Herd Health

The hustle and bustle of spring calving is quickly approaching, and now is the time for cow-calf producers to begin planning their calving management strategies. Proper planning prior to the start of calving can improve overall animal welfare, as well as saving a producer’s time and energy.

Bovine leukosis is a very common enzootic infection in beef cattle, caused by the virus bovine leukemia virus, that can be transmitted between cattle by means of infected blood – mostly through infected needles, eartagging/tattoo equipment, dehorners, A.I. sleeves and some insects.

Fall-weaned calves are once again filling the feedlots, bringing with them their stresses, susceptibilities and weakened immune systems.

Beef cattle diseases and illnesses can be spread directly, from an infected animal to a susceptible animal, or indirectly, from an infected animal to an object and then to a susceptible animal.

Nutritional inadequacies and digestive disorders in beef cattle can result in poor animal health, lowered production and even animal losses.

Rabies occurs in all warm-blooded animals and is almost always fatal. This viral disease affects the nervous system, transmitted by saliva of an infected animal – usually with a bite or by saliva coming into contact with mucus membranes (such as the eye) or opening in the skin.