Livestock Disease Summaries नेपाली भाषा

Milk Fever (Low Blood Calcium)

Milk fever is a common condition in high producing dairy animals, including cattle, buffalo, goats and sheep. This disease is seen within a short time of birth and is the result of low blood levels of calcium. Calcium is required for muscle contraction, nerve conduction, production of milk, and many other normal body functions. The demand for calcium increases dramatically immediately after birth, resulting in low concentrations of calcium in blood and, in some animals, the clinical disease called milk fever. It is important to recognize that half or more of dairy cows have abnormally low levels of calcium after birth but do not show clinical milk fever. However, this subclinical calcium deficiency results in increased risk of several other diseases such as mastitis, retained placenta, uterine infection and low milk yield.

Clinical Signs of Milk Fever

Cows with milk fever can show clinical signs of disease that vary from mild to severe. These different levels of disease severity are referred to as "Stages":

Stage 1 - mild disease

Stage 2

Stage 3 - severe disease

Caution: several other problems can cause clinical signs similar to milk fever, including such things as trauma associated with birth or toxic mastitis, but milk fever is usually rather distinctive. If the animal does not respond to treatment with calcium, you should look for other causes of the problem.

Treatment of Milk Fever in Cattle and Buffalo

The goal for treating milk fever is to rapidly restore normal levels of calcium in the animal. This can be done in two ways: by infusing a calcium solution intravenously or by giving the animal a source of calcium orally, usually in the form of a "calcium bolus".

Treatment of severe milk fever when animal is not able to stand (Stage 3)

In animals with severe milk fever that are unable to stand, it is critical to restore blood calcium levels as soon as possible, and intravenous infusion of a calcium solution is the standard treatment. Different preparations are available but a typical treatment of a cow with milk fever is intravenous infusion into the jugular vein of 500 ml of calcium gluconate or other calcium-containing solution. The solution should be infused slowly over a period of 15-20 minutes. The image at the top of this page shows Mr. Ram Krishan Timalsina infusing a calcium solution intravenously into a buffalo with severe milk fever.

The response to intravenous calcium infusion is usually very rapid and the animal will stand within minutes of treatment; she may require assistance to stand.

In animals with stage 3 milk fever that have been treated with intravenous calcium, it is also recommended to give the animal a calcium supplement (bolus for cows and buffalo) approximately 12 and 24 hours after the intravenous treatment. However, do not give oral supplements of calcium to such animals if they did not respond to the intravenous calcium or if they remain unable to stand - in such cases, they may have problems swallowing and you could cause them to choke.

Treatment of milder forms of milk fever when the animal is standing (Stages 1 or 2)

If the animal is standing, DO NOT treat them with intravenous infusion of calcium solutions. This can interfere with secretion of the hormones involved in calcium metabolism and interfere with recovery.

The most common oral treatment for milk fever in cows or buffalo is calcium boluses, as shown to the right. There are many different types of calcium boluses but most of them contain several types of calcium, other minerals (magnesium and phosphorous), and vitamin D, which helps the body to absorb calcium. Some types of boluses, such as the Transition bolus pictured, have forms of calcium that are immediately released plus calcium that is released slowly over many days. Boluses are delivered using a "balling gun" to allow them to be inserted past the base of the tongue and into the esophagus without getting your fingers bitten! Boluses can also be ground and added to feed but be sure the animal eats it.

Video demonstration of administering a bolus to a cow

Treatment of Milk Fever in Small Ruminants

Due to the small size of goats and sheep, calcium solutions should not be administered intravenously. Instead, balanced calcium solutions can be administered subcutaneously in the fat pad over the shoulder so that the calcium is absorbed slowly. Mild cases of milk fever in small ruminants can be treated using calcium tablets sold for human use.

Prevention of Milk Fever

Managing the animal's nutrition during the period prior to birthing can reduce the occurance of milk fever. One common recommendation is to feed low calcium (yes, that is correct, low calcium) and low potassium diets that are acidic to cows during the last few weeks before calving. However, this recommendation is often very difficult to manage.

A more practical preventative for milk fever is to give the animal a calcium bolus, as described above, at the time of birth and 12 hours later.

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