CARE OF THE DOWN COW
As farm vets we will sometimes get called out to attend a "down cow" but there is a subtle difference between treating a cow that has just gone down, and a cow that has been down for more than 24 hours who is suffering from "downer cow syndrome" or DCS.
There are three main reasons a cow will go down in the first place:
- TOXIC: E coli, severe metritis or peritonitis
- METABOLIC: milk fever, staggers or low phosphorous
- TRAUMA: calving injury, bulling injury or slips and falls
The initial cause for the cow going down needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency, but if she still doesn't get up the outlook starts to become gloomier. Once down for over 24 hours cows develop significant secondary health problems due to their weight - this "pressure induced ischaemic necrosis" means the blood and nerve supply becomes damaged in the large muscles of the hind legs and there is an ever-reducing ability to rise and recover.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MUSCLES OF A DOWN COW?
The muscles in the hind legs are squashed by the weight of the cow which reduces drainage of blood via the veins and tissue fluid via the lymphatics system whilst the heart keeps pumping blood into the area via the high pressured arteries. This means fluid is forced out from the blood vessels into the tissue and pressure builds up over time. The severity of this pressure build up depends on her anatomy, size, how long she's been down and the surface the she's lying on. Large, heavier cows on concrete obviously do much worse than smaller, lighter cows on deep straw or in a field.
The level of nursing care and attention has a massive influence on the outcome and success of treatment of a downer cow. Fluids, food, deep bedding, frequent turning and anti-inflammatories are absolutely essential.
Fluids & fresh food:
It goes without saying that down cows need fresh food and water within easy reach, 24 hours a day, and this needs to be protected from other cattle that could be sharing the space.
Bedding:
All down cows need moving ASAP to a well bedded, soft, clean pen to minimise the compression effect on their muscles. Deep bedded straw, 20cm deep sand or if the weather allows, a shady field are all ideal surfaces.
Frequent turning:
Some down cows will move themselves around the pen unaided and provide some physio to their back legs by doing so. If they cannot do this, it is essential these cows are physically moved side to side every 3-4 hours to allow the underneath hind leg to regain normal blood flow and relieve some internal pressure build up.
Anti-inflammatories:
Anti-inflammatories play an important role in reducing pain and inflammation and most of you will keep some, if not all of the options in the table below in your medicine cabinets. Make sure you and your team are happy with decision making when it comes to choosing an anti-inflammatory.
Using Hip Lifters:
A hip "hoist" can be a useful tool to lift a downer cow to prevent them from suffering from pressure related injury but the following criteria are a MUST:
- She MUST be free from injury (breaks, dislocations or joint damage)
- She must only be lifted over a soft surface (straw, deep sand or pasture)
- The hoist must be attached around her hips FIRMLY
- She should be lifted slowly, vertically until in a normal position - the idea is to help them to stand, not to lift her up in the air.
- If she will stand, leave her standing for 15-20mins with the hoist in place but with her taking ALL her weight.
- Don't remove the hoist when she's standing unless you are sure she is fully weight bearing and can't slip over onto concrete.
- If she's unable to stand with the hoist on, gently lower her to the bedding straight away.
PROGNOSIS:
The longer a down cow stays down, the less likely she is to stand and make a recovery as pressure builds up in the muscles - but if she is bright, alert, eating and moving herself around the pen then recovery is still possible.
ADVICE:
We are always happy to discuss these cases with you, so if you are worried about a down cow, her treatment options or how she's responding - pick up the phone and speak to us.
BBC Panorama:
Many of you will have seen or heard about the recent Panorama program - A Cow's Life: The True Cost of Milk.
At HFV we are very proud to be part of a community of farmers who love their cows, their livestock and their produce.
Some farms now have formal animal handling policies up on display as a visual reminder about the high standards we should all expect from anyone dealing with your livestock, your livelihood and your business.
Lameness Top Tip:
Mobility scoring can sometimes be thought of as a box ticking exercise - but don't forget you'll get the best chance of cure from picking up that foot as soon as she goes lame.
Get ahead of the flies in 2022
Spring is now on it’s way, and it is time to start thinking about fly control for the coming summer months.
All livestock farmers will be familiar with the established methods of controlling the impact of flies on their animals - pour-on treatments, fly sprays in the parlour and so on. But there is a natural alternative that can help to reduce total fly numbers without the need to depend so much on chemical insecticides.
BIOLOGICAL FLY CONTROL:
Biological fly control is used commonly in other countries and even in this country on pig and poultry units, but is relatively new to the cattle industry. This method makes use of natural parasites of nuisance flies to reduce the adult breeding population and therefore reduce the total numbers of flies present on a farm throughout the year.
Tiny parasitic wasps are released into fly breeding areas (muck heaps, deep-littered straw yards, calf pens) where they actively seek out and infect developing fly eggs. The fly parasite then kills the fly larvae, preventing it from hatching and going on to produce more offspring itself. A female fly can produce up to 1000 eggs in 10 days during the summer - spot-on fly treatments starting in May or June attempt to control this population once its growth is already huge. Stopping the breeding of the flies at source is a much more effective method of control.
The parasitic wasps that are used have evolved to only target nuisance flies (head, horn, stable etc) and will never target beneficial species such as Honey Bees so there is no need to worry about that. The species that are released do exist naturally in the UK but are not present in large enough numbers to have an impact on the large fly populations that exist around livestock units.
Starting to release the parasites right at the beginning of the fly breeding season (mid to late April depending on the weather) will allow them to have the maximum impact on the overall fly population, with regular top-ups throughout the season keeping on top of the problem. Putting the brakes on the nuisance fly population allows reduced use of insecticide products over time, and can also help to reduce antimicrobial usage by making disease such as summer mastitis less likely. The associated benefits to animal welfare should not be overlooked either.
Get in touch if you want any more information on how these parasitic wasps could fit into your fly strategy for 2022.
GET IN TOUCH:
Paula: 07764 747855 paula@haywoodfarmvets.com
Tom: 07837 291097 tom@haywoodfarmvets.com
Enquiries: mail@haywoodfarmvets.com
Website: haywoodfarmvets.com
Open hours: M-F 08:30 - 16:00
Out of Hours: 07398 743095