The goal of the present study was to evaluate a
calcium dose that was higher than the conventional dose for treatment of
parturient paresis in cows. Thirty cows with
parturient paresis received 1000 ml of 40 per cent
calcium borogluconate solution supplemented with 6 per cent
magnesium hypophosphite. Cows in group A received 200 ml of the
solution intravenously over a 10-minute period, and the remaining 800 ml via a slow
intravenous drip over a six-hour period. Cows in group B received 500 ml of the
solution intravenously over a 20-minute period, and the remaining 500 ml via a slow
intravenous drip over a six-hour period. Afterwards, the cows were monitored continuously and examined every hour for eight hours. Samples of blood were collected from all the cows before treatment and
at 10, 20, 40, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360, 420 and 480 minutes and 24, 48 and 72 hours
after treatment. The concentrations of total
calcium, ionised
calcium, inorganic
phosphorus and
magnesium were determined. Cows that did not stand within 12 hours of treatment received one or more additional treatments. There was no significant difference in the recovery rate between the two groups. Of the 30 cows, 14 (47 per cent) rised after one treatment and 15 others (50 per cent) were cured after two or more treatments. One cow did not respond to repeated treatments and was euthanased four days after the start of treatment. The results of
electrolyte analyses before treatment did not differ significantly between the two groups. In 27 (90 per cent) cows, the concentrations of
calcium and inorganic
phosphorus were lower than normal and in 3 (10 per cent) cows, only the concentration of inorganic
phosphorus was lower than normal. The concentration of total
calcium increased markedly ten minutes after the start of treatment in both groups, and at eight hours, the mean concentration of
calcium was within the normal range. At 24 and 48 hours, the mean concentration of
calcium was below normal, but at 72 hours it was again within the normal range. The concentration of inorganic
phosphorus increased slowly in both groups, although it was not within the normal range at eight hours. In both groups, it achieved normal values at 24, 48 and 72 hours. The mean
electrolyte concentrations did not differ significantly at any measuring point between cows that stood within eight hours of treatment and those that did not. Our results indicate that increasing the dose of
calcium administered does not improve the recovery rate of cows with
parturient paresis.