This disease is of frequent occurrence and quite liable to be fatal, unless under proper homeopathic treatment. It is much more prevalent some seasons than others, owing, doubtless, to peculiar atmospheric conditions, and is more malignant some seasons than others.
There are certain causes which predispose to this disease; thus fat; stall-fed cows are more liable to it than poor or lean ones; the complaint is more common in the variable weather of early spring and late fall; a cow once having the disease is more liable to a return than others. The exciting causes are: exposure to cold and wet; driving the cow a long journey too soon; giving too much or too rich food soon after calving.
Symptoms.—This fever usually begins shortly after calving, usually within twenty-four hours; if three or four days pass over, the cow may be considered safe from an attack. The earlier symptoms are: the cow refuses her food or only eats a little of it; she is depressed, hangs her head and looks dull; the horns are hot; the nose, instead of being damp with healthy dew, becomes hot and dry; the urine is scanty; the bowels are confined, or, if moved, the dung is hard and lumpy; the pulse is quicker and fuller than in health; the breathing is quickened and attended with heaving at the flanks.
To these warning symptoms are added, with more or less rapidity, the more formidable ones, which are often first to attract the attention of the owner. The milk is reduced in quantity or entirely stopped; the eyes glisten and look bright and staring; the white of the eye is covered with numerous red streaks, or is of a leaden color; the eye-balls are thrust forward in their sockets, and give the cow a somewhat wild and anxious expression; the hind legs seem weak, and are separated a little from each other; she appears to stand uneasily upon them, resting for a time on one foot and then changing to the other; this paddling and shifting from one leg to another continues as the difficulty of standing increases, until the animal supports herself by leaning against the stall; she does not chew the cud; all discharge from the bearing is stopped; the calf is neglected; the pulse becomes slower than before, and the breathing more difficult; the udder is hard and swelled, and little or no milk can be drawn from it; gradually becoming worse, the weakness in the hind legs increases, so they can no longer support her; she staggers and sways about, falling, at length, heavily on the ground; she struggles, tries to rise again, and may or may not succeed, but in either case soon loses the power of rising, and lies helpless upon the ground. In this stage of the complaint the symptoms vary. In some cases we have the following: The cow tosses her head from side to side, writhes her body and lashes her tail, struggles, stretches out her hind legs, moans and bellows, and seems to suffer great pain. The breathing is also difficult and labored; the skin covered with clammy sweat; the paunch enormously swollen from accumulated gas. Unless this swelling subsides, the breathing becomes more difficult and labored; the pulse more rapid and oppressed, so as scarcely to be counted; the legs very cold; pain is worse; fetid gas rises from the stomach, and death ensues.
In other cases the foregoing symptoms are absent, or exist only in a slight degree; and we have the following: The cow lies stretched out at full length on her side, or her head is brought to the opposite side, with the nose towards the shoulder and the chin on the ground; or the head is twisted directly backward, with the nose held out and the horns upon the shoulder, in the most awkward manner. The eyes are dim and glassy; the pupils are dilated, rounded, and do not contract at the approach of light; the ears drop; the mouth is partly open; the lower jaw drops if the head is raised; she has not the power to hold up her head; she has lost the sense of feeling, and can scarcely swallow, if at all; difficult, rattling breathing; pulse weak, slow and intermittent, or even imperceptible; horns, legs and surface cold and chilly; swelling of the belly increases; udder swelled, hard and sometimes red on the outside; in some cases dung and urine suppressed. All these symptoms become worse by degrees, and unless relieved, death ensues generally within two days from the attack, sometimes in a few hours.
Treatment.—The symptoms of this disease appear so suddenly, and run so rapid a course, that if the disease is prevailing, or there is reason from any cause to apprehend it, the cow should be watched about the time of calving, and a dose or two, of fifteen drops, of A.A., should be given soon after. This will act as a preventive, and arrest any premonitions of the disease, and we would counsel its continuance; at least an occasional dose, morning and night, for two or three days. It will favor the early and feverless production of milk.
Should the disease have made its appearance with evident fever, unequal warmth, bloating, suppressed discharge from the bearing, etc., give A.A., a dose of twenty drops, every two or three hours, until the disease is arrested.
Only in the last extremity, with labored breathing, extreme bloating, and entire loss or rapid failure of strength, the I.I., may be alternated with the A.A., at intervals of two hours, in doses of twenty drops, until the system rallies, when the two medicines may be continued at longer intervals.
Nursing and Care.—The cow should be placed in a clean, roomy stall, so as to be allowed to rise and to be attended with facility; laid on clean, dry straw, no dung allowed to remain, and be comfortably clothed, according to the season. The milk should be frequently drawn off and the udder hand rubbed. She should be with the fore part of her body higher than the hinder part, or on a level, with her legs under her in a natural position. She must be on her side and supported by bundles of straw, and on no account be allowed to lie out full stretched, in which position she will become worse and surely die. Small quantities of warm gruel are best for food.
There have lately come into vogue “Milk Fever Outfits” by means of which the udder is filled with sterilized air. While there can be no objection to this treatment either alone or in conjunction with the A.A. In our experience the A.A. alone is quite sufficient.