Deciding whether to cull a dairy cow can be difficult. Producers can argue that the cow is a good milker or that it costs too much to raise a replacement.
Despite this, they should be as vigilant as possible with potential cull cows and market them when they still provide a decent economic return.
High producing dairy cows have a lower body condition than their beef counterparts so decisions need to be made sooner.
Be mindful of outdoor temperatures when shipping to slaughter.
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Milking dairy cattle tend to be housed indoors so hair coats are short. As well, their lack of fat results in a low insulative co-efficient.
This is even more important when shipping cows to an auction market, where they may need to stay for a few days before they are rerouted to their final destination.
I believe it is too cold to ship if temperatures reach -10 C and there is a wind chill.
It doesn’t take dairy cattle many days of illness before their body condition score dips below two on the one-to-five scale where one is emaciated and five is fat.
Veterinarians must stress to dairy clients the need to continually assess whether animals with health problems are responding to treatment.
If not, we should either stop treatment and ship as soon as possible or consider a couple of other options.
One of them is the BSE option.
Most dairy cows that are failing and losing weight fit into the diseased category.
Producers should ask themselves if the cow will recover enough to gain weight or go into the milking herd.
If the answer is no, then it’s prudent to end the cow’s pain and suffering, put it down and test for BSE if possible. A producer’s herd veterinarian will know whether the cow qualifies for BSE testing. Compensation varies by province.
Most dairies also have a hoof care program, which usually involves regular hoof trimming as well as the use of footbaths.
Either the producer or the herd health veterinarian will attend to lame cows and initiate appropriate treatment. Dairy cows are generally in a moist environment and hoof problems such as septic arthritis, severe sole ulcers and hairy wart disease can render them permanently lame.
Producers should determine the length of appropriate treatment. Often the best economic and animal welfare decision is to cull earlier.
Daily re-evaluation is important with cows that have been treated or had surgery. Many lame cows will respond with the correct diagnosis
and treatment. Those that are losing ground should be shipped as soon as medications have been withdrawn for the appropriate time.
Other conditions such as chronic mastitis, metritis, kidney infections, and peritonitis (hardware disease) can cause weight loss and a substantial drop in milk production.
It is better to have these cows examined before their milk production drops a great deal. Again, the decision to treat, ship or euthanize needs to be made.
Some dairy cows milk reasonably well and their health is still good, but they have chronic reproductive problems that won’t allow them to be rebred. There is no problem milking them through a normal lactation and then shipping them.
Drying up cows don’t have the energy demands of milking and weight gains can be expected. Most dairy producers have a low stress area where these poor doers are housed before they are shipped.
Ship on a warmer day and try to send them directly to slaughter. Short trips are preferable, although not always possible. In some cases, local provincially regulated plants may be looking for cows to produce ground beef, which provides a good market.
Downer cows need considerable attention.
They should be placed in a well-bedded area with good footing and rolled side to side a few times a day.
They may be treatable, as in the case of milk fever or phosphorus deficiency, and can return to the herd.
However, downers from injuries may never respond.
Downer dairy cows can develop pressure sores, swollen stiff joints and other ailments. Veterinarians often treat such ailments with approved non steroidal antinflammatory drugs in conjunction with antibiotics and other treatments.
They drugs often increase the chances of a successful outcome, but it is important to follow the milk and meat withdrawal recommendations.
It is important to know when it is not appropriate to ship. Humane Handling of Dairy Cattle is a booklet that can help identify animals unfit for transport. It is available through Alberta Farm Animal Care at www.afac.ab.ca.
Heavily milking cows leaking milk also come under public scrutiny if shipped. In some cases, it may be better to dry them off and get some weight on them before shipping.
A thin, heavily uddered dairy cow on a truck does not present a good visual for the public.
