When your cow is unwell, she may lose her appetite. However, it is essential not to let them starve or dehydrate.
Fever is one of the most prevalent symptoms of an infectious illness and should be addressed promptly by veterinary medical assistance. Diarrhea will cause your animal to lose a great deal of water and salts.
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1. Give her fresh water.
If your cow is sick but still eating and drinking, give her some fresh water to stay hydrated – this is essential for her overall wellbeing.
You may want to consider using a hypertonic saline solution. It has been demonstrated as safe for cows when given alongside oral fluids.
Dehydrated cows require fluids to restore their body’s normal levels of sodium, potassium and chloride. That is why we often administer fluid therapy to animals that are ill and need medical care.
We advise against giving sick cow electrolytes that contain bicarbonate, as this could cause them to become alkalosic and develop kidney problems or muscle swell up.
2. Give her a little hay.
Hay is one of the simplest and most successful ways to get a cow to eat. Try offering her some sweet hay every 30 minutes to see if she will take it.
Long stem hay, especially grass hay, is highly recommended. Additionally, make sure there’s always plenty of fresh water and feed available at all times.
Hay can be a great help to your cow as she recovers. Depending on her condition, you may be able to give her some total mixed ration in addition to her usual feed. She might also benefit from some drenching with rumen content for hydration in her gut if she is suffering from metabolic diseases such as grain bloat.
3. Give her a little milk.
If your cow is feeling under the weather and won’t eat, give her some of nature’s most beneficial food: milk! Filled with calcium and vitamin D, this dairy food will help hydrate her and get her on her feet again.
You may need to experiment a bit to find the ideal balance of quantity and quality for providing your cow with all of the nutrition she requires, but it’s worth all the effort for keeping them healthy. If one of your cows is feeling unwell, keep her separate from other cows in order to prevent infection spread. Keep them in a shady, cool spot with plenty of fresh water so they stay hydrated and re-energised.
4. Give her a little sugar.
Sugar is a carbohydrate found in fruits, vegetables and grains. It consists of two simple sugar molecules (monosaccharides): glucose and fructose that combine to form various types of sweet treats we consume.
Table sugar, also known as sucrose, is the most widely-used type of sugar. It consists of equal parts glucose and fructose monosaccharides. Milk sugar (lactose) also contains equal parts galactose and glucose monosaccharides; honey or agave syrup have more calories per teaspoon than table sugar but may provide health benefits for some individuals. In general, try to consume as little sugar as possible and limit your consumption at each meal to a small amount at a time.
5. Give her a little salt.
Fluid therapy should be included in any adult cow’s treatment protocol if they are suffering from any illness. This will help correct dehydration and keep your cow healthy until she can resume eating again.
One way to accomplish this is with oral fluids and hypertonic saline. Hypertonic saline, which is commercially available in 1-liter bottles, should be given at a dose of 2 milliliters per pound over an approximately 4- to 5-minute period.
After administering hypertonic saline, you should also provide her with fresh water and pump her rumen with 5 gallons of water within 10 minutes. Doing this helps the fluids pass through her system more quickly, enabling her to recover quicker – especially if you are administering antibiotics or other medications which cause dehydration.
