The 4 Most Common Fresh Dairy Cow Issues
I see people every week asking what they need to know before their dairy cow gives birth. In my opinion, they should know how to diagnose, prevent, and treat milk fever, ketosis, mastitis, and edema. This is not to say you won’t face other issues, or that you shouldn’t have a close relationship with your vet (which you should), but I personally believe this to be a good basic starting point.
I'm not a vet and did not go to medical school, so I can’t diagnose or prescribe treatment for your animals. I'm simply going to explain each disease as I know it and what my personal route of prevention, testing, and treatment is. I will also link to medical sites for you to do further reading, so you can decide what is right for you and your farm.
Milk Fever (hypocalcaemia)
Milk fever is caused by low blood calcium levels at or around calving. It typically happens within 24 hours of giving birth but it can occur up to 3 days after.
Cows nervous system and muscle cells need calcium to properly function. When lactation starts calcium is pulled from their feed and bones, but if the need exceeds what is available they start pulling it from their muscles. When that happens “they go down” which results in a sudden paralysis and they are unable to move or function properly.
Milk fever is most commonly seen in high production cows over the age of three, and Jersey’s have been reported to be at the greatest risk. It is important to know when your cow is at the greatest risk, but I have seen it in multiple different breed at all ages even first freshening so please only use those statistics as a general guideline.
There is also something called subclinical milk fever, which results in none of the normal signs. It typically causes a decrease in production and makes them at a higher risk of developing other issues such as retained placenta, displaced abomasums, or mastitis. It is harder to diagnose without a lab test and/or a lot of experience identifying it.
Prevention
There is a lot of debate on how to treat milk fever so here is a list I complied on different methods of prevention.
Limiting calcium prior to delivery. I transition my cow onto an all grass hay, and remove all alfalfa and grain from their diet 60 day prior to their due date. Based on my reading the target should be less than 100 g of calcium and 45 g of phosphorus.
Many people have also had success with adding anionic salts to their cows diet prior to labor.
Another method is to limit potassium prior to delivery.
You can also give the cow a calcium supplement at calving, which I do for my older and high producing girls. For this we use a calcium bolbus (Bovikalc) per labeled direction.
Diagnose
Early signs your cow may have milk fever -
Cold ears
Twitching muscles or tremors
Restlessness
Advanced signs your cow may have milk fever -
Unable to stand
Laying down with an extended neck or curved back towards flank
Dilated pupils
Loss of consciousness
Tests -
Blood tests can be sent to a lab to determine calcium levels
Treatment
You can absolutely over do calcium, so I would only pick one method and then consult with a vet before further dosing. These are the methods for low line cases caught early or as a preventive.
Use 2 Calcium Bolbus (such as Bovikalc), the first on at delivery and a second 12 hours later.
Calcium tubes such as such as CMPK, CAL-MAG-GO, or Calcium Gel per labeled instructions. These are usually avalible at your local feed stores, but I personally perfer the bolbuses because the tubes have been known to burn the cows throat going down.
Calcium given as a sq injection, this is my last resort option.
If your cow goes down with milk fever it needs a more advance treatment administered immediately. Please call your vet to give an IV of calcium. Calcium given too quickly can cause a heart attack, so I believe it is best left up to professionals. I do however keep an IV kit with calcium on hand in case my vet is unable to make it in time and it is a life or death situation.
Further Reading
Ketosis (Acetonaemia)
Ketosis happens when the demand for milk is higher than what the cow is able to consume and they are put into a negative balance. Energy is then pulled from stored fat making the cow rapidly lose weight and cause the cow to have to metabolize it faster than their liver can handle. Ketosis typically happens at peak production which is around 4-6 weeks after delivery. Cows with high BCS (body conditioning score) over 3.75 are at a greater risk of developing Ketosis. Cows can have subclinical ketosis with none of the normal warning signs. Most cases of displaced abomasum are associated with ketosis, because empty stomachs are at a greater risk of twisting.
Prevention
This is going to sound easier that it actually is… You need to make sure the cow is consuming enough energy to keep up with their production. Make sure to carefully monitor body condition and if you start to see the slightest decrease in condition immediate change your feeding program. If you want to learn more about body conditioning scoring this video is really helpful.
Diagnose
Signs of ketosis -
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Acetone smell on breath
Dull coat
Advanced cases include paralysis
Tests -
Ketone urine strips (the human strips work on cattle also)
Blood BHB meter
Treatment
For most cases caught early enough a simple drench of propylene glycol for 3-5 days is enough. I have also had success with giving vitamin b complex injections or gel with the propylene glycol to help stimulate the cows appetite.
If it gets more advanced and your cow goes down with ketosis it might need the more advanced treatment of a dextrose IV. I would call your vet to administer the IV. I keep an IV kit and dextrose on hand just in case but I hope to never have to use it. The IV should give the cow an immediate but temporary relief, but relapses are common.
Further Reading
Mastitis
Mastitis is when contamination enters the teat canal causing an infection. There are many different strains, but for the sake of brevity I am simply going to point you to the links below for a more in-depth explanation of strain types.
Prevention
The two most common ways a cow gets mastitis is through exposure during milking or environmentally. It is of the up most importance that all of your milking equipment always be clean. Inflations on milking machines are one frequent point of exposure. Your hands should be sanitized or sterile gloves should be worn. It is recconmended to do both a pre and post dip when milking. I use Fight Bac spray, but Iodine can also be used. Make sure if using iodine that the teat cups do not become a contamination point. Things like stall bedding straw, ponds, and pastures should all be kept free of contamination to reduce the risk of exposure.
Prevention going into and during the dry period is extra important since that is when most new infections due to environmental factors happen. In this article I am mostly focusing on fresh cow issues so I am not going to go into dry cow treatments and prevention, but if your just starting to dry your cow off I have included links below for you to review.
Diagnose
Signs of mastitis -
Swelling, redness, and heat in the udder
Hard masses felt in the udder
Abnormal kicking or signs of pain from the cow while milking
Salty tasting milk
Flakes, clots, or pus in the milk
Can be subclinical showing no sign which is why frequent routine testing is so important
Tests -
Routine testing should be done with a CMT (California Mastitis Test)
Milk samples can also be sent off to a lab to determine the exact strain and proper course of treatment
Treatment
Even if my cow doesn’t test positive but if I suspect ANYTHING is off I start rubbing her down with Dynamint. It can’t hurt. Warm compresses before milking and rubbing the udder to break up the infection also helps. Milking more frequently to try to get everything out is also helpful.
Advanced cases, and certain strains need to be treated with antibiotics. In California (where I live) all antibiotic treatment must be done through a licensed veterinarian. If you test positive with the at home kit, I would suggest sending off for the more in-depth lab test, and then consulting with your veterinarian on the best course of treatment based on which strain you treat positive for. If your organic and can’t use antibiotic treatment check out synergy’s products. I haven’t used them myself, but I have heard nothing but good things about their line.
Further Reading
Edema
Edema is excessive accumulated fluids and swelling in the udders. It’s very common in dairy cows especially in first freshener and high producers. The main risk is that the swelling will risk the udders attachment or interfere with your ability to milk.
Prevention
There isn’t a whole lot of information on how to prevent edema. Some studies suggest reducing salt intake during the dry period by only offering it in block form. The goal is less that 30g per day. Also reducing potassium during the dry period is said to help, less than 250g per day. There is also mention of pre-milking before labor but this causes an increased risk of milk fever so I personally wouldn’t do it except as a last resort.
Diagnose
Signs of edema -
Swelling, and redness in the udder.
If you press your fingertip into the udder and the imprint says she most likely has edema.
Treatment
I start rubbing their udders with dynamint right away, the cooling peppermint really seems to help them. Massaging and using hot compresses also helps to promote circulation. In more sever cases your vet can prescribe you a diuretics and/or corticosteroids to reduce the swelling.