For generations, dairymen have given buckets of warm water to new fresh cows, knowing that calving was a tough job and resulted in large fluid loss. Re-hydrating the cows simply made sense.
Today, the dairy industry knows more about the science behind calving, confirming the value of re-hydration. Improvements in drenching equipment and better ingredients in the drench have also occurred, making drenching easier and more profitable to even the smallest dairy operations.
Transition cows go through tremendous metabolic changes in the days immediately before and after calving, putting them at high risk for a number of costly metabolic disorders. These costs include veterinary treatment costs, added labor, discarding milk due to antibiotic treatment if needed, lost milk during lactation, higher culling rates and, occasionally, death losses.
According to dairy experts, it makes sense to provide cows that aren’t eating well with nutrients designed to help them cope with metabolic changes.
Robert B. Corbett, DVM, El Paso, Texas, says re-hydration through drenches is critical, both to preventing fresh cow transition problems, and also to treat sick cows. Corbett says nutritional supplementation through drenching is rapidly becoming a common practice.
“The rumen has the capability of holding a large amount of water, as well as being able to transport it across the rumen wall into the bloodstream,” he says. “This allows fairly large volumes of fluid to be placed into the rumen for future absorption. Drenching can be used to improve the recovery chances of sick cows, and to enhance the milk production of early lactation animals.”
According to Michael Hutjens, PhD, University of Illinois, transition cow feeding programs are a key to high production, optimal health and cow longevity.
In his published paper “The Transition Diet Debate”, Hutjens states that cows nearing calving have 20% higher energy needs, which equates to an extra four pounds of dry matter. However, dry matter intake can be dropping 10-30 % at the same time.
Hutjens recommends drenching 5 to 15 gallons of fluid immediately after calving and again 12 and 24 hours later, if needed. Propylene glycol and calcium propionate have both been used successfully to supply energy to fresh and sick cows. Propylene glycol, however, can have inhibitory effects on appetite.
Drench-Mate® Drench provides multiple sources of highly soluble calcium, magnesium, niacin, potassium, glucogenic propionate, yeast and vitamins so that your fresh cow will reach optimum peak milk production.
Compared to most competitors, the Drench-Mate® Drench has SIX sources of calcium that help in correcting the physiological, hormonal, and mineral imbalances that result from the calving process, such as reduced appetite, dehydration, hypocalcemia, and retained placentas.
Drench-Mate® Drench is a supplement that can be easily drenched using one of the available pieces of equipment made by Drench-Mate®.