How to prevent and treat milk fever

Dear Dr Othieno,

At the beginning of the year, I bought an exotic dairy in-calf cross for my mother who lives upcountry. It delivered a healthy calf last month but died moments after the delivery. What could have caused the death?

Peter Lurambi.

Thank you Peter. It is always difficult to to give a diagnosis based on oral information without the benefit of observation and examination of the patient. But because this is advice, I will try to postulate.The cow probably succumbed to milk fever from the description that you have given.

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Milk fever is a disease common with high producing dairy animals and occurs around parturition. It is an acute dramatic disease. I have heard your mother’s script and it resonates with many other farmers who have narrated to me their encounter with milk fever. 

What is milk fever?

Milk fever occurs in cattle, sheep and goats. It is most common in high producing or dairy cross cows and in milking goats. It is a dietary disease that results from low blood calcium. Just before or after birth; during this period a lot of calcium goes into the formation of colostrum and milk not to mention the amount that has already gone into bone formation. Calcium is needed for proper functioning of muscles and beating of theheart.

Three stages of milk fever

Stage One: This stage often goes unnoticed because of its short duration – yet it is an important stage that can assist the farmer make a live saving decision of calling in a vet to assist. It lasts for less than one hour. The animal looks excited, refuses to eat, twitching of foreleg and weight shifting or shuffling of the rear feet. The animal will shake its head and continually flap its ears. The cow will become restless and will continuously bellow. If not treated timely and appropriately the disease advances to stage two.

Stage Two: This stage can last from one to 12 hours. During this stage the cow appears dull and restless, falls down and is unable to stand, the muzzle dries and body temperature goes down. The heart beat goes down and extremities become cold. Due to reduced muscle activity, bloat arises and the cow exhibits walking incordinations. The muscle inactivity affects defecation and urination; the cow is unable to urinate or defecate. At this stage the head is extended and may have an S-Shaped curvature.

Stage Three: At this stage the cow loses consciousness, it doesn’t respond to touch and can suffer severe bloat. If not treated the cow in this stage will die after an hour or two.

Treatment

A timely intravenous injection of calcium gluconate magically treats milk fever within minutes and a cow that was recumbent and not eating suddenly stands and starts eating like nothing happened. Nonetheless this treatment should strictly be done by a veterinary doctor since calcium gluconate can harm the heart when a wrong dosage is given. To avoid this, the solution is normally administered slowly while the heart rate is measured. In mild cases, the calcium solution can be administered orally. Heavy producers may need an extra treatment to ensure slow release of calcium into the blood system.

Prevention  

Milk fever can be prevented by feeding pregnant animals diets low in calcium during the dry period. This stimulates the body to respond by mobilising calcium stored in the bones and adequately preparing the body to quickly mobilise calcium in future when required. Maize stovers and alfafa can be used as a major portion of the dry cow’s diet.

Delayed milking after birth or incomplete milking can reduce the demand for calcium and avert grave decrease in calcium levels. This practice may however predispose to mastitis.

The best prevention is treatment of susceptible cows through oral or subcutaneous administration of calcium before and after calving.

Farmers should avoid over-fat cows when buying in-calf cows. If there are records, a buyer should be keen on any such cases in the lineage or on the farm where the animal is being sourced from.

How do you tell your cow is susceptible to milk fever?

· High producing dairy cows

· History of milk fever on your farm – your diets are a predisposing factor

· If the mother had a history of milk fever

· Low calcium intake after calving or high calcium diets before calving

· Low intake of roughage

· Fat cows

· In cows, more than five years old

(Dr Othieno was the winner of Vet of the Year Award (VOYA) 2016 and works with the Kenya Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council –KENTTEC, [email protected])     

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