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Western Nebraska | Grass tetany doesn't really have anything to do with wet conditions, other than how much it would make the grass grow and if it is cool. Essentially what it is is a severe electrolyte imbalance. Magnesium gets depleted because lush green and growing grass doesn't have adequate mag levels to maintain the cow's necessary levels. The problem is more likely to occur when the cow is nursing a young calf because her milk production will be at its highest level.
As to how it kills a cow, this part is going solely from my memory of A&P in school so it may not be entirely accurate. Magnesium is one of the essential elements for nerve transmission and muscle contraction. If I remember correctly, the lack of magnesium causes a loss of muscle control and will eventually affect smooth as well as skeletal muscles. I think it is when the mag deficiency gets severe enough that it causes loss of control of the smooth muscles that death occurs.
Some of the research that was being done while I was at UNL they were doing some work on range cattle with neck fistulas. The comment was made that they were surprised, even in late fall and winter how much green grass a cow could selectively graze. My best guess is that this one particular cow probably spent the predominate amount of time on the oats volunteer through the time when she died. If it has been cold and there isn't a lot of old growth on your pastures it might be a good idea to put out some mag mineral until everything turns brown. | |
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Lost a cow today....
