Veterinary Clinical Medicine-II

ETIOLOGY OF DOWNER COW SYNDROME

• As a complication of hypocalcemic parturient paresis
• Traumatic injuries of muscles especially medial thigh muscle. Rupture of gastrocnemius tissues around hip joint muscle, Obturator muscles & tendon spread eagling of hind legs, dystocia.
• Traumatic injuries to nerves of the limbs viz., sciatic, obturator, radial and peroneus.
• Prolonged recumbency after an over long delay (> 4 hrs) in the treatment of milk fever may result in ischemic necrosis.
• Serum electrolyte imbalance or deficit
• Persistent hypophosphatemia.
• Insufficient amount of Ca (ischemic necrosis) as treatment for milk fever
• Hypokalemia with hypophosphatemia is a typical manifestation in creeper cow (alert, bright, crawl about but couldn’t raise).
• Toxemia in per acute or acute mastitis, acute diffuse peritonitis, uterine rupture, aspiration pneumonia, traumatic reticulitis / pericarditis.
• Managemental causes: malnutrition, over fat, slippery floors, epidural anaesthesia.