Milk Fever and other Calving Troubles. 991 



MILK FEVER AND OTHER CALVING TROUBLES. 



Bii J. R. Weir. 



Introduction. 



Under the somewhat vague expression of milk fever, many people 

 include all the ailments to which cows are subject at and after 

 calving, and losses sustained by owners at such period are attributed 

 to this cause. It matters little whether it be parturient apoplexy, 

 metritis, or general debility, the one term is used to cover the whole. 

 This is unfortunate and misleading as in reality the number of cases 

 of true parturient apoplexy or milk fever are not great, although from 

 reasons which will be seen presently their number may be on the 

 increase. Cases of metritis are fairly common, but the conditions 

 favouring this complaint are in no way similar to those of milk fever. 

 The same remai'k applies to general debility, the losses from which 

 in some seasons are very great, more especially when the cows have 

 been milked on late in the summer, and a dry autumn has been 

 succeeded by a hard winter, and they have been grazing on lands 

 where the grass w;as very scarce, and wanting in shelter. Heifers, if 

 in low condition, are especially subject to be thus affected in such 

 circumstances, and the more so if they are but just over two years 

 old when they should liave been in better pasture, or, failing that, 

 been fed and had sufficient shelter. Again, soil wants are an impor- 

 tant factor in predisposing animals to an attack of debility at the 

 time of calving. Even though there is a seeming abundance of grass, 

 it may be deficient in constituents requisite to build u]) and support 

 not only the animal itself but also the foetus in the uterus, which acts 

 as a draiu on the vitality of the dam. Each succeeding year these 

 deficiencies will become more and more pronounced unless made good 

 by artificial means, through manures rich in what such lands lack. 



Milk Fever. 



Parturient apoplexy, milk fever, dropping after calving, is a 

 disease peculiar to the cow, occurring within from four hours to five 

 days after calving and rarely before the third calving, never before 

 the second calf. It is to be noted that it is most frequent after 

 parturition has been easy and the after- birth has come away 

 freely, attacking the rich heavy milkers much more frequently than 

 animals yielding a quantity of" milk poor in quality. Animals once 

 attacked with milk fever are subject to a recurrence, hence it behoves 

 owners, when an animal has once been attacked and survived, not to 

 risk the chance of another calving but fatten her off for the butcher. 



