofik in this case jumps. Hypotrophic has no reaction.
Treatment of malnutrition in calves
Hypotrophic – a full-term calf with a lack of weight. The treatment of such cubs consists in timely feeding and an additional dose of vitamins and minerals.
Since the body temperature of such newborns is low, the first thing they are placed in a warm place so that they do not freeze. If the calf cannot suckle by itself, colostrum is given to him often, but in small portions.
On farms, for the treatment of malnutrition, calves are injected subcutaneously with the blood of a healthy cow. But studies conducted at the Krasnodar Research Veterinary Institute have shown that the use of complex vitamins is more effective.
Calves with malnutrition, treated with a complex of Abiopeptide and Dipromonium-M, a month later weighed 21,7% more than the rest of the individuals. The control group received the treatment practiced on industrial farms: injections of the blood of healthy cows.
The recovery of calves from the experimental group, who received complex preparations, vitamins and glucose, occurred on average on the 26th day. The safety of animals in this group was 90%: 20% higher than in the control group. The disease resistance of young animals in the calves of the experimental group was also higher than in the animals in the control group.
Which method of treatment to choose is up to the owner of the cow. The old method with blood injection is cheaper, but more troublesome and the result will be worse. The new method can scare away the high cost: the cost of a bottle of Abiopeptide is from 700 rubles, and Dipromonium-M should be prescribed by a veterinarian. Dipromonium may cause poisoning in case of overdose.
Prognosis and prevention
The prognosis for malnutrition in calves is favorable. If treatment is started immediately, the cub will fully recover after a month.
But even without the consequences of malnutrition, it is not possible to do. A calf born with malnutrition will forever remain smaller compared to normotrophic individuals. The owner of such a calf loses several kilograms of meat from the bull and the opportunity to leave the heifer for breeding or for sale. This is not counting the significant labor costs in the first month of a calf’s life.
Since the main cause of malnutrition is the inadequate diet of a pregnant cow, the prevention of the disease lies in proper feeding. Pregnancy lasts an average of 9,5 months. Active growth of the fetus begins in the last trimester. It is during this period that malnutrition develops with the improper maintenance of livestock.
This period is called the dry period. The cow no longer gives milk, directing all the forces of her body to the development of the fetus. In the case of a shortened dry period or an inadequate diet, the fetus does not receive enough of the nutrients it needs. It is these calves that are born hypotrophic.
Prevention is quite simple:
- do not shorten the dry period;
- provide a sufficient amount of protein in the diet: 110-130 g per 1 feed. units, as well as a sufficient amount of vitamins, minerals and easily digestible carbohydrates;
- follow the normal sugar-protein ratio, 0,9:1,2, by adding molasses and root crops to the feed;
- limit silage, completely eliminating it 2 weeks before calving;
- exclude bard, beer grains and sour pulp from the diet;
- do not feed spoiled feed;
- provide animals with daily exercise.
2-3 days before calving, concentrates are excluded from the diet. This will not affect the presence or absence of hypotrophy in any way, but will contribute to a trouble-free calving.
An approximate diet during the dry period should include:
- 25-35% hay and grass meal;
- 25-35% concentrates;
- 30-35% quality haylage and silage;
- 8-10% root crops.
Such a diet has an optimal ratio of all nutrients, which reduces the chances of developing malnutrition in a calf.
Conclusion
Hypotrophy in calves today is a common occurrence even in beef cattle. On livestock farms, the percentage of calves with this disease can be as high as 30%. And the cause of malnutrition in this case most often also lies in the violation of the regime of maintenance and an inadequate diet. A private trader can usually avoid the birth of a weak calf in a dairy cow by observing the rules of keeping and feeding.