Keeping cattle healthy starts with keeping them happy according to this next veterinarian.
External stressors can compromise calves’ immune systems making them more susceptible to respiratory diseases.
According to Dr. Curt Vlietstra:
“Some of them we can control; some of them we can’t. The ones that we can control are weaning, transportation, feed changes, grouping— when we go from an individual calf to how big of a group we put them in— anything that we do from a vaccination or processing standpoint. If we’re dehorning for the bulls or while they’re being castrated. So, any of those types of things that we can kind of control, and hopefully no pile them up, and then there are things that we can’t control. The biggest one of those is the weather, whether it’s rain if the cattle are outside, snow, temperatures, humidity, and things like that. We can help with our environment, heating, cooling and things like that. They’re all part of raising cattle. Most of them are necessary. We try not to group them.”
The veterinarian went on to share that farmers can alleviate stress by not combining stages like weaning and vaccination.
“Weaning means different things to different operations, but if we can make sure they’re not done at the same time. When we do have to move them— be calm. Cattle are very responsive to human stress. If we move them when we’re calm, and we’re not yelling, whooping, clapping hands, shouting, and things like that, those will help. Low-stress handling techniques, like not surprising cattle, staying out of their blind spots, things like that, and then having a well-formulated ration, making sure that we’ve got adequate energy, adequate-protein, and a good vitamin-trace mineral mix.”
If sickness still takes place, he emphasizes the importance of having a good protocol when treating their calves.
“The biggest thing is going to be early identification and taking action quickly. A lot of times, if we wait for a calf to tell us that it’s sick, we’re already well behind. So, having a good, well-trained crew that is focused on the calves’ subtle changes. There are some diagnostic aids that can help with early identification. Lung ultrasound is getting a little bit popular in certain parts of the country. Picking a broad-spectrum antibiotic that’s going to get to work quickly, get to the site of infection quickly, but ideally, one that lasts long enough that we’re not going to want to come back in a day or two days to repeat.”
He went on to share that good record-keeping is also helpful and can allow for treatment reviews over time to see what is or is not working at your operation.
