Cattle Health - Animal Health II

Flashcards covering key concepts in cattle health, including preventable problems, infectious and parasitic disorders, and production diseases.

What are some examples of preventable problems and disorders on cattle enterprises?

Calf diarrhea, found dead and sudden death syndrome, inadequate growth rate/adult weight loss, infectious disorders, parasitic disorders, production disorders, toxicoses.

What are some examples of production disorders in cattle?

BRD, lameness, mastitis, metabolic disorders, nutritional imbalances, subfertility/infertility.

What factors should cattle health management consider?

Prevention, economics, animal welfare, and public health concerns.

What are the key problems happening in the calf's body due to calf diarrhoea?

Acidosis, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, hypoglycaemia, and potentially toxaemia.

What are the key steps in treating calf diarrhoea?

Correct imbalances, and use antimicrobials only if there are signs of generalized infection.

What are the causes and contributing/risk factors of calf diarrhoea?

Pathogens, calf age, colostrum intake, general health and immunity, genotype, period of calving, environment, bedding, feeding and watering equipment and environment, isolation area, pasture, rearers, shelter, walking surfaces, age separation, biosecurity, frequency of calf pick up, hygiene, lack of use of specific immunisation, monitoring practices, nutritional management, preventative and population management, prior history, stocking rate, and stressors.

What are some common strategies for controlling calf diarrhoea?

Biocontainment, minimizing exposure to pathogens, optimising immunity of calves, and regular monitoring and timely treatment of calves with diarrhoea.

What are some key recommendations for early post-calving management in dairy herds?

Ensuring dams calve on a clean, dry calving pad or paddock, cleaning the calving area between batches, resting the calving area for a minimum of a month between batches, separating calves from dams as soon as possible.

What are some key recommendations in early post calving management of colostrum harvesting?

Milk the dam as soon as possible, colostrum should be harvested from clean and dry udders, equipment and collection containers should be clean and dry, and ensure each dam’s colostrum is collected separately

What are some key recommendations in early post calving management of colostrum quality?

Measure colostrum quality before use, use only good quality colostrum, save the excess of the good colostrum quality by freezing, and use colostrum of poorer quality and transition milk for older calves only.

What are some key recommendations in early post calving management of colostrum storage?

Chill all excess colostrum if to be fed in the next week, add formaldehyde, propionic or lactic acid if colostrum is to be kept at room temperature for a few weeks, freeze all other excess colostrum, use frozen colostrum within a year, and thaw colostrum carefully to prevent damage to the immunoglobulins

What are some key recommendations in early post calving management of colostrum feeding?

Feed colostrum from the first milking of the lactation as soon as possible, the first feed should be within one hour from calving, use fresh colostrum from the dam if of a good quality, feed at least 10% of the body weight in the first feeding and again in 12 hours later, and feed required colostrum volume by tubing the calf if the calf does not consume sufficient colostrum volume by bottle feeding.

What are some other key management steps in post calving management?

Disinfect the navel with iodine tincture as soon as possible, put the calf in dry, warm and draught-free environment, provide deep bedding, provide food/water from the entry into the facility, keep calves in individual hutches or groups of maximum 6 calves of similar age, check navels daily and re-apply disinfectant if required, keep calves in a facility with a solid dividers between calves/groups.

What are some other key management steps in post calving management continued?

Floors should allow drainage, feeding and watering facilities above the level of the anus to prevent faecal contamination, continue feeding colostrum and transition milk for additional 3-4 days, adopt ‘all-in all-out’ system, clean rearing facility between batches, and rest the rearing facilities for a minimum of three months between batches.

What is sudden death syndrome?

Individuals may have been feeding ‘normally’ minutes to hours before found dead. Death occurs in fewer than 12 hours with no or minimal premonitory signs.

What are the failures associated with sudden death syndrome?

Failure in the alimentary function, cardiovascular function, nervous system function, respiratory function, and cellular metabolism.

What information is required for the investigation process of the sudden death syndrome?

Age, Sex, Reproductive status, any evident stressors, any recent activities, Diet and any changes, Grazing history, Immunisation history, Numbers affected, Recent agricultural activities, Recent confinement / yarding, Recent movement to stubbles, Weather events, Access to any poison plants, Access to any rubbish piles / environmental pollution, Carcass position, and Location in paddock

How can you prevent sudden death syndrome?

Close observation of cattle; minimal exposure to elements and stress; optimized management and nutrition; prevent accidents and exposure to dangerous goods; regular immunization; and timely identification of hazards and interventions.

What can cause an inadequate growth rate and adult weight loss?

Malnutrition, insufficient supply of nutrients, imbalanced nutrition, poor diet quality/spoilage, sudden diet change, poor nutrient utilization, increased metabolic requirements, adverse environmental conditions, severe parasitism, stress, deficient intake, defective absorption/digestion, and excessive loss.

What are the levels of outcome expectation vs level of feeding?

Death -> Deficiency -> Optimal level -> Depressive level -> Toxic level -> Death

What are the immediate actions and tests that should be done for varying levels of feeding?

Death -> Immediate correction. Deficiency -> Test and supplement. Optimal level -> None, keep it going. Depressive level -> Test and decrease. Toxic level -> Decrease immediately -> Death Immediate correction

What prevention strategies are there for inadequate growth and weight loss?

Appropriate nutrition (nutrient access, macronutrient balance, micronutrient balance), prevent spoilage and sudden diet changes, ensure water access/quality/quantity, integrated disease/parasite management, and prevent stress.

What are the three routes that a disease can spread though?

Infectious, Contagious, and Zoonotic

What is the legal requirement if you diagnose or suspect a notifiable disease?

Immediately notify the relevant authority.

Who is required to report suspicion of a diagnosis?

The owner, manager, veterinarian, or livestock consultant.

Where must the diagnosis be reported to?

PIRSA - Animal Health; Phone: [phone]

What are some signs suggestive of a notifiable disease in cattle?

A large number of sick or dead animals, fast spread of disease through a herd or flock, lame animals, unusual nervous behavior, ulcers/erosions/blisters, discharge(diarrhoea and nasal), production drop, or any unusual/unfamiliar disease signs.

What information should be given when notifying your vet or animal health advisor?

What pest or disease is suspected, the name of the owner or farm manager, property details (address, telephone number, Property Identification Code), the livestock species, number of animals on the property (including wild animals), the type of animals being affected, a description of clinical signs of the illness, the date clinical signs were first noticed, approximate number of sick or dead animals, and any travel from the property

What is the Scientific name for (Bovine) Johne's disease?

Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis

How is Johne's disease transmitted and what is the incubation period?

Vertical (in utero) and horizontal (milk, faecal material from mature cattle) transmission, with an incubation period of 2-5 years.

What are the four parts of the iceberg effect in Johne's Disease?

Silent infection, Subclinical, Clinical, and Advanced Clinical

How do we control Johne's Disease?

Identify infected, segregate early, test, cull, purchase wisely, manage effluent, clean environment, manage colostrum, minimise stress, prevent introduction.

What are the categories of Clostridial diseases in cattle?

Sudden death syndrome, paralysis syndrome, myonecrosis, enterotoxaemia

What diseases fit into the Myonecrosis/Enterotoxaemia/Histotoxic syndrome categories?

Black leg, Malignant oedema, Clostridium sordelli infection, Enterotoxaemia, Bacillary haemoglobinuria, and Black disease

What diseases fit into the paralysis syndrome categories?

Botulism, Spastic paralysis, and Tetanus

What Clostridial disease only has a bacterin-toxoid vaccine?

Botulism type B

What are the three components of

Host, Pathogen, and Environment

Give some examples of infectious cattle disorders

Salmonellosis, Cryptosporidiosis, BVD, IBR, Ephemeral fever, and Ringworm

What are the key points to Good biosecurity?

Assess the potential risk of introducing disease when purchasing livestock, inspect new arriving stock for their health status, Source breeding stock from accredited herds, isolate and observe new arrivals for signs of illness, ensure good records are kept, keep vulnerable stock away from potentially infected stock, Monitor stock regularly and seek veterinary advice if any unusual disease of illness is noticed, optimised effluent management

What are the key points to keeping a disease out?

Control feral/pest animals and weeds, don’t allow ruminants access to restricted animal material, Maintain stock-proof boundary fences and inspect regularly, and Prevent lending or borrowing equipment, feeds and stock

What is immunisation?

The key to preventing many of the diseases in cattle

What are some common available vaccines?

BRD, IBR, IBR + MH, Clostridials, Leptospirosis, Pestivirus, and Pink eye

Locations of the major parasites found in cattle

Liver,Cecum and Colon, Small Intestine, Muscle, Eye, Lungs, Connective Tissue, Rumen, and Abomasum

Give some examples of ectoparasites

Lice, Mite, Tick, FLies

Give some examples of a parasite of the muscle

Taenia saginata (Cysticercus] and Sarcocystis (Sarcocyst)

Give some examples of a parasite of the eye

Thelazia

Give some examples of a parasite of the lungs

Dictycaulus viviparus

What are parasites of cattle dependent on?

Cattle individual, environment, and management

What is an integrated approach to parasite control?

Animal management, genetic selection, nutrition, feedlot managment.

What are the types of animal management that should be done for parasite control

Young, old and immune-suppressed cattle at higher risk, Calves not year-after-year on same paddock/s, and Grazing management.

What anthelmintics can be used in parasite control?

White drenches (Benzimidazoles), Nicotinics (Levamisole, Morantel, Pyrantel), Macrocyclic lactones (Avermectins, Milbemycins),, and Monepantel (Zolvix)

What are some IMPORTANT NON-INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF CATTLE IN AUSTRALASIA?

Mastitis, Fertility, Lameness Metabolics, Hypo Ca, Mg, P, and Bovine respiratory disease complex.

What production diseases are commonly seen in dairy cattle?

Fertility, Metabolics, Hypo Ca, Mg, P, K, Ketosis, Mastitis, Lameness and Nutritional imbalances

What production diseases are commonly seen in beef cattle?

Lameness, Fertility, Metabolics, Hypo Ca, Mg, P, K, Ketosis and Nutritional imbalances

What facotrs lead to BRDC?

Management, Cattle individual, and environment

What are the main symtpoms of pneumonia?

Obtunded, Droopy ears, Abducted elbows, ‘Air-hunger’, Open-mouth breathing, Frothing at the mouth, Cough, Extended head and neck, Naso-ocular discharge, Fever, and Inappetence to anorexia.

What non specific things can be done if a cow has pneumonia?

Remove from further exposure, cull/ euthanasia, supportive/symptomatic care, and provide nursing care.

Why Immunise?

Vaccination stimulates the body’s defence system to build immunity to a particular disease, by exposing cattle to either the live organism presented in a safe form (e.g. IBR nasal vaccine), or to a killed or inactivated organism or part of an organism (e.g. the clostridial vaccines)

How to control Bord?

Management, Environment, Good housing, and shelter

What are the important factors to remember with Impaired Fertility?

The cow, the bull, the semen, and the farm.

What affects fertility in cattle?

Optimised management, Optimised nutrition, Optimised general health, and Optimised environment

What are factors for optimised nutrition?

Balanced diet, transition cow management, and animal welfare

What are factors for optimised general health?

Optimised animal welfare, Immunisation, and Minimised stress

What are the different risk factors of lameness?

Cause of infectious lameness, Environment, Cattle, Nutrition, and Contributing/Risk factors for lameness

What are the management steps of hoof health on a dairy farm?

Foot bathing, Optimised cattle comfort and management, Proper weight bearing, Proper nutrition, Prevention of infections, and Identifying lame cattle

How to check for lameness?

Locomotion or mobility scoring and Score cows exiting the milking parlour

What is mastitis?

Inflammation of the mammary gland most commonly caused by bacteria; has economic loss, human health concerns, and animal welfare concerns.

What effects risk factors to mastitis?

Environment, Management and Cow.

How to prevent Mastitis?

Prevent causative organisms from entering mammary glands via teat canal, and Help defence mechanisms to prevent establishment of infection

How to control contagious mastitis?

Improvements to hygiene in milking shed, Milking machine testing/ maintenance, Eliminating infected cows, Teat disinfection post milking, and Dry cow therapy.

How to control environmental mastitis?

Aimed at reducing contamination of teats, control measures for contagious mastitis not effective, Pre milking, and Keep cows standing post milking

What is the effect of rumen health?

Rumen health essential for fermentation, and Fermentation essential for utilisation of nutrients

Outline some frequent issues with Nutrition and rumen health

Heat stress, High proportion of easily fermentable carbohydrates,Low proportion of effective fibre,Negative energy balance, and Sudden diet change

What are some SARA-associated problems?

High Lameness, high Incidence of runny and sticky faeces, Milk fat depression, Liver, Lung, Endocardial abscessation, Vena cava thrombosis syndrome, Ketosis,LDA ,± Jejunal haemorrhagic syndrome, Decreased fertility, Premature culling

Outline some examples of toxic disorders

Acute (suspected) plant toxicosis, Peracute to acute toxicosis, and Chronic toxicosis

What steps should be taken to prevent recurrence of suboptimal cattle health / productivity?

Client Education, Animal-related issues, Nutrition, Steps to prevent infectious disorders, Other management procedures, and a Holistic approach to management