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Some feeding problems won’t occur if
cattle are on pasture or hay and never fed much grain. If you
are fattening cattle on grain, however, be aware of these
potential problems.
A large increase in grain ration
can result in too much acid in the calf’s body. Acidosis occurs
when overfeeding on grain causes overproduction of lactic acid
in the rumen.
Symptoms/effects: If not treated promptly, acidosis causes the
rumen to quit working. Digestion shuts down. Then the animal may
develop a fever, diarrhea, or founder (see below). And may even
die. The manure becomes gray, watery, and bubbly.
Prevention/treatment: Acidosis
occurs most frequently when the grain ration is increased too
suddenly, but can also happen if something interferes with the
regular feeding schedule. If you feed a large amount of grain,
design a schedule (splitting the ration into several portions to
be fed at a specific time of day) and stick to it. Problems can
occur if you skip a feeding and the calf gets too hungry and
then overeats at the next feeding.
Increasing the grain ration for
a calf or a group of steers must be done gradually, over a
period of 14 to 21 days. If you switch from a forage ration to a
grain ration, make the switch gradually, taking a couple of
weeks to fully increase the grain.
Acidosis may also occur if a
calf goes off for any reason and then loads up on grain after
the problem is resolved. Even something simple like manure in
his water tank can make him quit drinking, and he doesn’t eat as
much as usual until the water is clean again.
If an animal quits eating, give
sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to neutralize the acid in the
rumen. Ask your veterinarian what dosage is appropriate for the
size of your animal. Mix the soda with water and give it by
stomach tube or have your veterinarian do it if you do not have
experience using stomach tube.
- Founder
Cattle may founder if fed too much grain, or if the ration
is changed too abruptly. Founder is inflammation of the
tissue between the hoof wall and inner structures of the
foot.
Symptoms/effects: The feet become very sore and the animal
is severely lame. The hoof wall may separate from the
underlying structures, causing malformed hoofs and chronic
lameness.
Prevention/treatment: The main cause of founder is acidosis,
so founder usually can be prevented if cattle are not
overfed on grain. Founder is always a serious emergency.
Call you veterinarian.
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Bladder Stones
Cattle may develop urinary stones from eating feed
containing a lot of phosphorus (such as a large proportion
of grain), ingesting silicates or oxalates in certain
plants, or insufficient water intake. If the animal is short
on fluid, salts in the urine may form crystals because the
urine is so thick and concentrated. Under certain
conditions, these crystals may clump together and create
stones. The stones are hard masses of mineral salts and
tissue cells. They can block the urinary passages and cause
pain. Steers and bulls are most at risks; cows and heifers
have a larger-diameter urinary tract that is less easily
blocked.
Symptoms/effects: The affected animal has abdominal pain. He
kicks at his belly or stands stretched, trying to urinate
without success, or dribbles small amounts frequently. He
may lick his belly, tread with his hind feet, swish his
tail, or grind his teeth. If the stone creates a total
blockage, the bladder or urinary passage may rupture. If
this happens, urine goes into the abdomen, causing toxemia
and death within 48 hours.
Prevention/treatment: Make sure cattle always have plenty of
water, especially in winter when they drink less because of
cold weather. Do not overfeed grain. Treatment for urinary
stones is not always successful, but the animal may have a
chance for recovery if you call your veterinarian before the
animal suffers a rupture.
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