One-cow Family Meets the One-family Cow
(Page 13 of 14)
May/June 1972
By Hank Rate
A cow with a history of milk fever is a likely repeater. Watch such an animal carefully at each calving.
RELATED CONTENT
KETOSIS, or false milk fever, has identical symptoms and—fortunately—is treated the same way. The ailment results from a lack of sugars and usually occurs during the first week or two of lactation. The electrolyte solution replaces the missing sugars and supplemental sugar—such as Karo syrup—should be mixed with the cow's grain for several weeks thereafter. Diagnosis is obviously important, so get professional help as soon as possible after you get, the cow back on her feet.
MASTITIS —signaled by bloody, clotted or ropy milk—is a nagging problem for dairymen everywhere. The best advice is to avoid it. Try to get a "clean" cow with a well-attached—not pendulous—bag and take good care of her udder (don't, for instance, let her fight with another cow). If your animal has a history of mastitis, a veterinarian can give you a treatment to infuse into each teat at the time you turn the old girl dry. The medication will ward off many potential problems when the cow again freshens.
Your one-animal dairy should never be bothered by SERIOUS INFECTIONS or RESPIRATORY DISEASES. . . but if she is and a vet can't get to her, a dose of sulfa boluses or an injection of antibiotics might be called for. If you take either measure, read all appropriate labels carefully. Milk generally must be discarded for a specified period of time after the use of antibiotics.
If your cow has a REACTION to any of the medicines mentioned above, Epinephrine has an indefinite shelf life and is prescribed as an antidote for most allergenic reactions. It's inexpensive and good insurance.
Two more diseases, rarely encountered in family cows but hazardous because they can be transmitted to humans, are BRUCELLOSIS (UNDULANT FEVER) and TUBERCULOSIS Replacement heifers should be vaccinated for brucellosis between the ages of two and eight months. They are commonly tattooed in the right ear when this is done, although the tattoo may become illegible. Find out whether the cow you buy has received this vaccination (if the tattoo is gone, the owner showed still have a certificate from the vet). Inexpensive tests f: both brucellosis and tuberculosis should be performed by . vet annually and results read differently for vaccinated and non-vaccinated animals.
I know this sounds like a menacing array of hazards but the chances are that you'll seldom—if ever—encounter any of the problems with a single, well-adjusted family cow. It's just be that you be prepared beforehand for what might happen.
TO SPRAY OR NOT TO SPRAY
Although insecticides have been "standard equipment" dairies for years, our notions about acceptable products in this field are now changing quite rapidly. Still, every cowman knows that insects can cut a wide swath into production during c-. tain seasons in fly country. So, rather than spray Ole Yeller indiscriminately twice daily, I now sprinkle ticide down her backline every couple of weeks.
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