SEASONAL AILMENTS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4815, 26 July 1939, Page 3

SEASONAL AILMENTS.

ADDRESS TO FARMERS AT KAKEPUKU. THE CARE OF DAIRY STOCK. Details of the address given by Mr. G. B. Melrose, inspector of stock, to a meeting of young farmers and district farmers under the auspices of the Kakepuku Young Farmers' Club in the local hall the other evening are given below. The speaker indicated at the outset of his address that he could touch but briefly on what he considered the most likely troubles to be met with at this time of the year; and at the conclusion of the address answered a large number of questions on points he had brought up.

The first seasonal complaint he dealt with was milk fever. The name of the disease was a misnomer, but it was necessary to give the disease a name, and that was the name it was commonly known by. The cause of the complaint has had many theories but recent work has indicated that in milk fever there is a sudden drop in the calcium content of the blood. Normally the withdrawal of calcium from the blood at the commencement of lactaton should be restored by withdrawal from the bones, but in the case of high producing cows (these being the cows most affected) the strain of the calcium withdrawal from the blood is excessive and the condition known as milk fever is set up. Other features in animal husbandry are also to be considered as predisposing causes of milk fever. It has been noted that milk fever occurs in a good growing season, whereas the disease is rare where cows have been calved on short pastures with liberal supplies of good hay.

Milk Fever Symptoms

The disease occurs in some cases immediately prior to calving and when this occurs the dilation of the cervix is retarded, and no effort at parturition is made by the cow, but generally it occurs up to 72 hours after calving. A staggering gait is evident, and if the cow is not treated promptly will eventually go down, throw her head about and struggle for a while, and as the disease progresses will become quiet with head tucked into the side in a comatose state.

Treatment. —In the case of cows prone to the complaint or known heavy producers in good condition, it is advisable to give the cow a drench of 2oz calcium chloride, and 2 to 3 lbs of molasses in 11 pints of water immediately prior to calving and repeat immediately after . If the cow contracts the complaint within the 72 hours I would suggest inflating the udder if she goes down. Extreme care should be taken when resorting to udder inflation. (An improved type of milk fever outfit was demonstrated by the speaker, this outfit could be easily operated by one man), the instrument should be sterilised by immersion in boiling water or methylated spirits, and point of teat thoroughly cleansed, and before insertion of needle the operator should squeeze the milk from the teat while inserting the needle, thus removing the foreign matter from the small cavity at the entrance to to the teat.

Nursing of Cow,

Important points in the nursing of the sick cow were stressed by the speaker. If the cow was at the back of the farm or in a bad place when found get her near the house; this can be accomplished by gently rolling her on to a gate or low sledge.

Keep the patient up on her brisket; this can best be done by filling sacks of earth, and packing them from behind the shoulder forward to a line with the head. Plenty of good dry bedding under the cow, and keep covered, as the time of the year when this complaint occurs is conducive to such complaints as pneumonia or pleurisy, which is the cause of death in the great majority of cases. Do not on any account allow the patient to get out flat as bloat will set in and the cow will suffocate.

Do not try to drench the" cow if you are not sure that she is conscious. If the cow is unconscious when found and bloated, sit her up at once when the bloat will be relieved before inflatng the udder; because at this stage it is exceedingly dangerous to administer the drench. It is desirable not to milk the cow out in the evening after she has recovered; in the speaker's experience when this has been done the cow has gone down for the second time and a long process of treatment had been necessary to get her up on her feet, if she did not die from complications in the meantime.

Should the response to the foregoing recommendations in the first onset of the disease be satisfactory, it may be advisable to administer a further dose of the calcium drench, together with a stimulant of 3 drams (3 teaspoonsful) of carbonate of ammonia and 2 drams of powdered nux vomica with molasses twice daily.

Grass Staggers

Grass staggers has been known for many years in this district; but a better knowledge of the disease and the preventative measures to be adopted during the prenatal period have minimised the deaths to a reasonable percentage as against previous years. The disease will occur in the earlier growing districts in middle July; but the serious onset usually occurs during the months of August and September, although the speaker intimated that he had experienced it during the autumn months.

The disease usually occurs from 10 days to eight weeks after calving, but cases have been known to occur several months after calving, and this feature of the disease is useful from a diagnostic point of view; though once a person has actually seen a case of grass staggers, there is no chance of confusing it with milk fever. Rather than elaborate on the scientific aspect in relation to cause, the speaker distributed Departmental pamphlets among the audience, and touched briefly on the preventative measures and treatment of the affected stock. Symptoms are stepping high, particularly front feet, with staggering gait, head held high, nervousness. At this stage if extreme care in the handling of the patient is not observed she may drop down suddenly and go into a fit which may last from a few minutes to a few hours. If the cow does not die in a convulsion she will get to her feet and remain in a stupid condition for a day or two before death occurs. One can readily realise that a cow in this condition cannot be successfully drenched, and it is desirable that drenching be not attempted.

Treatment. —Prevention is obviously preferential and this can be obtained to a more or less successful degree by adding Epsom salts to the drinking troughs daily at the rate of 1 to 2oz per cow. By spraying the succeeding day's cut of hay prior to cutting same from the stack. This procedure is recommended as it is much easier to saturate the hay in the cut than on the vehicle. A sufficient solution for this purpose is 1 quart to 1 gallon" molasses mixe,d in sufficient water for the area to be covered. Where no water troughs are provided the Epsom salts may be added to the molasses when sprinkled on the hay, at the rate suggested for the water troughs. In affected cases, providing it is considered safe to drench the cow, it is advisable to administer Jib of Epsom salts in lib of molasses as a drench, and follow this up with small doses of salts and molasses daily for a few days at the rate of soz Epsom salts per day. Do not excite the patient in any way.

The use of a ground rock (dolomite) which contains essential minerals, calcium 24 per cent, and magnesium 20 per cent, has been very encouraging in regard to results obtained on several farms. This mineral is used at the rate of 51bs per ton of ensilage when same is being harvested, and applied in a similar manner as salting the stack or pit. This method has provided evidence that feeding of stock within a few weeks of calving has minimised the incidence of both milk fever and grass staggers. A useful lick for stock where grass staggers might be expected is dolomite 501bs, common salt 501bs, mo,-

lasses 2 gallons; and it should be specifically used for this purpose.

Retention of Placenta

Commonly known as failure to cleanse, this condition, in a normally calved cow, is to a large extent nutritional, and by virtue of the great powers of resistance of .this animal, serious consequences are not so frequent as in other domestic animals. The speaker quoted where one veterinarian advised non-inter-ference for ten days when it would be ejected normally. If it is considered that it should be removed and can be, gentle tension is advisable, but the farmer should use his discretion according to the type of case he has to deal with. A useful harmless wash for this purpose is a saline solution of 1 tablespoonful of salt to 2 gallons of water, and syphon same from uterus, and repeat when considered desirable. At the same time give the patient the following drench: lib Epsom salts, loz ground ginger, 1 teaspoonful of saltpetre, lib molasses, this to be followed up with stimulating drenches if necessary.

Attention to the careful disposal of the placenta either by burning or burying is essential.

In passing the speaker commented on the retention of the placenta in the mare, which was quite a different matter to the cow. In the mare, he said, if the placenta was not ejected with 4 to 6 hours the attendant or owner should take steps to consult a veterinarian or some person skilled in this work at once, if complications are to be avoided.

Two Kinds of Bloat

A condition that had caused a good deal of concern was bloat, particularly on clover land. This form of bloat did not respond to the trocar as did turnip bloat. The gases are thoroughly mixed up in the ingesta in the stomach. With clover bloat prevention should be the aim and endeavour should be made to see thai the herd was supplied with a liberal quantity of good hay prior to admission to clover pasture in the spring.

Many remedies have been used and the speaker recommended 2 tablespoons of veg. turps in milk or 2 teaspoons of formalin in milk. Neither of the above could be used indiscriminately. Baking soda could be used to advantage.

Calves and Ailments.

Young calves are prone to digestive ailments if living conditions are not satisfactory or such incorrect feeding methods as feeding milk at different temperatures, or in unclean utensils, etc. It must be remembered that in the early life of the calf the food is conveyed direct from the mouth to the fourth stomach; and anything that is likely to upset the delicate mucous lining of the fourth stomach will ultimately bring on scours or other diseases associated with this condition. Therefore a keen study of this phase of animal husbandry is desirable.

In the event of this condition occurring in a herd of calves, the cause must be ascertained and removed} and the following treatment is recommended: Look to food supply, clean utensils, and abandon any milk substitutes; and feed warm, new milk with water added, in small quantities; feed often to avoid grazing.

The speaker went on to enumerate the different forms of scours and mentioned that medicinal treatment for any of them was of secondary importance. The main duty of the farmer was to find the cause as previously mentioned and this can generally be located in some irregularity in the method of feeding.

Red-water in calves almost invariably was the result of bad conditions; and it was often accompanied by the fact that although the calves looked to be in condition they failed to make progress. First symptoms were deep red urine and general listJessness followed by death. For treatment the calves should be removed to clean ground, and the following administered: salt 1 tablespoon, veg. turps 1 dessertspoon, baking soda 1 teaspoon, and i pint of milk. The calf should miss two feeds.