Menu
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
New profile posts
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Forums
Cattle Boards
Health & Nutrition
A stab in the dark
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Help Support CattleToday:
Message
<blockquote data-quote="simme" data-source="post: 1797337" data-attributes="member: 40418"><p>I can't recall recognizing grass tetany in young cattle, although I read that it can happen. I suspect that grass tetany is not the issue with these calves. But since the topic came up, I will say a little more about it.</p><p></p><p>My experience here is that grass tetany animals don't just drop dead suddenly. They exhibit symptoms before they go down. Unsteady on their feet. Staggering. Getting to their feet with difficulty. Abnormal nervous/aggressive behavior. At that point, a tube or two of that CMPK gell may be enough along with a little feed with some high mag mineral in it. Then an assessment of mineral needs for the long term.</p><p></p><p>Grass tetany is due to low magnesium in the animal. A somewhat similar condition is milk fever due to low calcium. Both are imbalance in the minerals in the animal. Milk fever typically occurs at calving or soon after as the cow's calcium needs increase at lactation. More in dairy or dairy crosses, but also can occur in beef cows, mainly older ones. Treatment is similar with that multipurpose CMPK IV or can be treated with an IV of just calcium gluconate. Again, cows go down, show abnormal behavior, but recover very quickly with treatment. And the IV's need to be given slowly (low flow rate) since the chemicals are going directly into the blood stream.</p><p></p><p>Both are nutritional issues, and a good consistent supply of minerals can offset deficiencies in the forage/feed that the animal is getting. But I will ask this question. With a good mineral program, are there some animals that do not consume enough minerals for some reason - too timid at the mineral feeder, don't like the taste or whatever? How do you ensure that every animal is getting enough mineral? Same as some timid cows around hay feeders. Any criteria for number of mineral feeders? Minerals are expensive if they over consume and may not be effective if they under consume. Rare that all the cows have grass tetany or milk fever at the same time even though they are all on the same nutrition and mineral. And only some show symptoms.</p><p></p><p>My guess about the two calves - I think the clue is the "no vaccines". But combinations of things (nutrition, vaccinations, minerals, watching) might point toward maybe an overall management issue.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="simme, post: 1797337, member: 40418"] I can't recall recognizing grass tetany in young cattle, although I read that it can happen. I suspect that grass tetany is not the issue with these calves. But since the topic came up, I will say a little more about it. My experience here is that grass tetany animals don't just drop dead suddenly. They exhibit symptoms before they go down. Unsteady on their feet. Staggering. Getting to their feet with difficulty. Abnormal nervous/aggressive behavior. At that point, a tube or two of that CMPK gell may be enough along with a little feed with some high mag mineral in it. Then an assessment of mineral needs for the long term. Grass tetany is due to low magnesium in the animal. A somewhat similar condition is milk fever due to low calcium. Both are imbalance in the minerals in the animal. Milk fever typically occurs at calving or soon after as the cow's calcium needs increase at lactation. More in dairy or dairy crosses, but also can occur in beef cows, mainly older ones. Treatment is similar with that multipurpose CMPK IV or can be treated with an IV of just calcium gluconate. Again, cows go down, show abnormal behavior, but recover very quickly with treatment. And the IV's need to be given slowly (low flow rate) since the chemicals are going directly into the blood stream. Both are nutritional issues, and a good consistent supply of minerals can offset deficiencies in the forage/feed that the animal is getting. But I will ask this question. With a good mineral program, are there some animals that do not consume enough minerals for some reason - too timid at the mineral feeder, don't like the taste or whatever? How do you ensure that every animal is getting enough mineral? Same as some timid cows around hay feeders. Any criteria for number of mineral feeders? Minerals are expensive if they over consume and may not be effective if they under consume. Rare that all the cows have grass tetany or milk fever at the same time even though they are all on the same nutrition and mineral. And only some show symptoms. My guess about the two calves - I think the clue is the "no vaccines". But combinations of things (nutrition, vaccinations, minerals, watching) might point toward maybe an overall management issue. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Cattle Boards
Health & Nutrition
A stab in the dark
Top