How to prevent and treat rheumatism in dairy cows?

Rheumatism in dairy cows is also known as arthritis, which is generally caused by the invasion of wind and cold. The main lesions are usually in the joints, muscles and other parts of the body. Cows usually do not get sick, but once they get sick, the disease is quite serious. So how to prevent and treat rheumatism in dairy cows? Let’s take a look below.

1. Causes of rheumatism in dairy cows

1. The cause of rheumatism is not very clear, but it is generally believed to be related to hemolytic streptococcal infection.

2. The disease can be triggered by factors such as cold wind, lying in wet places for a long time, being exposed to wind after sweating or drinking cold water in a pond immediately after sweating, being caught in the rain suddenly, or being exposed to wind and cold at night.

2. Symptoms of rheumatism in dairy cows

Sick cows often become ill suddenly, with loss of appetite, groaning, and increased body temperature. There is pain in the affected joints or muscles, limping, and stiffness in the back and waist, which may be temporarily relieved with proper exercise. Sick cows are unwilling to walk and prefer to lie down. In severe cases, the patient loses the ability to use his/her body, suffers from sensory impairment and muscle atrophy.

3. Treatment of rheumatism in dairy cows

1. Strengthen feeding management, inspect and repair pens, pay attention to keeping cattle warm, use them properly, avoid getting wet in the rain and crossing rivers, feed them warm drinking water, etc., prevent the invasion of wind, cold and humidity, and improve the disease prevention ability of cattle.

2. By adding it to drinking water or mixing it with feed, it can quickly replenish the beneficial bacteria in the cattle's body and enhance the cattle's disease resistance. By mobilizing the body's immune defense function, it can exert a strong antibacterial and bactericidal effect, ultimately achieving the goal of reducing the number of cattle getting sick.

3. For Chinese medicine and acupuncture therapy, Tongjing Huoluo Powder or Duhuo Jishe Decoction can be used with modifications. If combined with electroacupuncture or fire needle, the effect will be better.

4. For local treatment of chronic rheumatism, you can use wine lees for hot compress. The method is to fry the lees, put them into a sack, and apply them to the affected area. You can also use bran fried with vinegar (6 kg of bran and 4.5 liters of vinegar, mix them thoroughly, fry until they are hot, and put them into a sack) for hot compress. When applying hot compress, the cow needs to be tied in a warm stable to make it sweat.

5. Systemic therapy usually uses 10% sodium salicylate injection 200-300 ml, 5% calcium gluconate injection 200-500 ml, or 0.5% hydrocortisone injection 100-160 ml, injected intravenously once a day for 5-7 days. For patients with high body temperature, penicillin and vitamin C injection can be added

That’s it