22/08/2026
Hello Everyone,
Some of you may of read the post the other day that Daryl and l were traveling around and we called in to see Miriam Galletta. It was wonderful to catch up and see what she is up to. Miriam has been very kind allowing me to video her placing one of our rugs on her very friendly brown swiss Abbey.
But extra bonus Miriam has taken the time to write why she likes ICU Small Animal Rugs, a couple of pictures to go with the video!
"Hello Fellow ICU members,
My name is Miriam Galletta, and l am the owner of MiHope Jerseys and Brown Swiss in Northern Victoria. Not far from the Murray River.
I have been a big supporter of the ICU Small Animal Rugs for a long time now, with the belief that providing extra care helps the recovery of the animal and offers a far better outcome overall. I have been firm believer for many years now that the rugs help maintain body heat in newborn calves allowing them to utilise their milk feeds for growth rather than keeping then keeping warm. And the same goes for the Downer cow rugs.
These rugs serve a purposeful role in the recovery of sick animals that often gets missed, and that's the wasted energy the cow needs to use to maintain body temperature.
When a cow is feeling unwell, maintaining a healthy appetite and body condition can be tricky. This problem is escalated by the cows inability to maintain a constant body temperature. This is where the ICU downer cow rug becomes so important.
The rug, with its thick canvas exterior, keeps the rain and other elements off the cow. The thick wool lining provides extra comfort and warmth for the cow, allowing much needed nutrients to be utilised by the cow rather than being wasted on providing energy to keep warm. The thick straps, are designed to not get caught on fencing or shedding while the cow is wearing it, and the cow can still be milked wearing the rug long term without any issues.
There are two locations of pockets designed to aid in recovery where you can add extra heated pads when necessary. These are situated right above the cows kidney's and along the cows nerves in their hind legs. It reminds me of somthing my nana always used to say, "keep those kidneys warm or you will get sick". The same is said for our cows. Heat applied directly to the kidney area helps aid in recovery. The pockets along the nerves are perfect for getting circulation back into the cows legs, especially in milk fever cows and bulling injury cows that quite often damage the nerves when slipping over.
The padding over the neck and tail helps with the cows comfort. Making sure no nerve points are under any unwanted pressure.
I've been using the downer cow rugs on my cattle for many years now, they are great for cows with milkm fever, calving paralysis, bulling injuries, pneumonia and many other issues that have resulted in the cow feeling under the weather and needing a little extra TLC.
I've also used them on older cows, that have been faced with a long cold winter, to just keep them feeling a bit more comfortable til the warmer weather starts up again. Cows are easy to rug, with the simple design, and the rugs are easy to take off.
Best part, they are machine washable. I simply take them to the laundromat in town, use the "horse rug" washing machines, use a little bit of washing powder and some eucalyptus oil and they are ready for the next cow to use. Once of course they have been properly air dried and stored for future use.
I've attached a short video on how to rug a cow properly.
The cow is MiHope Abbey, one of my much loved brown Swiss girls. She is a mature brown Swiss and due to calve 20th September. This gives you an idea on how the rug should look and sit on your cow for future reference.
These rugs are Australian Made, local here in Victoria, they are built tough and to last. If you want to provide your cows with a bit extra TLC this calving, you can't go past one of these rugs. They are a must have in my emergency kit.
Regards,
Miriam
www.icusmallanimalrugs.com
