Should there be a first aid kit in the hotel

Pregnant animals must be transferred to the calving place two weeks before the calving date. This makes it possible to evaluate the body condition of the cow and, if not fat enough, feed the best hay to ensure that the calf receives the right amount of nutrients.

Also stock up on dry, clean bedding and a delivery kit ahead of time, because something can go wrong at any stage of calving. The calving of a cow can be conditionally divided into three stages. The first takes about six hours, when the bubble with fluid around the calf bursts, the cow's cervix gradually opens, the cow raises her tail, worry. At the second stage, labor begins - the calf passes through the birth canal for about an hour. The third stage from the birth of the calf to the release of the placenta takes approximately 12 hours.

Remember that heifers and cows can behave unpredictably during calving, do not hesitate to ask for help from familiar breeders.

First aid kit for calving

Let's start with simple things that should not be neglected. The thermometer is one of the best diagnostic tools. If you call your veterinarian, he will first ask about the temperature of the cow or calf.

Buy a modern headlamp with a bright light - do not skimp, good lighting will make the work of the veterinarian easier, as well as a strong halter with a long lead. The barn is good for inspection, but when the cow is lying down and calving, it is useless. Clean nylon ropes are needed to retrieve the calf in the wrong position.

Prepare several rolls of paper towels, long plastic gloves, syringes and needles, disinfected scissors to cut the umbilical cord and dental floss to tie the umbilical cord - iodine (7%) is needed to clean the umbilical cord.

Gather a bunch of… clean straws in a plastic bag. For what? They are useful for tickling the nose of a newborn calf so that he quickly comes to his senses.

Disinfectants: suitable iodine preparation for washing plastic gloves and cow vulva, chlorhexidine disinfectant solution.

Buy a supply of veterinary lubricant, a pacifier bottle, and an esophageal tube for feeding calves with colostrum. Within 6 hours after birth, the calf is given at least 2–4 liters of colostrum. First they try to give through a bottle, if it doesn’t work out, pour it through a probe. Therefore, purchase a high quality commercial colostrum for severe calving or caesarean delivery, a colostrum container.

Keep the following veterinary drugs in your first aid kit: oxytocin to stimulate lactation, penicillin, long-acting systemic antibiotic, drugs to reduce inflammation and pain (meloxicam, flunixin, meglumine), vitamin B complex.

Suppositories (antibiotics - effervescent tablets) to prevent infection of the uterus after a difficult birth (foaming pessaries with obermycin).

Oral electrolytes for severe calving or diarrhea in calves.

Sulfamethazine tablets for the treatment of coccidosis in calves at least 3 weeks of age.

Probiotic.

Vitamin B complex.

23% intravenous calcium gluconate and oral calcium boluses for milk fever. Milk fever (hypocalcemia) is a well-known problem in cows after calving, especially when the diet is not magnesium-deficient.

Milk fever has many potential side effects that can increase the risk of other conditions such as mastitis, ketosis, abomasum displacement, and uterine prolapse.

Milk fever in cows is treated with 500 milliliters of 23% calcium gluconate intravenously followed by two oral boluses of calcium 12 hours apart. It is important to emphasize that an oral calcium bolus should not be given if cows are not responding to intravenous calcium. When a cow does not stand up after receiving intravenous calcium, normal muscle function has not been restored and the animal may suffocate from the calcium bolus. You should consult with your veterinarian and evaluate further treatment.

On the other hand, in normal labor, administration of two oral calcium boluses (the first bolus immediately after calving and the second bolus 12 hours later) to high producing cows (two or more lactations) may minimize the risk of developing milk fever. Intravenous calcium should NOT be given as a preventive measure.