APPENDICES
Appendix 1 - Normal Values
Temperature 101.50F 38.60C
Pulse rate 45-50 per minute
Respiratory rate 15-20 per minute
The figures apply to normal healthy adult animals at rest.
Higher values will be obtained:• from younger animals
• after exercise
• following excitement, e.g. handling or stress
• during very hot conditions
• in fevered animals, e.g. from infection and toxaemia
• immediately post-partum and in very early lactation
Rumen contractions
Twice per minute on high-fibre diets. The first contraction is the upper sac, and leads to regurgitation of food into the mouth for further chewing (cudding) or to release of gas (eructation or belching). The second contraction involves the lower rumen sac: small particles of digested food are pushed through into the omasum and abomasum.
Reduced rumen contractions occur
• with high concentrate diets which cause acidosis
• with diets with inadequate long fibre (= inadequate rumen ‘scratch factor’)
• with rumen impaction, e.g. from over-eating straw
• at the time of calving
• in cows with ketosis
• with any toxaemia or illness
Sleep
Cattle have two types of sleep, deep sleep and drowsy sleep. The total amount of deep sleep required is very little, around thirty to sixty minutes per day and individual periods last for approximately five minutes only. Rumination ceases and brain activity is reduced, but the animal remains sitting. Drowsy sleep accounts for about one-third of the total day and can take place when the animal is standing or sitting. Rumination continues, but at a reduced rate. Younger animals need more sleep than adults.
Appendix 2 - Lists of Clinical Signs
Some of the more common clinical signs of disease have been selected, and a list of possible causes of each clinical sign has been given.
Each cause may be referred to in more detail by consulting the index. The lists are by no means exhaustive and other diseases, apart from those mentioned, could be involved.| Abortion | Aspergillosis Bacillus Iicheniformis brucellosis BVD coxiella burnetii (Q fever) fever/very high temperature IBR leptospirosis listeriosis Neospora nitrate poisoning salmonellosis (especially S. dublin and S. typhimurium) summer mastitis |
| Anaemia | abomasal ulcer bracken poisoning coccidiosis copper deficiency EBL fluke haemorrhage e.g. into uterus kale poisoning lice red water (Babesia) ticks |
| Blindness | anophthalmia/microphthalmia bovine iritis cataract CCN hyphaema lead poisoning listeriosis meningitis nervous acetonaemia New Forest eye overeating syndrome/acidosis spontaneous vitamin A deficiency |
| Bloat | abomasal displacement/abomasal torsion acidosis choke |
| forestomach obstruction frothy bloat overeating rumenal atony tetanus vagus indigestion wire = traumatic reticulitis | |
| Blood in Faeces (melaena) | acorn, aflotoxin or bracken poisoning abomasal ulcer acute BVD coccidiosis salmonella toxaemia |
| Blood in Urine | bracken poisoning copper poisoning cystitis kale poisoning muscular dystrophy (vitamin E deficiency) pyelonephritis red water (Babesia) |
| Coughing | calf pneumonia dust lungworm |
| Downer Cow | acute mastitis acute metritis debilitation and weakness fracture of pelvis or leg hypomagnesaemia milk fever muscle damage obturator paralysis scouring selenium/vitamin E deficiency severe haemorrhage |
| Drooling | BVD choke diptheria Foot and Mouth IBR lumpy jaw malignant oedema MCF mucosal disease tooth abscess toxaemia wooden tongue |
| Eye Discharge | bovine iritis conjunctivitis enzootic pneumonia foreign body - e.g. barley awn fly irritation IBR MCF New Forest eye scratch on surface of eye tumour of third eyelid ultra-violet light damage |
| Jaundice | copper poisoning red water (Babesia) acute liver fluke ragwort poisoning |
| Nervous Signs | acetonaemia botulism BSE CCN hypomagnesaemia lead poisoning listeriosis meningitis middle ear infection over-eating barley or concentrates poisoning - by many substances tetanus toxaemia vitamin A deficiency |
| Panting | acetonaemia acidosis/over-eating anaemia excitement fever fog fever haemorrhage/blood loss heart defect hypersensitivity reactions hypomagnesaemia lungworm pneumonia poisoning scouring |
Red water
see Blood in Urine
| Scouring | BVD coccidiosis coronavirus cryptosporidia digestive upsets (including acidosis) E. coli Johne’s disease mucosal disease nutritional ostertagia over-eating rotavirus salmonellosis toxic mastitis |
Straining (raised tail and abdominal contractions = tenesmus) abortion
| calving difficulty coccidiosis cystitis intestinal obstruction intussusception ragwort poisoning urolithiasis vaginal infection | |
| Sudden Death | abomasal ulcer bloat copper poisoning heart failure hypomagnesaemia internal haemorrhage intestinal torsion mastitis muscular dystrophy poisoning (especially yew + water dropwort) wire (= traumatic reticulitis) |