Much of our discussions at Protekta center around preventing fresh cow milk fever. However, fresh cows aren’t the only ones who can experience milk fever-like symptoms, such as down cow syndrome.
In a recent Progressive Dairy article, Protekta dairy nutritionist Rod Martin discussed mid-lactation milk fever (MLMF), which resembles traditional milk fever but can occur throughout the lactation cycle.
MLMF cows can appear fine one milking but then abruptly go down and not make the next trip to the parlor.
While the term “milk fever” is used for both challenges, it can be misleading since the causes for traditional low calcium milk fever are different than MLMF. Unlike hypocalcemia, MLMF can be due to low magnesium levels. In the article, Rod and co-author Neil Michael, a nutritional consultant with Progressive Dairy Solutions, outline how nutrition and inflammation can lead to MLMF.
Nutritional Factors
According to the authors, multiple nutritional factors can lead to hypomagnesemia, including soil types, plant mineral content, and magnesium antagonists that can inhibit nutrient absorption. They recommend working with a nutritionist and testing forages for major mineral content. In addition, other solutions to consider include increasing magnesium in your ration and evaluating magnesium sources, since some are less available for absorption by the animal.
Inflammation Factors
Rod and Neil detailed how inflammatory challenges can cause problems and result in down cows in the mid-lactation group. From leaky gut to pen overcrowding, the authors discussed inflammatory events and on-farm stressors and their role in MLMF. They recommend working with your management team to identify risks and minimize any potential threats.
Read the full Progressive Dairy article to better understand MLMF and for a list of actions you can take to identify and solve potential sources of mid-lactation issues.
