On-Call / Vet

The news has been full of information regarding influenza virus in recent months whether discussing the shortage of flu vaccines available for people, the spread of H1N1 or the more recent discussion of canine influenza. In this article, we are diverting a bit from livestock medicine to more of a companion animal topic, but I suspect that this topic may be of interest to most of our readers. In response to the recent media coverage I have begun to get questions regarding canine influenza, the signs of infection and need for vaccination.

My practice has several small ruminant herds in it. We see a few cases each year of Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE) or Infectious Leukoencephalomyelitis. This disease is devastating to the animal it affects. CAE is usually seen in young goats. The most important thing to remember is there are no effective treatments for CAE. Prevention is the only way to control this syndrome.

Someone I know recently became very sick with diarrhea, and was diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidiosis is caused by a protozoal parasite similar to coccidia.  This parasite causes diarrhea in calves that leads to untold millions in lost production in both the dairy and beef industries. Since this disease has zoonotic potential, that is, it can be transmitted from animals to people, I think a discussion of the disease and control measures is needed.

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.

In the last issue we discussed pinkeye as a major cause of disease in cattle during the summer months. Another problem that frequently presents itself in my chute during the summer is foot rot. I have seen numerous cases of foot rot in cattle this summer already. The disease is caused primarily by a bacterium called Fusobacterium necrophorum and is a significant cause of lameness in cattle – beef and dairy alike. Like pinkeye, mortality from the disease is generally absent but morbidity can get high with up to 25 percent of the herd affected in severe outbreaks. Foot rot can be a significant source of lost production. Cows that are lame from foot rot tend to lie around, eat less and produce less milk. Whether that milk is going into the bulk tank or into the calf, less milk means less money to the producer. Additionally, treatment costs and the occasional animal with unresolving lameness represent further economic loss due to the disease.

In a previous issue we discussed an emerging disease in Missouri cattle known as trichomoniasis or ‘trich’. This issue provides an excellent opportunity to bring producers up to date on recent changes in Missouri state regulations.

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.

The holidays always result in multiple calls to my clinic. This is the time of year that pets get into trouble eating things they should not. One of the most common toxins that we encounter is chocolate. Small animals seem to really enjoy consuming candy including wrappers. Many candies contain the toxin known as theobromine. The bitter cooking chocolate is higher in theobromine than the sweet. This is such a common problem I have an app, which allows me to calculate in a matter of a few minutes. A 30-pound dog consuming 2 ounces of baking chocolate is enough to be fatal. If your pet should consume chocolate contact your veterinarian immediately.

Spring calves have been hitting the ground all over the Ozarks lately and veterinarians stay busy this time of year assisting cows and heifers that are having difficulty. This provides a good opportunity to address the appropriate management of dystocia, or difficulty of birthing, the equipment to have on hand and when to call on professional assistance.

This past week I was asked to necropsy a 1-week-old calf found dead. The owner had seen no evidence of sickness and the calf was with its mother all the time. The necropsy revealed an extremely emaciated body with no internal body fat present. The second client was a dairy client who was having trouble with calves dying between 1-2 weeks of age, with minimal clinical diarrhea or respiratory symptoms. While these cases are quite different, they got me to thinking about the reasons I see similar cases every year during this winter season.