Cattle Flashcards
Dictyocaulus viviparous (lungworm) control options (sep 2016)
Disease:
• Outbreaks unpredictable
• cough, respiratory distress
• immunity related to exposure (not age!)
• possible pre-patent disease, diagnostic chgallenge
Vaccination:
• best
• calves +8 weeks
• Two doses 6 + 2 weeks pre turnout (Needs 2 weeks before challenge)
Prophylactic anthelmintic:
• Strategic early season treatment, NEED to ensure animals obtain immunity
• Pulse release bolus
• Dosing at intervals allows exposure
• vaccination for 2nd grazing season possibly
Adult cattle
• zero milk withdrawal products (e.g. eprinomectin)
Briefly describe the epidemiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment and control of Red Water Fever (Babesiosis) in cattle. (sep 2016)
Epidemiology:
• Due to tick borne infection carried by Ixodes ricinus – found on rough hills and moorland grazing
• Ticks have two peaks of activity, Spring and Autumn
• Young cattle born in tick areas do not show clinical signs
• Usually disease of naïve adults (adults over 2 years of age)
Clinical signs:
• Sudden onset acute haemolytic anaemia, pyrexia, increased pulse frequency, rumen stasis, haemoglobulinaemia, pipes stem diarrhoea.
Diagnosis:
• PCV of cow, clinical signs
• Leishman stain to detect paired divergent organism at edge of red blood cell.
Treatment:
• Imidocarb – need Defra approval
• Blood transfusion
Control:
• Imidocarb
• Control of ticks useful
Which three methods are most commonly used for the castration of calves? (3 marks) What are the legal requirements for each method regarding the timing of the procedure, who may perform the procedure and the provision of analgesia for each method? (9 marks)
(sep 2016)
Rubber ring, <7d, trained stock person, none
Surgical
- <2mo, trained stock person, RECOMMENDED
- > 2mo, vet only, MUST use anaesthetic
Burdizzo
- <2mo, trained stock person, none
- > 2mo, vet only, REQUIRED
At a dairy farm routine fertility visit you are presented with a cow that has not been seen in oestrus within 90 days following its parturition. Describe your approach for the examination of this cow’s reproductive system (4 marks).
(sep 2016)
History:
• Detailed of history of reproductive events of the cow. Previous problems, services, dystocia etc
Clinical examination:
• Thorough clinical examination, other than of genital system, is unnecessary
• Should note, BCS, evidence of oestrus activity, vulval discharges, lameness
Vaginal and cervical examination
• Using a well-lubricated clean gloved hand or speculum (Metricheck)
• Assess vaginal mucous for discharges normal secretions
• Assess vaginal and cervix for damage
Rectal examination
• Manual or u/s for greater accuracy
• Uterine horns check for involution, tone, absence of pregnancy
• Uterine tubes for size
• Ovarian bursa for adhesions
• Ovaries for position, mobility, size and presence of structures
List the possible causes of infertility in cows that could be diagnosed from a repro examination with a brief description of the findings for each (8 marks).
(sep 2016)
Anovulatory anoestrus
- Scant vaginal mucous
- Involuted but no tone
- Small flattened, no CL
Follicular cyst
- Scant or clear mucous
- Involuted or tone
- Large thin walled follicle >2.5cm on ovary. No CL
Luteal cyst
- Scant
- Involuted, no tone
- Large thick (>2mm) walled follicle >2.5cm
Endometritis
- Purulent discharge of various degrees
- Uterus may feel doughy
- Any ovarian structures
Pyometra
- Usually no discharge or very scant
- Uterine horn enlarge and very doughy
- Usually a CL present
Persistent CL
- Scant
- Involuted, no tone
- CL present
General investigation strategy for coughing in herd
- history (inc. meds)
- CE - observe group at rest, observe effected individuals, before full CE (resp. + TPR)
- Sampling (PM, nasal swab, BAL, trach wash)
- housing (walk around + assess)
- ventilation (at least 3ft above cal height, not too drafty, smoke bomb
- humidity, temp.
- dust, bedding used, drainage
- stocking density
Coughing 2-5mo. calf DDX
Enzootic pneumonia
- RSV
- PI3
- IBR
- rhiovirus
- Manhaemia haemolytica
- pasteurella multocida
- mycoplasma bovis
- histophilus somni
- chlamydia
(2ndry URT commensals, gain access to LRT when defensive mechanisms fail)
Shipping fever (pasterullosis)
Inhalation pneumonia (single calf)
Vit E/Se deficiency (white m. dz)
Calf diptheria
Salmonella
Risk factors of respiratory disease in 2-5mo. calves
- FPT
- mixing of age groups
- mixing cows from different sources (infect naive)
- dust (mucosal irritant)
- high ammonia
- poor stockman ship (2x/day surveillance)
- poor ventilation, over crowding
- too hot/too cold (13-22oC)
- too humid, too dry (70% ideal)
Vaccines for calf resp disease
IBR/RSV/PI3
M.haemolytica
Dictyocaulus viviparous
ENZOOTIC PNEUMONIA IS COMPLEX, vaccines alone won’t work, need to improve environment too!!!
Causes of anovulatory anoestrus in dairy cow (failure to return to oestrus post-calving)
1) Post-partum disease
- milk fever
- LDA
- lameness
- trace element deficiency
2) Ovarian cyst…? (anovulatry annoestrus??)
3) Other factors
- nutrition
- BCS (too high at calving, ideally 2.5-3.5)
- breed
- age
- FAILED TO OBSERVE OESTRUS
- milk yield
