Mother Cows
“The dairy cow is exposed to more abnormal physiological demands than any other class of farm animal” – John Webster, Emeritus Professor of Animal Husbandry, Bristol University’s Clinical Veterinary Science Department
Humans continue to exploit and squeeze the maximum they can out of animals, and this comes at a colossal welfare cost to cows. A dairy cow is conceived via human intervention, her birth frequently triggered by induction. She is then mutilated without anaesthesia and has her first pregnancy at 2 years of age. All her offspring will be taken from her. She is kept pregnant to continue lactating for no other reason than so humans can continue taking from her. She is considered “spent” at 7 to 8 years, trucked to slaughter and due to the toll on her body her meat is regarded as “low quality” and is turned into burgers, soup and baby food. Often she will become too sick to stand up – a “downed cow” – and will be “destroyed” (industry term) prematurely. Sometimes she dies from overwork and exhaustion before this time comes. In the wild cows live for over 20 years.
Disease in dairy cows is rife. Mastitis and lameness are common diseases in dairy cattle. Australian farms report about 25% of animals suffer lameness (which has been likened to crushing all your fingernails in the door then standing on your fingertips). Industry reports indicate that only 40-45% of lame cows are detected. The pain will cause her to lie down as much as possible, go off her food and suffer weight loss. The distension of her huge udder causes her back feet to splay out. Those that aren’t lying down will stand with arched backs and lowered heads trying to take the weight off their hind limbs.
Mastitis is inflammation of the mammary gland and is the most common affliction of dairy cattle around the world. Industry and veterinarians describe this as causing severe pain and distress. The risk of a dairy cow getting mastitis is increased by 30% for every calf she has. It is difficult to control because many different bacteria are capable of infecting the udder and producing the disease. Cattle (ruminants) are docile and stoic and it is difficult to ascertain the severity of her mastitis. The very action of conventional milking machines causes swelling redness and damage to the teat canal lining, resulting in scar tissue and udder deformities. Part of fragile teat damage comes from the fact that the front teats are emptied of milk but the machine, while taking milk from the rear teats, continues its ferocious sucking of the emptied teats.
Mastitis increases the somatic cell count (pus) found in milk. The European Union has a standard that every ml of milk must not have any more than 400, 000 pus cells. Australia has no standard.
The cow’s body, in response to infection, generates white blood cells (somatic) that go to the affected area to try to combat the infection. These cells, cellular debris and dead tissue are a component of pus which is excreted into milk. Hard cheeses developed from infected milk are most vulnerable to retaining these.
Milk Fever (hypocalcaemia – low blood calcium) is caused by calving and milk production which dairy cows today unrelentingly endure. A cow will present with tremors in her body and head, then staggering, then go into a “sitting” position, ending up on her side before circulatory collapse, coma and death.
Information obtained from Dairy Australia website (Animal Management section) – http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Animal-management.aspx
Humans continue to exploit and squeeze the maximum they can out of animals, and this comes at a colossal welfare cost to cows. A dairy cow is conceived via human intervention, her birth frequently triggered by induction. She is then mutilated without anaesthesia and has her first pregnancy at 2 years of age. All her offspring will be taken from her. She is kept pregnant to continue lactating for no other reason than so humans can continue taking from her. She is considered “spent” at 7 to 8 years, trucked to slaughter and due to the toll on her body her meat is regarded as “low quality” and is turned into burgers, soup and baby food. Often she will become too sick to stand up – a “downed cow” – and will be “destroyed” (industry term) prematurely. Sometimes she dies from overwork and exhaustion before this time comes. In the wild cows live for over 20 years.
Disease in dairy cows is rife. Mastitis and lameness are common diseases in dairy cattle. Australian farms report about 25% of animals suffer lameness (which has been likened to crushing all your fingernails in the door then standing on your fingertips). Industry reports indicate that only 40-45% of lame cows are detected. The pain will cause her to lie down as much as possible, go off her food and suffer weight loss. The distension of her huge udder causes her back feet to splay out. Those that aren’t lying down will stand with arched backs and lowered heads trying to take the weight off their hind limbs.
Mastitis is inflammation of the mammary gland and is the most common affliction of dairy cattle around the world. Industry and veterinarians describe this as causing severe pain and distress. The risk of a dairy cow getting mastitis is increased by 30% for every calf she has. It is difficult to control because many different bacteria are capable of infecting the udder and producing the disease. Cattle (ruminants) are docile and stoic and it is difficult to ascertain the severity of her mastitis. The very action of conventional milking machines causes swelling redness and damage to the teat canal lining, resulting in scar tissue and udder deformities. Part of fragile teat damage comes from the fact that the front teats are emptied of milk but the machine, while taking milk from the rear teats, continues its ferocious sucking of the emptied teats.
Mastitis increases the somatic cell count (pus) found in milk. The European Union has a standard that every ml of milk must not have any more than 400, 000 pus cells. Australia has no standard.
The cow’s body, in response to infection, generates white blood cells (somatic) that go to the affected area to try to combat the infection. These cells, cellular debris and dead tissue are a component of pus which is excreted into milk. Hard cheeses developed from infected milk are most vulnerable to retaining these.
Milk Fever (hypocalcaemia – low blood calcium) is caused by calving and milk production which dairy cows today unrelentingly endure. A cow will present with tremors in her body and head, then staggering, then go into a “sitting” position, ending up on her side before circulatory collapse, coma and death.
Information obtained from Dairy Australia website (Animal Management section) – http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Animal-management.aspx
Photo by Tamara Kenneally