Cattle prone to experience health problems due to scorching heat: Experts

Torrid heat can lead to rise in body temperature, increased pulse rate, peripheral blood flow, snoring, drooling, reduced feed intake and increased water intake.

Mancherial: People from all walks of life are struggling to handle the relentless sweltering heat wave conditions prevailing in the district for the past few weeks. Imagine the plight of cattle!

“Cows and buffaloes are prone to experience a wide range of health problems including sunstroke and slow down of digestion process, besides facing the threat to their lives if exposed to scorching heat. The health problems can decline yield of milk, resulting losses to dairy farmers” Dr Ramesh Kumar, district animal husbandry joint director told ‘Telangana Today’

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Animal husbandry officials said buffaloes were more susceptible to sunstroke compared to cows owing to their black skin which absorbs solar radiation and since they had fewer sweat glands. Similarly, cows experience heat stress which induces thermoregulatory changes in cattle. Crossbred cattle are more sensitive to the heat stress than native breeds.

Torrid heat can lead to rise in body temperature, increased pulse rate, peripheral blood flow, snoring, drooling, reduced feed intake and increased water intake. The cows do not show interest in mating and the rate of reproduction goes down if the cattle are down with sunstroke. Sometimes, the cows are likely to die.

Therefore, better management of cattle is required to address the health problems among the cattle in summer. Cattle become weak, while sweating and panting goes up if they are diagnosed with sunstroke. Skin gets dry and the cows lose consciousness while walking. Farmers are advised to immediately shift the cattle to cool places before providing medication.

Likewise, farmers should feed the fresh grass chapped with a chaff cutter to the animals. They are urged to offer fluids laced with mineral mixtures and salt to the cattle. They are requested to take the cattle out for grazing between 6 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 7 pm. They are suggested to use sprinklers in the cowsheds to cool down the animals.

The farmers may use green cloth around the barns to prevent the torrid heat. They are asked to wet the cloth at regular intervals. They are advised not to feed contaminated food and water in summer. They are urged to keep the cattle under shades to avoid sunstroke.