It is never good whenever your cattle are suffering from diseases. It can rob you of performance while at the same time increasing your expenses.
Many health problems that occur can be handled if they are detected early. If caught in time, they can be prevented or even minimized losses. You can then take steps to keep it from spreading or coming back. One main thing to remember is always to consult your veterinarian if you believe a health problem has occurred.
Though sickness can occur any time of the year, here are 4 of them that tend to happen during summer. I’ve included some signs to look for as well as steps you can take to minimize its effects.
Pinkeye is a very common as well as a highly contagious disease in cattle. Once it shows up if you do not take proper steps immediately it can quickly affect all of your cattle.
Bovine Leukemia Virus is a hidden but damaging infection. In fact, this thing could be in your herd right now and you would likely not even know it is there. It already has a major impact on the cattle industry at large.
Dehydration among calves is a very serious problem that is often overlooked among producers. It can be caused for many reasons but typically from the summer heat and scours. The time from recognizing the symptoms to providing treatment is very important.
It may not seem like it now but spring weather will be here before you know it. All of the ice and snow (if you get any) will melt away and things will become green again. Normally it is a good thing when forages start to green up but there is a hidden danger with the new green growth. It is a danger that can strike without warning and severely lower your cow’s production. This danger is known as grass tetany.
Calf scours is something that is concerning for all cow/calf producers. It causes more financial loss to producers than any other health problem in their herd. It can come out of nowhere and spread throughout your herd much like wildfire. The main issue with this disease is that it can be confusing for some people.
When people think about tetany they think of something that happens only during the spring. It’s something that usually occurs when cattle are eating lush, spring grass, or annual cereal forages. However, it can also occur when cattle are being fed harvested forages like silage or hay.
It may not seem like it now but winter is on its way. The change in seasons also brings new problems to deal with to keep your cattle performing at their best. Keeping your cattle healthy during the stress of colder winter temperatures can be a pain in the neck. It is also doable.
The fall season can be problematic for a beef producer. As you go into it after a dry, hot summer the entire herd may be stressed. The combination of high heat, short grass, and low water tanks can stress cattle and make them more prone to disease.
BRD, or bovine respiratory disease, is a general term for any respiratory disease in cattle. There is a range of factors that can cause this disease. The common names normally used for this disease are pneumonia or shipping fever. Stocker and feedlot operations are often where this disease occurs. This is because of the extreme stress that calves are put under from weaning and then being shipped.
