Bovine Husbandry and Common Diseases

define cow

mature female

a bull is defined as

mature male

define heifer calf and bull calf

heifer- neonate female <1 year of age

bull- neonate male <1 year of age

the normal vital data for bovine is

temp- 100-102.5

pulse- 40-80/min

repsiratoary- 10-30/min

adult wiehgt varies by breed

bovine has what kind of estrous cycle

year round ployestrous

the gestation period for bovine is

283 days (276-295 days)

name the two types of semen collection

artificial vagina- trained bu

electroejaculation

describe artificial insemination

semen deposited directly into the uterus

what are some clinical signs of impending parturiton

softening of the muscles

swelling of the vulva

thick mucous discharge

englargement of udder

distension of the teats

describe the stages of parturition

stage 1- last about 6 hours

stage 2- occurs 30 min to 4 hours

stage 3- 4-6 hours to expel placenta

once delivery is complete, what must we assess-

oxygenation / pulse

temp regulation

nutrition- nursing

bonding of cow and calf

passage of meconium

the normal pulse rate in oxygenation assessment is

90-110 bpm

quality- strong

how long after breathing stimulation should the calf be breathing

should breathe within 30 seconds

true or false, the breathing rate is regular then goes to irregular

false, rate irregular to start then evens out (45-60 bpm)

the normal calf temperature is

100-102F

what are we monitoring the umbilical cord and umbilicus for

umbilicial hernia

omphalophlebitis

umbilical abscessation

patent urachus- uncommon in cattle

describe colostrum

first milk

passive transfer of antibodies

colostrum is how much body weight in the first 12 to 24 hours

10% to 15%of body weight

in bonding, rejection is most common in

first calf heifers

twin births

calves delivered by c section

meconium should pass how long after birth

should pass within 24 hours of birth

meconium impaction can occur is

meconium is not passed

colic signs observed

DVM consult

list some genetic defects of meconium passage

incomplete colon, rectum or anus

what are we observing in a distance exam

mental alterness and behavior

suckling activity

gait

respiratory rate and effort

Hands on exam includes

TPR and body system approach

the digestive tract of the bovine is

esophagus- reticulum- omasum-abomasum-rumen- small intenstine- large intenstine- cecum- colon

some common bovine diseases are

mastitis

anthrax

brucellosis

Describe the disease of Anthrax.

bacteria- bacillus anthacis

transmission- contaminated pasture

zoonotic- yes, CDC reportable

in anthrax cases, what must we not do

DO NOT NECROPSY A SUSPECTED ANTHRAX CASE

briefly describe brucellosis

´Bacteria –  Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, B. suis, aka Bangs

´Clinical signs –

´Cows – abortion storms, more prone to retained placentas, endometritis, and infertility

´Bulls – orchitis, epididymitis

´Transmission – ingestion of infected placenta, feedstuffs, fetuses, tissue, milk, or uterine discharge, can also be congenital

´Infected cows abort between 7 & 8 months, most only abort once then become carriers, shed org. in above manners

´Diagnosis – blood agglutination tests, milk ring tests

´Treatment – none, cull positive animals

´Vaccine – yes, heifer calves only (4-8 months old), tag + tattoo

´Zoonotic – yes, “undulant fever”

what is back leg disease

´Common in feedlot cattle

´Bacteria –  Clostridium chauvoei

´Clinical signs – death, acute – lameness, depression

´Transmission – bacteria harbored in muscle, open wound/bruise à                                bacteria thrive

´Diagnosis – necropsy (necrotic tissue isolated), fluorescent antibody staining

´Treatment – penicillin and NSAIDs

´Vaccine – yes, enzootic farms

what is calf enteritis

´Aka scours – major cause of death in the first few weeks of life

´Organism

´1st few days – bacteria Eschericia coli, Clostridium perfringens

´10-14 days – often a virus (rotavirus, corona virus)

´Cryptosporidium or Salmonella at any point

´Clinical signs – diarrhea leading to dehydration

´Management – good hygiene, proper IgG levels, vaccinations, good feeding practices

what is foot rot

´Bacteria – Dichelobacter nodosus, Fusobacterium necrophorum

´Clinical signs – lameness, local swelling, skin fissures

´Transmission – moist/wet ground conditions, trauma to interdigital area, affected animals shed the organism into the soil

´Diagnosis – clinical signs

´Treatment – debridement, hoof trimming, topical ABs, bandaging, foot baths

´Can cause economic losses à weight loss, low production, treatment $

Prevention is key

briefly describe Johnes disease

Paratuberculosis

bacteria- mycobacterium avium

4 stages- silent infection, subclinical, clinical, advanced clinical

what can the zoonotic potential of johnes disease lead to in humans

can lead to crohns disease in humans

briefly describe leptospirosis

´Bacteria – Leptospira sp.

´Clinical signs – abortion storm, stillbirths, loss of milk production, septicemia, hemoglobinuria, weak neonates, infertility

´Transmission – urine or urine contaminated env., most common in wet, warm climates, can persist in soil for 183 days

´Diagnosis – serum samples, postmortem histopath (swollen dark kidneys)

´Treatment – vaccination and AB therapy

what is listeriosis

bacteria- listeria monocytogenes

diagnosis- clinical signs

treatment- NSAIDS

What is mastitis

´Causes an estimated loss of  more than $1 billion to the US dairy industry yearly

´Causes

´Bacteria – Steptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus (95%)

´Trauma – laceration, getting kicked or stepped on

´Clinical signs – varied: fever, anorexia, inflammed quarter/s, changes to the milk…

´Transmission – see types of mastitis

´Diagnosis & treatment – critical for the health of the dairy animals and production of milk that is safe for human consumption

´ABs, NSAIDs, fluids,

list the 4 types of mastitis

contagious

environmental

gangrenous

clinical

subclinical

how can we test for mastitis

strip cup

somatic cell counts

california mastitis test

wisconsin mastitis test

milk culture and sensitivity

N	Negative	Water
T	Trace	Slime
+1	Weak positive	Thick slime
+2	Distinct positive	Gel
+3	Strong positive	Jelly

this is a chart for

california mastitis grading test reactions

briefly describe metritis

common after calving

can develop into pyometra

Describe Shipping fever

´Aka pasteurellosis

´Bacteria – Manheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica, Haemophilus multocida

´Clinical signs – depression, low head carriage, wet cough, open-mouth breathing, weight loss, fever, wheezing or crackling noises in the lungs

´Normal flora become overabundant after stress or viral infection

´Diagnosis – bacterial culture necropsied from                    lung tissue, lungs dark red and swollen postmortem

´Treatment – ABs, NSAIDs

´Vaccine – yes

Describe Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)

´Microbe – prions (misfolded proteins)

´Clinical signs – nose licking, teeth grinding, head tossing, snorting, aggravation, staring off into space, ataxia, tremors, “dog sitting”

´Transmission – ingestion of infected meat and bone meal

´Diagnosis – postmortem brain evaluation

´Treatment – none

´Prevention – control of by-product feeding, FDA

Dermatophytosis is also known as

ringworm

What is Trichomoniasis

´Microbe – Trichomonas foetus

´Bulls infected for life

´Cows often infection free after 3 months

´Clinical signs – embryonic death, late-term abortion

´Transmission – breeding w/ infected stock

´Diagnosis - culture

´Treatment – separate cows >5 months pregnant, replace bulls w/ virgin bulls

´Bulls must be tested for Trichomoniasis before shipping across state lines

´Vaccine - yes

name some viral diseases

´Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Disease

´Bovine Virus Diarrhea

´Foot (Hoof) and Mouth Disease

´Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis

what is foot and mouth disease

´Prevention extremely important in US

´Clinical signs – drooling, erosion of oral tissue, anorexia, depression, lameness,

´Transmission – airborne, contaminated animals, fomites, semen

´Diagnosis – clinical signs

´Treatment – none, recover but debilitated

what is hardware disease

´Aka traumatic reticuloperitonitis, traumatic gastritis

´More common in dairy cattle than beef

´Caused by consumption of foreign material (metal)

´Clinical signs – decreases in milk production and fecal output, walk with arched back, step lightly and carefully, grunting

´Diagnosis – history, clinical findings, increased nutrophils

´Withers pinch and board test

´Treatment – surgical removal of foreign body

´Prevention – proper management of feeds and housing, magnets

Describe Hypocalcemia

milk fever

caused by low levels of circulating calcium associated with milk production

treatment- IV placement of CA

hypomagnessemic tetany is also known as

grass tetany, grass staggers

what is intersexuality

freemartinism- most common in cattle

normal appearing genitelia

what is ketosis

´Aka acetonemia, ketonemia

´Caused by post-parturent cows going off feed and metabolizing fats (by-product = ketones)

´Predisposition – metritis, mastitis, LDA, RDA, fatty liver, retained palcenta, stress

´Clinical signs – weight loss, depression, arched back, decreased milk production, sweet-smelling breath, constipation, nervous licking or biting at body

´Diagnosis – clinical signs, ketone dip stick

´Treatment – IV glucose, propylene glycol via OG tube, follow-up tx w/in 24 hrs

´Likely to relapse with next parturition

describe left or right displaced abomasum and abomasal volvulvus

´No definitive cause

´~80% occur w/in 1 month of parturition

´Clinical signs – anorexia, decreased milk production, decreased fecal output

´Diagnosis – cranial aspect of the abdomen just behind the rib cage may appear “sprung” on the affected side, “pinging”

´Treatment – surgical replacement

define polioencephalomalacia

metabolic condition that causes neuro signs

thiamine deficiency

loss of cerebral neurons

prevention- proper nutrition

what is rickets

improper calcification of bone matrix - soft weak bones that lack density

lack of CA, P or vitamin D

ruminal distention is

bloat

types- fluid- splashy rumen

gas- ruminal tympany

both

the causes of ruminal distention are

´Dietary – inadequate roughage, “grain overload”, foreign bodies

´Mechanical – esophageal obstruction, stenosis of outflow tracts

´Derangement of motility – vagus nerve dysfunction, hypomotility, drugs, advanced pregnancy

the clinical signs of ruminal distention are

little to no gut sounds

pinging