Many Sick Cows Need Fluid Therapy Many Sick Cows Need Fluid
Therapy By Geof Smith, D.V.M. The author is at the College of
Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.
Whether you are treating a cow for mastitis, uterine infection,
diarrhea, or a number of other diseases, fluid therapy
frequently is recommended. Many of these “sick” cows become
dehydrated — meaning they have lost more water and fluids than
they should. Dairy cattle in particular are prone to rapid
dehydration because they lose a large amount of their body water
to milk production every day. Some people tend to avoid fluid
therapy in cows because it can be more difficult compared to
calves. (Larger fluid volumes are needed, the cow must be
restrained, and proper fluid therapy can be time consuming.)
However, in many sick cows, either oral or intravenous fluids
are necessary and cannot be avoided. How do you know? The most
accurate way of detecting dehydration in cattle is by looking at
the position of the eyeballs. Normally, t