Therapeutic Management of Stage II Milk Fever With Retained Placenta in a Cow

Abstract

Milk fever is a condition where the animal’s body fails to maintain the calcium homeostasis following an upsurge demand of calcium during gestation or lactation. This case reports the clinical management of suspected stage II milk fever with retained placenta in a Friesian cow after parturition of twin calves. A four-year-old Friesian cow weighing 400kg was presented with primary complaint of weakness and inability to stand a day after parturition of two calves. Physical examination revealed that the cow was on sternal recumbency and unable to stand, while the placenta was seen hanging from the vulva region. All vital parameters were normal but the cow was having a weak cardiac rythm. The differential diagnoses at this point of time were milk fever, downers’ cow syndrome and hypophosphatemia. The cow was diagnosed with suspected milk fever based on the history of parturition of two calves and thus leading to hypocalcaemia. The cow was treated with flunixin meglumine 1.1mg/kg once intravenously as anti-inflammatory, anti-pyrexic and analgesic. Then, 500mL of calcium borogluconate (23%) was administered intravenously slowly at the rate of 1drop/second as a source of calcium. The cow responded well to treatment after 10 minutes of administration. In addition, 0.9% normal saline was lavaged into the uterus to irrigate the retained placenta. Subsequently, 20mL of oxytetracycline (20mg/kg) was infused into the uterine body as the final lavage. Finally, broad spectrum long acting oxytetracycline (20mg/kg) antibiotic was given once intramuscularly to prevent secondary bacterial infections. Therapeutic treatment to restore the calcium level in the blood should be the main focus during the management of milk fever.