Allie and her husband Ben King who farm in Canterbury explain the importance of the use of Elanco Metabolic Solutions sterile bags on their farm. "These brown bags are a really important part of our team. All the boys have them on the front of their bikes and Ben has one in his calving vehicle at all times; we also keep a box in the shed."
These brown bags are Glucalphos - one of the Elanco sterile metabolic solutions. Glucalphos contains calcium, magnesium and glucose for energy - meaning it treats milk fever and milk fever complicated by ketosis and grass staggers in cattle.
The range of metabolic disorders you might see during calving season include milk fever, grass staggers and ketosis - but it's not uncommon for a down cow to be suffering from a mix of those disorders.
They are often interrelated, with one metabolic disorder impacting the other.
Milk fever is caused by low calcium levels in the blood, especially as the cow begins lactating and draws calcium reserves. Symptoms include weakness, wobbly walking, dilated pupils, constipation, low temperature, fast but weak heart rate and an inability to rise if down.
Being prepared and having the bags readily available is so important. When a cow goes down with a metabolic disorder, time is of the essence. The faster you can get your down cow up, the better the outcome, but you also reduce the risk of other additional complications. For example, a cast cow lying on its side can develop bloat if not moved into a prone position, and down cows are more likely to be at risk of mastitis or endometritis.
"They don't make you money if you don't love them," says Kane Brisco, dairy farmer from Taranaki. Kane reiterates the importance of early treatment and the flow-on effect to the production losses if not treated carefully.
"Once they go down, they need pretty urgent intervention... Cows that have had milk fever and being down, they generally go on to have higher empty rates. They don't get in calf as easy."
The Elanco Metabolic Solutions range is well known for providing sick animals with quick relief. Products containing calcium can be administered via the intravenous route, which acts quickly to get the cows up and walking in minutes.
"It's very satisfying to see her come back round to health that quickly," says Maegan, a dairy farmer based near Shannon. Maegan and her husband Terry make sure they're prepared in time every year, to ensure their cows can have a smooth calving season. "And it's really nice to know you can do that yourself... [We have a bag] in the glove box of the Polaris, one in each of the quad bikes and a stash in the drug cabinet," she says.
For more information on the range, plus informational videos, visit www.metabolicsolutions.co.nz. To shop the range, visit nzfarmsource.co.nz/calving.