Hyperthermia, one of the common diseases of dairy animals in Punjab during summer season, is manifested by high body temperature. The disease is more prevalent in exotic and crossbred cows but has also been observed in indigenous cows and buffaloes. Dr. S.S. Randhawa, Director of Research, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and animal Sciences University, Ludhiana revealed that this condition results due to high environmental temperature and humidity. Under such conditions, heat load increases and thermal steady state of the body cannot be maintained which leads to rise in body temperature and onset of hyperthermia. Panting (marked increase in respiration rate), marked decrease in appetite and major loss of milk production are the common manifestations. Temperature is generally more during noon and in the evening and near normal during night and in the morning hours. Hyperthermia is mostly observed during months of July to September. However, sporadic cases have also been recorded during months of May and June.
He said that during this year, in most of the districts of the Punjab, due to drought like conditions with minimal rainfall and high environmental temperature, large number of cases with clinical signs of hyperthermia in dairy animals has been reported by field Veterinarians and dairy farmers.
