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SPRING 2010 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
10
F L U I D T H E R A P Y
Giving fluids to cows by mouth is a recent innovation in veterinary practice.
The design and manufacture of special equipment to make it safe and easy
has led many vets to adopt it over the last few years.
Fluid therapy
pays dividends
Cows are very sensitive to dehydration. They
lose their appetite, produce less milk and
become more susceptible to other problems.
So, whenever dehydration develops, treating
it promptly pays dividends.
Many conditions of dairy cows cause
dehydration, or a disturbance in the
distribution of fluids in the body with the
same effects. The most common of these
conditions are toxaemic mastitis, metritis,
diarrhoea, loss of appetite and ketosis.
Until recently, the only way to treat
dehydration in cows was to give them a
concentrated infusion of saline solution into
the vein. This would draw fluid into the
circulation from the tissues and the rumen,
and would often make cows drink as well.
The treatment of dehydrated cows changed
a few years ago, with the introduction of a
Danish drenching system. The system consists
of a pump, a gag, and a hose that passes
through the gag and down the gullet. The
drenching system allows a large volume of
water and electrolytes (salts) to be delivered
directly into the rumen.
Since the introduction of this system, fluid
therapy has come to be much more commonly
used. The prompt use of fluid therapy can be
a life-saver for cows with severe, acute
conditions like toxaemic mastitis. The reason
why these cows may die is that the normal
distribution of fluids in the body is disturbed.
The consequence is that blood is not
distributed normally to the organs, and it is
the deterioration of these organs which leads
to the cow's death. Fluid therapy saves lives
by restoring the circulation of the blood
to normality.
Even cows in which diseases like toxaemic
mastitis are milder benefit from fluid therapy.
Their appetite recovers sooner, and the
clearance of toxins from the body is
accelerated. Anyone who has seen fluid
therapy used in such cases will have noticed
how much more quickly they recover. One
farmer who has seen the benefits of fluid
therapy is Stuart Rogers, who milks 140
pedigree Holsteins at Model Farm, Kidlington,
in Oxfordshire. Helen Taylor from XLVets Hook
Norton Veterinary Surgeons does most of the
work on Mr Rogers's farm, and is an
enthusiast of the system.
In April and May of last year, Mr Rogers
saw an increased incidence of displaced
abomasum following changes in the TMR he
had to make after running out of wheat straw.
But, fortunately, Miss Taylor had instituted a
system of post-calving checks on the farm.
Cows with problems were routinely given
fluids using the Selekt drenching system. She
believes this prevented a number of expensive
cases of displaced abomasum.
‘Freshly calved cows are normally dehydrated.
Their opportunity to drink has been limited and
they have lost water vapour through sweating
and an increased respiratory rate, so they will
benefit from fluids. Pumping a large volume of
water into the rumen offers the opportunity to
provide a generous amount of calcium and an
anti-ketotic energy source. This reduces the
risks of milk fever and ketosis. It also reduces
the incidence of metritis and displaced
abomasums,’ advises Helen.
So, if fluid therapy with calcium and an
anti-ketotic energy source keeps fresh calvers
healthier, what does it do for milk yield
?
It's
the question every dairy farmer will want
to ask. There has not yet been a conclusive
study of it. But experience in the US and
Denmark suggests an improvement in
early-lactation milk yield of about 2 litres
a day.
Helen Taylor, Hook Norton Veterinary Surgeons
Veterinary Surgeon
Helen Taylor
XLVets Practice
Hook Norton Veterinary
Surgeons, Oxfordshire