Preventing the Sick Calf

Question 1

What are some alternative names for Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex?

Answer 1

Pneumonia and Shipping Fever

Question 2

What bacteria are in the BRDC?

Answer 2

Mannheimia haemolytica
Pasteurella multocida
Histophilus somni
Mycoplasma bovis
Bibersteinia trehalosi

Question 3

What is the most common combination of bacteria isolated from BRDC complex lung submissions? If its only 1 agent, watch is the most common?

Answer 3

M. haemolytica and P. multocida

M. haemolytica then H. somni

Question 4

What is the most common single agent isolated from URT samples in calves with BRDC?

Answer 4

M. haemolytica

Question 5

BRD is the most __ important disease in feeders

Answer 5

Economically - think $90 lost per sick calf due to decreased efficiency and medical expenses

Question 6

How does BRDC happen?

Answer 6

Multifactorial disease

Question 7

What is the disease sequence of events for BRDC?

Answer 7

1. Susceptible animal exposed
2. Incubation is the period from the first replication of the disease causing biological agent until sufficient compromise of the target organs causing loss of function of the target organs
3. Primary viral BRD this averages 3 days
4. Secondary bacterial BRD averages 3 to 5 days behind the initial viral infection

Question 8

Briefly describe how bacteria cause BRDC

Answer 8

Virus destroys cells that protect the lung -> bacteria move from their hang out to the lung -> lung cells provide lots of food with very little defense

Question 9

Where does mannheimia come from?

Answer 9

Mannheimia haemolytica is in the tonsils and its in almost all calves already have it so preventing infections is not really the problem

Question 10

What factors are most important in preventing BRDC?

Answer 10

Calf purchasing
Nutrition
“Other stressors”

Question 11

Name the two factors you can control when preventing BRDC?

Answer 11

1. Types of calves purchased
2. Management of calves at receiving

Question 12

Name the 4 categories of calves

Answer 12

Category 1: preconditioned calves
Category 2: calves bought straight off of one farm
Category 3: fresh market calves
Category 4: stale calves

Question 13

Briefly explain what a preconditioned calf is (category 1) and what vaccines they require?

Answer 13

Preconditioned means that they’ve had all of their vaccines including IBR-BVD type I and II - PI3- BRSV, mannheimia hemolytica and blackleg. It also means that they won’t get other home raised calves sick and are from a defined program.

Question 14

Low stress handling decreases __ and increases__

Answer 14

Morbidity, carcass weight

Question 15

MLV vaccines provide higher __ than killed when both are boostered

Answer 15

Immunity

Question 16

What does double vaccinated mean?

Answer 16

Calves have received 2 sets of shots for IBR-BVD-PI3-BRSV with at least one being a MLV

Question 17

Weaning should be at least __ days

Answer 17

45

Question 18

For all catergory 1-4 calves, what should you do?

Answer 18

Parasite control: deworm and delice, Coccidiostat

Question 19

For category 2 calves, what should do within 24 hours of their arrival to the farm?

Answer 19

Vaccinate with 5 way MLV, Blackleg, Parasite control +/- implant

Question 20

Category 3 calves are the most difficult to make a program for. what are some things we should do within the first 24 hours?

Answer 20

• Vaccinate with a 5 way MLV and blackleg
• parasite control
• +/- Pasteurella toxoid vaccine
• selenium
• start on palpable grain diet
• maybe metaphylaxis

Question 21

Start calves off right by giving then plenty of water and highly __ and __ feed

Answer 21

Palatable and quality

Question 22

Feed when calves arrive to the farm should be palatable and not have too much __

Answer 22

Starch

Question 23

how would a calf become persistently infected with BVD?

Answer 23

Infected in utero before the immune system develop at about 150 days

Question 24

__ is the most common way to test for BVD

Answer 24

Ear notch

Question 25

You have a calf that tests positive for BVD, what does that mean?

Answer 25

It’s one of 3 things: 1. BVD -PI calf 2. Transiently infectived - acutely infected at time of test 3. False positive

Question 26

What should you do if you’re having too many sick calves? Why should you not jump to others?

Answer 26

Change cattle buying practices Many would think to give more antibiotics or switch vaccination programs but you need calves with good defenses for treatment to work. No antibiotic is good enough without help from the calf too

Question 27

In what scenario should you use metaphalaxis?

Answer 27

- high dollar cattle - treated >15% of calves in one day - treated greater than > 25-30% of calves on 3 consecutive days

Question 28

__ is commonly used in feeds as an antibiotic but is not backed up by science

Answer 28

CTC (chlortetracycline)

Question 29

__ calves get more sick, die more and have fewer gains than __

Answer 29

Bull, steer