Cattle 6 Flashcards
CASE - recumbent cow is depressed, 7yo and calved yesterday what to do next?
- HYPOCALCAEMIA
- Check the uterus, udder and give 4 in 1
○ More likely metabolic +/- retained membranes
○ Treat inflammatory/second recumbency/pain relief - flunixin or Metacam
CASE - recumbent cowis depressed, 2yo and calved yesterday what do you do next
- Not thinking metabolic - LIKELIHOOD OF HYPOCALCAEMIA IS LOWER
-Think dystocia or sepsis
Start with full 5 station clinical exam
With weight loss and poor performance what are 2 important things to consider
- MONITORING - just measure and report the measurements
○ Compare the measurements - Diet control program
○ Good way to get client engagement and build rapport
What are the 4 main manifestations of poor performance
1) Easier with exercise performance -> decreased athletic performance - horses and greyhounds
2) Poor growth
○ Expected birth weight or weight at certain ages - BENCHMARKING
○ Growth rates -> under or over production can cause issue
3) Increased mortality in flock/herd
4) Increased susceptibility to other problems - ill-thrift in weaner sheep or cattle important
○ Ectoparasites
What are the 6 main steps in investigating poor performance and what is VERY IMPORTANT
1) compare to benchmarks
2) history - hubandry, trainers opinion, change in management
3) regular longitudinal management/measurement - unsure whether losing weight measure over period of time
4) Comparison with known ‘best practice’
5) comparison with Previous measurements
6) Good clinical exam & evaluating common causes for that production system
Important - are your client’s expectations reasonable (how do they compare to industry benchmarks?)
If have useful benchmarks can use this to communicate with clients
Weight loss what are some potential causes/contributions
- Insufficient and/or WRONG nutrients offered available (age, sex, reproductive stage)
○ Environmental issues -> pasture, stocking rate - Insufficient nutrient intake (even when they are available)
○ Detention, diseases of oral cavity, competition with other animals, lameness
○ gastrointestinal blockage - Poor nutrient digestion
○ Gastrointestinal -> stomach, intestines, pancreatitis - Poor nutrient absorption - generally goes with poor nutrient digestion
- Increased nutrient utilisation
○ metabolic or endocrine dysfunction, neoplasia (decreased desire to eat with increase requirement) - Nutrient loss (GIT, kidneys)
What is important in preventing poor performance
- Be able to identify appropriate measurements to pick up when animals are starting to go off track
○ e.g. condition score, body weight, growth rate targets
§ How often need to monitor these things? -> depends on the damage that a change can lead to
□ Etc haemolytic anaemia at the beginning monitoring PCV a few times a day
§ How many animals need to be measured for satisfactory precision?
○ Environmental measurements
§ e.g. shed ammonia, maximum E. coli counts in environment
□ e.g. bacterial load in aquaculture tanks - These measures + some behavioural ones can be good objective measures of animal welfare
Define illthrift, wasting and tail of the mob
- Ill-thrift
○ a term commonly used to describe young stock that fail to grow, increase in weight or maintain weight in the presence of apparently adequate food supplies and in the absence of recognizable disease. - Wasting
○ a term generally used in adult cattle to describe a debilitating disease that causes a cow to lose condition as muscle and fat tissue “waste” away - a tail on the mob
○ A mob of stock is described as having a large tail on it if there are a bigger than expected percentage of the mob exhibiting illthrift
Illthrift what are the common causes, specific causes in individual and mob animals
Causes - Not eating - Not being able to eat - Not being fed - Not being fed enough/correctly - Having parasites - Having diseases Individual animals - No teeth - Woody tongue/lumpy jaw - Johne's disease - LDA - Worms - Any chronic disease In a mob - Nutrition - energy, protein, fibre - Trace elements - Parasites - Diseases
Diagnostic approach to illthrift investigating
- Is there a problem?
- Which animals have the problem
- Likely diagnosis
- Investigation (lab tests)
Mob illthrift issues what are the 7 main questions need to ask about potential causes
1) do they have enough energy
2) do they have enough protein
3) is there too much fibre
4) are there trace element deficiencies
5) is there a water quality problem
6) is there a parasite problem
7) is there an underlying disease - pestivirus persistenyl infected (calves), Johne’s disease (adults)
Energy how described, 3 main places get from and average energy of most diets
○ Metabolizable Energy - Per Kilogram Of Dry Matter = digestibility of the feed
§ MJ ME/KgDM
- You can get energy from
○ Fat: 1 gram = 37kj -> we don’t give cows a lot of fat
○ Protein: 1 gram = 17 kj
○ Simple Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 16 kj -> don’t feed complicated carbohydrates as the bacteria will take this
○ Rule of thumb - most diets about 10MJ/KgDM
Energy requirements what is the general equation, maintenance for 500Kg cow, how much needed for milk and therefore how to determine requirement in KgDM for dairy and when important to do
○ Maintenance -> ME = 0.55*BW^0.75 (as animal get bigger the proportion of energy needed for maintenance is lower)
○ Maintenance for a 500kg dairy cow = 60Mj
○ Milk = 5MJ/L
○ Average diet = 10Mj/KG
○ Requirement in KgDM= half the litres + 6
IMPORTANT TO DO FOR DAIRY COWS that aren’t producing
Protein what made of, how much calves need and what occurs with diet with this and with half of this
- Protein contains Nitrogen (why not just energy) and Energy
○ Calves need 15% Protein at a certain age
§ A diet with 15% protein
□ 100Mj -> 15Mj protein, 85Mj carbohydrate
§ A diet with 7.5% protein
□ 100Mj -> 7.5Mj protein, 92.5Mj energy
® 50Mj -> 15% protein within -> goes to calf body, bones, growth
® 50Mj -> without enough protein within -> excess carbohydrates -> stored as FAT
□ IF NOT ENOUGH PROTEIN - cannot use energy that is eating and stores as fat
® Short statue but fat animals
Not enough protein leading to illthrift what common in, what result in
- Common issue in heifer diets
- Protein disorders
□ IF NOT ENOUGH PROTEIN - cannot use energy that is eating and stores as fat
® Short statue but fat animals
Why is too much fibre a bad thing and what is the intake rules of thumb
- Fibre is a major determinant of intake
- Too little fibre leads to acidosis
- Too much fibre slows digestion and thus reduces intake -> fibre takes longer to digest
- NDF (non-digestible fibre)-> hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin
- NDF intake rules of thumb
○ Optimum intake is achieved when NDF content equals 28% to 34% of total diet DM.
○ Maximum NDF intake from forage should equal 1% of the cow´s body weight.
○ Maximum intake of NDF in the total ration should equal 1.2% of the cow’s body weight (1.3% for a high-producing cow).
What are the 2 main ways to measure a diet for energy, protein and fibre - EXAM
1. Dietary Assessment ○ Work out what they are eating ○ Use “typical values” ○ Look up requirements ○ Calculate differences 2. The feed can be measured ○ Pasture ○ Hay ○ Silage ○ Grain/concentrates Feedtest.com.au - A measurement of feed performed by the DPI
What are the 6 main trace element deficiencies that lead to illthrift
1) copper
2) cobalt
3) selenium
4) iodine
5) zinc
6) others - Fe, Mn, Mo, I, Cr, F
Copper deficiency main function, where stores and epidemiology of deficiency
§ Acts as enzyme activators or constituents -> don’t learn the rest
○ Copper is stored in the liver -> different to other trace elements
○ Deficiency Epidemiology
□ Grasses have lower Cu than cloves
□ In both concentrations declines from winter to late spring and increases during simmer
® Therefore - seen in winter and late spring and self resolves in summer
□ Copper deficient areas -> southern australia -> Victoria
Copper deficiency what are the main cliical signs
□ Change in coat colour –Black turns red ® More mild deficiency (may not see diarrhoea at this point) □ Diarrhoea ® Villous atrophy or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency ® Can resolve within 12 hours of 10mg Cu □ Infertility ® Delayed puberty - may be related to Mo excess □ Gait abnormalities ® Prone to fractures □ “Falling Disease” ® Aortic rupture due to weak collagen □ Immunosuppression ® Phagocyte function; ⇓ chemotaxis □ Anaemia ® Link between Cu and Fe metabolism ® Rare –needs very low Cu □ Humerus fractures □ Illthrift
What are the 2 main types of copper deficiency which most common and its cause - EXAM
§ Primary Copper deficiency is uncommon
§ Secondary Copper deficiency is common
□ Deficiency in the face of enough copper - adding copper to the diet WILL NOT HELP this situation
□ Following can prevent the absorption of copper if in high numbers
® Molybdenum (Pasture fertilizer) -> copper + molybdenum = non-absorbable compound
® Sulphur (Fertilizer, acts with Mo)
® Iron (eg water, soil)
Diagnosis of copper deficiency 3 main ways and what groups of animals test
a) Liver biopsy - Early diagnosis, but difficult and carries risk
b) Caeruloplasmin (ferroxidase)
◊ 80% of serum Cu is in this form
◊ Correlated with plasma and serum Cu
◊ Acute phase protein –mucked up by inflammation, fasting, stress
◊ Plasma is better than serum (sequestrated in clot)
c) Serum/Plasma copper
◊ Can be done, but more difficult -> micronutrient - VERY LOW LEVELS
□ Test high risk animals –calves or lactating/pregnant cows
® NOT NEW BORN ANIMALS - need to have adequate copper levels to be born
Treatment/prevention for copper deficiency what can do orally
□ Oral - reduced by secondary deficiencies
® Topdress the pasture (in the fertilizer)
® Add to ration (“trace element pellets”)
® Trace Element Licks
® Add to water (also stops the algae in troughs)
® “Copper Bullets” –long term treatment
® Efficacy reduced by Fe,Mo,S
Treatment/prevention for copper deficiency what can do parenteral and when cannot do
® 2 ml injection. Ouch. Abscesses -> not all the times - hygiene important
® Translocates to liver - the 2 types takes different times -> DURING THE TIME WHEN IN THE PLASMA - likely cause failure of conception
◊ Cu-Edetate - 7d - better choice if closer to joining
◊ Cu-Glycinate - 21d
® More recently Cu-edta “Multi-Min” -> new copper type
DO NOT INJECT COPPER WITHIN 5 WEEKS OF OR DURING JOINING
Cobalt deficiency main presentation and why is cobalt important in diet
○ “Illthrift in the midst of plenty”
○ Infertility, Illthrift, weepy eyes
○ Common presentation - appears to be anthelmintic resistance - illthrift after drenching
Importance
- required everyday as no storage in liver, required for synthesis of Vit B12 and conversion of carbohydrate to energy
Cobalt deficiency cause, suspicion and diagnosis
§ Causes □ Some soils are Co deficient □ Diets low in fibre reduce absorption § Suspicion □ “Things don’t add up” □ Illthriftin the midst of plenty □ Large numbers of adult cows not cycling □ Milk production not consistent with diet □ NO OTHER CLINICAL SIGNS - don't scour § Diagnosis □ Serum B12 - Problems with this test because normal levels are so low –but everyone uses it anyway □ Liver Cobalt or Liver b12 □ Milk B12 □ Tissue Co (but 1umol/Kg is v small)
Selenium what is it, when see deficiency and risk factors
○ Anti-Oxidant
○ Similar actions to Vitamin E -> will use either selenium or vitamin E -
§ THEREFORE only see clinical signs IF low selenium AND vitamin E - SO DEFICIENCY OF ANTI-OXIDANTS BETTER TERM
§ Vitamin E -> higher in green grasses so won’t see clinical signs if selenium levels is decreased
○ Risk factors for deficiency
§ Many Australian soils are deficient
□ Especially high rainfall areas
§ Absorption is decrease in high forage diets
§ “Selenium responsive disease” is a better name than “selenium deficiency”
□ Other anti-oxidants can “cover for it”
□ Vitamin E is high in green feed (opposite of copper) - deficiency in SUMMER
Selenium deficiency syndromes what are they
1) nutritional muscular dystrophy
2) illthrift
□ Often chronic diarrhoea, retention of winter coat
3) Heinz body anaemia
§ Suboptimal milk yield
§ Suboptimal fertility
§ Retained Foetal Membranes
§ Subclinical Mastitis
§ Premature/stillborn calves
Nutritional muscular dystrophy what also called, when occurs, what is it and the 2 forms with clinical signs
“White Muscle disease” - selenium and Vit E deficiency
□ Non-inflammatory degeneration/necrosis of skeletal and cardiac muscle
(1) Acute NMD
® Sudden death in first 3 days of life
® Usually involves myocardium and diaphragm
® Found in sudden lateral recumbency; look limp; normal neuro reflexes
(2) Subacute NMD
® 1-4 months
® Skeletal muscles –paresis/recumbency
® Precipitated by stress (eg vaccination)
® Lush pastures too much polyunsaturated Fas, not enough antioxidants
® VitE reduces disease, Se prevents it
® Lots of deaths; healing by fibrosis –poor Prognosis
Selenium deficiency diagnosis and what need to be careful of
§ Soil/feed samples complicated by VitE
§ Serum Selenium
□ Reflects recent intake, but may not be correlated with disease
§ WHOLE BLOOD Glutathione peroxidase
□ cheap and easy
□ need unclotted blood because GPX is inside RBC
□ Erythrocytes survive 135-160 days
□ Time lag between dietary intake and GPX levels - so may not be on deficient diet at that point in time
§ Liver Se
§ Clinical response trial
§ Clinical signs in severe disease (WMD)
§ BEWARE - many of these diseases are multi-factorial
□ Cows with RFMs and low Se levels may not respond to Se treatment
Selenium deficiency treatment and reasons for treatment
Treatment - can be toxic § Supplement pasture or diet § Sodium Selenate Drench (3w, toxic, cheap) § Injectable selenium preparations (6w-12mo) § Pour on Selenium (probably 6 weeks) § Selenium Bullets (12 months) ○ Reasons for treatment § Clinical disease § Prevention of deficiency § Treatment of deficiency § Each farm is different –need a plan …
With illthrift cattle how to determine whether there is a water quality problem, what are the quality components and presentation
- Access to water
- Can they fit around the trough
- Water quality components
○ Salinity
§ Salty water - cows actually don’t mind the salty water -> can handle high levels
§ NaCl, bicarbonate …
○ Hardness
§ Taste issues
§ Hi Iron may cause Co, Se deficiencies
○ Nitrates, Sulphates
§ Yuk, toxic
○ Microbiological agents
§ Coliforms
§ Blue green algae - Presentation
○ Water quality problems can look like trace element problems
§ Tail on the mob
§ Chronic diarrhoea
§ Illthrift
§ Reduced production
§ Smell, taste, analyse the water …
In terms of illthrift cattle what are the main types of parasites worried about and diagnosis
- Types ○ Gastrointestinal § Ostertagia § Cooperia § Trichostrongylus § Fasciola ○ Lungworm § Dictyocaulus viviparus - Diagnosis ○ Faecal egg ○ Faecal larvae ○ Plasma pepsinogen ○ Fluke ELISA ○ Bulk milk ELISA
What is the first step in diagnosis of illthrift issue and what within
- Get a History
- What is the problem ?
○ How many affected, how badly
○ Over what period ?
- Check out the environment
○ How much grass in the paddock?
○ What is the water supply like?
- Management of the Mob
○ Enquire about the diet
○ Drench, Vaccination, treatment History
§ Drench - if within 2 weeks - faecal egg count - if eggs - resistance
After getting a good history what are the next 3 steps in diagnosis of illthrift issues
- Examine the mob
- How many affected, how badly - Examine some individual animals
- Any signs of disease
- Particularly, examine faeces, teeth etc… - Take some samples
- Blood (trace elements, pepsinogen (parasites))
- Faeces(parasites)
- Feedstuffs
- Remember that lab tests cost money!
What is the final step in diagnosis of illthrift issues and how many samples needed form where
laboratory diagnosis - A typical blood profile: ○ Copper (LithHepor Gel) ○ Cobalt (B12) (Serum or plasma) ○ Selenium (GsPX) (Whole Blood) ○ Pepsinogen (Serum) - How many samples ? ○ How many need to take in order to detect the minority that are deficient if present ○ Test the sick ones (need 3) § Should also take from the good looking ones -> to identify whether they need to be treated as well ○ Random samples (need 8-10)
What are the 3 main steps needed to determine whether there is an illthrift problem
1) set target body weight
- Target weight generally = 85% Mature weight
○ Eg: in a Holstein herd averaging 600kg, the ideal heifer weighs 510kg at calving
2) measuring performance
1. Age at first calving
2. Heifer fertility
3. First calf heifer fertility
4. Production
5. Longevity
3) monitoring weights
- Choose a target weight
- Regular weighing
- Heifers on target app - dairy australia
○ Gives you growth rate required to reach target for joining or pregnancy
Define performance, poor performance and how to we assess performance
- What is performance
○ Achieve a certain function at a certain standard
○ A task or operation seen in terms of how successfully it is performed - What is poor performance
○ Failing to meet the expected standard - How do we assess performance
○ Assess performance via comparison to a set standard - BENCHMARKING
§ Eg -> milk yield, how fast horse can run
Benchmarking what is it, examples of some, benefits and factors that can affect this
○ Evaluate current performance and set realistic goals based on the potential and limitations we identify
§ Animal benchmarks - selective use of one bull over another (progeny performance)
§ Farm benchmarks - beef, milk, fertility
§ Industry benchmarks - mortality rate
○ Benefit: Goal setting, monitoring
○ Factors affecting realistic goals
i. Economics - cost benefits, equity
ii. Emotional - succession planning, attitude to risk
iii. Logistics: labour units, facility design, farm size, time frames
iv. Biological: genetics, animal numbers
what the aim of a dairy or beef business and what need to consider
- To produce a product to make money in a sustainable fashion
- Maximise profit by efficiently producing and selling milk, beef and stock
- Motivations?
○ Ethical, welfare
