Causes of udder edema in a cow
A cow's udder swelling is one of the most common problems faced by many experienced farmers. Naturally, it is possible to observe udder edema in cows with various diseases, but most often such a consequence occurs after calving, therefore, in this article we will consider in detail what actions must be taken to prevent this disease in cattle and how to properly treat cattle ...
How to treat udder edema in a cow
Why does udder edema occur?
In cows, the udder is the most vulnerable part of the body. It is by its appearance that one can quite simply determine whether this animal is healthy or not. In the event that you begin to notice udder swelling, a change in its temperature or swelling, you should immediately seek help from a veterinarian, as these symptoms may signal that the cow is beginning to swell the udder.
Despite the fact that this phenomenon is usually observed after calving, the disease can also affect a cow that has not yet given birth. There can be a lot of reasons for the occurrence of udder edema, and among them the following should be highlighted:
- improper feeding of first-calf heifers during and after pregnancy;
- severe toxicosis that accompanies the animal throughout pregnancy;
- problems found in the work of the kidneys or serious diseases;
- various cardiac diseases.
Each of the above reasons can cause a disease such as swelling of the udder. Sometimes cows can experience a process such as swelling of the udder before calving, but this is most often due to the individual characteristics of the organism. However, udder edema after calving is still the most common problem.
Most often, the disease occurs due to the fact that in the daily diet of a pregnant cow there are a large enough amount of proteins, while straw and hay are absent.
Sometimes the presence of udder edema can signal that cows have an excess of magnesium and potassium in their bodies. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that in the daily diet of the animal in moderation there is food containing toxins, bacteria and microtoxins. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that udder edema can sometimes appear immediately after a snakebite. But this happens extremely rarely, because not every day you have to deal with a snake on a farm.
What are the clear signs of udder edema?
The main symptoms of udder edema include:
- swelling not only of the entire udder, but also of the back and front parts separately;
- severe thickening of the skin on the surface of the udder, which is very similar to the dough in composition;
- when pressed on the surface of the skin, it does not come off, and the udder is leveled longer than usual;
- the first edema appears in the nipple area, outwardly they will be much smaller than those that are not swollen; after that, the tension smoothly passes to the vulva through the subcutaneous tissue and reaches the sternum;
- the temperature of the skin directly on the udder will be an order of magnitude colder than on the body itself;
- after calving, edema can occur both on one half of the udder, and on the other - the lesions will alternate;
- Swelling of the udder immediately after calving may not cause serious jumps in body temperature in cows;
- by the consistency of a product such as milk, it is unrealistic to determine the presence of this disease, since it can either change slightly or remain the same;
- Sometimes, severe swelling occurs before giving birth, but it should decrease immediately after calving if the cow is doing well.
Regardless of the time when udder edema appears in first-calf heifers, it is necessary to seek help from experienced veterinarians who can diagnose the disease, if any, and prescribe effective treatment if necessary.
Treatment for udder edema by changing the diet
Due to the fact that the main cause of such a disease as edema is an improper diet, consider how udder edema in cows is treated. Before the onset of the calving period and in the postpartum period, the daily nutrition of the animal should be taken very seriously. First of all, you need to make sure that juicy and sufficiently high-calorie feeds disappear from the daily diet for some time. It is also required to exclude such a component as salt.
The diet should be based on high quality hay. At the same time, you need to correctly approach the process of milking a cow: on average, you need to milk it 7-8 times a day.
In addition, you need to monitor the daily amount of fluid consumed by the animal. In addition to ordinary water, you can prepare its dill variety, which can speed up the treatment of udder edema.
In case of congestive edema, it is necessary to protect the animal from actions that can lead to mechanical damage. It is imperative that a sick cow should leave the animal enclosure for a while and walk every day for at least 2-3 hours in the fresh air. Particular attention is paid to such an action as udder massage. In its implementation, in no case should any cream be used, since this is strictly prohibited.
How to treat a disease with medication
In the event that, after changing the diet of the cow, the disease has not gone away, it is necessary to start the process of drug treatment. At the same time, in no case should you choose medications yourself, since they must be prescribed by a veterinarian.
Most often, to eliminate the disease in question, a drug such as calcium gluconate is prescribed, which is administered intravenously. He is prescribed to normalize blood circulation. Calcium chloride has the same properties. The exact dosage can only be prescribed by the attending veterinarian who examined the cow.
To normalize the functioning of the cardiovascular system, a drug such as caffeine-benzoate is injected under the skin, in addition to this drug, all kinds of decongestant ointments are often prescribed, one of which is rigifen. In no case should irritating ointments be used in the initial stages, since they are actively used only at the final stage.
Instead of various medications, they often make all kinds of poultices made from hay dust. In the event that the animal behaves calmly enough, you can try to make warm wraps. If the udder sags excessively, care should be taken to support it with a special bandage.