Hot days bring several health problems not only to humans but also to animals. Experts at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) have underlined that during summer days 'Hyperthermia' was one of the common diseases among dairy animals.
According to the experts, if animals were exposed to constant heat, they might get this disease that lead to several other health problems.
The disease was more prevalent in exotic and crossbred cows but has also been observed in indigenous cows and buffaloes, they maintained.
Director of research at GADVASU SNS Randhawa, shared with HT that the disease results due to high environmental temperature and humidity.
"Under such conditions, heat load increases and thermal steady state of body cannot be maintained, which leads to rise in body temperature and onset of hyperthermia", said Randhawa.
"Panting, marked decrease in appetite and major loss of milk production are the common symptoms. Hyperthermia is mostly observed during July to September," added Randhawa.
Another source from the department of research said during this year, in most of the districts of the Punjab, due to drought-like conditions with minimal rainfall and high environmental temperature, large numbers of cases with clinical signs of hyperthermia in dairy animals have been reported by field veterinarians and dairy farmers.
Randhawa also indicated the studies conducted by scientists of department of veterinary medicine on the hyperthermia dairy animals revealed that subcutaneous administration of 5ml iodized oil (containing 750 mg of elemental iodine) for three consecutive days was highly effective treatment of hyperthermia.
Public relations officer Harpreet Singh said, "Dairy farmers are advised to get blood samples of the crossbred cows tested from the university veterinary hospital at the peak of body temperature to rule out blood protozoan diseases. Quackery may be harmful for your precious animals besides causing tremendous economic losses to the dairy farmers."