This month John Shaw, a vet with Somerset-based Wilkins and Partners, examines some of the causes behind and treatment of downer cows. The last few days have been very hot and humid; even the cows seem irritable. Certainly not good weather for messing around with downer cows. However, a lot of cows are calving at the moment and a small proportion of them are going to need help to get to their feet. Everyone I meet has a story about a cow that got up after a lengthy period of recumbency. I suspect that most of these stories are about as accurate as fishermen's tales. Some cows do get up after two or three weeks down, but the vast majority do not. The most common cause of downer cows is muscle damage after milk fever. This is often compounded by the cow's propensity for going down on the hardest, most uncomfortable surface that she can find.
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机译：本月，约翰·肖（John Shaw）是萨默塞特郡威尔金斯与合伙人（Wilkins and Partners）的一名兽医，他研究了降低母牛群的原因和治疗方法。最近几天非常潮湿。甚至母牛也很烦躁。当然，不适合与低矮的母牛混在一起。但是，目前许多母牛正在产犊，其中一小部分需要帮助才能站起来。我遇到的每个人都有一个关于一头奶牛的故事，该奶牛经过长时间的卧卧后起床。我怀疑其中大多数故事都和渔民的故事一样准确。有些母牛在下降两到三周后确实会起床，但绝大多数母牛却没有。导致奶牛口气下降的最常见原因是牛奶热后肌肉受损。母牛倾向于在她能找到的最坚硬，最不舒服的地面上跌倒，这往往使情况更加复杂。
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