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Hypocalcaemia (Milk Fever)

Hypocalcaemia, more commonly known as milk fever, is a deficiency of calcium in the blood.

By Department of Primary Industries - 31st May 2006 - Back to News

It usually occurs in mature, fat ewes during the last six weeks of pregnancy or the first 10 days after lambing, although other classes of sheep may also be affected.

Hypocalcaemia often follows a stressful event such as shearing, crutching, trucking, driving, yarding, fasting or inclement weather.

Hypocalcaemia usually occurs on either rapidly growing pasture, lush pasture, green cereal crops, when feeding grain, or on pasture that has plants containing oxalate (such as sorrel and soursob).

A sheep affected by hypocalcaemia will initially stagger and have muscle tremors, after which it will become weak, slip into a coma and die. This may all occur quite rapidly within four to six hours.

There is little abnormal to be seen on post‑mortem in a sheep that has died from hypocalcaemia.

Cases of hypocalcaemia are often confused with pregnancy toxaemia or twin lamb disease. Some notable differences between the two conditions are that hypocalcaemia has a rapid onset, affected sheep remain alert, death occurs quickly, a large number of cases may occur at the one time, cases occur on lush feed rather than lack of feed, and a good response to the appropriate treatment is seen.

Sheep affected with hypocalcaemia should be treated as a matter of urgency with calcium/magnesium solution (often known as 4 in 1), given under the skin. Calcium/magnesium solution is readily available from a veterinary practice or stock agent.

Cases may be prevented by adding a calcium supplement if feeding grain, or by giving dry roughage to sheep on lush feed.

For further information please contact your local Veterinary adviser, or DPI Veterinary or Animal Health Officer.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com