Post by suburbancow on Dec 27, 2012 22:36:12 GMT -5
So I have come back home East to NSW for Christmas to find that my father (who is a relative newcomer to wheat & sheep farming and knows NOTHING about cows) has gone to a sale and come home with 13 apparent Angus cross cows. ( I say apparent as it turns out they are Galloway/Highland crosses).
Last week he found one of the heavily pregnant cows dead and another looking very ill. He had the land vet out (who is up on large animals) and after a blood test, the confirmation was that she has Benign Theileriosis. Whilst the benign would seem to indicate it is not a serious disease, the name is simply to distinguish it from the Theileriosis in the US. ( in fact it has a 30% mortality rate and is even higher in pregnant cattle). He doesn't know if she is pregnant. The Protozoa are transmitted via bush ticks and cause severe anaemia affecting both the white and red blood cells.
The vet indicated that as the drugs which may be able to treat it, Buparvaquone or Primaquine are not licenced for use in Australia, there is little that can be done to treat her other that NO stress ( as movement required increased demands for oxygen and she can't supply that) and good feed. She is on pasture with access to a round bale of lucerne hay.
My questions are;
* has anyone else had any experience with this and
* as there seems to be little in the way of treatment available for her, what other supportive feed regimes would you suggest?
In desperation, my father gave her a shot of antibiotics (don't know the name) which I don't think was a good thing to do.
I have suggested he give her probiotics, molasses, brewers yeast, loose minerals, baking soda and vitamin B12. The only problem is that she has not been handled very much and the administering of all these things would add to her stress......
Any suggestions would be welcomed.
Cheers.
Last week he found one of the heavily pregnant cows dead and another looking very ill. He had the land vet out (who is up on large animals) and after a blood test, the confirmation was that she has Benign Theileriosis. Whilst the benign would seem to indicate it is not a serious disease, the name is simply to distinguish it from the Theileriosis in the US. ( in fact it has a 30% mortality rate and is even higher in pregnant cattle). He doesn't know if she is pregnant. The Protozoa are transmitted via bush ticks and cause severe anaemia affecting both the white and red blood cells.
The vet indicated that as the drugs which may be able to treat it, Buparvaquone or Primaquine are not licenced for use in Australia, there is little that can be done to treat her other that NO stress ( as movement required increased demands for oxygen and she can't supply that) and good feed. She is on pasture with access to a round bale of lucerne hay.
My questions are;
* has anyone else had any experience with this and
* as there seems to be little in the way of treatment available for her, what other supportive feed regimes would you suggest?
In desperation, my father gave her a shot of antibiotics (don't know the name) which I don't think was a good thing to do.
I have suggested he give her probiotics, molasses, brewers yeast, loose minerals, baking soda and vitamin B12. The only problem is that she has not been handled very much and the administering of all these things would add to her stress......
Any suggestions would be welcomed.
Cheers.