Vet’s Advice
Sick Cows or Bulls to Treat or Not to Treat? When first assessing sick mature cattle there are four main choices or treatment streams to choose. First, is it a treatable condition in which a positive response is likely? Is this a condition where the animal can be shipped for immediate slaughter? If the condition has gone past the point of return and should be put down or in the case of cattle does it qualify for BSE testing? Is it a condition where it just needs convalescence and tincture of time to improve? Patience is a virtue if the condition falls into this category. This article will list some conditions which more times than not fall into one of these categories. The intent is to make your choice easier as producers on when to treat, when to call your veterinarian, and when to pull the plug. Animal welfare and quality of care must be kept at the back of your mind. Also, drug withdrawals and beef quality assurance rules must be adhered to. Purebred cattle with higher value may be assessed slightly different but one must still bear in mind the prognosis means the odds the animal will respond to treatment and recover. Generally cows and especially bulls are tough and resistant to most infectious diseases (like pneumonia or histophilus) either through vaccination or natural exposure and resistance over time. Most conditions come about on an individual basis some related to age and wear and tear. Farmers , because of economics, may ignore treatment for some cases where we can get resolution of the problem. There is also the labor savings component but with today’s long acting products the labor to treat animals daily is generally not required. In many cases a one or two shot regime can alleviate the problem. The question is the decision by yourself or with your veterinarian whether the odds are good at getting a favorable outcome (either complete recovery or recovery enough where shipping for salvage is possible). As with anything, the quicker you catch the problem the odds become better at getting a response. One must consider with mature animals they may take longer to show clinical signs. The protective mechanism for flight animals is to hide sickness as long as possible before they become prey. This is especially evident with bison or elk but is somewhat true for cattle as well. Signs such as weight loss, last up for feed, slow deliberate gait, head down are all general signs of a health problem. The decision then becomes what is the problem and can it be treated. Conditions such as wooden tongue, lumpy jaw, kidney infection, metritis, mastitis, retained placenta, localized peritonitis (hardware disease) and certain lamenesses can
often be successfully treated. Your veterinarian especially if he/she is examining the animal could best advise the type and length of treatment. Both are key in the final outcome. Conditions such as pneumonia or other respiratory issue such as emphysema, heart failure (fluid in the brisket), massive peritonitis or diarrheic conditions may not respond as favorably and a decision to stop or go forward must be made. Some may respond but if no improvement after one or two treatments the prognosis is rather grim. Many lamenesses are either injuries, the result of bad feet, caused from sand cracks and stifle injuries. The majority of these either need work on the feet or time to heal. Only the true foot rot or hairy wart disease will really respond to antibiotics in any major way. Make sure you know what you are treating before proceeding. A lot of time and money is wasted treating lame conditions which simply need time or perhaps a foot trim but often don’t need antibiotics. Downer cows are another issue which need close, prompt attention. A very thin or debilitated cow which has gone down most invariably will need to be put down. However, a cow in reasonable shape which has gone down suddenly or had a recent calving issue has a very reasonable chance of responding. Many are Calcium, phosphorus or magnesium imbalances and can be treated with these products and respond favorably. A veterinarian is best to call in this instance as the products respond best if given intravenously. A veterinarian can best rule out other causes of downers such as a broken leg or spine, acute mastitis, metritis or toxemias and septicemias (blood born infections). Treatment varies considerably in these other conditions. You will find making an informed decision regarding health of your individual mature animals is better made earlier rather than later. You will also find if antibiotics are used often the older less expensive products such as tetracycline’s, penicillin’s and sulfonamides may still give effective treatment. There is also one newer prescription product called “Excede” which is long acting (seven days) (given at the base of the ear) and has a very short withdrawal so if treatment is ineffective the animal can be shipped after three days. Your goal should be deciding when to ship, when to treat, and when to convalesce. Don’t prolong treatment in hopeless cases where animal welfare issues come into question. Consult with your veterinarian when in doubt as each new condition can be quite unique.
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