cattle Flashcards
colic
- digestive disease
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
- Symptoms:
* Increase in TPR * sweating * panting * rolling
- Can lead to surgery or death
- Prevention:
- Regular parasite program - Maintaining a regular feeding program - Avoiding sudden dietary changes - Providing water at all times
Laminitis
inflammation of the laminae
* digestive dis
* Founder displacement of the coffin bone in the hoof
* Clinical signs: Inflammation of the lamina
* Causes:
* dietary changes * decreased glucose to the lamina * constricted blood flow * dystocia or retained placenta * stress * infection * high temperature
abnormal repetitive behaviors (ARBs)
captive specific behaviors that indicate a physiological problem or envir stressor or deficiency
1. sham-chewing: chewing air ➞ produces foam
- mechanism: food-related frustration ➞ not enough food compared to what they normally eat
- pigs
- back-flipping
- mechanism: cognitive impairment ➞ developmental
- basal ganglia: region of the brain responsible for behavioral inhibition or control ➞ regulation
* damage increases locomotive behaviors
- self-mutilation: behaviors results in direct increase in serotonin or lower cortisol (measure of stress)
- feather-plucking
- skin-picking
dairy cattle ABRs
- tongue rolling ➞ mimicking eating grass
- non-nutritive oral manipulation (NNOM)
* weaning associated
* resemble nat behaviors like drinking milk or foraging
* limited understanding of development
similarities & diff btwn dairy & beef cattle
beef:
* primary product is beef
* calves born on pasture
* raised by mom for 6-8m (nearly 1/2 of life)
* moved into feedlot around 12m
* fed concentrate diet ➞ high-calorie corn-based
* slaughtered by 14-16m
* mostly outdoor housing
* little to no human interaction
* left out on own in pasture
dairy:
* primary product is milk
* calves born and removed from mom immediately (w/in 24h)
* farmers main argument: avoid dis (not well supported) * most evidence supports counterargument * housed individually until weaning (6-8wk) then grouped * bred by 14-16 mo, calve 22-24m * feed-restricted * kept on farm on avg. for 3 lactation cycles ➞ then slaughtered * mostly housed indoors/under cover * lots of human interaction
Scours
- leads to dehydration
- leading cause of death in calves <1m
clinical signs:
- very watery diarrhea that runs through bedding ➞ hard to identify b/c runs through hay
- signs of dehydration
- signs of weakness:
* lethargy
* droopy ears
* laying more frequently ➞ tricky to identify b/c calves lay down a lot
* not eating
causes:
1. Infectious: cause inflammation of intestines affecting nutrient absorption
* bacteria (e.g. E coli)
* Viruses (e.g. Rotavirus)
* Parasite (Cryptosporidium)
- non-infectous: poor nutrition or milk quality ➞ watery & doesn’t have nutrients & consistency that it should
scours - one health
human: zoonosis & costly
animal: welfare ➞ suffering, death, dehydration, pain, severe weight loss
envir: dirty pens/envir ➞ leads to reinfection
Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD)
leading cause of morbidity in in heifers (dairy cattle) & feedlot beef cattle
clinical signs:
- nasal and eye discharge ➞ 1st sign of infx
- shallow or fast breathing & coughing
- fever or low appetite ➞ hard to identify in large heard
- sunken eyes
- low head
- droopy eyes
- emaciated
causes:
1. Infectious: often virus 1st then 2° bacterial infx due to weakened immune sys
- non-infectous: envir factors
* Cleanliness * ventilation * overcrowding * transport
Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) & one health
human:
* $$$ tx
* AMR
* perception of abx ➞ consumers don’t want milk tx abx
animal: death, welfare, suffering
envir:
* poor ventilation
* overcrowding
* methane ➞ GG
* AMR
Mastitis
inflammation of the mammary gland ➞ leads to low milk production (main concern for farmers)
sub-clinical mastitis:
- asymptomatic
- can be detected by testing milk for somatic cell counts (SCC)
clinical mastitis:
- visibly abnormal milk
- udder changes
clinical signs:
- milk is thicker & more yellow (normally liquid & clear/white)
- Udder is red and swollen
- usually only present in 1 quarter of udder
causes:
1. Infectious: bacteria in the teat canal (often streptococci or gram-negative rods
- non-infectous: envir factors → damage or injury to the teat often caused by machinery or trauma
Mastitis & one health
human:
* AMR
* perception of abx use
* $$ concern ➞ no mastitis milk going into tank ➞ loss of $$
* unclean milk
animal: pain & chronic culling
envir:
* dirty envir, cleaning equipment
* AMR
