Cattle Health

Have a month old bottle calf that drinks milk well, is growing taller and longer, but not gaining any weight in the abdomen. He looks bony like a skeleton. Could a calf this young of age be overrun with parasites (worms) or is it likely another cause? Calf has good formed stools with no scours.

Navel ill occurs when bacteria find their way into the body of a calf through the broken, wet umbilical cord. At its outset, this infection is not too serious, at first causing a bit of lethargy in the calf. However, if navel ill is left untreated it can become a much worse problem. Calves with navel ill can develop septicemia, a systemic infection that can affect major organs, the brain, and the joints. Untreated, navel ill can lead to a previously healthy calf's death. Like most illnesses...

The umbilical cord was once the lifeline for a new calf. Veins and arteries transported life sustaining energy and fluids to the calf from the mother's body, and waste was carried away. However, during the birthing process or shortly after, the cord is broken and soon, the calf must eat, drink, urinate and defecate for itself. As the cord is broken, the torn arteries pull back into the abdomen of the young calf and seal themselves off. In most normal births, there is seldom any bleeding at...

If you\'ve ever seen a picture of Belgian Blue or Piedmontese cattle, you probably were shocked and thought it was a photo demonstrating genetic engineering gone terribly wrong. However, these two breeds of cattle are not genetically modified, nor are they pumped up on hormones. They are not fed outrageous amounts of feed to reach those obscene sizes. Belgian Blue and Piedmonetese cattle are considered \"double muscled\" cattle. What is Double Muscling? Double muscling doesn\'t really mean...

Johnes disease can cost beef and dairy producers thousands of dollars each year. Not only do Johnes infected cows give less milk, but they also must be culled if the infection is found. Replacement heifers that test positive should be culled to protect the health of the rest of the herd. Once cows reach stage 3 of the disease, the poor body condition means that they will not bring as much money at the sale yard. It is definitely important to be proactive in handling this disease. If you...

One disease that can severely impair the production of your beef or dairy herd is Johnes Disease. This disease is a bacterial infection that affects the intestinal linings of infected animals. Johnes is an illness that can be passed throughout the herd. There is no cure for Johnes Disease, and often Johnes infected animals have no outward signs of the illness. Johnes Disease can infect sheep, cattle, and goats. Also, some wild ruminants have been reported to be infected with Johnes Disease....

When cattle are first grazing on the lush, green grasses of spring, lactating, mature cows are at a higher risk for grass tetany. Grass tetany is a metabolic disorder that is caused by a magnesium deficiency. The symptoms of the acute form of grass tetany are spasms, a cow lying on her side with her neck kinked back, and the animal is unable to get up. She will paddle her legs uselessly while lying down. The cow may be quiet between convulsions, but any form of stimulation, like the farmer...

With springtime getting ready to make its appearance, many farmers are eagerly looking forward to feeding the livestock nice green grass rather than hay. Once the grass greens up, our cows are likewise excited about eating sweet field grasses. However, one problem that farmers must be aware of in the spring is a condition called grass tetany. Grass tetany, also named winter tetany, lactation tetany, wheat pasture poisoning, and grass staggers, is caused by a deficiency of magnesium in the...

Many people complain about the difficulty of finding a good doctor for their families. However, one thing that\'s even harder than that is finding a good bovine veterinarian. Large animal vets are becoming increasingly harder to find since most of the money to be made in the veterinary field is in treating cats and dogs in big cities. While cattle farmers are a pretty good hand at giving shots and doing simple veterinary treatments, sometimes nothing will do but to call a vet. Tips for...

Every cattle owner should know a few basic health facts about cows. Understanding the vital signs of a normal, healthy cow will help you diagnose and treat basic illnesses in your cows. Additionally, if you do need to call the vet, you can answer many of his questions over the phone. This could save you the expense of having the vet come to your farm and look at the cow himself. Normal Cow Temperature Normal cow temperature can vary by a couple degrees, depending on environmental...

Severe, untreated scours can kill a calf in less than twenty-four hours. Frequent, runny diarrhea depletes the calf of necessary salts and water more quickly that he can replace it. If you are raising calves, do everything you can to prevent scours. While you can't always prevent this illness, there are some things that you can do to reduce the chances of your calves coming down with it. 1. Make sure that your calves get colostrum. Calves who don't get colostrum shortly after birth are...

Scours is the cattleman's term for severe, watery diarrhea that usually affects calves. Scours is the primary cause of death for calves younger than a month old. When you see a calf beginning to scour, quick action can mean the difference between life and death for the calf. A young calf is about 70 percent water, and severe scours can mean that the calf can't replace lost fluids quickly enough to maintain his system. Dehydration will lead to a quick death if you don't intervene. If you...

One of the most discouraging days on our farm was the day that my Jersey milk cow, Dolly, died. She had been dealing with mastitis, and we were keeping her up in the barn for her several-times-daily treatments and milking. The only problem is that it was early spring, and we were completely out of hay. However, our lawn was nice and green, so we would stake her out in the yard and let her eat there. One afternoon, we found Dolly dead. She apparently had become entangled in her lead rope,...