Farmer Loses More Than a Dozen Cattle After Feeding Moldy Feed to Livestock, Plus Treatment Plan

In rural areas, corn is a very common feed for raising livestock. Sometimes weather conditions cause the corn to become damp and moldy, and since farmers worked hard to grow it themselves, they cannot bear to throw it away. Some will continue to use it to feed their livestock. So, can moldy feed still be given to livestock? A farmer lost more than a dozen cattle after feeding it! (Treatment plan included)

1. Can moldy feed still be given to livestock?

Do not use moldy or spoiled leftovers or feed to feed poultry and livestock. This is because the toxic substances in moldy, spoiled leftovers or feed will accumulate in large amounts in the bodies of poultry and livestock. This not only affects the growth and development of poultry and livestock, but when people eat such poultry and livestock, the toxic substances will also enter the human body and harm their own health.

2. A farmer lost more than a dozen cattle after feeding it!

Due to improper storage, one bag of corn became severely moldy. Feeling it was a waste to throw it away, Old Wang mixed it into the feed to feed his cattle. Fearing problems would arise after feeding it, he initially mixed in a relatively small amount, feeding only about one or two dozen jin of moldy corn per day. For the first two days there were no symptoms at all, so Old Wang mixed all the remaining corn into the feed.

Then the problem came. Starting on the third day, some cattle showed symptoms such as loss of appetite, cessation of rumination and diarrhea. Old Wang felt the problem was not serious and that it would be fine once he stopped feeding the moldy corn. But by the fourth day, nearly the entire herd showed similar symptoms, and severe cases even showed symptoms such as teeth grinding, circling and kicking at the abdomen with the hind legs.

Old Wang felt the matter was somewhat serious and called in several veterinarians, who unanimously diagnosed it as acute aflatoxin poisoning.

Treatment plan

Since there were many sick cattle, several of us veterinarians worked together to carry out treatment, though none of us felt confident. We discussed and came up with the best treatment plan, and then began treating the sick cattle.

1. Clear the contents of the gastrointestinal tract. Stop feeding any forage, use a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution for enema and gastric lavage, then administer magnesium sulfate by drench to induce mild purgation.

Cattle-raising technique extended: when there is a large amount of water in the cattle's gastrointestinal tract, magnesium sulfate or sodium sulfate has a better purgative effect; when there is little water and much forage, oils such as paraffin oil have a better purgative effect.

2. For cattle with neurological symptoms such as teeth grinding and circling, administer sedation and antispasmodic treatment.

3. During treatment, attention should be paid to cardiac support and fluid replacement, electrolyte balance, liver and kidney protection, and control of secondary infection. 10% caffeine sodium benzoate injection 30 ml, normal saline 1500 ml, 5% glucose injection 1500 ml, 50% glucose injection 500 ml, vitamin C injection 50 ml, vitamin K3 injection 50 ml, adenosine triphosphate 150 mg, inosine 1.5 g, tetracycline 8 million units, administered intravenously once daily. At the same time, oral nystatin 3-5 g.

After two days and two nights of continuous effort, the overall condition of the herd stabilized, but in the end eight cattle still died, and another five or six cattle needed to be culled.

Moldy feed must never be fed to cattle!

Whether it is forage or concentrated feed, once mold is visible to the naked eye, it must never be fed to cattle. Of course, many cattle raisers are reluctant to let feed go to waste and, like Old Wang, mix in a small amount to feed their cattle. Although doing so will not necessarily cause acute mold poisoning, poisoning will still occur once mycotoxins accumulate to a certain amount in the cattle's bodies. The cattle will show symptoms such as reduced feed intake, slow growth, malnutrition, dull and standing-up coat, and dry, cracked muzzle.

Although most feed has no mold visible to the naked eye, some mold spots can still be observed through a magnifying glass or microscope. Cattle raisers should appropriately add mold removers to the feed to reduce as much as possible the impact of mycotoxins on cattle health and growth.