INDUCED LACTATION TECHNOLOGY IN DAIRY CATTLE
Induced lactation is an innovative and ingenious technology developed for obtaining milk from cows and heifers. By the application of this method, barren/dry cows and heifers start giving milk within a period of milk.
Relevance of Induced Lactation Technology in Indian Context :
In India large number of bovines are dry animals. No exact information is available on the infertile animals, but their number is in no way insignificant. Disposal of such animals through slaughter is comparatively easy and effective in other countries. However, due to religious believes and the law against slaughter of cows in most of the provinces in the country, the farmer is bound to rear the unproductive cattle. These unproductive animals become the burden on the economy of the farmers. Due to high feeding cost, the management of such animals become difficult hence they left to stray causing nuisance. Only effective way for maintaining such animals would be to convert them into production by the application of Induced Lactation Technology.
Adoption of Induced Lactation Technology :
Keeping in view the many fold advantages, farmers of various states have adopted this technology.
Category of Animals to be Recommended for Induction of Lactation :
The induction of lactation is normally recommended for pragmatic cows or heifers which have failed to conceive for one or the other reason. These animals have gynaecological and/or other abnormalities and may be the victim of neglected management practices. These animals who are unable to conceive due to any anatomical defect and/or cervicitis etc. may also be induced.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF THE ANIMAL:
The animal to be induced should fulfill the following criteria:
(i) The cow or heifer, Should be healthy
(ii) The cow must be completely dry for minimum of 50 days.
(iii) The heifer should be minimum of three years of age.
(iv) The ovaries at least one, must be of normal in size. in case both the ovaries are rudimentary, the animal will not produce milk hence should not be induced.
(v) The ovaries should not have cyst on them and possess a regressive Corpus luteum. In case the ovaries are cystic, the cyst must be broken or dissolved at least 10 days before the induction of the animal
(vi) In presence of the cysts, the animal my not yield optimum quantity of milk during the lactation. Thus the animal with ovarian cyst should be discouraged for induction.
WEIGHT OF THE ANIMAL:
As the quantity of the hormones to be administered to the animal depends upon the weight of the animal, therefore, before asking the induced lactation kit, the animal is to be weighed or the weight may be calculated using the formula.
Formula for calculating the weight of the animal
The following formula my be used for calculation the weight of the animal:
A X B
K= —————
C
K = Weight of the animal in Kg.
A = Length (From shoulder to the base of the tail) of the animal in Cm.
B = Girth (Measurement around the body touching the heart/ just behind the forelegs) of the animal in Cm.
C = A constant factor which is
• 64.4 if the girth is 164 Cm or less.
• 61.0 if the girth is between 165 to 200 Cm.
• 57.5 if the girth is more than 200 Cm.
For example if the length of animal is 165 Cm and girth is 193 Cm, the weight of the animal as per the formula will be:
165 X 193
Weight of the animal = —————— = 522 Kg
61
Depending upon the weight of the animal, an appropriate induced lactation kit may be asked i.e if the weight of the animal is less than 375 Kg, the routine kit may be used, however, for animals weighing more than 375 Kg, another induced lactation kit, specific to the weight of the animal has to be procured otherwise the animal may not produce optimum quantity of milk.
PREPARATION OF THE ANIMAL BEFORE INDUCTION:
(i) Deworm the animal at least two weeks before the commencement of the treatment. Subsequently administer 25 gm of vitamin and mineral supplement for minimum of 7 days before the commencement of the treatment.
(ii) An additional source of Vitamin A (preferably 5 ml Vitacept, I/M) should be given to the heifers, at least two weeks before the commencement of the treatment.
(iii) Give nutritive and balanced diet to the animal, at least one month before the commencement of the treatment so as to obtain quantity of milk during the lactation.
TIME OF COMMENCEMENT OF INDUCED LACTATION TREATMENT:
(i) If the animal regularly comes in heat, the treatment must be commenced on 6th or 7th day of heat.
(ii) If the animal is not coming in heat, the treatment may be commenced at any day.
INDUCED LACTATION TREATMENT SCHEDULE:
(i) For seven successive days inject subcutaneously in the morning and evening, a combination of Estradiaol and Progesterone (1:2.5 ratio). The dose of hormones is to be calculated based on the body weight of the animal. The hormonal treatment is to be given for 7 successive days.
(ii) Morning and evening dose should not be injected on the same side of the neck i.e. if the morning injection is given on the right side of the neck, the evening injection should be given on the side of the neck or vice-versa.
(iii) The solution must be injected exactly after an interval of 12 hours of the previous dose.
(iv) Administer sodabicarb orally, 500 gm/ per day, from day one to 7 day seven.
(v) The udder and the teats of the animal should be given gentle massage from 5th day onwards for ten minutes in the morning and evening. Any secretions/fluid coming out from the teats should be discarded.
(vi) On the tenth, eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth day inject Reserpine along with Dexamethasone (morning and evening), subcutaneously. While injecting Reserpine solution, ensure that:
a. Only one ml solution is administered at a time.
b. The solution must be injected subcutaneously.
c. Immediately stop injecting solution Reserpine if animal shows symptoms of excessive weakness, restlessness, shivering and / or diarrhoea . Immediately administer antihistaminic treatment along with Decadron and anti-diarrhoeals (if needed).
(vii) On day fourteen inject slowly an appropriate combination of 450 ml of calcium, magnesium and phosphours, intravenously (available under proprietary names in the market). To avoid anaphulactic shock, fifteen ml Tonophophane and five ml Dexamethasone must be added the bottle before administration.
(viii) From fifteenth to fourth day the animal should be fed 60 gm mixture of Cumin and Satawar (300 gm each of Cumin and Satawar Should be mixed, powdered and divided into 10 equal parts) or any other available galactagogue preparation.
(ix) The milk produced between 11th to 20th day of the treatment should be fed back to the animal under treatment.
(x) The milk may be used for human consumption from 21st day onwards.
(xi) Give nutritive and balanced diet to the animal to obtain optimum quantity of milk.
INDUCTION OF MILK:
(i) Generally the animal starts giving milk on 10th or 11th day of the treatment, which gradually increases.
(ii) Up to day thirteen the milk production reaches approximately 150 to 200 ml, per day.
(iii) The animal reaches to its peak of milk production on 40th day of the treatment.
DURATION OF LACTATION:
Induced animals continued to give milk to their optimum capacity for a period of three hundred and more odd days.
CONCEPTION:
Lack of balanced diet and/or hormonal imbalance resulting in physiological dysfunction is regarded as major factor for infertility in mulching animals. As this method of inducing milk production in them is based upon hormonal therapy, it removes hormonal imbalance and resultant physiological malfunctions. In order to obtain optimum yield of milk from the animal, the owner starts giving rich nutritive diet which result in disappearance of nutritive imbalance also. When these two imb
SOME POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS DURING THE COURSE OF INDUCED LACTATION TREATMENT AND AFTERWARDS ALONG WITH THEIR SOLUTIONS:
The induced lactation is generally done in cows or heifers which are not coming in heat properly or have failed to conceive after repeated natural services or artificial inseminations. The chances are high that these animals may be has some gynecological disorders or nutritional deficiencies. Some of the problems gathered from the field during the course of induced lactation treatment and afterwards along with their remedies are listed below:
A. COMPLICATIONS DURING THE COURSE OF INDUCED LACTATION TREATMENT AND THEIR REMEDIAL MEASURES
a. Induction of Heat:
Some time a non-cyclic or even regularly cyclic animal comes in heat within ten days of the treatment. These animals may not produce optimum quantity of milk during the lactation.
Solution: To ensure the milk production, immediately feed Thandai (a feed) or inject 1500 IU of Chorolon on the day of appearance of heat. If the heat persists for the 2nd day, the same treatment should be repeated.
In case the heat does not subside or prolonged, animal may not produced milk or the quantity of milk produced may not be optimum.
b. Loss of appetite: Approximately 2 to 3 per cent of the animals under treatment may go off feed during the treatment. Generally, animal may go of feed between 3rd to 7th day of treatment. If the proper treatment is not administered, the animal may go under stress.
Solution: To counter anorexia, dyspepsia, indigestion and to overcome stress, we give the following treatment:
800 ml Hazma (Brand name of a fermented feed available in North India) is fed to the animal, at a time. Before feeding Hazma 200 gm of black salt is rubbed on the tongue/jaw of the animal.
To ensure proper intake of feed and fodder any treatment which may provide immediate recovery may be given as the prolonged indigestion may adversely affect the milk production.
Excessive weakness, restlessness, shivering and / or diarrhea: Between eleventh to fifteenth day of the treatment, few animals may show symptoms of excessive weakness, restlessness, shivering and / or diarrhea.
Solution: Immediately stop injecting Reserpine. Immediately start injection Avil, morning and evening at least for 3 consecutive days or till the symptoms disappear and animal is back to normal and starts eating fodder and feed.
The treatment of diarrhea
Prepare rice water from 1 kg of coarse rice. Allow the rice water to cool. Add 10 gm catechu (kattha) and 800 ml Relax (or any anti-diarrheal preparation available in the market) in the rice water. Divide the mixture in two equal parts. Feed both parts of the mixture at an interval of 3 hours to the animal. Depending upon the condition one course of Relax with rice water & catechu in two divided dosage may be given on the following day.
c. Non-induction of milk:
Most of the animals start giving milk on 10th or 11th day and up to day thirteen the milk production reaches approximately 150 to 250 ml per day. However, few animals fail to produce the milk even on 13th day or the quantity of the milk produced is very less (less than 50 per day), the following treatment should be administered:
Diethylstilbestrol 5 ml, Oxytocin 5 ml and Terramycin LA 5 ml. Mix all the three medicines thoroughly and inject 3 ml of the mixture morning and evening, subcutaneously, daily for two and half days consecutively.
Examine the animal for cystic ovary. If the ovaries are cystic the animal may not produce milk. Animals with rudimentary ovaries may also not produce the milk.
d. Pyrexia: Less than one percent animals undergoing induced lactation treatment may develop fever. In such cases the following line of treatment may be followed:
First treat the animal against simple pyrexia along with injection Avil.
If the animal is not responding to the treatment against pyrexia, suspect the animal for blood protozoan parasites viz. Babesia,. Theileria, Trypanosoma or Anaplasma.
The specific treatment against the blood protozoan parasite must immediately be initiated.
Mastitis :
Mastitis is very common in animals undergoing induced lactation treatment. The following problems have been encountered very often. The experience we gained over the years in solving these conditions is summarized below:
A. Condition I: Teat is normal and the quarter is hard
The following treatment is suggested:
With the help if a syringe insert 10 ml Hydrogen per oxide into the affected quarter through teat Canal. The precaution is to be taken that The Hydrogen per oxide should be administered very slowly e. g. 1 ml in 1 minute.. Leave the hydrogen per oxide in the quarter for approximately for 10 minutes. Take out hydrogen per oxide with the help of fist (as we milk the animal). After that take any antibiotic which is water soluble.. Dissolve the antibiotic as per the instructions and inject one fourth of the antibiotic in a similar way as the hydrogen pet oxide was injected. Leave the antibiotic inside the quarter. This procedure is to be repeated evening and morning.. In 4-5 cycles the treating doctor may make the judgment that for how long the treatment is to given.. We have tried this treatment with a great success in large number of animals.
B. Condition II: Blood mixed milk produced by the animal
This problem is also prevalent in the field. The treatment given below is almost 100 per cent effective:
Sepia-200 is to be given in a dose of 8 drops/4 hourly and to be dispensed on the tongue of the animal. Within 24 hours, 95 per cent animal will start producing normal milk. The period may is to be extended in remaining 5 per cent animals.
One precaution which is to taken that the drug is to be dispensed at four hourly intervals during the night time also. Otherwise it may take longer time. Antibiotics are not use full in such cases.
C. Conditions III: Teat Obstructions, Complete teat obstruction and Teat stenosis
In such conditions the following treatment is suggested:
With the help of a syringe insert 2-3 ml Hydrogen per oxide into the affected test through teat canal. However, the H2O2 should be inserted very slowly. After 5-10 minutes try to take out the H2O2 with the help of fist. After that take any antibiotic which can be dissolved in distilled water and insert one fourth of the dose with the help of syringe in a similar way. Leave the antibiotic in the test. Repeat this process morning and evening for 2-3 days or more as per the requirement.
D. Condition IV: Udder’s oedema (Physiologic edema) during late pregnancy or early parturition (Also known as Biswas, Jhalka etc. in local languages}
Treatment:
Inject 2 ml Dexamethason I/m (one injection only) to be followed with 10-15 ml Avil (Pheniramine maleat) morning and evening preferably for 2-3 days… The animal recovers in 24-48 hours. This treatment also does not interfere with milk production.
E. Condition V: Flakes coming in milk
Treatment:
Take 10 gm-Mercuric chloride (Ras Kapur). Grind it on a smooth surface and make very fine powder. Divide into 3 equal parts. Take one ripened Banana and without pealing give longitudinal incision. Take one part of Mercuric chloride (Ras Kapur) and sprinkle on the inner surface of the banana. Tightly close both the halves of Banana. And after thoroughly washing the hands with soap and water insert the Banana deep into the mouth so that the animal engulf in the stomach. The 2nd dose of Mercuric chloride (Ras Kapur) is to be given on 3rd day. The methodology of dispensing will remain the same. Depending on the condition the 3rd dose of Mercuric chloride (Ras Kapur) may be given on 5th day.
Supportive treatment:
50 gm of Soda bicarbonate is to be given orally to the animal (once a day) for 4 days.
(Note: The above mentioned treatments are only suggestive. If any better treatment is available, the same may be applied).
B COMPLICATIONS DURING THE INITIAL STAGE OF LACTATION PERIOD AND THEIR SOLUTIONS
(a) Sudden drop in milk production: The Sudden drop in milk production may be due to the following reasons:
(i) Matritis, endometritis and pyometra: The animal suffering from matritis, endometritis and pyometra if induced, may reach to its milk production capacity within 40 days of the treatment. However, the accumulation of pus in the uterus gives a feeling of pregnancy to the animal resulting into continuous production of progesterone. The higher progesterone level may result in drop of milk production and hence, the animal may not retain its optimum milk production for a longer time.
In such animals proper treatment against matritis, endometritis and pyometra has to be given so that the animal continued to produce optimum quantity of milk during the lactation. We have obtained very quick and effective results with the following feeding:
Prepare Halwa (Halwa is to be prepared from 1 kg suji (Rawa), 1 kg sugar & 1 kg desi ghee) . Divide the preparation into 3 equal parts feed one part daily for 3 consecutive days. Also administer any uterine tonic, preferably which does not contain Ergot. In Northern India we have used a preparation known as Harira (250 ml), once a day, for 5 consecutive days.
(Note: The above treatment was found to be most effective in Matritis, Endodetritis and pyometra cases)
(ii) Cystic ovaries: If the animal is having ovarian cysts and the induction is done after breaking or dissolving the cysts, the animal may initially start giving milk in normal way and may reach to its peak of milk production within 40 days induction. However, after reappearance of the cysts (follicular or persistent corpus leutium) the milk production gradually starts declining.
Treat these animals with Illerine (5 ml. I/M) (or any other preparation available in the market).
(iii) Mineral deficiency: For optimum milk production and subsequent conception, regular feeding of minerals is required. If the diet is not supplement with minerals, the milk production may decline. Thus for optimum milk production during the lactation and pregnancy, the regular feeding of minerals is to be ensure.
If Galactagogue is given to the animal at an interval of one and half months (at least 4 courses during the whole lactation), the animal will produce optimum quantity of milk throughout the lactation and may also conceive. In North India we are obtaining good results with Prolact M
B. Non-conceiving of animals
(i) Endomatritis, endometritis and pyometra: In the presence of infection in the uterus, the animal will not only produce lesser quantity of milk but may not conceive. If the uterus is not toned, even after proper mating, the embryo may not survive. In such animals following treatment against matritis, endometritis and pyometra has to be given:
Prepare Halwa (Halwa is to be prepared from 1 kg suji (Rawa), 1 kg sugar & 1 kg desi ghee) . Divide the preparation into 3 equal parts feed one part daily for 3 consecutive days. Also administer any uterine tonic, preferably which does not contain Ergot. In Northern India we have used a preparation known as Harira (250 ml), once a day, for 5 consecutive days.
(ii). Continuous heat: In induced animals, the reproductive cycle is generally regularized within 40 days of the induction. However, due to increase level of estrogen, some animals continuously remain in heat even after 40 days of the induction but without a detectable follicular cyst on the ovary.
Such animals should be given proper treatment, to make them conceive.
(iv) Lack of balanced nutrition: The induced animal should be provided with balanced nutrition. In absence of rich nutritive diet, the animal will only not produce optimum quantity of milk but may also not conceive. Thus in order to obtain optimum milk production during the lactation and for timely conception, the rich nutritive diet with mineral supplements should regularly be fed to the animal throughout the lactation.
by Dr USV Ranna
