Dairy Cattle Flashcards
The Big Three
Mastitis- 16.5%
Lameness- 14.0%
Infertility- 12.9%
Johne’s, Salmonellosis, TB
Mastitis
Types: Contagious and Environmental
Control: teat dips, clean bedding often, dry-cow antibiotics, vaccinate
Displaced Abomasum
Additional room directly after calving allows abomasum to flip and turn.
Left DA is more serious and more common
Off feed, down on milk. Bellyache. Resembles Ketosis.
Lameness
90% involves feet. Pelvic Limbs, lateral claw.
Concrete surfaces heavily contribute.
Trim once or twice a year.
Neglected research area
Mechanical laminitis
Common when they bear weight on one digit to compensate for tenderness on another. Wears on joints and structures of the feet
Hypocalcemia
“Milk Fever”
Heavy calcium demand on the onset of milk production.
Mild- stagger.
Standard- lack normal muscle tone, unable to contract muscles
Typical prevalence in herds- 8%
Calcium borogluconate- intravenous , orally
Hypomagnesemic tetany
“Grass Tetany”
Seen when cows graze fast growing or lush pastures. Or housed cows fed low Mg diets.
Cattle appear hypersensitive, overreactive, and aggressive.
Concurrently seen with Hypocalcemia
Ketosis
Metabolic syndrome where cows are in negative energy balance. Named for Ketones
Sweet smell.
Simply test the pH of urine.
Precursor to mastitis, retained placenta, displaced abomasum.
Leads to Fat Cow Syndrome.
Avoid: keep cows at a good condition during dry periods.
Fat Cow Syndrome
An abundance of lipid develops around the liver which causes liver failure.
If one were to put a liver with this syndrome into formaldehyde, the liver would float instead of sinking like normal.
Affects sheep/goats, cats, horses, ferrets and even captive bats.
Salmonellosis
One of the two most important bacterial causes of diarrhea.
Syndromes associated: diarrhea, septicemia.
Symptoms: diarrhea, fever, pain, anorexia. Feces are watery and may contain blood. Death is most likely due to dehydration.
Many strains, many are resistant to a multitude of drugs
Euthanasia may be wise depending on the strain.
Very zoonotic (meat and milk). 1.4-4.0 million human cases a year.
Johne’s Disease
“Paratuberculosis” meaning “resembling” or “close to” TB
Symptoms: weight loss, diarrhea, and death.
Targets young animals (2-6 yrs).
Spreads through feces. Important to control fecal wastes.
Completely unable to treat. Best to cull infected animals.
Maintain closed herds, reduce exposure to calves, use safe colostrum, develop a Managment plan with vet, remove infected animals.
Tuberculosis
Approx. 25% of human cases originated from bovine.
Mostly seen in Michigan whitetail deer
It is zoonotic and can pass through unpasteurized milk, infection may not cause disease, infected animals must be slaughtered. The bacteria is hardy and there isn’t an effective antibiotic.
Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome
“Bloody gut”
Blood clots obstruct the small intestine and causes death occurs 24-36 hours.
Treatment is difficult and unrewarding (Including surgery).
Clostridium perfingens is responsible and nutritional factors trigger
At what body score should cows be dried of and maintained at?
3.5
Brisket Disease
“High Mountain Disease”
Affects most cattle over 7,000 feet. Commonly seen in dairies of the Front Range of Colorado. There isn’t a proven link but Holsteins are seen to experience this more often than other dairy breeds.
Affects right side of the heart because it has to work harder to move blood to the right side of the heart. Also, heart failure, weight lost, diarrhea, and the development of fluid in body cavities
