Finding Sick Cattle Early

1. Finding Sick Cattle Early Brendan Kraus, DVM Spur Ridge Vet Hospital Marion, KS

2. What are the Costs of Illness • BRD Prevention Products • Treatment Medications • BRD Deaths • Decreased Gain • Decreased Carcass Value

3. Prevention is the Best Defense • Preweaning • Vaccinations • Backgrounding • Mass Medication

4. Which Cattle are “At Risk?” • Cattle that are in the peri-weaning phase • Multiple source cattle and salebarn • “Put together” cattle longer than 1-2 days • Long Haul • Bulls • Poor vaccination history • Previous history of illness years past • Adverse environmental conditions

5. Assign Risk to Pens • It may be prudent to assign a risk rating to pens so all personnel have an idea which pens need more attention • Can be done with a numerical or color system

6. Impact of Respiratory Disease • Texas Ranch to Rail Sick Cattle (First Year) • Gained Less • Had poorer feed efficiency • Graded lower • 28% Got Sick • 2.88% Deads

7. Impact of Respiratory Disease • When compared to cattle not diagnosed with BRD • Sick cattle gained 7% less • Weighed 3% less • Cost 18.5% more to feed • Graded 25% fewer Choice • The Total Cost of being sick was $111.38

8. How good are we at finding sick cattle? • US Meat Animal Research Center Trial • Calves were diagnosed as sick and coin flip determined treatment or no treatment • All Lungs were assessed at packing house • 50% of the cattle not diagnosed as sick had lung lesions • 50% of cattle diagnosed and treated for pneumonia had lung lesions

9. How good are we at finding sick Cattle? • ADG was affected by percentage of lung damage • Our goal is to prevent severe lung damage • Metaphylaxis may help prevent lung damage in the calves that we are unable to identify as sick • Treatment of sick calves is meant to halt lung damage

10. What Does Lung Damage Look Like?

11. Early Inflammation

12. Pasteurella multocida Abcess

13. Typical >50% Affected Lungs

14. Mannheimia Abscess Cut Surface

15. How do we find Sick Cattle? • Many factors influence the outcome of respiratory illness • The most important factor is finding the sick cattle and starting treatment early • A sick animal’s chance of survival will improve if treatment is started within 48 hours of the onset of pneumonia • Some cattle will hide symptoms completely during this time!

16. The importance of Time • Make sure you have plenty of time in the morning to diagnose and treat sick cattle. • It takes time to really observe the cattle thoroughly enough to detect the subtle signs of illness • In the summer, cattle must be fed, pulled, treated, and returned to a pen by 11:00am

17. Symptoms • Appetite Depression • Lowered Head carriage • General Depression • Less Responsive to Environmental Stimuli • Hide behind other cattle • Reduced Gut Fill • Cough

18. Symptoms • Increased respiration rate • Nasal discharge • Not cleaning nostrils or grooming • Stiff gait • Weakness (drag toes, knuckling joints) • Fever • Dull Eyes • Drooping Upper Eyelid

19. Lowered Head

20. Lowered Head

21. Decreased Rumen Fill

22. Decreased Rumen Fill

23. Depressed, Dull Eye

24. Depressed, Dull eye

25. Depressed Upper Eyelid

26. Bright, Shiny Eye

27. Facial Animation

28. Depressed Facial Expression

29. Hiding At Bunk

30. Too Late

31. Appetite Depression • Feed Consumption starts to drop 48 hours before a rise in body temperature can be detected • Consumption will drop 50% 24 hours before the fever spikes • Pull any newly weaned calf that is slow to come to the bunk to eat • Identify them and come back to get them after cattle have had a chance to eat

32. Appetite Depression • Pull any newly weaned calf that is slow to come to the bunk to eat • Identify them and come back to get them after cattle have had a chance to eat • If doctor crew is not available to watch cattle come to the feed bunk during feeding, watch the fill on the cattle very closely • Cattle that have not been eating well will have a slight depression behind the ribs on the left side

33. Fever • Temperatures over 104 F should be considered a fever • Afternoon temperatures are not reliable • Temperatures of cattle being processed or run around the pen are not reliable • Always use temperature as a confirmation of disease, not as the sole criteria

34. My Favorite Sick Calf Indicators If possible study the calves at first light and again at feeding time • Slow to the Bunk-Come to the bunk but hide between calves, not eating rapidly • Depressed or dull Eye • Slight low Head Carriage (when they don’t know you are watching) • Rear Leg Weakness

35. Prey Animal Instinct • Prey animals have evolved to mask signs of illness • Sick cattle will be difficult to find until the caretakers have earned the cattle’s trust • Spend time in the pen every day practicing low stress techniques until that trust is earned

36. Pen Riders • If cattle are to pulled on horseback, let the pen rider get in the pen during feed delivery from the first day the cattle are received. • This will allow the cattle to get used to having someone in the pen, and will allow sick cattle to be sorted out more easily later • Try to remove sick cattle quietly, efficiently, quickly, and without upsetting the rest of the pen

37. Follow Up on Treatment Success • Give Pen Riders feedback on treatment success • Target 90% success rate • If there are greater than 10-15% retreats, cattle may be being pulled too late

38. Summary • Sick Cattle = Dollars Lost • Some cattle display only the subtle signs of disease until it’s too late • Check cattle early, preferably near feeding time • Pull Early, Pull Deep • If a calf catches your eye, it’s probably sick

39. Our Goal is Healthy, Comfortable Cattle That Get Rapidly On Feed

41. Questions?