Metabolic

Cows and students not too different

It is around this time that I remember every year that I practiced as a vet for another year. I graduated in May 2006 and I remember how big the change was in that first year of practice. I remember advice I received along the way about being confident and not selling myself and a host of other things. I also see many pictures of young adults who have graduated from high school, college, and trade schools, and as I was walking through some stables today and watching cows go about their business, it occurred to me that transitional cows and college students are not that different.

To make sure everyone is on the same page, I want to define transition cows. When a nursing cow becomes pregnant it is milked for a period of time, but milking is usually stopped 40-60 days before freshening or calving. This is known as the dry spell and allows their udder time to develop and recover before their next lactation. Many changes occur on the day of refreshment and for the next month a cow is at the highest risk in her life for various metabolic and infectious diseases. The period from 30 (some people say 60) days before calving to 30 days after calving is called the transition cow period as the cow transitions from a non-producing dry cow with relatively low energy needs to a productive lactating cow with high energy demands and high demands Stress.

Let’s look at some similarities between dairy cows and college students.

1. Dry cows and students at the end of a school year are relatively unencumbered – of course, students have to complete the finals and projects. And dry cows are not immune to metabolic and other problems. But I don’t think my toughest final in veterinary school was as tough as stepping out and experiencing what the h # !! should i do with it? “Type of moments I experience in the field. Dry cows (and year-end students) don’t know, but what they go through is nothing compared to where they go.

2. The feed intake decreases by the walking time – The feed intake of a dairy cow is on the ground for about 12 to 24 hours before calving. The trick is to get your appetite rolling again as soon as possible, before something bad can happen. I’m not sure if I can personally attest to this as I rarely have trouble eating, but I suspect that many students try to shed a few pounds before starting over in order to put their best foot forward.

3. Lately fresh cows and new students are the opposite of unstressed – Connect a new environment with new people, new expectations, new forage, and a different social structure, and people and living things can throw anything off balance.

4. Friends help. Plenty – One of the best methods at calving season is to limit the number of pen movements, but also to move cows in groups of no less than three people. If you give the cows a few friends to feel sorry for when they enter new social territory, their success really improves. Just like humans, cows value their friends. There are boss cows and bully cows and shy cows, and it often happens that even during lactation, some cows hang around in the same area of ​​a barn or with the same group of cows.

5. Overcrowding is a silent killer – One of the largest identified risk factors for transitional cows is the lack of space in the feed bunk. Research has shown that a transition cow needs at least 30 inches of sleeping space to thrive. There are several ways to achieve this, but reducing sleeping space will decrease eating time and lead to health problems. Cows also need sufficient space to lie down. Too much time on their feet will reduce milk production and cause hoof problems. Dorms and meal plans are a good attempt at meeting the population needs of the college herd, but contagious agents certainly seem to move through a college population more than the general population.

6. Diet is Key – We carefully treat the condition of cattle to ensure they are not gaining or losing weight too quickly. When cows begin lactation, it takes a while for their caloric intake to match the energy output of their milk production. This is known as negative energy balance and can lead to both weight loss and potentially disease. The transition to school seems to be going in the opposite direction, as students seem to win over “novice 15”. However, both extremes are bad, and diet must be carefully managed to ensure optimal health.

In all seriousness, I am not selecting college students. I spent many years in college and I tend to think about many topics in population medicine. My sincere congratulations and best wishes to all who are graduating, advancing, or passing over in any facet of their life. Thank you for reading.

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