Nutritional Hemoglobinuria

Nutritional Hemoglobinuria is a metabolic disease of high producing dairy cows and buffaloes characterized by intravascular hemolysis, hemoglobinuria and anemia.

Nutritional Hemoglobinuria is also known as Post parturient hemoglobinuria or Phosphorus deficiency.

Etiology

Deficiency of phosphorus in the diet:

• Soil deficient in phosphorus
• Hay and straws are naturally deficient in phosphorus
• Drought conditions reduces phosphorus content in the forage

Impaired absorption of phosphorus:

• Excess calcium, aluminium or iron in diet
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Improper Ca:P ratio

Increased requirements of phosphorus:

• Heavy drain of phosphorus through milk in recently calved animals
• Increased requirement for development of fetus during advance pregnancy

Feeding of cruciferous plants like rape, turnip etc.

Epidemiology

• Species: Cattle and buffaloes. Buffaloes are more susceptible than cows
• Sex: It Is primarily a disease of females
• Age: Adult females are affected
• Stage of production: Disease occurs in both pregnant as well as lactating animals.
• Lactation: More common during 3rdto 6thlactation
• Stage of pregnancy: Usually advance pregnant buffaloes are affected. Occasional cases may occur during early and mid pregnancy
• Milk yield: High yielding animals are more prone to this disease; however cases do occur in low to moderate yielders.
• Season: Disease mostly occurs during dry season
• Predisposing factors: Exposure to cold weather and malnutrition

Clinical Signs

• Partial to complete anorexia
• Dullness, depression and weakness
• Marked drop in milk yield
• Temperature usually normal, sometimes elevated or subnormal
• Heart rate is usually increased
• Rapid breathing in early stage and dyspnea in later stages
• Light to dark coffee colored urine is characteristic symptom
• Pallor of mucosa usually noticed 2-3 days after onset of disease
• Jaundice is mostly seen in very late stage of disease
• Passage of pasty feces with straining
• Sometimes abortion in pregnant animals

Diagnosis

• History: Advance pregnancy or early lactation, sole feeding of dry roughages
• Symptoms: Light brown to coffee colored urine
• Lesions: Anemia, jaundice, enlargement of liver and spleen, coffee colored urine in urinary bladder.
• Clinical pathology:
  • Hematology: Low Hb, PCV and TEC values
  • Biochemistry: Low serum inorganic phosphorus values
  • Urinalysis: Urine positive for hemoglobin

Treatment

Specific treatment

• Sodium acid phosphate at 80gm IV as a 20% solution in 5%dextrose or distilled water for 2-4 days is highly effective
• Inj. Ascorbic acid at 15-20mg/kg IV daily for 2-4 days can also be used

Supportive treatment

• Inj. Dextrose 20% 500 ml IV for 2-3 days.
• Inj. Liver extract with B complex at 5 ml IM daily for 5-7 days.
• Hematinic mixture daily orally for a week.
• Blood transfusion in severe cases.
• Mineral mixture at 25-50 gm daily orally.

Control

• Regular provision of mineral mixture containing phosphorus according to the requirement for maintenance and production.
• Protect the recently calved or advance pregnant animals from cold dress.