Content
Postpartum paresis in cows has long been the scourge of cattle breeding. Although today the situation has not improved much. Fewer animals are dying thanks to new treatment methods. But the number of cases of the disease has remained almost unchanged, since the etiology of postpartum paresis has not yet been properly studied.
What kind of disease is “postpartum paresis” in cattle?
The disease has a lot of other names, scientific and not so. Postpartum paresis can be called:
- milk fever;
- maternity paresis;
- postpartum hypocalcemia;
- maternity coma;
- hypocalcemic fever;
- coma of dairy cows;
- maternity apoplexy.
Folk art went too far with coma, and postpartum paresis was called apoplexy due to the similarity of symptoms.In those days when it was not possible to make an accurate diagnosis.
According to modern concepts, this is a neuroparalytic disease. Postpartum paresis affects not only the muscles, but also the internal organs. Postpartum hypocalcemia begins with general depression, later turning into paralysis.
Typically, paresis in a cow develops after calving during the first 2-3 days, but options are possible. Atypical cases: development of postpartum paralysis during calving or 1-3 weeks before it.
Etiology of maternity paresis in cattle
Due to the wide variety of case histories of postpartum paresis in cows, the etiology has still remained unclear. Veterinary researchers are trying to link the clinical signs of milk fever with possible causes of the disease. But they do it poorly, since the theories do not want to be confirmed either by practice or experiments.
The etiological prerequisites for postpartum paresis include:
- hypoglycemia;
- increase in insulin in the blood;
- violation of carbohydrate and protein balances;
- hypocalcemia;
- hypophosphoremia;
- hypomagnesemia.
The cause of the last three is considered to be stress during calving. A whole chain has been built from insulin release and hypoglycemia. Perhaps, indeed, in some cases, the trigger for postpartum paresis is precisely the increased work of the pancreas. The experiment showed that when administered to healthy cows 850 units. insulin in animals develops a typical picture of postpartum paresis. After administering 40 ml of a 20% glucose solution to the same individuals, all symptoms of milk fever quickly disappear.
Second version: increased release of calcium at the beginning of milk production.A dry cow requires 30-35 g of calcium per day to maintain its vital functions. After calving, colostrum may contain up to 2 g of this substance. That is, when producing 10 liters of colostrum, 20 g of calcium will be removed from the cow’s body every day. As a result, a deficiency arises that will be replenished within 2 days. But these 2 days still need to be lived. And it is during this period that postpartum paresis is most likely to develop.
High-yielding cattle are most susceptible to postpartum hypocalcemia
Third version: inhibition of the parathyroid glands due to general and generic nervous excitement. Because of this, an imbalance develops in protein and carbohydrate metabolism, as well as a lack of phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. Moreover, the latter may also be due to the lack of necessary elements in the feed.
Fourth option: the development of postpartum paresis due to overstrain of the nervous system. This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that the disease is successfully treated using the Schmidt method, blowing air into the udder. The cow's body does not receive any nutrients during treatment, but the animal recovers.
Causes of postpartum paresis
Although the mechanism that triggers the development of the disease has not been established, the external causes are known:
- high milk productivity;
- concentrated type of nutrition;
- obesity;
- lack of exercise.
Cows are most susceptible to postpartum paresis at the peak of productivity, that is, at the age of 5-8 years. First-calf heifers and low-productive animals rarely get sick. But they also have cases of the disease.
Symptoms of paresis in cows after calving
Postpartum paralysis can occur in 2 forms: typical and atypical. The second is often not even noticed; it looks like a slight malaise, which is attributed to the animal’s fatigue after calving. With an atypical form of paresis, unsteady gait, muscle tremors and gastrointestinal disturbances are observed.
The word “typical” speaks for itself. The cow shows all the clinical signs of puerperal paralysis:
- oppression, sometimes on the contrary: excitement;
- refusal of food;
- trembling of individual muscle groups;
- decrease in general body temperature to 37 °C or less;
- local temperature of the upper part of the head, including the ears, is lower than the general temperature;
- the neck is bent to the side, sometimes an S-shaped bend is possible;
- the cow cannot stand up and lies on her chest with her legs bent;
- eyes wide open, unblinking, pupils dilated;
- the paralyzed tongue hangs out of the open mouth.
Since, due to postpartum paresis, the cow cannot chew and swallow food, concomitant diseases develop:
- tympany;
- bloating;
- flatulence;
- constipation.
If the cow is unable to heat up, manure accumulates in the colon and rectum. The liquid from it is gradually absorbed into the body through the mucous membranes and the manure hardens/dries out.
Does paresis occur in first-calf heifers?
Postpartum paresis can also develop in first-calf heifers. They rarely show clinical signs, but 25% of animals have below normal blood calcium levels.
In first-calf heifers, milk fever usually manifests itself in postpartum complications and displacement of internal organs:
- inflammation of the uterus;
- mastitis;
- retention of placenta;
- ketosis;
- displacement of the abomasum.
Treatment is carried out in the same way as for adult cows, but it is much more difficult to restrain the first heifer, since she usually does not have paralysis.
Although first-calf heifers have a lower risk of postpartum paralysis, this probability cannot be discounted
Treatment of paresis in a cow after calving
The development of paresis after calving in a cow occurs quickly, and treatment should begin as quickly as possible. The two most effective methods are intravenous injections of calcium and the Schmidt method, in which air is blown into the udder. The second method is the most common, but you need to know how to use it. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages.
How to treat maternity paresis in a cow using the Schmidt method
The most popular treatment method for postpartum paresis today. It does not require on-farm storage of calcium supplements or intravenous injection skills. Helps a significant number of sick queens. The latter shows well that a lack of glucose and calcium in the blood may not be the most common cause of paresis.
To treat postpartum paralysis using the Schmidt method, an Evers apparatus is required. It looks like a rubber hose with a milk catheter at one end and a pressure bulb at the other. The tube and bulb can be taken from an old tonometer. Another option for “building” the Evers apparatus in the field is a bicycle pump and a mammary catheter. Since there is no time to lose during postpartum paresis, the original Evers device was improved by Zh. A. Sarsenov. The modernized device has 4 tubes with catheters extending from the main hose. This allows you to pump 4 udder lobes at once.
Mode of application
Several people will be needed to give the cow the desired dorsal-lateral position. The average weight of the animal is 500 kg. The milk is milked and the tops of the nipples are disinfected with alcohol. Catheters are carefully inserted into the channels and air is slowly pumped in. It must affect the receptors. When air is introduced quickly, the impact is not as intense as when air is introduced slowly.
The dosage is determined empirically: the folds on the skin of the udder should straighten out, and a tympanic sound should appear when tapping the mammary gland with your fingers.
After blowing air, the tops of the nipples are lightly massaged so that the sphincter contracts and does not allow air to pass through. If the muscle is weakened, the nipples are bandaged with a bandage or soft cloth for 2 hours.
You can’t keep your nipples bandaged for more than 2 hours, they may die
Sometimes the animal gets up 15-20 minutes after the procedure, but more often the recovery process drags on for several hours. Before and after rising to its feet, the cow can experience muscle tremors. Recovery can be considered the complete disappearance of signs of postpartum paresis. The recovered cow begins to eat and move calmly.
Disadvantages of the Schmidt method
The method has quite a few disadvantages, and it cannot always be used. If not enough air was pumped into the udder, there will be no effect. When there is an excess or too rapid pumping of air into the udder, subcutaneous emphysema occurs. Over time, they disappear, but damage to the mammary gland parenchyma reduces the cow's productivity.
Most often, a single blow of air is sufficient. But if there is no improvement after 6-8 hours, the procedure is repeated.
Treatment of postpartum paresis using the Evers apparatus is the simplest and least expensive for a private owner
Treatment of postpartum paresis in a cow with intravenous injections
Used when there is no alternative in severe cases. Intravenous infusion of calcium instantly increases the concentration of the substance in the blood several times. The effect lasts 4-6 hours. For immobilized cows, this therapy saves their lives.
But intravenous injections cannot be used to prevent postpartum paresis. If the cow does not show clinical signs of the disease, a short-term change from calcium deficiency to calcium excess interrupts the functioning of the regulatory mechanism in the animal’s body.
After the effect of artificially administered calcium stops, its level in the blood will decrease significantly. Experiments showed that over the next 48 hours the level of the element in the blood of “calcified” cows was much lower than that of those who did not receive an injection of the drug.
Intravenous calcium infusion requires a drip
Subcutaneous calcium injection
In this case, the drug is absorbed into the blood more slowly, and its concentration is lower than with intravenous infusion. Due to this, subcutaneous injection has less impact on the functioning of the regulatory mechanism. But this method is also not used to prevent maternity paresis in cows, since it nevertheless affects the balance of calcium in the body. Albeit to a lesser extent.
Subcutaneous injections are recommended for the treatment of cows that have previously had paralysis or uteruses with mild clinical signs of postpartum paresis.
Prevention of paresis in cows before calving
Prevention of postpartum paralysis can be done in several ways. But it must be taken into account that, although some measures reduce the risk of paresis, they increase the likelihood of developing subclinical hypocalcemia. One of these risky methods is deliberately limiting the amount of calcium during the dry period.
Calcium deficiency in dead wood
The method is based on the fact that even before calving, a lack of calcium in the blood is artificially created. The expectation is that the cow’s body will begin to extract metal from the bones and by the time of calving will respond more quickly to the increased need for calcium.
To create a deficiency, the uterus should receive no more than 30 g of calcium per day. And this is where the problem arises. This figure means that the substance should be no more than 3 g per 1 kg of dry matter. This figure cannot be achieved with a standard diet. Feeds containing 5-6 g of metal per 1 kg of dry matter are already considered “calcium poor”. But even this amount is too much to trigger the desired hormonal process.
To overcome the problem, in recent years, special supplements have been developed that bind calcium and prevent it from being absorbed. Examples of such additives are the silicate mineral zeolite A and ordinary rice bran. If the mineral has an unpleasant taste and animals may refuse to eat the food, then bran does not affect the taste. You can add them up to 3 kg per day. By binding calcium, bran is at the same time protected from breakdown in the rumen. As a result, they “pass right through the gastrointestinal tract.”
Calcium is excreted from the body of cattle along with rice bran
Application of "acid salts"
The development of postpartum paralysis can be influenced by the high content of potassium and calcium in feed. These elements create an alkaline environment in the animal’s body, making it difficult to release calcium from the bones. Feeding a specially developed mixture of anionic salts “acidifies” the body and facilitates the release of calcium from the bones.
The mixture is given for the last three weeks along with vitamin and mineral premixes. As a result of the use of “acid salts”, the calcium content in the blood with the onset of lactation does not decrease as quickly as without them. Accordingly, the risk of developing postpartum paralysis decreases.
The main disadvantage of the mixture is its disgusting taste. Animals may refuse to eat feed containing anionic salts. It is necessary not only to mix the additive evenly with the main feed, but also to try to reduce the potassium content in the main diet. Ideally to a minimum.
Vitamin D injections
This method can both help and harm. Vitamin injection reduces the risk of developing postpartum paralysis, but can provoke subclinical hypocalcemia. If it is possible to do without a vitamin injection, it is better not to do it.
But if there is no other choice, we must take into account that vitamin D is injected only 10-3 days before the planned calving date. Only during this period can the injection have a positive effect on calcium concentrations in the blood. The vitamin enhances the absorption of the metal from the intestines, although there is no increased need for calcium during the injection.
But due to the artificial introduction of vitamin D, the body’s production of its own cholecalciferol slows down.As a result, the normal calcium regulation mechanism fails for several weeks, and the risk of developing subclinical hypocalcemia increases 2-6 weeks after vitamin D injection.
Conclusion
Postpartum paresis can affect almost any cow. A nutritious diet reduces the risk of disease, but does not eliminate it. At the same time, there is no need to be zealous with prevention before calving, since here you will have to balance on the line between milk fever and hypocalcemia.
