Treating Laminitis In Dairy Cows

Correct grain overload keeping the animal moving and the claws cool.

Treating laminitis in dairy cows.

The greeks aristotle associated equine laminitis with indigestion. Laminitis has been described in many species but is most common in equine and bovine. Although bovine laminitis is most common in dairy cows it has been reported in all ages and sexes. The greek name of the disease kritiasis relates to overfeeding of barley.

Though there is no effective treatment for laminitis edwards says consistent bunk management and using adequate step up rations can help prevent it. Edwards also spoke about downed cattle. Treatment for subclinical laminitis is impractical because diagnosis in an individual animal is not possible at the time of the causative insult s. Injectable diphenhydramine 0 5 to 1 0 mg kg iv im.

Laminitic lesions of the claw are not always a result of poor feeding practices. Proper foot trimming is essential to prevent and manage claw problems. To feed carbohydrates correctly fiber levels must be measured using neutral detergent fiber ndf and acid detergent fiber adf values. Antihistamines may be useful e g.

Nsaid non steroidal anti inflammatory drug injectable ketoprofen 2 to 4 mg kg im iv. The first priority he says is to determine of the animal is down but alert or moribund. Controlling subclinical laminitis see laminitis in cattle in a high production intensively managed dairy herd requires a systematic epidemiologic study.