FARM NOTES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 69, 2 October 1939, Page 6

FARM NOTES

SPRING DISEASE REDWATER IN CALVES lii. the dairying districts, particularly those of the South Auckland, and Tara.naki areas, a certain number o|' calves die each spring from, redwater. So-called dietic redwr.tcr occur,s in cows before and after calving, and is usually associated with' the feeding of excessive quantities of or with the spring (lush of grass, unbalanced by hay or supplement. It is probable that iu calves also diet is responsible. Some work done in Australia suggested that a certain type of bacterial infection was to blame, but this has not been confirmed elsewhere. The occurrence of redwaier in certain animals during the facial eczema epidemic of the 1038 autumn would indicate that in grass at a certain stage oiS growth there may he a substance capable of breaking down the red ccJls of the blood. In redwater of any type the red cells of th? blood broken down somewhere' in the body, and the red colouring matter is got rid of through the kidnev in the urine.

Calves may die at any ago iron} one week, -which is exceptional, up to six or eight weeks. Unless a, postmortem examination is made it c;nite possible for several calves to die rather suddenly) without the? cause being suspected. Tf they are under close supervision the passage of discoloured iuiiic ( which may vary from bright red to port win<> or almost black colour, may be noticed and give a clue to the trouble. The conditions under which deaths occur have usually been that calves are doing well., arc being Avell- led on whole or skim mflk —there seems no record of its occurrence in whey-fed calves—are getting «omc meal coneen trate, and have access to a grazing of rapidly growing type. Deaths may occur under other conditions, however, and in the absence of gre?n feed, for example, very young calves It is possible that the harmful substance is being eliminated by the cows in the milk itself. Some have considered that dirty, insanitary con ditions were to blame, but the conditions may be good. SYMPTOMS. In most cases the affected calf continues to take its food. Withiil 24 to 48 hours of the onset it becomes weak and staggery, and tiie lining membranes of eyelids, nostrils and mouth become pale. Breathing may be laboured. Changes in thj r.i'ine, as occur. Death, in most eases, takes place in one; to three days.

On post mortem examination of a (lend c"■ L.'i any urine found in thy bladder v, ill be cliavacLcrj.sticnlly dark red. The Kidneys -'ire usually' Aery dark, particularly on surface, and sometimes swollen. The liver, on being cut open, is of a yellowishcolour.. TREATMENT, Various treatments have been trisd and with varying success. Much depends on early recognition of the trouble. The best results have been from the following procedure: Cavefully give a drench of 1 tablespoonf! il of common salt and 1 dessertspoonful of vegetable turpentine, thoroughly dissolved in 6 ounces of milk. Withhold milk for 24 hours,

allowing frequent drinks of barley water or oatmeal water. Bring the calf back on Lo milk gradually, first halj water, increasing the percentage of milk -daily. Keep the calf wrrm and comfortable, and restrict exercise. Another treatment. whieh gave strikingly good results in some cases and failed in others. \v->s -Jh> j giving of teaspoonful doses of sulphate aH iron in a drench. Citrale of iron and ammonia. one-ouncc doses of (i per cent solution, also been tried,, and is a use!id tome in the anaemia eauscd by redwr.ter. CONTROL. Preventive measures arc important as the death rate may vary from one to two calves up to 20 or 30 in severe outbreaks. Where cases occur, grazing should be curtailed for ?- week or two, and a ration of good bay allowed if the calves are old enough. The milk should be proper- 1 ly rationed, and "ed in separate buckets . A level teasnoonful of common sa.lt should be added to each feixl for a week or so. Keep a close watch on all.ealves' to delect early cases.