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COWS-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 28
If a cow is not chewing the cud at times it ought to be this may indicate pain, fever or a digestive problem.
An animal that feels good usually stretches when it gets up and responds with curiosity to sounds and movement. It spends time licking itself and moves freely and easily where as a sick animal is less interested in its surroundings, less responsive to external situations. When it gets up it may be with effort or slowly, and it may not stretch.
The more serious the illness, the more indifferent the cow will be and the more reluctant to move.
If a cow is excited and overly alert, anxious, or abnormally restless, wandering about, lying down and getting up repeatedly, kicking the belly or switching the tail, looking around at its flanks, this could be a sign of constant pain. Excitability and running can be due to nervous disorders or other diseases that affect the brain. But sometimes an animal bothered by flies will run with its tail in the air, stopping suddenly and licking the belly, nosing at the flank or swatting flies off the body with its head. Wait awhile to see if the activity is due to flies or internal pain.
Heat affects a cow's respiration rate. It can also be a sign of sickness. In hot weather a cow will pant and it is hard to tell if it is hot or ill, when in doubt put it in chute and take its temperature, and check later on to see if respiration rate slows significantly after the heat of the day has passed.
Eating habits:
Watch for painful swallowing, check to see if it is drooling or dribbling feed out of the mouth, having trouble belching and chewing the cud. Check to see if it is spilling cud, coughing up feed, or regurgitating stomach contents out of the nostrils. Check to see if there is difficulty belching up the cud with grunting or extra effort.
Defecation and urination:
Some digestive problems cause constipation with straining or pain. Manure may be firm and dry, or absent if there is a gut blockage.
A sick animal may have diarrhea. Severe diarrhea may cause so much straining that the rectum prolapses.
Manure should be moderately firm, dark brown not green.
An animal that feels good usually stretches when it gets up and responds with curiosity to sounds and movement. It spends time licking itself and moves freely and easily where as a sick animal is less interested in its surroundings, less responsive to external situations. When it gets up it may be with effort or slowly, and it may not stretch.
The more serious the illness, the more indifferent the cow will be and the more reluctant to move.
If a cow is excited and overly alert, anxious, or abnormally restless, wandering about, lying down and getting up repeatedly, kicking the belly or switching the tail, looking around at its flanks, this could be a sign of constant pain. Excitability and running can be due to nervous disorders or other diseases that affect the brain. But sometimes an animal bothered by flies will run with its tail in the air, stopping suddenly and licking the belly, nosing at the flank or swatting flies off the body with its head. Wait awhile to see if the activity is due to flies or internal pain.
Heat affects a cow's respiration rate. It can also be a sign of sickness. In hot weather a cow will pant and it is hard to tell if it is hot or ill, when in doubt put it in chute and take its temperature, and check later on to see if respiration rate slows significantly after the heat of the day has passed.
Eating habits:
Watch for painful swallowing, check to see if it is drooling or dribbling feed out of the mouth, having trouble belching and chewing the cud. Check to see if it is spilling cud, coughing up feed, or regurgitating stomach contents out of the nostrils. Check to see if there is difficulty belching up the cud with grunting or extra effort.
Defecation and urination:
Some digestive problems cause constipation with straining or pain. Manure may be firm and dry, or absent if there is a gut blockage.
A sick animal may have diarrhea. Severe diarrhea may cause so much straining that the rectum prolapses.
Manure should be moderately firm, dark brown not green.