Veterinary Notes for the Farmer Discussions on First-Aid Measures

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 61, Issue 1, 15 July 1940, Page 45

Veterinary Notes for the Farmer Discussions on First-Aid Measures

Contributed by the Livestock Division

Treatment of Milk-fever in the Dairv Cow

WITH the approach of the calving season, it appears advisable to record a few notes on the fairly well recognised condition known under the name of milk-fever. This disease of the dairy cow is known under several other names; it is recognised as occurring in ewes, and has also been recorded in the sow. x In the first place, it is necessary for the dairy farmer to be able to recognise the disease and to make a correct diagnosis before attempting any line of treatment. The disease is jmost frequently seen in the high-producing' dairy cow in good condition at calving time. Young heifers are seldom, if ever, affected, and cows in poor condition do not commonly become affected. The disease is seen normally within the first few days after calving. It may be seen a day or. two before calving or actually at the time of calving, when parturition may be delayed through the disease supervening. Symptoms The symptoms take a /rather defined course. The affected cow is restless

and rather excited in the early stages, but these symptoms may not be observed if the cow is in the paddock. Gradually an unsteadiness in the hindquarters develops; the animal may knuckle over at the fetlock joints, and eventually goes down. After attempts to rise, the animal gradually lapses into unconsciousness or coma. The animal may be found in the paddock in this condition. The comatose condition is recognised by the sleepy appearance of the animal and the deep and rather shallow breathing. The reflex action of the eye is absent. The animal may be found with the head turned into the flank or lying flat on the side, when a certain degree of tympany is nearly always present. Treatment The treatment of the affected animal which can be most conveniently carried out by the farmer, consists mainly of udder inflation. The details in connection with udder inflation may be briefly outlined as follows. It is necessary to strip out each quarter of the udder to remove the milk present.

The teats should be washed and cleaned, and only a clean sterilised teat syphon used for introducing the air in the quarters. It is advisable to have the teat syphon boiled each time before use. Quite effective cheap outfits are available for pumping the air into the quarters, but in the absence of an outfit a teat syphon may be attached to the rubber tubing of an ordinary enema syringe. This is preferable to the use of the bicycle pump and valve so commonly seen. It is almost impossible to prevent the introduction of infection when a bicycle pump is used, and many cases of mastitis from suppurative abscesses to gangrene of the udder have been seen following the use of dirty instruments. Inflation Each quarter of the udder requires to be distended with air until a marked distension is apparent to the touch. A partial inflation due to a defective pump frequently results in failure to get the cow on to its. feet, or may be responsible for a relapse.

When each quarter has been distended it is common practice to tie a broad band of tape around each teat to prevent the escape of air. This will not injure the teat if the tying is undone at the end of three or four hours. By this time the majority of animals have almost completely recovered consciousness, and some may even be quite normal.

Removal From Danger

If the cow is found lying, in a . depression or near water or a fence it is advisable to remove the animal from any danger. The animal ’ should be propped up on its brisket by bales of hay or straw. It is advisable to cover the. animal and protect it from the weather.

No further treatment is immediately called for, and drenching should not be carried out at this stage. It is very questionable whether any drench will influence the course of recovery, as the basis of treatment is udder inflation. .The drenching of an animal in an unconscious condition will most probably result in the drench passing to the lungs, and, although the animal may recover from the milk fever syndrome,- it will die in a few days from pneumonia. Hundreds of such cases have been seen and reported.

After-treatment

The after-treatment consists of nursing and some attention to the udder. ' Very little milk will be available for a day or two after the udder inflation; nor is it advisable to strip out the udder unnecessarily. The animal may appear to be constipated, but this is more imaginary than real. It is due to a stasis of the bowels and digestive organs during the period the animal was unconscious. However, at this stage a small dose of salts and molasses may be given without any risk. The trouble is usually overcome by giving a laxative diet for a few days. If attention is paid to detail no losses from milk-fever should be experienced.

, If the animal is not affected with the typical type of the disease it is advisable to seek the advice and assistance of a veterinary surgeon.

The application of other methods of treatment for milk-fever, including the use of calcium gluconate injections, is better left in the hands of those more experienced in this line of treatment

Large Tumour on Face of Steer

THE accompanying photographs 1 show a three-year-old Hereford steer taken .from Burnside saleyards during December. The animal was

killed at the Dunedin abattoir and the tumour examined and dissected. No previous history of the case was available, but post-mortem examination disclosed a cancer-like tumour with its centre of origin just anterior to the eye, with the attachment spreading round below and above the bony edge of the eye socket. The main mass of the growth, which weighed about 141 b, hung down the right side of the face, and consisted of a large bulbous portion about the size of a football, attached by a thick stalk to the diffused centre of origin. The tension on the eyelids had led to almost complete closure of the eye, which was viewed as only a narrow slit behind the attachment of the growth. The i skin was continuous

over the whole growth except for a point on the lateral surface where an accidental wound had occurred. On dissecting the tumour from its origin it was found to be firmly attached to the membrane which lines the bones of the face, and appeared to arise from this membrane and from tissue immediately adjacent. Section of the tumour tissue disclosed areas of varying consistency from that of muscular tissue to almost that of tendon; the tissue was very vascular, and numerous blood-filled spaces were scattered throughout. A representative section was taken and forwarded to the laboratory, where histological examination returned a diagnosis of fibroma. A fibroma is a tumourous growth of tissue known as white fibrous tissue, which is one of the connective or “binding” tissues of the body. It is a benign growth; that is, it does.not tend to invade or spread to other parts of the body like the malignant cancerous growths, but exerts ill-effects only by virtue of its size or by pressure on other vital structures. A. TAYLOR, Veterinarian, Dunedin.

Answers to Correspondents Cows Eating Pine Needles and Mushrooms “TOILER” (WHANGAREI):— As a reader of your “Journal of Agriculture,” I must say at times I get quite a bit of useful information therefrom. My main object in writing is to find out if dry, pine needles hurt cows. We

brought seven cows last May. They had been used to shelter, and when put in a certain paddock would make straight for a patch of pines and eat the dead leaves or needles. Also a brown mushroom that grows only near pine trees. As far as we could see, these do them no harm, but what is your opinion? Perhaps it is some mineral deficiency in the soil, or perhaps it is the turpentine taste that they like.

LIVESTOCK DIVISION:—

The fact of cows eating pine needles and mushrooms may indicate an insufficiency of feed, a mineral deficiency in the feed, or both.

Pine needles are not harmful unless consumed in large quantities, when digestive disturbances may result. The brown ! mushroom described (Boletus Luteus) is not only harmless, but is used as human food in some countries.

A good general lick for cattle may be made up as follows: —Bone-meal or char, 50 parts; salt, 50 parts; limonite, 10-20 parts.

Sores on Pigs

A.E.M. (MORRINSVILLE) —

For some years past in the summer our young pigs have been affected with swellings and sores on the legs and around their jaws. Some of them have had to be destroyed, and though' some have recovered, the scar has remained, ’ and this spoils their value. The pigs seem to be healthy enough apart from the sores, which are like abscesses, and eat right into the flesh.

I should be very much obliged if you could tell me what to do for this condition, and, better still, how to prevent it. The sows and young pigs eat plenty of grass. Those being finished are in pens of about one-fifth of an acre, with green grass except round the trough. They are just fed on milk at present.

LIVESTOCK DIVISION:—

These sores or ulcers may be found on any part of the pig’s body,, and are known as necrotic or spirochaetal ulcers. The infection must be present in your pig sections, and any wound on a pig is liable to become infected.

■ Common sites for the -sores in young pigs are the head, the nose (if rings have been put in), or the jaws, where the original injury may be due to the fighting and biting habits of young pigs on the mother or at the feeding trough. Injuries from barbed wire may cause a wound which later becomes infected

with the organisms responsible for the disease. The foot may be infected following injury, and another common

site for the formation of the sores is the wound following the castration of young pigs.

The treatment of the sores consists of scrubbing the sores with a stiff brush to remove the outer thick crust or scab. The sore then requires to be dusted lightly with powdered antimony tartrate.- This preparation is poisonous, and naturally great care has to be exercised in its use so that none of the powder either gets into the animal’s mouth or into its feed trough. Pigs with sores about the mouth are not amenable to treatment, because of the danger of poisoning. The powder, however, is very effective in preventing the spread of a sore and in bringing about complete healing of the ulcer. The question of prevention of the disease covers an aspect which will mainly be decided by yourself. In the first place, the organisms responsible for the disease are present in your pig sections, probably in the area surrounding the troughs. As a wound is necessary for the organism to gain entrance, all causes of wounds should be eliminated as far as possible. This

should cover the young pigs by the removal of the sharp, biting teeth. All barbed wire cuts or other wounds should be dressed with tar. If the pig sections have been used ' by pigs for some time it may be necessary to consider a completely new site. If the NH—nn——nw——bh—ww—ww—•nn—-

pig houses are movable, this may be relatively easy. On the other hand, with permanent houses, it is advisable to disinfect the houses and pig troughs thoroughly, and to change the site of the latter to a clean area of the section, applying a good dressing of lime in the immediate vicinity of the

troughs. A better method would be the ploughing up of each section as it becomes vacant, liming it and growing a crop of peas or other feed and sowing down again in grass. x All efforts require to be directed to killing out the infection in the pig sections. Of prime importance in this respect is the isolation and early treatment of any pig found to be infected. After the treatment of the infected animals, whichever method of prevention outlined above is considered to be the most practical should be adopted to deal with the pig sections, houses, troughs, and feeding places.

/Advisory Service on Veterinary Matters. Farmers are invited to submit inquiries connected with the health of their stock, and the replies will be published under this heading. . nfl!T fflM -HU 11 " "" HH——-HU. —Mlf— Mil——TlM——nil—