Common Problems and Precautions for Newborn Calves
After newborn calves are born, due to changes in the growing environment and lifestyle, if management is improper, many problems can easily arise. These problems have a great impact on the growth of newborn calves and may even lead to their death. Therefore, if you want to raise newborn calves well, you must pay attention to handling several common problems after birth. What exactly are they? Let's take a look below!
1. Preventing False Death
When the cow is giving birth, the delivery may be prolonged because the fetal membranes do not rupture in time. Or, because the calf is born backward, the delivery speed is very slow, and the calf may show a "false death" phenomenon with extremely weak heartbeat due to breathing difficulty. At this time, we should promptly clear the calf's airway and wipe the mucus and amniotic fluid from the calf's mouth and nose with clean gauze. Then lay the calf flat and gently press its chest and abdomen to promote the return of normal breathing and heartbeat.
2. Preventing Umbilical Bleeding
After the calf is born, if there is a problem with heart function, then the closure of the umbilical vein will be affected and cause umbilical bleeding. If this happens, the umbilical cord should be ligated again in time, and the broken end of the umbilical cord should be disinfected with iodine tincture. If the broken end is not long enough and the blood vessel is still inside the umbilical opening, then first place sterilized gauze into the umbilical opening to fill it, and after bleeding stops, suture it.
3. Preventing Umbilical Inflammation
When cutting the umbilical cord, if disinfection work is not done well or calves lick each other's umbilical cords, then the umbilical cord is very likely to be infected by bacteria, causing umbilical inflammation. If the umbilical cord becomes inflamed, in the early stage you can first apply an appropriate amount of iodine tincture around the umbilical opening, and then inject antibiotics. If an abscess occurs, promptly squeeze out the pus, sprinkle on anti-inflammatory powder, and then protect it with a bandage.
4. Preventing Constipation
If the calf does not defecate within one day after birth and shows signs such as restlessness, refusing to nurse, rapid breathing, and lying down unable to stand, then it may be constipated. We can feel the rectal area, and generally there will be dry, hard lumps present. Therefore, be sure to let the calf feed on colostrum as early as possible. If constipation occurs, then soapy water can be used for an enema to soften the feces and promote prompt expulsion. You can also apply a hot compress to the abdomen or massage the abdomen to avoid severe abdominal pain in the calf.
The above is a brief introduction to the common problems needing attention in newborn calves. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!