If we badly sprained our ankle or stub our toe badly what’s the first thing we reach for? Normally pain relief like paracetamol or ibuprofen. When a cow is lame however we don’t always jump to the same treatment. Make no mistake, cows are not “tough”, they feel pain just as you or I do.
Most lameness in NZ dairy cows (approx. 80%!!) is due to inflammation and damage to the soft tissue (corium) The injuries slowly grow down and are visible as lesions months later.
Around calving the fat pad becomes thinner and the ligaments inside the hoof relax, making the corium more susceptible to damage. Early identification prior to mating can dramatically reduce future lameness risks. Early treatment will get the cow feeling better and grazing quicker, which will help to minimise any drop in productivity and body condition.
KetoMax is a high potency non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for treating pain, fever, and inflammation in cattle. Contains ketoprofen 150mg/mL in solution for intramuscular injection. Ketoprofen is rapidly and extensively absorbed following injection, so has a rapid onset of action. The effects of ketoprofen are attributed to its inhibition of the inflammatory process.
The most successful treatments for lame cows are:
With a Nil withhold for Milk and only 2 days for meat it is an easy-to-use treatment for pain, inflammation, and fever in cattle.
Dose for cattle: 1 mL / 50 kg / day for 1 to 3 days depending on the severity and duration of symptoms eg 500kg cow is an easy daily dose at 10mL.
Lameness is one of the most painful and prevalent conditions in dairy cows, so make sure you have KetoMax available at the cow shed, and reach for it when treating lame cows just as we would at home.
