The cattle health handbook: preventive care, disease treatments & emergency procedures for promoting the well-being of your beef or dairy herd

604 Pages·2009·15.48 MB·English

by  Thomas, Heather Smith

The Cattle Health Handbook

The
Cattle
Health
Handbook
Preventive care, Disease Treatments
& Emergency Procedures
for Promoting the Well-Being of Your Beef or Dairy Herd
HEATHER SMITH THOMAS
The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.
Edited by Rebekah Boyd-Owens, Sarah Guare, and Deborah Burns
Art direction and book design by Dan O. Williams
Text production by Liseann Karandisecky and Ponderosa Pine Design
Front cover and spine photographs by © Lynn Stone. Author’s photograph by
Andrea Hansen
Interior photographs by the author, except for © Lynn Stone, page ii; © Matt Pound, page
158; courtesy of Dr. Dan Casteel, University of Missouri, page 202 top; courtesy of
Dr. Marlin Rice, Iowa State University, page 299
Illustrations by © Elara Tanguy
Additional maps and infographics by Ilona Sherratt
Indexed by Christine R. Lindemer, Boston Road Communications
© 2009 by Heather Smith Thomas
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from
the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations
in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photo-
copying, recording, or other – without written permission from the publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All re-
commendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing.
The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.
For additional information, please contact Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North
Adams, MA 01247.
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editions. For further information, please call 1-800-793-9396.
Printed in the United States by Versa Press
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thomas, Heather Smith, 1944–
The cattle health handbook / by Heather Smith Thomas.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-60342-090-7 (pbk.: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-60342-095-2 (hardcover: alk. paper)
1. Cattle–Health–Handbooks, manuals, etc.
2. Cattle–Diseases–Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
SF961.T46 2009
636.2'089–dc22
2009001484
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to all my cattle – every individual animal I’ve been privileged to know,
starting with myvery first cow in1956when Iwas12years old.Shewasapregnant Hereford
heifer in the first group of cows my father purchased after our family bought a small ranch. I
namedmyheiferBovinaandearnedherpurchasepricebyworkingsummersformyfather,ir-
rigating the fields, digging postholes, and helping to build fences. I kept all of Bovina’s heifer
calves and their babies (selling only the steers) and had a small herd of cows by the time I
went to college.
LatermyhusbandLynnandIhadadairyforashorttimeandthenbeganraisingbeefcattle.
Even after raising more than 6,000 calves and watching many of them grow up to be cows, I
remember most of them (and their names)! Each one was a unique character; some had very
endearing attributes, and others had not-so-endearing traits.
My cattle have been my passion, my addiction, my lifework. Learning how to care for them
properlyandhowtodealwiththeproblemsthatoccasionallyaroseledmetosharethatknow-
ledge with others, writing articles for livestock publications and then books about raising
cattle.Mycowstaughtmemanylessonsinlife,notonlyinanimalhusbandrybutalsoinlarger
matters regarding things like patience, courage, endurance, determination, and persistence,
for it’s not always easy to care for them in harsh weather or to save one that suffers from a
challenging disease. I am grateful to my cattle for helping to forge the person I’ve become.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART I: Health Management
1. Preventive Care
Disease Resistance Immunity•Prevention Practices•Minimizing Stress
2. Treatment Fundamentals
DetectingSignsofIllness•TreatingSickAnimals•GivingInjections•OralMedicationsandFluid
Therapy•Restraints
3. Seasonal Health
Hot-Weather Problems•Cold-Weather Problems
PART II: Common Diseases
4. Bacterial Diseases
Brucellosis•Leptospirosis•Campylobacteriosis•Anthrax•ClostridialDiseases•E.Coli•Navel
IllandJointIll•Salmonella•Tuberculosis•Johne’sDisease•Listeriosis•ThromboembolicMen-
ingoencephalitis (TEME)
5. Viral Diseases
Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) • Parainfluenza 3 (PI3) Bovine Respiratory Syncytial
Virus (BRSV) • Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) Bluetongue • Bovine Leukemia • Rabies • Viral
Diarrhea in Calves
6. Protozoal Diseases
Coccidiosis•Cryptosporidiosis•Sarcocystosis•Neosporosis•Trichomoniasis
7. Parasites
Internal Parasites•External Parasites
PART III: Body System Disorders
8. Digestive Problems
NormalDigestion•Acidosis•Bloat•Impaction•HardwareDisease•DigestiveTractBlockage•
Ulcers•Choking•Calf Scours•Use of Probiotics
9. Eye Problems
Eye Injuries•Pinkeye•Foreign Material in Eye•Cancer Eye
10. Skin Problems
Hair Loss and Bald Spots•Photosensitization•Allergies•Warts Ringworm•Sunburn
11. Respiratory Problems
Upper Respiratory Challenges•Pneumonia•Shipping Fever•Emphysema
12. Foot Problems
FootRot•HeelWarts•SoleAbscesses•PunctureWounds•Laminitis•StressCanCauseFoot
Problems•Hoof Cracks•Fescue Foot•Preventing Foot Problems
13. Mouth Problems
LumpJaw•BonyLumpJaw•WoodenTongue•MouthandThroatLesionsToothLoss•Chok-
ing
14. Metabolic Problems
Milk Fever•Grass Tetany•Phosphorus Deficiency•Ketosis•Brisket Disease
15. Udder Problems
Teat Injuries • Chapped Teats • Winter Teat-End Lesions • Frostbite • Mastitis Udder Edema •
Pseudocowpox•Teat Warts
PART IV: Other Ailments, Accidents, and Injuries
16. Mineral and Nutritional Problems
Selenium-RelatedIllness•CopperDeficiency•IodineDeficiency•CalciumDeficiency•Phos-
phorus Deficiency • Vitamin A Deficiency • Thiamine Deficiency Importance of Salt • Urinary
Stones•Water Requirements of Cattle
17. Poisoning
PoisonousPlants•WeedsinHarvestedHay•BlisterBeetles•HydrocyanicAcidNitrates•Pesti-
cides and Chemicals•Lead
18. Accidents, Injuries, and Wounds
PorcupineQuills•Snakebite•FallenCows•BrokenBones•JunkHazardsGettingStuck•Hoof
Injuries•FacialParalysis•Hernia•DehorningComplicationsWounds•DigestiveTractInjuries
•Back Injuries•Hind Leg Paralysis•BurnsLightning•Frostbite
19. Miscellaneous Diseases
Cancer•Mycoplasma Bovis•Vesicular Stomatitis•Foot-and-Mouth DiseaseMad Cow Disease
Epilogue
Appendixes
Determining the Age of Cattle by Teeth
Disease Characteristics
Anatomy of the Cow
Reproductive Tract of a Bull
Illnesses Passed from Cattle to Humans
Glossary
Resources
Index