On-Call / Vet

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), more commonly known as pinkeye, is one of the most common diseases of cattle, especially during the summer months. It is a highly contagious disease that causes inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva of the eye.  It can lead to ulceration of the cornea, giving the classic appearance of the white depression or ulcer that many cattle producers describe. Pinkeye results in mild to severe disease, and can cause blindness in an affected eye.

An outbreak of equine herpes virus has created quite a stir in the horse world recently. Several horses that attended the National Cutting Horse Association's Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah this May later developed neurologic signs and then tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus-1. Several shows have subsequently been cancelled, some farms have been quarantined and a few of the affected horses unfortunately euthanized as a result of the outbreak.

It is breeding season once again and we often get the question, “will heat synchronization work in heifers?” Heat synchronization will work, but before we say yes, I like to look at each individual case and see if the producer has the time and facilities to do so. Some producers want to do large numbers, other may only have a few cows, and so each case must be assessed differently.

It is showering and cool as I write this column, but as all Southwest Missouri natives know, we are only “two weeks away from a drought."  It is summertime, and with rising temperatures combined with rising humidity, heat stress will play an important factor in all cattle operations for the next couple of months.  I would like to give an overview of heat stress and some recommendations for control of this profit robber.

One of the most common diseases among cattle during the summer months is pinkeye or ‘bovine infectious keratitis’. Many producers battle this disease every year even when preventative measures are taken. Thankfully, mortality with this disease is generally low or absent, however, morbidity may be as high as 80 percent. Economic losses are generally realized in treatment costs, reduced gains/milk production and reduced sale prices for animals with blindness or chronic lesions of the eye.

Bloat is a condition that occurs when an excess amount of fermentation gasses become trapped within the rumen of an animal. This condition can occur in any ruminant species including beef and dairy cattle, sheep and goats. Bloat can occur very rapidly and can quickly become a life-threatening condition if not treated. There can be many different causes for bloat and the appropriate treatment is based on determining the underlying cause.

This is the machinery issue of Ozarks Farm and Neighbor; in thinking of a topic for this column, I wanted to somehow tie into that theme. So why not discuss the care of the equipment we use around livestock everyday?

The wet weather we have been dealing with for most of this year has brought with it several challenges for livestock producers throughout southwest Missouri. Wet and cold weather led to increased calf losses early this year, and wet fields have not allowed farmers to harvest hay crops that appear plentiful to the average person driving down the road. But I have observed another problem this year affecting horses and cattle. While I don’t have scientific proof or hard statistics to prove my theory, it is my opinion that I have had a number of cases where the problem seemed to stem from access to tall fescue, and I am concerned that fescue toxicosis could be a significant problem this year.

Most spring calving herds are preparing to wean this year’s calf crop in the coming weeks. At this time, select groups of heifers will enter into a management stage designed to turn them into productive replacement cows. This stage of production represents significant economic investment to the producer, and how well a group of heifers is managed can significantly influence their productivity and profitability in future years.

Blackleg is a disease that most cattle producers are relatively familiar with, if for no other reason than the ‘blackleg’ vaccine is probably the most commonly administered vaccination by cattle producers. And this for good reason, because for those producers that may have elected to forgo vaccination and unfortunately experienced the disease firsthand as a result, blackleg can be truly unforgettable. The disease frequently affects the biggest, fastest growing calves and renders them acutely dead in the majority of cases.