Unit 14: Metabolic &

Deficiency Diseases
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Milk Fever
 Also called:
 Hypocalcemia
 Parturient paresis
 Downer cow syndrome
 Non-febrile
 Affects:
 Dairy, beef, sheep, goats
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Caused by:
 Acute deficiency of Ca
 Results in:
 Paralysis
 Circulatory collapse
 Coma
 Death
 6% incidence rate in dairy cattle
 Occurs within 24 hrs of calving
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Incidence increases with milk production and age
 Some susceptibility differences between dairy
breeds
 Sub clinical hypocalcemia rates can affect 50% of
dairy cows
 Leads to:
 Decreased DMI
 Ketosis
 RP’s
 DA’s
 Decreased reproductive efficiency
 Decreased milk production in that lactation
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Rare in beef cattle
 Goats – similar incidence rate to dairy
 Cause
 Initiation of lactation causes severe outflow of Ca
 Ca interacts with other minerals in the blood
 Incidence may be influenced by levels of:
 Mg, K, P, estrogen levels,
 Acid-base balance
 Can either help cow adjust and mobilize Ca, or can inhibit
parathyroid glands and renal synthesis of Vit D which
restricts blood Ca levels
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Feeding high Ca diets prior to parturition
 Cow doesn’t adapt to mobilizing own Ca reserves
 Clinical Signs
 Stage I
 Hypertensive, weakness, anorexic, hypersensitive
 Stage II
 Flaccid paralysis, lying on sternum, depression, small
muscle tremors, low body temp, cold extremities, muffled
heart beat, bloat, dilated pupils
 Stage III
 Lying on side, comatose
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Diseases
 Treatment
 Stage I
 Oral or IV Ca salts
 Oral gels can absorb into the blood in ~15 min
 Oral treatment allows for higher Ca dosage
 May help prevent relapse
 Stages II & III
 Must treat w/ IV Ca
 Administer slowly over period of 10 min
 May require subsequent treatments
 Should respond w/in 30 min of treatment and be
standing
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Prevention
 Good nutritional management practices in the
preparturient period
 Acidification of the diet
 Ketosis
 Occurs in gestating or lactating cattle
 Most frequently happens in first 6 wks after
calving
 Very often affects first-calf heifers, or older cows
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Excessive amounts of ketone bodies found in
urine, blood, milk
 Also called:
 Acetonemia, hypoglycemia
 Similar to pregnancy disease in ewes
 Cause
 Nutritional origin characterized by low blood sugar
 Occurs when intake or the nutrition provided doesn’t
meet requirements of the animal
 Animal mobilizes its own fat reserves
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Can be handled for brief periods, but excessive time spent
mobilizing own fat reserves results in ketosis
 Can use a Keto Stick to test urine for ketone bodies
 Clinical Signs
 Rapid weight loss
 Loss of appetite
 Acetone smell on the breath
 Nervousness
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Prevention
 Avoid excessively fat cows at calving
 Increase concentrate levels gradually after calving
 Avoid abrupt forage changes
 Feed high quality hay
 Maintain proper CP, min/vit levels
 Focus on cow comfort
 Temp
 Clean, fresh bedding
 Good ventilation
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Feed 4 oz. propylene glycol
 Introduce higher grain content in ration before
parturition
 Treatment
 .5 – 1lb propylene glycol or sodium propionate daily
for 5-10d
 Provide as a drench if the animal isn’t eating
 IV glucose solution can also help
 Sheep & goats – give 3-4 oz daily prior to parturition
 Do not exceed 8 oz glycol in a treatment – increases
the severity and cow mimics symptoms of milk fever
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Grass Tetany
 Occurs in cattle & sheep grazing on lush pastures
 Hypomagnesia (low blood Mg), sometimes
accompanied by hypocalcemia
 High levels of N and K combine to inhibit Mg
absorption
 Cause
 Common in pastures early in the spring (within first 2-
3 weeks of grazing)
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Can occur later in season under specific weather
conditions
 Also happens when cows overgraze one field, then
move to a new lush field
 Small grain pastures increase incidence
 Many stressors can trigger grass tetany
 Clinical Signs
 Acute cases
 Caused by rapid drop in blood Mg levels
 Sudden deaths
 Drastic behavioral changes
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Run blindly, staggering, convulsions
 Less acute cases
 Incoordination
 Loss of appetite
 Muscle spasms
 Extreme salivation
 6-10 hrs from first symptoms to death, if left untreated
 Little chance of recovery if not treated before the
comatose state
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Prevention
 Supplement Mg daily through high-risk period
 Crash feeding Mg after disease onset doesn’t help
 Start feeding 30d prior to help build up blood Mg levels
 Cows – 20 to 30g Mg/d
 Calves & ewes 4-8g
 High levels of K, P, Ca decrease Mg efficiency, so increase
feeding rate to account for decreased absorption
 Treatment
 Call vet immediately
 Success is limited after 8-12 hrs
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 200cc of Epsom Salts (Mg Sulfate) SQ injection
 50cc/site
 Increases blood Mg levels in 15 min
 IV Mg/Ca solution must be administered slowly to
prevent heart failure
 Oral administration to sick animals not effective
because of increased time of absorption into the blood
 Water treatment
 Only for animals not down
 Will decrease water consumption
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Remove from problem causing pasture
 Supplement 30g Mg for 7-14d
 Grass tetany cases will likely repeat
 White Muscle Disease
 Can occur in calves, lambs, foals, pigs
 More common in areas where Se content in low
in the soil
 Cause
 Se deficiency - <.02 ppm Se intake/d
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Clinical Signs
 Acute form
 Sudden death
 Sub clinical form
 May only be seen by apparent unthriftyness
 Lambs most often affected during first month
 Stiffness, resistance to standing
 No fever or loss of appetite
 Calves affected from birth to 4 months
 Foals – stiffness, resistance to nursing, lack of
movement
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Pigs – 1-4 months of age
 Stiffness, muscle dysfunction
 Post-mortem examination
 Pale, white streaks in skeletal muscle tissue
 Found in same muscles on both sides of the body
 Can also occur on the heart muscle
 Prevention
 Feed dams rations with adequate amounts of
Se & Vit E
 Supplement at rate of .3 ppm
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Injections can help boost Se levels prior to parturition
 Treatment
 IM injection of sodium selenite/vit E
 Must be given by a vet
 30d withdrawal
 Hypoglycemia in Newborn Pigs
 Called baby pig disease, or 3 day pig disease
 Low blood sugar levels
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Cause
 Pig’s inability to manufacture and use glucose in their
body the first few days, or abnormality in the
colostrum
 Agalactia
 Dysgalactia
 Weak pigs pushed back from nursing
 Inability or refusal to nurse due to mouth injury
 Exposure to cold, damp environment increases
glucose draw
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Clinical Signs
 Lack of coordination
 Shivering
 Weakness
 Hair stands on end
 Inactivity
 Convulsions
 Subnormal temp, slowed heartbeat
 Death in pigs untreated w/in 24-36 hrs
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Prevention
 Eliminate sows that are prone to MMA
 Proper nutrition for the sow prior to farrowing
 Warm, dry, draft-free environment
 Don’t damage mouth when clipping needle teeth
 Sows w/ low milk production
 Move pigs to another sow
 Milk replacer
 IM injections of glucose every 4-6 hrs
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Treatment
 Supplemental feeding
 Improve environment
 Glucose injections
 Parakeratosis in Swine
 Elephant hide appearance in feeder pigs
 Cause
 Zn deficiency coupled w/ excess Ca supplementation
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Clinical Signs
 Usually occurs in confinement during fall and winter
 Pigs between 7 and 20 wks of age most susceptible
 Skin becomes dry and crusty
 Crust thickens and spread up underline, sides, around
jowl, and ears
 Crust will form rather symmetrically
 Differs from mange due to little itching, rubbing,
scratching
Unit 14: Metabolic & Deficiency
Diseases
 Prevention
 Proper feeding rates of Ca, Zn, and fat
 Treatment
 Reduce Ca content in ration
 Increase Zn level