Most losses in a small dairy can be prevented: look at every animal every day, vaccinate on time, plan worm and tick control with your vet, keep new and sick animals apart, and call the vet early. This page covers prevention and warning signs only. For a sick animal, call your vet or the toll-free animal helpline 1962.
Check every animal every day
NDDB suggests seven questions for each animal, every day (NDDB):
- Does she behave normally with the herd?
- Does she hold her head, ears and tail as usual, and walk normally?
- Is she in good condition, neither too thin nor too fat?
- Does she eat, drink and chew the cud?
- Are her dung and urine normal?
- If she is in milk, has the milk suddenly dropped?
- Is there anything else unusual?
A healthy adult breathes 10–30 times a minute (a calf 30–50) and chews the cud for 7–10 hours a day. Her coat shines, her eyes are clear and her muzzle is moist (NDDB). Normal body temperature is about 38.5 °C (101.5 °F) (TNAU). If anything changes, call your vet.
Warning signs: call the vet at once
| Disease | Warning signs | Who and when |
|---|---|---|
| Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD, komari) | Fever, heavy drooling, blisters on the tongue, gums and teats and between the hooves, limping, a sharp drop in milk | All cattle and buffaloes; often kills young calves |
| Haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS, thondai adaippan) | High fever, drooling, a big swelling of the throat and brisket, noisy breathing; can kill in 1–2 days | Rainy season; buffaloes are hit harder |
| Black quarter (BQ, sappai) | Sudden high fever, limping, a hot, painful swelling on the hip, back or shoulder that crackles when pressed | Young cattle of 6 months to 2 years, at the start of the rains |
| Lumpy skin disease | Fever, a big drop in milk, firm round lumps on the skin all over the body, runny eyes and nose | Spread by biting flies, mosquitoes and ticks |
| Theileriosis (a tick fever) | High fever, swollen glands, pale gums, fast breathing, quick loss of condition | Young crossbred and exotic cattle; May to October |
| Mastitis (madi noi) | A hard, hot, swollen quarter; clots, blood or watery milk | Milking animals, high yielders most |
| Milk fever | In the first 3 days after calving: trembling, staggering, then she cannot stand and lies with her neck turned to one side | High-yielding cows, usually in the 3rd to 5th calving |
| Bloat | The left side of the belly swells up, she kicks at her belly and struggles to breathe | Lush, wet grass or legumes, very hungry animals |
| Abortion | Calf lost, often after the 5th month; the afterbirth may stay in | Brucellosis is the usual suspect, and it can pass to people |
| Heat stress | Fast panting, drooling, eating less, less milk | Crossbreds and buffaloes on hot days |
The signs are from NDDB's handbook (NDDB); the tick season and the milk-fever risk are from TNAU (TNAU, TNAU). For mastitis checks at milking time, see Milking cows and buffaloes: clean milk and mastitis checks.
- Bloat and milk fever can kill within hours. Call the vet at once and do not wait.
- Move a sick animal away from the others straight away, into shade, with water.
- A buffalo that breathes fast or stops eating on a hot day needs shade and water at once (ICAR-CIRB). Cooling sheds are in Dairy cow shed: space, floor, roof and cooling.
Vaccination calendar
| Disease | First vaccination | After that |
|---|---|---|
| FMD (komari) | Calves at 4–5 months; a booster 4 weeks later | Every 6 months |
| HS (thondai adaippan) | From 6 months | Every year, before the rains |
| BQ (sappai) | From 6 months | Every year, before the rains |
| Brucellosis | Female calves at 4–8 months | Once in a lifetime |
| Theileriosis (crossbred and exotic cattle only) | From 3 months | Ask your vet whether a yearly booster is needed in your area |
| Lumpy skin disease | From 4 months | Every year |
The FMD and brucellosis timings follow the national programme (DAHD), and match the cow and buffalo pages (NDDB). HS and BQ follow ICAR-CIRB (ICAR-CIRB); lumpy skin disease follows NDDB (NDDB). Give every vaccine as your vet advises.
- FMD and brucellosis are given under the National Animal Disease Control Programme: FMD to all cattle and buffaloes every 6 months, and brucellosis to female calves of 4–8 months, once (PIB). The Government of India pays for these vaccines, including the vaccinator's charge (PIB). Ask your vet when the next round reaches your village.
- Other vaccines: ask your veterinary hospital which ones are given in your area, and whether there is a charge.
- Vaccinated animals are ear-tagged, and the owner gets a vaccination card (DAHD). Keep it safe.
- Vaccinate only healthy animals, at least a month before the disease season, and deworm them 2–3 weeks before. Ask the vet before vaccinating a cow late in pregnancy (NDDB).
Worms and ticks: plan with your vet
- Calves: first deworming in the first two weeks of life (buffalo calves earliest), then every month until 6 months, as your vet advises (NDDB, NDDB).
- Adults: 2–4 times a year as your vet advises, at least before and after the rains. If an animal does not improve, ask the vet to test its dung, and do not keep using the same product (NDDB).
- Ticks spread theileriosis and other tick fevers. Look over the animals often, and de-tick every new animal before it joins the herd. Ticks lay their eggs in cracks in shed walls and floors, so fill the cracks and keep the shed clean (NDDB).
- Ask the vet what to use on the animals and in the shed: farm pesticides can poison cattle. Use no tick products on calves under 3 months, and wash sprayed fodder before feeding (NDDB).
- Flies: remove dung and urine regularly and keep drains from standing (NDDB).
Keep new animals apart
- Keep every new animal apart from your herd for 30 days, under your vet's guidance (NDDB, TNAU).
- Tend it after your own animals, wash and change your clothes after touching it, and milk it last (NDDB).
- During this time, ask the vet to test it for brucellosis and hidden mastitis, and to de-tick, deworm and vaccinate it as needed (NDDB).
- Checks before you pay, and the rules for moving cattle, are in How to buy a milch cow or buffalo: checks and papers and moving cattle.
Sick animals, abortions and deaths
- Keep a sick animal as far from the others as you can. Tend it last, with its own buckets if possible, then wash and change your clothes. Bring it back only when it is fully well (TNAU).
- Report within 24 hours: a sudden death, an abortion or an illness spreading through the herd. Tell the nearest vet or call 1962 at once, and within 24 hours at most (NDDB).
- If many animals fall sick, stop animals, vehicles and visitors coming and going, keep your animals off common grazing, and call the vet (TNAU).
- After an abortion: keep the cow apart and call the vet. Never touch the aborted calf or the afterbirth with bare hands, because brucellosis can pass to people; bury them deep with lime (NDDB).
- A dead animal: do not cut it open, never leave it in the shed or near flowing water, and call the vet. TNAU advises burying it with lime, with the top of the body at least 1.5 m below the ground (TNAU).
Help: 1962 and free camps
- Dial 1962, a toll-free number, to reach the mobile veterinary unit for your area (PIB). In Tamil Nadu, each unit also visits three villages a day on a fixed schedule (Tamil Nadu).
- Tamil Nadu holds free veterinary health camps in remote villages (Tamil Nadu).
- Your nearest veterinary dispensary or hospital vaccinates animals and gives advice.
Keep health records
For each animal, write down:
- its 12-digit ear-tag number;
- each vaccination, with the date and the disease;
- each deworming date;
- illnesses and vet visits;
- insemination and calving dates, and any drop in milk.
The ear tag links each animal's vaccinations on the government's Bharat Pashudhan portal (PIB). A notebook is enough, and a buyer will ask for these records when you sell: see selling animals.
Common mistakes
- Waiting for an outbreak before vaccinating.
- Putting a new animal in with the herd on the day it arrives.
- Waiting and guessing instead of calling the vet early.
- Using farm pesticides on cattle without the vet's advice.
- Keeping no record of vaccination and deworming dates.
Frequently asked questions
At what age should calves be vaccinated?
From about 3 months: theileriosis at 3 months for crossbred and exotic calves, FMD at 4–5 months with a booster 4 weeks later, lumpy skin disease from 4 months, brucellosis for female calves at 4–8 months, and HS and BQ from 6 months.
Who pays for cattle vaccines?
The Government of India pays for the FMD and brucellosis vaccines given under the national programme, including the vaccinator's charge. For other vaccines, ask your vet.
How long should I keep a new cow apart?
For 30 days, away from your herd, and milk her last.
What should I do after an abortion?
Keep the cow apart, call the vet within 24 hours, and never touch the calf or afterbirth with bare hands.
Next
Good feeding and a dry, cool shed prevent many problems: read Dairy cow feeding: fodder, concentrate, minerals and water and Dairy cow shed: space, floor, roof and cooling. For newborn calves, see Calf care: colostrum, milk feeding, weaning and pens; for clean milking, Milking cows and buffaloes: clean milk and mastitis checks. Buying? Check each animal's health before you pay, and browse cows for sale and buffaloes for sale near you.
