The meadow tetany observed in cattles during the transition period to spring, which is also called with the names like meadow stumble, hypomagnesemia, magnezik tetany, wheat grass poisoning is a deficiency disease characterized by tetany and spasms that is seen in all ages, especially in highly productive cattles. This disease, which is also generally called as the meadow stumble is economically crucial.
The potassium and sodium concentrations are also important in the meadow tetany which is seen mainly due to the magnesium deficiency. So what are the factors that increase the need for magnesium in animals and prevent the absorption? First, it is the transition from poor pasture to rich pasture. Apart from this, the reasons are high milk yield, excessive ammonia development during the digestion of protein-rich feed, the ration having much potassium, the use of ammoniacal fertilizer in the pasturea, bad weather conditions and finally keeping the animals completely or partially without food.
Is a easy to diagnose the disease to a certain extent. It is undersood by the sudden deaths seen in the animals grassing at the green meadows in connection with the season or by the feeding of the animals, which are in the early stages of lactation period, with the plants in sprouting period and by the characteristic symptoms. These characteristic symptoms; varies according to the stage of the disease, but in general, the stagnation of the animals, twitching in the face and ear muscles, moos, tremors, mouth foaming, hitting of lower-upper jaw to one each other, foaming of the mouth, loss of appetite, decrease in milk yield and blindness.
Finally, the more important thing is to protect animals; to enable this, it has to be waited for the plants to ripe thoroughly, at least to 16 cm long before taking the animals to the pastures. Postponing the grassing, by reducing the pressure arised from the early grassing, will cause the soil to become moisturized and to become more efficient. The most useful method to be followed in the protection is to support the animals, which are wandering in high-risk pastures, with mineral mixtures containing magnesium and with concentrated feeds.
