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DOWNER COWS
SPRING 2012 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
8
Initial assessment
is key
‘The decision regarding whether to treat
and nurse a downer cow, or not, can be
a difficult one. It's essential that the cow
is examined thoroughly at the start, to
avoid unrewarding nursing input, and
unnecessary suffering and treatment costs.
‘If the decision is made to treat the cow,
and she is not up in 24hrs, she should be
examined by a vet. If, after four days, the
cow still remains down, she should be
re-assessed by the vet, to determine whether
she is just making slow progress or whether
her condition is actually deteriorating.’
Using the Easy Cow Lift has led to an increase in survival rates of downer
cows at Manor House Farm.
Caring for the
downer cow
‘For cases where treatment is the
preferred option, the quality of the
nursing often determines the outcome,’
warns Jonathan Stockton.
‘These cows require a lot of care. Just
providing clean water and feed can be
challenging if other cows are present in the
pen or if the cow becomes a 'creeper' and
constantly moves away from it. Good quality
forage should be presented along with small
amounts of concentrate or straights. The
bedding should be deep enough to prevent
the cow scratching it away down to concrete,
and needs to be kept fresh to minimise the
risk of toxic mastitis.
‘Post-calving cows need to be milked twice
daily; this can be achieved by lifting or by
laying the cow flat out in lateral recumbency -
i.e. on her side. The cow should be moved or
turned approximately every 3-4 hours so that
she is not continually lying on one leg. Also,
the leg that the cow is left to lie on through
the night should be alternated. Ideally, the
cow should be turned at least once during
the night.
‘If the cow is making efforts to rise it can be
difficult to ensure that the underneath leg is
alternated but due to the movement of the
cow, this becomes less crucial.
‘It is good practice to hobble cows which have
done the splits, ideally using webbing and
chain to prevent further injury whilst attempting
to rise. It is also beneficial to lift the cow and to
manipulate the legs to stimulate blood flow and
to relieve the pressure on the legs. Whilst
performing this, the tone of the legs can be
assessed, as little or no resistance suggests a
worsening of the condition.
‘Each day, the cow should be examined for
the presence of any fracture or dislocation,
as these often occur as the cow struggles to
rise. A regular assessment should also be
made of the cow's demeanour to determine
any deterioration, so that euthanasia can be
carried out promptly if the chance of a positive
outcome is diminishing.
Case Study:
Manor House Farm
For further information on the Easy Cow Lift visit;
www.easycowlift.com
Lifting and
moving
The lifting and moving of downer cows is
achieved on different farms in various ways.
Methods include using feed buckets, nets,
and hip clamps (Bagshaw hoist).
At Manor House Farm near Skipton, dairy
farmer Jonathan Caygill has invented his
own system for lifting downer animals:
‘Since we only get £250 for an emergency
slaughter, or have to pay £70 to incinerate
a cow, yet an animal can be worth
£1,500 to £2,000, then it's well worth the
effort to help make them stand again,’ he
says. ‘But I wanted to find a 'more humane'
system of lifting cows than some of the
equipment on the market.’
So Jonathan has devised the Easy Cow
Lift. It consists of a mat made of recycled
rubber, which is placed underneath the
fallen cow, and then lifted up by its
galvanised steel handles using pallet forks,
to move the animal and/or help them
resume a standing position. ‘It's simple to
use, has minimised stress for both me
and my cows, and also increased their
survival rate.’
Jonathan Caygill