Down cow

• A down cow is defined as a cow that is recumbent and unable to stand.
• A downer cow is a cow that has been recumbent for more than 24 hours, and is bright and alert.
• The best practice for managing down cows is to not have any!.
  • Preventative measures to reduce the risk of down cows should be a high priority, ie good transition cow management to reduce milk fever cases, good nutrition, good housing, walkways, appropriate bulls etc etc.
  • Discussion of these factors is beyond the scope of this factsheet.
• The cause or causes of recumbency in a down cow can be difficult to determine because of the interplay between the primary cause of the recumbency and the secondary effects from the recumbency.
• There are many reasons why a cow will become recumbent, which can be broadly categorised into 4 groups:
  • Metabolic: such as milk fever, grass tetany, pregnancy toxaemia etc.
  • Musculoskeletal: such as calving paralysis, back injury, brachial/radial nerve paralysis, hip dislocation etc.
  • Per-acute illness: such as severe cases of mastitis, diarrhoea, grain poisoning.
  • Miscellaneous: such as cast, prolapse uterus, calving, misadventure etc.