Milk fever in dairy cattle
- Lionel's Vet
- May 15, 2023
- 1 min read
Also known as Hypocalcemia, milk fever is one of the more costly metabolic diseases that dairy farmers deal with. It's caused by insufficient calcium that usually occurs around calving. We will cover good transition cow management, nutrition, proactive supplement strategies to reduce milk fever, and the treatment options for your herd.
PREVENTION THROUGH MANAGEMENT AND NUTRITION
Silage
Start by getting a silage analysis with a full mineral profile which will be fed to the dry cows. A well-formulated transition period ration can help maintain blood calcium levels after freshening. The control of calcium, potassium and phosphorous is important in the prevention of milk fever. Dry cows need enough protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals in their diets.
Low Calcium
By maintaining a low blood calcium level 2-3 weeks before calving. If the dry cow receives more calcium than is needed via diet, the parathyroid that is responsible for calcium mobilization goes into a dormant stage. Then when the body calls for high calcium levels at freshening, the parathyroid struggles to snap out of this latent stage to meet demand.
DCAD (Dietary Cation-Anion Difference)
The DCAD strategy can be applied in regions where the low calcium strategy isn’t effective. Negative Dietary Cation-Anion Difference (DCAD) is being used in the formulation of close-up dry cow rations to help reduce the incidence of subclinical hypocalcaemia in fresh and early lactation cows. Calcium resorption from the bones is stimulated with a negative DCAD ration (acidic diet). Anionic salts come with warnings such as needing to be rationed daily, and regular pH-testing of the urine as well as anionic salts are not palatable and are best fed to dry cows as part of a total mixed ration (TMR). Ammonium and calcium chloride are the least palatable anionic salts whereas magnesium sulphate is the most palatable.
Dietary management
Dry cows should receive sufficient magnesium for cows in late pregnancy since numerous studies show that hypomagnesemia is highly related to milk fever. Cows should be supplemented with magnesium pre- and post-calving.
Vitamin D supplementation
Vitamin D is known for preventing milk fever. Vitamin D is important in cattle for regulating calcium status to help prevent milk fever and bone health. A sensible approach to prevent hypocalcemia is to supplement dry cattle with 20–30 000 IU vitamin D/day in the diet.
Body condition score
The body condition score (BCS) of the cows is important. Dairy cows with a higher body condition score at calving have a higher calcium output. Prevent over-conditioning cows by limiting their energy intake during the dry period and ensure the cows get sufficient and proper exercise. Over-conditioned cows are more prone to have metabolic disorders, such as fatty liver and ketosis as well as infections, and may experience difficulties during and after calving.
Cow comfort and stress
Optimizing cow comfort and cleanliness for dry cows by providing a clean and dry resting place while providing adequate space for the cow. Providing adequate feed space and minimizing competition at the feed bunk. Housing should be clean including the feed bunks and water troughs, comfortable bedding, and a cooling system to minimize heat stress.
TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR MILK FEVER
Calcium Borogluconate Injection (CBG)
For the treatment of hypocalcemia in cows and lambing sickness in ewes, CBG can be administered by subcutaneous or intravenous injection.
MFC Injection
For the treatment of milk fever in cattle and sheep, especially where this is complicated by low blood levels of magnesium and/or phosphorous. Concurrent acetonaemia is also controlled by the inclusion of dextrose. This meets increased sugar requirements in cases of milk fever.
Oral calcium supplement
Administering an oral calcium supplement to cows at calving, and again 12 hours later, provides much-needed calcium when blood calcium levels are at their lowest. Many commercial products are available in different forms such as gel, paste, liquid and boluses.
Calcium is frequently administered intravenously to downer cows. To treat milder and suspected cases, subcutaneous application and oral calcium formulations are available. Keep in mind that these various calcium types are not all the same. There is more to calcium therapies than meets the eye, and just like any other treatment, they ought to only be given with a veterinarian's approval.
For more information on our supplements, and treatment applications for milk fever in cows, contact a Lionel's Vet representative near you: www.lionelsvet.co.za/sales-team/
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