February 2024 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 27 starting to die. The veterinarian came back out to the operation and did post-mortem testing only to discover the cattle were suffering from BVD. This highly contagious, sometimes deadly disease can present with a variety of symptoms. Pregnant animals that recover will most likely abort their fetus. This disease can be costly, especially for cow-calf producers, if herds are unvaccinated. There was no identifiable source for this particular case; however, the infected herd did comingle with a neighboring herd during the cows’ gestation period. It is suspected that the calves might have been infected in utero. Unfortunately, that producer had to euthanize nearly half of his herd due to this disease. Daly’s third example came from a student in a class he taught. Students were assigned to write a paper about a personal experience they had with disease on their own farm or ranch. One of his students wrote about her parents’ cow-calf operation. They had bought some replacement heifers and put them in a barn away from the rest of the herd. When calving season came, those heifers were taken to a different location, and the cows that were about to calve were placed in that same barn. When the cows gave birth, their calves suffered from scours. Each of these cases shed light on preventative actions that producers can take to mitigate or avoid herd health wrecks. Incoming Animals “We’re lucky that we don’t have to worry about biosecurity like hog or poultry producers,” Daly said. “But we do have to think about the ways that new germs can get introduced to a farm. Our biggest issue is when new animals come, because they are biological sources of bacteria and viruses.” Cattle that have bacteria and viruses are constantly shedding them in the environment where the other cattle are living. Daly said it’s important to prepare for the arrival of new animals before they get to the premises. Also, it is important to know as much about where animals come from as possible. “It’s always a good idea to have a good relationship with your seedstock producer,” Daly said. “That way you can ask them questions about their disease status and their testing programs. They’d most likely be willing to share that information with you.” However, sometimes it is impossible to know a cow’s history, especially if she is purchased through a sale barn. This was the case with Daly’s first example concerning the bred cow that had Johne’s disease. “We can test individual cows for some diseases, and that’s a start,” Daly said. “A negative test would be really meaningful for a producer in that case.” Once the animals arrive at the operation, one of the best things a producer can do is to isolate the new animals. “Whether they are from far away or from right down the road, they need to transition to your environment, your way Russ Daly, Ph.D., gives four key points to a herd health framework that will help producers avoid wrecks. CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 of doing things, your vaccine program and your dewormer program,” Daly said. “It’s better to gradually introduce them into your ranch rather than dumping them cold turkey into a new herd.” He recommends an isolation period of 30 to 60 days. “That’s enough time for most of our infectious diseases to bubble up to the surface,” Daly said. “It also gives them time to reduce their stress from transportation. No matter what the germ is, they will be shedding more of it when they are stressed.” This is also the perfect time for diagnostic testing and getting them up to speed on deworming and vaccinations. Promptly Detecting Problems It might seem there are always problems on an operation. Cattle breaking through fencing, weather conditions not being favorable or cattle getting sick are all issues that producers face every day. But when cattle are sick, how do producers know when it is time to call the vet? According to Daly, the earlier, the better. As soon as a problem is noticed, it should be addressed. “That was the critical component for the Johne’s Disease and the BVD cases,” Daly said. “Both producers took action, and it saved the rest of their herds from contracting the disease.” Using Vaccines as a Safety Net Daly’s advice when it comes to vaccines is to view them differently.
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