ANIMAL MANAGEMENT
Get them up and keep them up Milk fever is a sudden fall in the amount of calcium available in the blood. It commonly occurs within a few hours of calving due to the demands of milk production. It can occur on its own, or in conjunction with grass staggers and ketosis. Cows become more susceptible as they age and have a reduced capacity for mobilising calcium from their bones. Because of calcium’s role in muscle function, tell-tale signs of milk fever include trembling, weak, staggery movements and inability to stand (down cow). Digestive, respiratory, circulatory and milk-producing processes are also affected by low calcium. Milk fever can severely reduce milk production and may be life-threatening if not treated quickly. A quick return to milking is the aim when treating cows that go down with milk fever, or milk fever
Get them up Administer injectable calcium or calcium combination metabolic solutions for rapid replacement. • Intravenous (into the vein) acts quickly and gets the cow up and walking again, often within several minutes. • Subcutaneous (under the skin) takes
regained enough muscle control to swallow normally, orally administered calcium provides a continued level of support (a product such as Bayer’s Oral-Cal or Oral-Max are suitable for this). Studies have shown using oral calcium in this way can prevent relapse by up to 60 percent1. Bayer metabolic solutions provide the right balance of minerals and energy to bring cows back to health and back to production.
complicated by grass staggers or
comparatively longer to absorb,
ketosis. Initial treatment is typically
giving the cow a more sustained
fast and immediately effective –
release over the next few hours.
however the chance of relapse
Using a bag into the vein, plus one under
remains a risk, extending recovery
the skin as your first line of treatment
time, increasing labour and reducing
will provide rapid and slower release
milk in the vat. Relapse affects at
replacement. Bayer’s C.B.G 37.5,
least 30-35 percent of cows offered
Glucalmag, Glucalmax and Glucalphos
only first-line treatment1. We can’t
are suitable for this type of treatment.
always prevent a cow going down
Keep them up
but with the right treatment plan, the
Once the cow is up and walking
C.B.G. 37.5, Glucalmag, Glucalmax, Glucalphos, Oral-Cal and Oral-Max are registered under the ACVM Act 1997.
risk of relapse can be minimised.
following initial treatment and has
Article supplied by Bayer.
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Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited | © July 2018. All rights reserved.
For further information on treating metabolic conditions, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store. 1. Thilsing-Hansen, T., Jorgensen, R. J., Ostergaard, S. Milk fever control principles: A review. Acta vet. scand. 2002, 43, 1-19.
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