Posted by Dr. Steve Dudley on June 11 2009 14:57
Respiratory Disease
Clinical signs - The animal is usually depressed (moves slowly, hanging head, drooping ears, "knuckling" of hind fetlocks) and may also have:
nasal or eye discharge - Clear nasal discharge does not necessarily indicate respiratory disease, and may be normal early in the morning or during dry/dusty conditions.
sunken flanks - Decreased rumen fill indicates decreased feed intake. This may be used as supportive evidence that the animal has respiratory disease, but really indicates that the animal needs to be examined for why it is not eating. A full rumen should not keep you from examining an animal with other signs of disease; sick animals eat too.
diarrhea (scours) - Diarrhea may accompany respiratory disease. However, also evaluate the animal for other digestive disorders such as acidosis.
Low Risk Cattle - Yearling cattle and low-stress calves where we expect to treat less than 10% for respiratory disease and expect less than 0.5% to die from respiratory disease.
Low Risk Treatment #1 - Slaughter withdrawal 28 days
| Day 0 |
LA-200 4.5 mL/100 lbs. subcutaneously in the neck, 16 gauge, 3/4'' needle, maximum of 10 mL/site. |
| Day 1 (24 hours) |
Observe; severely ill animals showing no response may be rotated to treatment 2 at this time (very rare) |
| Day 2 (48 hours) |
Observe; consider this as the end of the effective treatment period for LA-200.
Animals which have no satisfactorily responded by this time should be moved to treatment #2 |
| Day 3 (72 hours) |
Make your final decision on this day. Two options:
Discontinue treatment (the animal recovered) or
Advance to treatment #2. Determining rectal temperature is not necessary if the animal appears clinically normal. |
Low Risk Treatment #2 - Slaughter withdrawal 28 days
| Day 0 |
Micotil 1.5 mL/100 lbs. subcutaneously in the neck, 16 gauge, 3/4'' needle, maximum of 15 mL/site. |
| Days 1-2 (24-48 hrs) |
Observe only; Micotil has effective levels for this time and further handling will impede recovery. |
| Day 3 (72 hours) |
Make your final decision on this day. Two options:
Discontinue treatment (the animal recovered), or
advance to treatment #3. Determining rectal temperature is not necessary if the animal appears clinically normal. |
Low Risk Treatment #3 - Slaughter withdrawal 28 days
| Day 0 |
Micotil 1.5 mL/100 lbs. subcutaneously in the neck, 16 gauge, 3/4'' needle, maximum of 15 mL/site. |
| Day 3 (72 hours) |
Animaels not responding by 72 hours should be classified as chronics. The decision at this point is whether they are able to function in their original environment or should be moved/removed from the study. |
High Risk Cattle - Yearling cattle and low-stress calves where we expect to treat 10% or more for respiratory disease and expect 0.5% or more to die from respiratory disease.
High Risk Treatment #1 - Slaughter withdrawal 28 days
| Day 0 |
Micotil 1.5 mL/100 lbs. subcutaneously in the neck, 16 gauge, 3/4'' needle, maximum of 15 mL/site. |
| Days 1-2 (24-48 hrs) |
Observe only; Micotil has effective levels for this time and further handling will impede recovery. |
| Day 3 (72 hours) |
Make your final decision on this day. Two options:
discontinue treatment (the animal has recovered), or
advance to treatment #2. Determining rectal temperature is not necessary if the animal appears clinically normal. |
High Risk Treatment #2 - Slaughter withdrawal 28 days
Repeat treatment #1. We are making the decision that the animal needs continued therapy, not necessarily different therapy. We must monitor treatment response to tell if this approach is working on a particular group of cattle. Rotate to treatment #3 according to instructions listed for treatment #1 above.
High Risk Treatment #3 - Slaughter withdrawal 28 days
| Day 0 |
LA-200 4.5 mL/100 lbs. subcutaneously in the neck, 16 gauge, 3/4'' needle, maximum of 10 mL/site. |
| Day 3 |
Animals not responding by 72 hours should be classified as chronics. The decision at this point is whether they are able to function in their original environment or should be moved/removed from the study. |
Cattle Close to Slaughter (approximately 30 days): These cattle usually respond well to therapy due to competent immune systems and less severe respiratory disease than in cattle with fewer days on feed. Our major goal now becomes maintaining a short slaughter withdrawal with minimal cost and tissue reaction.
Treatment #1 - Slaughter withdrawal 48 hours
| Day 0 |
Oxyject 100 5mL/100 lbs. subcutaneously, 16 gauge ¾" needle, maximum of 15 mL/site. |
| Day 1 (24 hrs) |
Oxyject 100 5 mL/100 lbs. subcutaneously, 16 gauge ¾" needle, maximum of 15 mL/site. |
| Day 2 (48 hrs) |
Oxyject 100 5 mL/100 lbs. subcutaneously, 16 gauge ¾" needle, maximum of 15 mL/site. |
Treatment #2 - Slaughter withdrawal 5 days
| Day 0 |
Albon 40% sol. 6 mL/100 lbs. intravenously, 14 or 16 gauge 1 ½" needle. |
| Day 1 (24 hrs) |
Albon 40% sol. 3 mL/100 lbs. intravenously, 14 or 16 gauge 1 ½" needle. |
| Day 2 (48 hrs) |
Albon 40% sol. 3 mL/100 lbs. intravenously, 14 or 16 gauge 1 ½" needle. |
Acidosis
Clinical signs: The cattle will usually have a history of a misfeeding, recent feed change, or other factors (weather) which have contributed to a sudden change in energy intake. Cattle may display signs ranging from mild to severe.
Mild or "subclinical" acidosis: The cattle may appear uncomfortable and have watery diarrhea in which bubbles are visible. These manure pats will dry to a whitish/gray color, called "whitecaps".
Plan: Check ration and consumption figures. It may be necessary to back up a ration, slow down ration changes, or slow down consumption increases. Adding hay to the bunk may help, especially if the cattle are just being put on feed.
Moderate severity: These cattle will be obviously uncomfortable and may kick at their abdomen. Watery diarrhea is usually present in these cases. Additional signs include staggering, sunken eyes, and large, fluid filled rumens causing a "pear-shaped" appearance from the back. The high concentration of lactic acid in the rumen is drawing in fluid from the body, dehydrating the animal while filling the rumen with water. Alcohol is being formed in the rumen, which combines with the increased acidity of the blood to give the appearance of being "drunk".
Plan: These cattle need treatment to avoid severe rumen damage or possibly more severe signs. The primary objective is to reduce the acidity of the rumen. This is done by giving Carmilax or another rumenatoric. Cattle in this stage of acidosis benefit from ½ to 1 lb. (calves and large yearlings, respectively) of carmilax or equivalent given in 2-3 gallons of water pumped into the rumen through a stomach tube. The powder form given in liquid is superior in cases where immediate therapy is needed. Boluses (1 per 200 lbs. bodyweight) may be used in less-severe cases.
Severe cases: The blood pH in these cattle has dropped to the point where they are down and unable to rise.
Plan: These cattle need intravenous sodium bicarb to immediately correct the blood acid/base balance. Call the ISU Veterinary Teaching Hospital for assistance.