1 Introduction to Downer Cow Syndrome

Transcript

Dear veterinarians! greetings to everyone! I Welcome you all to this session on donor cow syndrome. So, in this session we will be seeing on five classes and regarding the first class we will be seeing about the introduction and etiological factors of downer cow syndrome and in the second class we will be seeing about the clinical examination of the downer cow Syndrome. In the third session we’ll be seeing about the metabolic downer cause like hypocalcaemia, hypokalaemia and hypophosphatemia in the fourth session we’ll be seeing about the downer cows due to other causes and in the fifth session we’ll be seeing about musculoskeletal disorders of downer cows and their management so let us see about in detail about the sessions in the first session we’ll be seeing about the introduction and of the downer cow syndrome. So, as we all know treating a downer cow is a herculean task in the field conditions and unless otherwise you identify the etiological factors of the downer cow it will be very much difficult for identifying the downer cow etiology and the treatment aspect. Hence, we should know about the comprehensive knowledge about the downer cow syndrome and what are all the etiological factors involved in that so that you can be able to easily diagnose the cases and treat it in the field conditions very easily.

So, I hope this session will be giving you an opportunity to learn more things about the downer cow syndrome and it will be helpful for your diagnosis and the treatment aspect in the field conditions. So, downer cow syndrome is otherwise also called as a recumbent cow. They used to call us in two ways they were either downer cow or recumbent cow. The cattle which are cattle or a dairy cow or a cow which is recommend for more than hours are unable to rise for more than hours after initial recumbency is called downer cow syndrome. So, usually the downer cows when they are going for recumbency they go for the secondary recumbency due to the pressure induced damage to the muscles and the nervous tissues. So, this is the etiological factor of the downer cow syndrome. Here let us see about the broad classification of downer cows the first classification we classify downer cows regarding the metabolic disorders and number two abdominal dysfunctions metabolic disorders means that includes hypocalcemia, hypokalemia and hypophosphatemia and abdominal dysfunction that includes traumatic reticuloperetonitis, traumatic Pericarditis, intestinal abstraction, Ileas, in such a conditions all this comes under the abdominal dysfunction, and infectious causes are there and that causes anemia, blood protozoan disease like anaplasma, tailarea, babysis. They cause anemia and the animal becomes downer cow, and also be some cases that will also causes downer cow. So, we have to identify according to the Etiology and intoxication cases like botulism organophosphorus spicing that also leads to recumbent cows and the other category is Musculoskeletal and nervous disorders when the animal is Recumbent. The animal may go for the secondary Recumbency, and you have to identify which nerve is affected and what is the musculoskeletal involvement involved so that our treatment schedule can be planned easily. So, the major elements involved in the recommend cows are the downer cows are the calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Potassium, glucose, vitamin B, niacin and Cobalt. These are the major elements which are involved in the downer cow syndrome or recumbent cows and in such a cases you have to identify which are all the components which are having a low level and we have to treat it accordingly. So, when you come when you see about the occurrence of the downer cows mostly, mostly the postpartum that undercover occurs mostly during the postpartum period and immediately after calving or during the time of parturition it occurs and the complication mostly the downer cows are the complications of hypercalcemia. We used to come across many conditions like complications of hypocalcaemia will be treating for hypercalcemia but unsuccessful treatment I mean after treating of hypocalcaemia or milk fever the animal cannot able to raise or getup that will lead to secondary Recumbency. So, these are the complications of hypocalcaemia and some of the downer cows during the pregnancy will come across during the pregnancy for example during the last trimester of pregnancy the animal may go for recumbency because of the lack of energy or negative energy balance or malnutrition. So, these are all occurs during the pregnancy period, and during the lactation time also due to the negative energy balance that during the lactation period also many downer cows usual occurrence is there. During the lactation period we have to whenever you come across any downer cow syndrome you have to think about the other causes of any abdominal dysfunction or infectious origin and intoxication that you have to rollouts, some other cows they suddenly they will fell down and they will get injured themselves and they will go for musculoskeletal Disorders. So sudden fell down and the prolonged recumbency that will lead to secondary recumbency and ischemic necrosis to the muscles in hind quarters. I mean when the animal is in recumbent so it will be there for a prolonged Recumbency. The animal will go for secondary recumbency because of this Ischemic necrosis of the muscles under peripheral nervous injury so the animal cannot be able to stand or get up. The pressure induced pressure injury to the superficial nerves for example radial nerve paralysis, peroneal paralysis because the animal is recumbent the pressure-induced nervous injury may lead to the recumbency of the downer cows. And the pressure induced in the wall injury are vulnerable to obturator and sciatic nerve also so that you will be seeing in coming subsequent sessions in detail. It’s a recumbent cows in pregnancy so you have to rule out the pregnancy status whenever you are getting a downer cow syndrome during the pregnancy period you have to verify the pregnancy status – whether the animal is full-time pregnant, or what is the age, determinate age of the pregnancy, whether there is any Hydroallantois is there or not. All these things you have to rule out and if the animal is frequently straining during pregnancy you have to rule out any torsion is present as there or not and you have to rule out any mummified fetus or macerated fetus. All these things you have to keep it in mind and go for the diagnostic evaluations, and sometimes in field conditions you will be coming across unusual downers they are heifers due to anemia, due to anemia the heifers are a calf they will be recumbent for more than weeks or days and you have to rule out the anemia and non-dewormed cases leads to anemia and recumbency in heifers. And sometimes Roman Impacts also leads to recumbent downer cows because of severe dehydration and all and over feeding orgrazing or carbohydrate encouragement like acidosis may also leads to downer cow syndrome and in ephemeral fever also you will be coming across this type of Recumbency. So, in the classification of the downer cows we used to classify them broadly as an alert and non-alert downer. Alert downers and non-alert downers. In alert downers all the feeding habits everything will be normal, the vital signs will be normal, temperature, everything will be in the normal range, heart rate, respiration rate, everything all the vitals will be in the normal Range. The animal will be passing the dung normally, urine will be nodded normally, but the animal cannot able to stand that is the alert downers. So, when you come to the animal may be having Rumination. Rumination may be there drinking water, voiding dung, voiding Urine, everything will be normal this comes under alerted downers. So, in alert downers will be the classification comes like metabolic disorders like calcium, Phosphorus, magnesium, potassium is involved I mean hypocalcemia, hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia and hypermagnesemia. All this comes under alert downers and musculoskeletal involvement like a pelvic fracture, operator nerve paralysis, gastrocnemius muscle rupture, peroneal nerve paralysis, dislocation of the limbs, and fracture. In coming subsequent lessons, I will tell you in detail how to identify all these musculoskeletal Disorders, and all these nervous injuries. We can easily identify by seeing the posture of the animal. Innon-alert downer cows the animal will be in lateral recumbency, heart rate will be Elevated, respiratory distress may be there, and the dung will be voided appellate in nature or absence of dung will be there, complete absence of the dung or dung will be voided pellety in nature and the animal will be completely anorectic and the respiratory distress will be there. Animal may sometimes be unable to lift the head and the bloat or tympany will be there. All these things are the signs of non-alert downers. So you have to differentiate whether it is alert downer or non-alert downer. So that our treatment I mean the diagnostic aspect can be made very easy. So now I will show the video you can able to see the video of a non-alert downer. So, in this video you can able to see the non-alert downer which is dull and depressed in nature and the extended neck in neck is there. So, the animal is not voiding dung, respiratory disease will be there. The animal is dull and depressed and you can able to differentiate this is a non[1]alert downer. So in this video you can able to see the animal the head is turned towards the flank region and the heart rate will be elevated, respiration distress will be there, dung will be wider, little in nature and animal is completely an aerotic. The animal is placing the chin on the ground. This is all the indicative of non-alert Downers. So, in this first session we have seen about the introduction of the downer cow and also in detail about the etiological factors of the downer cow and also the various classification. How you can classify the downer cow Syndrome, and how you have classified the alert downers and non-alert downers. These are the things we have seen in the first session. In the second lesson so we’ll be seeing in detail about the clinical examination of the downer cows.

Thank you