A high temperature is the body's alarm bell, not a diagnosis. When you log a fever in Vache, the first question is always: where is the infection? Reaching for the same antibiotic every time wastes money, breeds resistance, and lets the real problem run.
First, confirm it's actually a fever Normal dairy-cow rectal temperature is 38.0–39.0 °C (100.4–102.2 °F). Anything above 39.5 °C is a true fever. Take it in the morning before the day heats up; a cow standing in the sun or just after a long walk can read half a degree high without being sick.
Rule mastitis in or out first — it's the most common and the most missed Strip each quarter onto a dark surface or a paddle. You're looking for clots, flakes, watery or blood- tinged milk, and a hot, hard, or swollen quarter. Clinical mastitis can spike a fever fast, especially the coliform (E. coli) type, which can drop a cow flat within hours. If the udder is the source, you'll usually find it in under two minutes of stripping. Always check the udder before anything else — it's the cheapest test you have.
If the udder is clean, work through the other causes
- Metritis (uterine infection) — common in the first 21 days after calving. Look for a foul, watery, red-brown discharge from the vulva, a cow that's dull and off feed. Smell is the giveaway. - Pneumonia / respiratory — fast or laboured breathing, cough, nasal discharge, a cow standing with her neck extended. More common in calves and in cold, damp, poorly-ventilated housing. - East Coast Fever and other tick-borne disease (a major cause in East Africa) — swollen lymph nodes (feel in front of the shoulder and at the flank), fever that won't settle, rapid weight loss. If ECF is endemic where you farm, it belongs near the top of your list, not the bottom. - Traumatic reticuloperitonitis ("hardware disease") — a cow that's reluctant to move, grunts, stands with an arched back. From swallowing wire or nails. - Foot infection / severe lameness — check between the claws for swelling and smell; foot rot can run a fever.
A simple cow-side decision path 1. Strip all four quarters → udder abnormal? Treat as mastitis. 2. Recently calved (under 3 weeks)? Check for uterine discharge → metritis likely. 3. Breathing hard or coughing? Think pneumonia. 4. Swollen lymph nodes + tick exposure? Suspect ECF/tick-borne — call your vet, these need specific drugs. 5. None of the above? This is where you call the vet rather than guess.
Why this matters for your records Logging *which* cause you found — not just "fever" — turns your health history into something useful: you start seeing patterns (metritis clustering in one calving season, pneumonia after a cold snap) that tell you what to fix on the farm, not just on the cow.
When to call the vet immediately A down cow, a cow off feed for more than a day, blood in the milk or discharge, or any fever you can't source. Antibiotics chosen blind are a gamble; a five-minute call often saves a cow.
Sources Merck Veterinary Manual — Mastitis in Cattle; Metritis in Cattle. AHDB Dairy — Mastitis Control. NADIS Animal Health — Bovine Respiratory Disease. ILRI / CGIAR — East Coast Fever in smallholder dairy herds.