Joint diseases in cows and their treatment

Any cattle owner understands that animals can get sick. They, just like humans, often have problems with their limbs. Joint diseases in cows are most often treated, although deaths are not always avoided. The causes of diseases, methods of prevention and treatment will be discussed further.

Varieties of joint diseases in cattle

Any disease causes a decrease in the productivity of cattle. There are different diseases:

• arthritis;
• arthrosis;
• bursitis;
• dislocations;
• sprains and other types of joint problems.

So that the cow does not reduce productivity, it is necessary to see the problem in a timely manner, seek help from a specialist.

Arthritis

In adult animals and calves, different types of arthritis can occur. In veterinary medicine, 2 forms of the disease are noted: purulent and aseptic. It is necessary to understand what is the difference between these arthritis.

aseptic form

Distinguish exudative arthritis, which can occur in acute or chronic form. The varieties of the form include periarthritis, deforming arthritis. They are most often chronic.

There is an aseptic form of arthritis most often due to bruises, torn ligaments or sprains. The cause of the disease can be a violation of metabolic processes in the body. Poor quality food, lack of vitamins, minerals are other causes of aseptic arthritis.

Purulent form

This disease does not occur on its own. Most often, problems with joints in the form of purulent arthritis in cows begin if open dislocations and other wounds on the limbs of the animal are not treated in a timely manner.

Causes and symptoms

To protect cows from various types of joint diseases, you need to know why they occur. In addition to injuries, metabolic disorders, poor-quality feeding, the cause may lie in the increased load on the joints. For example, if the pasture is at a great distance.

In addition to the causes of arthritis, you also need to know what signs to respond to in order to help the cow in a timely manner:

1. A swelling appears on the joint, and after a while the cow begins to limp.
2. Due to the increase in temperature in the inflamed joint, the animal becomes lethargic, apathetic, and does not respond to the owner.
3. The affected joint becomes hot.
4. When walking, the cow tries not to step on a sore leg. During palpation, she twitches, tries to move away from the one who examines her.
5. The joint swells over time, and if treatment is not started, then bone growths appear.
6. With purulent arthritis, the joint cavity is filled with purulent masses, which often flow out through a wound on the skin.

Therapies

Noticing that the cow’s joints are swollen, the owner should seek the help of a specialist to identify the cause. It is the veterinarian who is able to determine the disease and give recommendations for caring for animals.

First of all, the cow is not driven out to pasture, but left in a dry, clean room to reduce the load on diseased limbs. Then the joints need to be cooled, then apply a pressure bandage if the arthritis is chronic. Veterinarians also recommend alcohol compresses.

Arthrosis

According to statistics, joint diseases in cows are recorded more and more often. One of them is arthritis. Late treatment can lead to serious problems, due to which you can lose a cow. That is why livestock owners should be aware of the causes of arthrosis and the symptoms of the disease in order to respond to the problem in a timely manner and begin treatment.

Causes

There are many reasons for the occurrence of arthrosis, but they all boil down to improper care of animals.

Most often, cows get sick in such cases:

1. Animals are deprived of walks or walking short-term, most of the time they spend in stalls.
2. Due to problems with the gastrointestinal tract, the metabolism in the cow’s body is disturbed.
3. Arthrosis occurs due to poor-quality feed, which lacks nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
4. In cows after calving, arthrosis may appear if they are intensively milked.

It is difficult for a non-specialist in the appearance of a cow to get ahead of the disease at the initial stage, since there are no obvious changes in the behavior and well-being of the animal. But to understand that problems begin with the joints, it is possible because the cow gets up with great difficulty and begins to limp.

At the beginning of the disease, the joint does not undergo changes. But due to softening, it begins to collapse. Due to the trapped particles, thickening and ossification occur, a seal appears in the calyx, and flexibility decreases.

Stages of development of arthrosis

Arthrosis is a chronic disease. This is not an infection, but its damaging effect leads to joint deformity. As a result, the mobility of animals decreases, as the internal structure of the joint changes.

The joints connect the bones of the cow, they are surrounded by elastic cartilage. Since arthrosis does not appear immediately, you need to know how it develops. There are 2 stages of development of arthrosis.

1 stage:

1. At first, the amount of joint fluid necessary for lubrication is not retained in the cartilage. This results in a loss of elasticity.
2. Then, an increase in collagen fibers in the cartilage begins, due to which dryness appears in it. And this leads to cracking.

During the 2nd stage:

1. There is deformity of the joint.
2. The head of the joint is flattened.
3. Pain occurs in it, the animals begin to noticeably limp.

3 stage:

1. The joint is completely deformed, it is very difficult to cure sick legs.
2. The outcome is most often unfavorable, the animals are allowed to be slaughtered.

Bursitis

Another disease is bursitis. A closed-type formation develops in stretched connective tissue. To notice the problem in a timely manner, you need to know why it occurs, as well as what symptoms to notice bursitis.

The reasons can be several:

• various kinds of injuries;
• parasite bites;
• getting into open wounds of various infections;
• poor quality bedding;
• animals in stall rearing are kept on a short leash.

Symptoms:

• on the leg of the cow, the joint swells and puffiness appears;
• the cow is in pain, begins to limp;
• purulent sacs form in the place of swelling, and the skin becomes hard.

Treatment of bursitis

Treatment is prescribed by a veterinarian, but before his arrival, the owners of a sick cow can make contrast compresses, as well as apply bandages soaked in alcohol to the joint with bursitis.

Specialists prescribe the treatment of the sore spot with Ichthyol or Chlorcin ointment, and conduct physiotherapy.

Purulent sacs must be opened, fluid removed from the cavity. Then proceed to the treatment of the disease.

After the pain is relieved, massages can be performed using anti-inflammatory gels.

Sprains, sprains and bruises

These types of joint damage are congenital or acquired during the life of a cow. Pet owners, in order to provide timely assistance, must know how to distinguish between dislocations, sprains or bruises.

Dislocations, causes, symptoms

Unfortunate falls of cows and calves can lead to dislocation. As a result, the muscles are injured, in more serious cases, paralysis begins. Sometimes, after a fall, ligaments or muscle tissue are torn, joint capsules, blood vessels, and skin are damaged.

You can identify a dislocation by the following symptoms:

• the position of the limbs becomes unnatural;
• the cow stops moving due to lethargy;
• the joints swell, if the skin has been torn, then inflammation may begin.

The injured limb is fixed with a bandage and left for 14 days.

Stretching, causes, symptoms

Stretching leads to a violation of the position of the bones of the cow. Most often, the problem occurs in the lower leg. If you do not start treatment, it can lead to inflammation of the joint.

Stretching can occur:

• with sudden movements and various injuries;
• with insufficient movement and stall maintenance;
• with improper organization of feeding.

You can define stretch:

• by displacement of the joint and lameness;
• the cow bends her leg with difficulty, does not want to move;
• swelling is observed at the site of injury.

Before starting treatment, it is necessary to conduct an X-ray examination. If the sprain is not difficult, just apply a bandage and a cold compress.

Bruises

After bruises, the cow may experience bruising, swelling, and pain when walking. A cold compress and a pressure bandage will help to relieve pain.

If the bruise is severe, then veterinarians pierce the inflamed area with a 0,25% solution of novocaine (1 ml per 1 kg of live weight).

Preventive measures

One of the preventive measures to help avoid joint disease in cows is proper and balanced nutrition. The feed must contain the necessary substances, trace elements, vitamins. The second measure is to ensure movement, especially for those cows that are kept in stalls in winter.

Conclusion

Joint disease in cows is a common occurrence. Cattle can get various injuries in the pasture, so the animals must be examined in order to provide them with timely assistance.