To lift or not to lift? What to do if a cow is ‘down’
If a cow is unable to get up off the ground, there could be any number of reasons – and in most cases, lifting her will only make things worse. The cause needs to be identified by a vet and treated
It was another case of ‘small farming, big problems’ last week in the money pit that is my small pedigree Angus herd. I went out to the shed around 9pm with the intention of forking in some silage and being back inside before the kettle had finished boiling for the tea.
I was just about to leave when I realised that one of the cows (Samantha) was still lying down. I gave the obligatory ‘hoosh’ combo of noise and arm flapping but she stayed put. It was only when I got into the pen that I realised that she couldn’t get up.
She was lying down like a normal cow but when she made a drive to get up, her back legs weren’t cooperating. I examined her as best I could and found nothing too out of the ordinary. I couldn’t leave her where she was so, with the aid of some straps, the 2850 and lots of huffing and puffing, I managed to slide her out of the pen and onto the adjoining straw bed.
I gave her an injection of pain-relieving medication and I pondered my next move. To lift or not to lift, that is the question!
Every spring, we are faced with calls to ‘downer cows’ — one that can’t stand up, for what could be any number of reasons. Farmers regularly ask, “should I lift her?”
The answer depends on a number of factors. Firstly we have to find out what is causing the cow to be down. In college, we were taught the ‘four Ms’ of downer cows: mastitis, metritis, metabolic and musculoskeletal.
In freshly calves cows, mastitis is often a silent killer, particular toxic mastitis such as e-coli. The toxins released by the offending bacteria in the udder get into the cow’s bloodstream and have quick and severe effects.
The sick cow rapidly becomes very dull, depressed and dehydrated. She won’t be able to stand up and will hardly have the energy to lift her head.
It’s worth stripping out all four quarters completely because the first few pulls of milk might seem pretty normal before the lemonade-type liquid that is synonymous with e-coli mastitis appears.
This condition needs aggressive treatment with antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and fluids. Trying to lift a cow without first getting a response to treatment will only stress the cow and make the problem worse.
In a similar vein, if a cow is down due to a severe metritis, lifting her is a waste of time. Metritis is basically an infection of the uterus. It almost always happens in the few days after calving, particular if a cow ‘holds the cleanings’.
Again, immediate and intensive treatment is necessary. ‘Double gloving’ is vital when putting your hand into a cow that has suspected metritis as the fluids are some of the most noxious you will ever encounter.
Again, lifting a cow that hasn’t made a decent response to treatment for metritis will do more harm than good.
The most common metabolic cause of a cow being down is milk fever. I recently made sure we have enough bottles of calcium and calcium boluses in the store for what promises to be another busy spring.
The inability of the cow to mobilise enough calcium on the point of calving, or immediately after, results in her muscle function being impaired. The muscles are unable to contract effectively, meaning that, if she is calving, her uterus can’t work properly to expel the calf out.
That’s why, if a cow is down with milk fever, we always check to see if she has a calf in her that needs a hand to enter the world. Inability to stand is the most common result of impaired muscle function, as well as not being able to urinate or defecate properly.
A call to a milk fever case for a vet is usually very rewarding, as after treatment, the cow will stand up and begin to walk around as well as urinating and passing dung. It’s an immediate and visual positive result.
If a cow has milk fever and isn’t treated, lifting her will be of absolutely no benefit.
Musculoskeletal issues are probably the greatest bone of contention when it comes to downer cows. “Ah, she’s probably only pulled a muscle”, “it’s just a hurt” or “her shoulder is out” are common things that I hear when a cow that was seemingly fine yesterday is suddenly unable to stand today.
The animal’s welfare must come first and your vet is best placed to advise and treat in this instance. If the cow’s muscles or her leg/pelvis are sore enough or damaged enough that she is unable to stand, it’s usually pretty serious. The sheer weight of a cow will often hamper her ability to stand if she is sore, as will the ground that she is trying to get a grip on to stand.
The severity of an injury can be hard to ascertain so, if in doubt, lots of pain relief is the first port of call. Your vet may decide to monitor the animal for a day to see what sort of progress she makes, particularly if she has just been moved to a paddock or a deep bedded pen.
Lifting an injured cow without seeking vet advice is a terrible idea, as you could make the injury a lot, lot worse.
So let’s presume that whatever condition has led to your cow being unable to stand has been treated and, after consulting with your vet, you decide to lift her.
The ‘hip lifters’ is the most common apparatus used, where the cow is clamped around both hips and lifted from a central point above the pelvis, usually by a strap tied to the hip lifters and then to the front loader.
The most important thing to remember is that the cow should only be lifted to a standing position and the pressure on the strap immediately released. Leaving a cow hanging for any length of time will only make her worse, and ultimately less likely to eventually stand.
Repeated use of a hip lifters in a cow that won’t stand once the pressure is off will do much more harm than good.
In some cases, you may have to give in and your vet will euthanise the cow on welfare grounds. And before you say it, we’ve all heard the story of the neighbour’s cow that was down for months and made a miraculous recovery.
All I say here is that every story should be taken with a pinch of salt. Animal welfare should come first when its your own cow.
In my cow’s case, Samantha is now able to stand and walk without any issue. I have to presume that she had a minor muscular injury. On the same day that she got up by herself, I had an unannounced Department of Agriculture inspection while TB testing.
There’s never any pleasure without an equal amount of pain. Thankfully, all went well here too so a good week was had overall.
‘In college, we were taught the ‘four Ms’ of downer cows: mastitis, metritis, metabolic and musculoskeletal’