What are the effects of Low blood Calcium levels?
Low Blood Calcium levels at calving can cause a cascade of metabolic Problems DUrING the calving Period and right through the lactation!
Clinical and Sub Clinical Milk fever.
- Clinical Milk fever is deadly and you will see visible signs of difficulty calving, weakness, inability to stand and often death if not treated urgently.
- Sub clinical Milk Fever does not have many visible signs but cows with sub clinical cases also suffer from higher rates of metabolic disease similar to a cow with full blown Clinical Milk Fever.
• Increased incidence of mastitis
• Retained membrane
• Metritis
• Reduced feed Intake
• Lower milk production
• Left displaced abomasum
• Ketosis
• Low magnesium (grass tetany)
• Fertility issues
Metabolic and health problems Associated with Milk Fever
DID YOU KNOW?
The economic loss
Milk Fever has always been and a huge health issue but also a huge economic issue on commercial, family run dairy and beef farms for genarations.
Whilst traditional prevention and treatment options can be somewhat effective when managed extremely well it is estimated that up to 40% of the average herd are still suffering from clinical or sub clinical milk fever, even when being provided prevention measures like DCAD and calcium injections.
The losses, care, treatment and subsequent production and fertility impacts of milk fever are costlier than you might think!
For every cow with clinical milk
fever (cost $400) there can be
up to 8 cows with subclinical
milk fever (cost $1000).