Peripartum heart disease in cows.
Thirteen Holstein dairy cows aged 5.1-10.6 years died or were killed as a result of severe illness during the peripartum period, associated with lateral recumbency, moaning, tachycardia and dyspnoea. They were all high milk producers (> 9000 kg/year) and had experienced at least three pregnancies. The average duration of the clinical course was 2.5 +/- 1.7 days. Electro-cardiography revealed marked tachycardia associated with atrial fibrillation or atrioventricular dissociation. Serum clinical chemistry showed severe hypocalcaemia (3.6 +/- 1.3 mg/dl) and at necropsy multifocal myocardial necrosis was invariably found. Myocardial necrosis was accompanied by neutrophilic and mononuclear cellular infiltrates with interstitial fibrosis. The cause of this lesion was not established.
Yamagishi
N
N
Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Iwate University, Japan.
Okada
H
H
Koiwa
M
M
Kudo
K
K
Matsuo
N
N
Naito
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006996:Hypocalcemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000473:pathology