Treat Calf Pneumonia Early
Pneumonia can affect calves of any age. Most of the pathogens that cause lung infections are always present in the calfs respiratory tract and become a problem only when his immune defenses are compromised by stress. Stress may be due to bad weather, extreme changes in temperature, a long truck haul, overcrowding in a dirty environment, or nutritional stress due to deficiencies of an important mineral like copper or selenium. A newborn calf in a drafty or humid barn may get pneumonia.
A primary viral pneumonia may be mild, but secondary bacterial invaders may move in after tissues are damaged by a virus. For instance, a viral infection often destroys the tiny cilia on the lining of the windpipe and bronchi, so foreign material can no longer be moved up out of the airways.
Bacterial pneumonia is generally more apt to kill the calf than is viral infection. Viral pneumonia may be insignificant and run its course without treatment unless a secondary bacterial infection turns it into an outbreak of pneumonia that may go through a group of calves.
Young calves are most susceptible to pneumonia after their temporary immunity begins to wane. Calves that do not get colostrum or not enough have less defense against pathogens. Calves stressed by a hard birth or calves that become chilled immediately after birth may not get up and nurse soon enough, or cant absorb enough maternal antibodies due to stress .
What To Look For
It is critical to know how the lungs sound to decide which treatment route to go. If the lungs sound raspy and rough, then natural treatment can be very effective. If you hear wet abscess sounds, the animal needs antibiotics. And if you hear consolidated lungs, its too late for anything. Consolidated lungs are lungs with permanently damaged areas that are compacted and can no longer inflate. Usually the worst animal is the first to catch the farmers attention.
Oftentimes the sickest calf in the group will already have serious lung damage . A consolidated lung means that air entering the lungs through the windpipe never gets effectively absorbed because the areas of diseased lung tissue are no longer functional. By listening with the stethoscope, a vet can alert the farmer as to how much permanently damaged tissue there is. These calves, if they survive, usually show respiratory problems in a couple of years when heavy in calf in the hot summer days. Aggressive antibiotic and anti-inflammatory therapy is their only hopebut the permanently damaged tissue will still be useless later on. Animals simply dont function well with less than 100 percent lung capacity .
Pathogens Causing Calf Pneumonia
A multitude of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and Mycoplasma spp , are involved in different combinations on different farms . It is often suggested that the viruses and mycoplasmas are the primary infections and the bacteria cause a secondary infection in an animal whose defenses have been weakened by the first infection. The most common viruses isolated from enzootic pneumonia cases are:
- Respiratory syncytial virus
- Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus
- Bovine viral diarrhoea virus , has also been implicated in the bovine respiratory disease complex, not as a primary pathogen, but as a disease agent causing immunosuppresion.
Mycoplasmal agents are usually considered to be the most common agents causing the chronic form of enzootic pneumonia, even though Mycoplasma bovis has been identified as the causative agent in many acute outbreaks as well.
The most commonly isolated bacterial organisms are:
- Mannhaeimia spp.
- Hemophilus subspecies .
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Treatment Of Calf Pneumonia
Calf pneumonia is more common in cattle. Calf pneumonia increases the risk of death. And so the calf needs to ensure a germ-free and comfortable environment from birth.
What needs to be said about the treatment of pneumonia in calves is that the calves should be taken to the Livestock Office immediately. The doctor will observe the calf and provide medical treatment.
Cattle pneumonia
Obtaining Cultures From The Lungs
To confirm the diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia, and to help direct therapy, it is important to obtain a sample from the lungs for cytology and culture. This can be important to help distinguish pneumonia from other causes of radiographic alveolar disease such as hemorrhage or neoplasia. A cytologic finding of suppurative inflammation can help confirm the diagnosis and can suggest chronicity if macrophages are found in addition to neutrophils. Cultures will subsequently confirm the presence of bacteria, and help to direct antibiotic therapy. In order to obtain samples that are free of pharyngeal contamination, techniques that by-pass the pharynx must be used to obtain the sample. Practical options for obtaining samples from the trachea include transtracheal or endotracheal washes. Although bronchoalveolar lavage is another good option, it is more invasive and involves more specialized equipment, and is not usually used as a first line diagnostic test for bacterial pneumonia.
Transtracheal aspirates
Endotracheal lavage
TTA can be difficult to perform in very small and toy breeds of dogs, and in cats, due to the small size of the airway. In such small patients, it is preferable to anesthetize and intubate, and to perform the wash through a sterile endotracheal tube. Similarly, if the patient is to be anesthetized to perform another procedure, performing an endotracheal lavage may be easy and less stressful for the patient.
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Minimizing Exposure To Infection
Close contact with other animals allows respiratory pathogens to spread easily. Individual housing of dairy calves either indoors or outside is generally linked to improved calf health . There is long-term recognition of the benefit to dairy calf health of outdoor housing in hutches especially for the prevention of diarrhea and respiratory disease .Similarly, keeping age groups separate and group sizes small has been shown to reduce respiratory disease .
Introduction of animals from other herds carries a risk of disease transfer, even in virtually closed herds, where only occasional replacement animals are brought in. Keeping recent purchases separate from the herd for 2-3 weeks to ensure that they are not incubating a respiratory disease is an adequate control measure.
Treating Calf Pneumonia
In the face of an outbreak of enzootic pneumonia in a closed herd or when a chronic problem is recognized, it is important to attempt to identify the causative agents and management and environmental factors in order to target preventive measures in the future. There are a number of investigative techniques that can be used in the face of a pneumonia outbreak. These include:
In all cases antimicrobial treatment should be under veterinary guidance and should be outlined in the farms herd health plan.
Calf Pneumonia and Welfare
Single suckled calves reared in outdoor systems are at lowest risk of pneumonia
Good Practice Based on Current Knowledge
Cattle Herd Pneumonia Treatments
In my time practicing veterinary medicine, I have treated animals of all ages sick with pneumonia, both on organic and conventional farms. No matter which type of farm is experiencing a pneumonia outbreak, the sickest animal will usually end up having permanent lung damage since it is too far advanced in the disease process due to starting treatment too late. On farms that are not certified organic, the best and most quickly effective treatment will be an antibiotic such as ceftiofur
Antibiotics can be excellent for bacterial pneumonia, but if an organic animal is given an antibiotic, it is banished from organic production forever . On organic farms, pneumonia treatment relies much more on non-synthetic measures, namely boosting the immune system using plant medicines with strong antibacterial effects and moving the animal to fresh air. However, according to U.S. law, organic farmers cannot withhold prohibited antibiotic treatments just to keep an animal organic. This restriction makes my life as a veterinarian more interesting and challenging, especially when faced with a disease like pneumonia that can easily kill an animal if not quickly and effectively treated.
If treatment is started soon enough, I have seen countless cases of pneumonia cleared up by using purely biological treatments to work with the animals own immune system.
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The Importance Of The Post
If youre used to shorter-acting antibiotics, its important to adjust your protocols to the PTI of the longer-acting products. The PTI is the time interval after the first treatment administration when the antibiotic should be allowed to work, until the point the animal can be classified as a nonresponder that merits re-treatment.
With DRAXXIN, for example, research has shown the PTI to be effective for up to 14 days.2-5 Although it may be tempting to re-treat a calf that still has a fever a few days after initial treatment, its important to remember that the antibiotic is still at work in the animals system. Re-treating before the full PTI has elapsed may not be effective or necessary.
A better option might be to simply move the calf to a less crowded area with plenty of hay, fresh water and shade where it can recover.
How Can You Prevent It
- Provide sufficient quality colostrum at birth: 10% of bodyweight fed within the first three hours of life. Test colostrum using a refractometer
- Vaccinate animals to increase immunity
- Improve housing: ensure calves are in a draught-free area with adequate ventilation to remove moisture. Porous walls can harbour bugs so consider using a resin coating or plastic sheets. Concrete panels can be cold. Locate feeders and water troughs on the outside of pens to prevent bedding from getting wet.
- Hutches are good because they give you good isolation from disease and you can move them. Ideally, you should locate them on a concrete pad with a slope for drainage or use gravel to allow good drainage.
- Temperature: provide plenty of dry straw to keep calves warm. Straw is the best bedding because its super absorbent and allows calves to nest.
- At less than 15C, calves aged two weeks and under will feel the cold so use a jacket
- At less than 10C, calves aged three to eight weeks will feel cold so use a jacket
- If the temperature is colder at night and warmer in the day, take jackets off and put them back on
- Have a thermometer in the shed to check the temperature
- For every 5C drop in temperature below 10C, calves require an additional 50g of milk powder per day
- Have a clear protocol so all staff know what to do in colder weather
- Dont overstock
See also: Better calf housing advice
Also Check: Community Acquired Pneumonia Antibiotic Treatment
Treatment Of Goat Pneumonia
In addition to the common cold and cough, goats get pneumonia. Goat pneumonia is seen to cause shortness of breath. There is pain in the lungs. Goats can die if not acted upon quickly.
The treatment of Cattle pneumonia in goats can be compared to the treatment of pneumonia in cattle. An advisory veterinarian should be consulted. There are many types of goat cold medicines available in the market.
How Much Penicillin To Give A Cow
How Much Penicillin To Give A Cow? DOSAGE: The dosage for cattle, sheep, swine, and horses is 3000 units per pound of body weight, or 1.0 mL for each 100 pounds of bodyweight, once daily. Treatment should not exceed 7 days in non-lactating dairy and beef cattle, sheep, and swine, or 5 days in lactating dairy cattle.
How do you give a cow penicillin? Penicillin Injectable is administered by the intramuscular route. The product is ready for injection after warming the vial to room temperature and shaking to ensure a uniform suspension. The daily dose of penicillin is 3,000 units per pound of body weight .
How much penicillin do you give a dairy cow? Penicillin is an antibiotic commonly used in lactating dairy cows. It was approved many years ago and the label calls for a dose of 1cc/100 pounds of bodyweight once a day. At this dose the label recommendation is 48 hours for milk withdrawal and 10 days for slaughter withdrawal.
What is the best antibiotic for cattle? At any stage of life, calves, cows, and bulls can encounter bacterial infections like pinkeye or infected wounds that require treatment with antibiotics. Examples of commonly used antibiotics for these conditions include penicillin, tetracycline, ceftiofur, florfenicol, tilmicosin, enrofloxacin, and tulathromycin.
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Will Cow Mastitis Clear On Its Own
He says most cases are subclinical and you likely wont notice them. These cows generally get better on their own, but might lose milk production from that quarter due to scar tissue. A cow with three quarters will give almost as much milk as a cow with four, however, because the other three compensate.
Can Injectable Penicillin Be Given Orally
Penicillin G is soluble in water, attains high concentrations in blood, and is excreted in urine in 4 to 6 hours. Penicillin G is available in crystalline, procaine, and benzathine forms. Because it is unstable at low pH, oral administration is not possible, so the agent is administered by injection.
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Maximise The Animals Immunity
- Ensure the calf receives enough colostrum
- Vaccination
Vaccinating cattle before they get pneumonia can be a very effective way of controlling disease. The vaccine stimulates the animals immune system to produce antibodies. These antibodies help the animal to fight infection when they encounter it. Bovipast RSP provides protection against both viral and bacterial pneumonia. It provides protection against two viral causes of pneumonia, RSV and PI3 viruses and the bacterium Mannheimia haemolytica. Calves can be vaccinated from two weeks of age. The vaccination program is two shots four weeks apart. A booster dose should be given before the next period of risk. Bovipast contains iron regulated protein antigens. Bacteria need iron to multiply and survive in the lungs. The IRPs in Bovipast reduce the risk of these pasteurella bacteria multiplying. Bovipast can be administered at the same time as Bovilis IBR Marker Live.
Minimising Exposure To Infection
Close contact with other animals allows respiratory pathogens to spread easily. Individual housing of dairy calves either indoors or outside is generally linked to improved calf health . There is long-term recognition of the benefit to dairy calf health of outdoor housing in hutches especially for the prevention of diarrhoea and respiratory disease .Similarly, keeping age groups separate and group sizes small has been shown to reduce respiratory disease .
Introduction of animals from other herds carries a risk of disease transfer, even in virtually closed herds, where only occasional replacement animals are brought in. Keeping recent purchases separate from the herd for 2-3 weeks to ensure that they are not incubating a respiratory disease is an adequate control measure.
Treating Calf Pneumonia
In the face of an outbreak of enzootic pneumonia in a closed herd or when a chronic problem is recognised, it is important to attempt to identify the causative agents and management and environmental factors in order to target preventive measures in the future. There are a number of investigative techniques that can be used in the face of a pneumonia outbreak. These include:
In all cases antimicrobial treatment should be under veterinary guidance and should be outlined in the farms herd health plan.
Calf Pneumonia and Welfare
Single suckled calves reared in outdoor systems are at lowest risk of pneumonia
Good Practice Based on Current Knowledge
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Preventing And Treating Pneumonia In Cow Herds
Got anything for coughing calves? This question seems to start up again every year around late autumn and early winteror anytime we have freezing nights and above-freezing days.
With all the variable weather of winter, alternating between rain, sharp winds, and chillier temperatures, its wise to keep an eye out for an increase in pneumonia each year. It certainly does seem to be a seasonal illness, ushered in by the changing weather and winds. Germs seem to be waiting on the walls in the barn to jump off and into the calves when the temperatures get above freezing . . . and when there is not much air movement . . . and when the bedding might be a tad soggy or damp. Though any one of these situations wont necessarily make for coughing calves, all three of these triggers acting together will almost certainly cause problems. Once you need to reach for treatments youve already lost the battle to some extent, but treating your animals in time can prevent the situation from turning into a complete train wreck, as coughing animals and full-blown pneumonia is likely to become.
Of course preventing the coughs is best, but its often difficult to do. Certainly dry bedding, fresh air, clean water, and top-notch nutrition are critical. And allowing dairy calves to nurse from their mother cows is as close to Mother Nature as can be foundactually, it is Mother Nature.
What To Do If The Goat Gets Cold
If goats are kept on the ground floor, the risk of cold-related disease in goats is high. And so the goat has to be kept on a platform 3 feet above the ground. Goat calves are more prone to colds as their immunity is much lower at this time.
If the goat gets cold, the first thing to do is to ensure a dry and comfortable environment. Goats should be given paracetamol for fever. In addition, cough syrup and amoxicillin or ciprofloxacin antibiotics may be needed.
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How Do Veterinarians Choose An Antibiotic For Treating Cattle
Just like any other species, cattle can contract infectious diseases. Oftentimes an antibiotic is recommended in treatment. But with a wide variety of antibiotics and a wider variety of diseases, how do veterinarians decide which antibiotic should be chosen for which disease?
This question has left me pondering almost as much as I ponder where the heck I left the remote.
To simplify, lets stick with one disease, in this case pneumonia. Pneumonia in beef cattle is most often caused a combination of certain viruses and bacteria. Viruses are not susceptible to antibiotics, while bacteria are. Since pneumonia is nearly always a combination of the two, it is a judicious choice to use an antibiotic in treating pneumonia to help the animal overcome the bacterial component.
The question then becomes which antibiotic to utilize to treat bovine pneumonia. Now, in a perfect world, a person would think a veterinarian could collect the bacteria and run a test against it to determine the best antibiotic to use. However, there many barriers to doing this.
And in my perfect world, cattle never get pneumonia in the first place. Ah, what a wonderful thought.
Even with utilizing the latest PCR testing available , the lag time between determining the animal is sick and deciding which antibiotics the bacteria will respond to in this scenario is measured in days. That means the animal would suffer longer with pneumonia and quite possibly die.
-Jake