Process of Inserting Cow Magnet/Training
The application process of a magnet can be a difficult task if the cow is not secured properly, and the farmer is unknowledgeable about what he/she is required to do. Therefore, it is essential that the farmer receives proper training on what needs to be done to make this process as efficient and safe as possible.
To begin this process it is crucial to have the cow contained, where it is unable to move side to side, hence minimizing the risk of injury to the farmer and/or cow. The best way to do this is by having the cow in a cattle squeeze. The main purpose of a cattle squeeze is to make it safer for both the farmer and cow by restricting the cows movement, this makes it easy for the farmer to handle the cow (Braun & Flückiger, 2003). Once the cow safely secured in the cattle squeeze the farmer can insert the magnet. The insertion of the magnet can be a difficult task, and sometimes having another person around makes the task go more smoothly. First, the cows head is held so that the mouth can open. Then, the magnet applicator with the magnet inserted inside can be pushed down the cows throat via the esophagus. Finally, the magnet can be released by pushing down on the applicator’s release mechanism (Braun & Flückiger, 2003).
Inputs
From the above information about cow magnets, the following inputs are needed in order to get the optimal results with this product, and overall safety for the cow and farmer. These include: training for the farmer, cattle squeeze, magnet and magnet applicator.
Product Description
Cow magnets are a very simple product, which are cylindric in shape. They are manufactured with a long-lasting, magnetized metal (Nellessen, 1990). Often, this metal comes in the form of iron (Nellessen, 2006). Cow magnets essentially prevent hardware disease, which is a disease more commonly found in dairy cattle than any other cattle breeds (O.S Al-Abbadi, M, Abu-Seida, M, Al-Hussainy,2014). The prevention of hardware disease is done by inserting a cow magnet (refer to diagram) through a magnet applicator.
About Hardware Disease
Hardware disease, which is also called bovine traumatic reticuloperitonitis (Nellessen, 1990), is a large problem that dairy farmers face all around the world (O.S Al-Abbadi, M, Abu-Seida, M, Al-Hussainy,2014). However, this issue is a greater problem for developing countries due to the cattle grazing in an unorganized manner, with lots of debris around to cause this issue(Kaura,1997). This disease initiates when a cattle consumes a piece of metal, this fragment can be anything from a piece of wire to a bolt (O.S Al-Abbadi, M, Abu-Seida, M, Al-Hussainy, 2014).. The ingestion of this metal causes great discomfort to the cattle, and the piece of metal enters either the rumen or reticulum of the cow’s stomach. As a result this becomes a big issue for the cow due to the fact that it is a ruminant. This means that in order to digest the food completely, the feed must be regurgitated and re-chewed, this process is called rumination. Subsequently, the piece of metal can easily interrupt this process, and can even puncture the inner lining of the cows stomach (O.S Al-Abbadi, M, Abu-Seida, M, Al-Hussainy, 2014).
In order to diagnose a cow with hardware disease, the following symptoms can be given to a farmer to develop a better understanding of the disease: lack of appetite, walks gingerly, hard breathing, and overall discomfort (Sharma, Dhaliwal, & Randhawa, 2015). A simple two part evaluation can be done to check for a positive correlation to hardware disease. First, a withers test can be done, refer to top right diagram , as the farmer pinches by the withers(Conroy & Javic, 2016). The reaction of the cow when pinched determines if hardware is a possibility. If negative, the cow will flex its back, as seen in the top right diagram. However, if the cow is positive the cow will not flex its back due to the amount of pain it is enduring from the piece of metal digested. Secondly, a grunt test can be preformed. A grunt test requires the farmer to apply pressure to the lower stomach region of the cow (refer to bottom right diagram). If the cow grunts, or is tender by this action preformed, it is often the result of the cow having hardware disease(Conroy & Javic, 2016).
Contribution to Animal Health
The health of a dairy cow is essential, and whenever a disease affects its health it jeopardizes the milk production of the cow. As mentioned in previous sections, hardware disease is very painful for a cow. It is because of this pain that will cause the cattle beast to be very immobile, as the movement from walking causes it great discomfort(Braun, 2003). This is a large problem to the cow, in addition to the farmer, as the cow has to walk to get his/her feed. Eventually this task will no longer happen. Furthermore, the lack of feed consumed will lower the yield of milk for this cow greatly(Waters, 2008). When a cow magnet is inserted the magnet either goes into one of two stomachs of the cow, the rumen or reticulum. There it can pick up any pieces of metal and can stop blockages, which in turn will avoid puncturing of the inner lining of the cow’s stomach(O.S Al-Abbadi, M, Abu-Seida, M, Al-Hussainy, 2014). The pieces of metal stay attached to the magnet and avoids damaging any organs, and will stay here for remaining duration of the cow’s lifetime(Waters, 2008).
Supplier/Cost
The company that will be involved is called “Agricle”. They distribute a large variety of agricultural products around Canada, especially for the cattle industry(Cloutier, n.d). Agricle is presently located in Saint-Dominique, Quebec. The cost of a magnet is $3.99(Cloutier, n.d) Canadian, which is approximately $316.96 Nepal rupees, while the applicator cost $27.25 Canadian (Cloutier, n.d), which is approximately $2164.73 Nepal rupees. A farmer only needs one applicator which can be repeatedly used for all other magnet insertions should the need arise.
