① mental state
Healthy cattle are naturally lively, with keen eyes and ears, which are manifested by often lowering their heads when standing and being sensitive to things around them; The sick cattle are depressed or excited, which is characterized by low head, half-closed eyes, stillness and slow movement; Sometimes when standing, the nose mirror touches other objects, or touches the ground with the nose, and the response to the surrounding things is very slow (more common in some chronic diseases or terminal diseases). When excited, the sick cow is manic and restless, rushing forward, bumping back and not listening to the call. If cows show continuous chirping and run around holding their heads, they are mostly suffering from encephalitis or toxic diseases.
② Behavior performance
Cows should lie down for 90% at rest. If it is less than 90%, it depends on what the cow is doing. Feed the cows when they are not full. Standing on the playground, bunker or cow bed means that the bunker is muddy or frozen, making the cow uncomfortable to lie down; If there are more cows in estrus or strong estrus reaction in the herd, more cows can't lie down and rest; Cattle may leave the group at rest and lie alone in the corner, which may be labor, abortion or serious illness.
Cows suddenly lost their appetite, and their milk volume decreased significantly, so they were unwilling to move. When standing quietly, their elbows are extended, and the places with high front and low back are easy to go uphill and difficult to go downhill. There is edema in the thoracic lobe and mandible, and the jugular veins on both sides of the trachea are obviously stretched like sticks, which is a typical symptom of traumatic pericarditis.
Abnormal phenomena such as eating soil and drinking urine in dairy cows indicate that there may be a lack of trace elements such as phosphorus, salt or cobalt and copper in the feed, and these elements need to be supplemented.
When a cow drinks water, its head suddenly rises, shakes from side to side, its neck straightens, and a lot of saliva flows out of its mouth, which may be esophageal obstruction.
When a cow suffers from tetanus, its head and neck are straight, its ears are vertical, its tail is upturned and its waist and legs are stiff. It looks like a Trojan horse. When suffering from encephalitis and meningitis, sick cows blindly exercise and don't listen to their owners' calls; Cattle suffering from cerebral echinococcosis often turn around unconsciously.
(2) Physiological indexes of dairy cows
① Breathing time
The respiratory frequency of healthy cattle is 10 ~ 30 times per minute, showing a stable chest-abdomen breathing, which is generally affected by physiological and external conditions and will fluctuate slightly. However, the number of breaths of sick cattle should be significantly reduced or increased. Cow's chest tightness and breathing are mostly due to abdominal organ diseases, such as acute peritonitis, acute gastric dilatation, rumen fullness, abdominal trauma and so on. Abdominal breathing in dairy cows is common in some chest organ diseases, such as acute pleurisy, acute pneumonia, pleural effusion, emphysema, rib fracture and so on.
② Rumination frequency and time
Healthy cows start ruminating about 1 hour after eating, and each rumination lasts about 1 hour, and each group chews 40-80 times. Ruminant disorder will occur when dairy cows suffer from rumen food accumulation, rumen gas accumulation, traumatic reticular gastritis, stomachache, gastroenteritis, peritonitis and liver diseases, infectious diseases, reproductive system diseases, metabolic diseases and brain and spinal cord diseases. 60% cows ruminate when standing or lying down at rest, and the number of ruminants is small, which may be due to acidosis or ketosis, too short or too fine roughage, or insufficient crude fiber in the diet.
③ Rumen peristalsis frequency
The left fossa and skin of healthy cows will fluctuate with the peristalsis of rumen. If the left popliteal fossa is stable for a long time or fluctuates slightly, it means that the forestomach is relaxed.
Belching is a normal physiological phenomenon of ruminants. Weakening belching is seen in bovine forestomach diseases, some febrile diseases and infectious diseases. The complete cessation of hiccups is mostly the result of esophageal infarction in cattle.
(3) Dairy cow production index
① milk yield
The milk yield of healthy cows is generally constant, with an average daily milk yield of about 20kg, and the peak appears at 5- 10 weeks after delivery. The peak milk yield of primiparous cows is 3.2-6.4kg higher than the daily average milk yield, and that of adult cows is 6.5- 13.5kg higher than the daily average milk yield. It is extremely rare that the milk yield of dairy cows suddenly increases a lot in production. If the milk yield of a cow suddenly decreases a lot, the cow must be ill. Cows with various diseases will reduce milk production, but ketosis and mastitis are the most serious. The milk yield of patients with mild ketosis continued to decline, while the milk yield of patients with severe ketosis decreased sharply. Clinical breast and milk have abnormal changes. In light cases, the milk is thin and grayish white, the breast is swollen, the pain is not obvious, and the milk yield has not changed much; In severe cases, the breast is swollen, red, swollen and hard, and the pain is obvious. Milky yellow, the milk yield is only 1/3 ~ 1/2 of the normal amount. Malign mastitis's onset is acute, the affected animals have no milk, the affected area and the whole breast are swollen and hard, the skin is purple and chapped, and the pain is extremely obvious. It is necessary to investigate the incidence of subclinical mastitis and the lack of protein, trace elements and vitamins in the diet when the milk yield decreases during the peak period. When the peak duration is too short, we should first consider the endogenous parasites of dairy cows, especially the first and second births, and the lack of calcium and protein in postpartum diet. When the milk yield drops too fast, it is necessary to consider whether too high non-protein nitrogen, such as urea, is added to the diet. In addition, we can consider whether there is a lack of B vitamins.
② Milk fat percentage
The milk fat rate of normal milk is 2.5% ~ 4.5%. If the milk fat rate is low, it may be caused by the low content of crude fiber in the diet. Attention should be paid to the occurrence of metabolic disorder in dairy cows and the composition of concentrate and coarse diet. The crude fiber in dairy cows' diet should be controlled at 15% ~ 17%.
(4) The appetite, drinking desire and excreta of dairy cows.
(1) Appetite, alcohol consumption and alcohol consumption are important indicators of a cow's health. Poor appetite, ups and downs are more common in chronic digestive diseases. Loss of appetite can be seen in various serious diseases, which is often a bad performance after recovery. It is more common in the recovery period of serious illness and diseases with little change in digestive organ function and excessive nutrition consumption in the body. Abnormal appetite, pica, etc. More common in dairy cows, such as lack of certain vitamins, minerals or trace elements and nervous system abnormalities. Adult cows generally drink 70 ~ 120 liters of water every day. The increase of drinking water is seen in severe diarrhea, massive hemorrhage, severe vomiting, exudative pleurisy, peritonitis and clinical use of diuretics in dairy cows. The decrease of drinking water is seen in central nervous system diseases of dairy cows. I have never seen cows suffering from severe encephalopathy or other serious diseases.
(2) Characteristics of feces The feces of healthy cows have a certain shape and hardness, soft but not thin, hard but not firm, odorless and regular. For example, the frequency of defecation increases, and the feces are thin and light, such as water or diarrhea, which is more common in enteritis, tuberculosis and paratuberculosis of dairy cows. Fecal excretion is reduced, the feces are dry and hard, or mucus is attached to the surface, which is more common in insufficient exercise, indigestion, intestinal obstruction, intestinal displacement, febrile diseases and some nervous system diseases. Fecal incontinence is seen in severe diarrhea, spinal cord injury or encephalitis. Cows suffer from pain, anxiety, hunchback and even groaning and chirping when defecating, which are more common in traumatic reticulitis, enteritis, rumen food accumulation, constipation, intestinal displacement and some nervous system diseases. The feces are thin, shapeless and smelly, indicating that if there is too much concentrated feed, the milk yield of this cow will drop sharply, and the concentrated feed must be reduced. Dairy cows have diarrhea in winter, and blood in their feces may be that dairy cows suffer from winter dysentery; Cow loose dung contains bubbles and is excessively emaciated, which may be caused by paratuberculosis.
③ Healthy cows urinate 7-9 times a day, and the urine color is clear and yellowish. Cow urine should be tasteless. When cow urine smells like rotten apples (some people say it smells like garlic) and its color is dark, it means that the body uses too much body fat and produces too many ketone bodies, which is a manifestation of recessive or clinical ketosis. If the urine is turbid and opaque, consider whether there is urethritis or cystitis.
(5) Body surface and external organs of dairy cows
① physical condition
When the hand tightly touches the ridge of the cow's waist, the existence of the ridge can be felt; Fat deposition can be easily felt on both sides of the tail root, which is the standard physical condition of healthy dairy cows. Whether the coat color of calves, bred cows and young cows is bright, fat and thin is very inconsistent. The appearance of lactating cows should be able to see the back three ribs at most. If you can see the position of the penultimate tendon clearly, it means it is thin; Overweight may be due to malnutrition at the peak of lactation, or poor physical condition during lactation or other diseases, such as blood parasites, digestive system or limb diseases; Obesity of dairy cows before delivery will lead to decreased feed intake after delivery, and they are prone to ketosis, abomasum displacement, dystocia, placenta retention, ovarian cyst and postpartum uterine infection. Being too thin before delivery will lack the continuity of lactation and affect the normal estrus after delivery.
② Eyes
Healthy cows have bright eyes, sensitive vision, quick response, no tears, no swelling of eyelids, no secretions in the corners of their eyes and light pink conjunctiva. Sick cows have dull eyes and slow reaction, and conjunctiva changes due to different diseases. Pale conjunctiva, more common in chronic consumptive diseases, such as bovine tuberculosis, cola disease, chronic dyspepsia and so on. Conjunctival flushing is more common in febrile diseases, such as bovine pneumonia and bovine gastroenteritis. Conjunctival cyanosis is more common in diseases such as circulatory system disorder and dyspnea. Rumen food accumulation is also easy to cause cyanosis and conjunctival congestion. Conjunctival yellowing is more common in hepatobiliary diseases, blood and gastrointestinal diseases. 10% tears flow directly to the upper nostril or the eyeball is turbid and blind, indicating that vitamin A supply is insufficient; Ocular conjunctiva erosion flush, more common in infectious diseases; The gradual pallor of conjunctiva is a sign of malnutrition, especially the lack of trace elements.
③ Binaural
Healthy cows' ears flap naturally and flexibly, often, and their hands are warm. Sick cows hang their heads, their ears don't flap, and their ears are cold or hot.
④ Nasal mirror and nasal cavity
Dewdrops on the nose mirror of healthy cows are beaded and evenly distributed, showing that they are not dry or wet. When suffering from acute fever, the nose mirror and nose disk are dry or even cracked, such as bovine pear-shaped disease and bovine senility. The nasal cavity, including nasal mucosa and rhinorrhea, is generally serous, viscous or purulent, and has a bad smell, which is more common in infectious bovine pleuropneumonia. Cows don't lick their noses, and a large amount of liquid remains at the nose mirror, or the nose mirror of cows is dry without water droplets, which are mostly manifestations of cows' colds or respiratory inflammation.
⑤ Oral tongue coating
Healthy cows have reddish oral mucosa, normal body temperature and no peculiar smell. The oral mucosa of sick cattle is white, drooling or dry mouth, the temperature is high and low, and there is a bad smell. The tongue tip of healthy cattle is ruddy and elastic. The sick cow's tongue is not flexible. The tongue coating of healthy cows is ruddy and smooth, with strong elasticity and normal temperature. The tongue coating of sick cattle is mostly yellow, white or brown, with thick and rough tongue coating, weak tongue expansion and contraction, poor elasticity and low tongue temperature. Oral redness is more common in fever, such as acute infectious diseases and enteritis. Oral cyanosis is the manifestation of blood circulation disorder, hypoxia and blood viscosity, which is common in intestinal displacement and gallstones. White mouth color, more common in all kinds of anemia, malnutrition, parasitic diseases, massive blood loss, visceral rupture and so on. When cows suffer from actinomycosis, the oral mucosa is swollen, flushed and ulcerated. When the enlarged lump skin festers, bright red granulation can be exposed with pus. When the tongue is invaded, it swells and hardens due to tissue hyperplasia, making it inconvenient to move. It is called "woody tongue disease", and it is difficult for sick cattle to chew, swallow and breathe. Generally, if the amount of saliva secretion increases, there may be traumatic inflammation in the tongue or pharynx; If a large amount of saliva continues to flow out, and there is continuous chewing and swallowing action, accompanied by Cleisthenes's cry, it is mostly esophageal obstruction.
⑥ fur and skin
The fur of healthy cattle is neat, smooth, shiny and elastic, and it is not easy to fall off; The skin color is normal, without swelling, ulceration, bleeding, etc. Due to different diseases, the coat color and skin of sick cattle will have various changes. Cattle suffering from scabies and eczema lose their hair in pieces, their skin thickens and hardens, and itching and scratches appear. When suffering from chronic consumptive diseases such as bovine tuberculosis, parasitic diseases and some metabolic diseases, the fur is unkempt, dull and easy to fall off. Rough and dull coat color may be caused by vitamin A deficiency, and red coat color or black and white hair around eyes may be caused by copper deficiency in feed.
⑦ Limb and hoof
Healthy cows lie down with their limbs tucked under their stomachs after eating, and put their hind legs back in place when they stand up; If postpartum cows lie on the ground, their legs tremble and their gait is unstable, it is often a sign of postpartum paralysis. Cattle's hoof crown is red and swollen, especially the hind hoof crown is obviously red and swollen after washing, indicating that the amount of concentrated feed, especially starch, is too large, and cattle have chronic acidosis, which is also related to the deficiency of trace element zinc.
8-suffix
Although there is no fixed frequency, the tail movement of healthy cows has a certain change law. In hot weather, the swing frequency is more and the amplitude is larger than that in cold weather; When walking and working, it swings more times than when it is still; Swing more times when eating than when not eating; Swing more times during the day than at night. A well-developed healthy cow has a moderate tail thickness and a large swing. The tail of ill cattle with dysplasia is small or curved, and its swing is inflexible and small. The cow's tail droops and its ears curl, which makes it inactive. In severe cases, the tail is not moving and the tail is hot. Cowtail hair is scattered in cold syndrome, and cold is triggered by hands. When the wind is cold, the tail curl is low, the tail swings less and the amplitude is small. Cows with abdominal pain often look back at their bellies. In light cases, the tail is rolled to one side; in heavy cases, the tail is tilted from time to time and caught inside the hind leg. When a cow suffers from tetanus, it has a straight tail, stiff back and stiff limbs. In the case of malnutrition, the tail hair is burnt and the elasticity of the tail body is poor.
(6) The posture of the cow
① Standing potential
Cows stand with their forelimbs crossed when eating, indicating that there is hoof inflammation on both sides of the forelimbs and they dare not bear the burden.
② trend
Cattle with limb and hoof disease walk differently. "Dare to step on the hoof, dare to step on the hoof and dare to lift the tip of the arm", mostly hoof inflammation or hoof rot, and the lesion is in the hoof; I dare not lift too much because of shoulder injury, which is caused by confrontation or slipping.
③ supine potential
When the cow lies down, purulent secretions are discharged from the vagina, indicating that there is infection in the uterus or vagina; Some cows have 5 ~ 6 cm strip secretions and scabs under their labia. This cow may have been pregnant for more than 3 months, or the uterus of a non-pregnant cow has inflammation.