Rumination - 5

UREA POISONING

In 1959, during the month of December, by 8.00 p.m., I was returning to my residence on my bicycle after dinner at a hotel. From a distance I noticed a Fiat car in front of my residence. Before, I got down from my bicycle; I noticed some busy activities in the front portion of the building from where the veterinary dispensary was functioning. I heard a loud conversation of night duty attendant with somebody. Before, I alighted from my bicycle, the driver of the stationed car shouted “Doctor has come”. A well dressed young man and my attendant dashed towards me from the dispensary building.

“Doctor, very urgent. Some of our best cows died all of a sudden this evening. I have come with my car. Please come to my village and save my other ailing animals” the young man pleaded plaintively.

I just turned around and glanced at my attendant who had served in that station for 40 years (including his “boy service”).

“Sir, everything ready. This gentleman is the son of a prominent, big landowner of this taluk who is also a regular client to our dispensary. His village is 20 miles away from here. Please change your dress. We can go and return by night itself” appealed the elderly attendant.

With a reluctant smile, I moved into the residential portion of the building. Though I wanted to help the worried client, my physical tiredness due to the day long strenuous work in that taluk headquarters dispensary, made me think twice before accepting the urgent call to an interior village that too in that cold weather.

My diplomatic attendant who followed me wheedled. “Sir, his father is a very decent, educated man who owns more than 300 animals. He is a strong supporter of our dispensary. We must go immediately and attend the ailing animals”.

Though physically tired mentally decided to attend the case since no other veterinarian was available anywhere in that taluk at that time. I changed my dress and proceeded immediately to that village with the young gentleman.

During our car journey, I enquired the young man. “Do you know anything about the illness of the animals”.

“Yes Sir. My father is in the habit of listening to the farmers’ programmes of All India Radio daily evening. Today, AIR broadcast a talk on the benefits of feeding urea to cattle. It was time to feed concentrates to all the animals in our farm. After hearing that talk, he mixed a handful of urea which was stored in our godown for agricultural purpose in the feed trough of every animal. Within half an hour 3 high yielding Sindhi cross-bred cows which were fed at first, fell down with colicky pain one by one and died. Immediately all the feed troughs were removed to prevent the animals from consuming the urea-mixed concentrates. However, a few animals were restless with salivation. Immediately I rushed to you sir, for your help”.

After hearing the brief history of the case, I was worrying about the approach of treating such poisonous cases. During that time, the words of “Rumen Medicine” and “Urea Toxicity” were unheard of by the veterinarians in this country. So, I decided to treat the ailing animals, as per the general principles to be followed to treat the poisoning cases.

At 9.00 p.m., we reached the village. The owner was surrounded by his workers with an expression of utter sorrow and disappointment at the entrance of the cattle shed. He was visibly upset and could not talk to me freely. “This is my fate. Even though my old servant resisted to feed urea, I, myself mixed urea in feed troughs of all the animals, with a pride that I am the first farmer in this district to adopt all the newer scientific developments in the field of animal husbandry practice. Unfortunately, my best cows died before I could do even first aid. I have arranged to drench white of egg stirred in milk to all the ailing animals as first aid. Please save the other animals” he implored.

I examined all the eleven ailing animals. Except Cal. BoroGluconas injection, no other drug was available in my armamentarium at that time. All the ailing animals were given 150 – 200 ml of calciumborogluconas by i/v. In those days, glucose injection was available only as 20 ml ampules even for medical practitioners. That too was not available then in that village. So, I collected tender coconut water from tender coconuts which were available in plenty in that farm. I injected 450 ml by i/v to every animal. To neutralize the alkali I administered lime juice extracted from 50 lime fruits to each ailing animal orally. Then I returned to headquarters by 4.00 a.m. and prescribed 4 tablets of “Strinacin”(combination of Streptomycin with Sulpha) for oral administration to each animal. The owner purchased the tablets in medical shop at taluk headquarters and administered in the morning. When I visited the farm in the evening all the animals had recovered.

I advised the owner, not to adopt any newer techniques/findings/ suggestions, either by reading journals or by hearing radio news, with over enthusiasm, better to contact his veterinarian and discuss with him in detail all the pros and cons of newer suggestions and then adopt the newer technology, if found suited to him. I also pointed out him that the administration of white of egg the urea poisoning would only aggravate the condition. It is quite risky to use urea as feed. If anybody wants to use it, he / she must have good understanding of its utilization and limitations. If not, the feeding of urea will lead to heavy loss to farmers due to the toxicity.