Detecting Signs of Sickness
Early detection prevents loss.
It’s important to check cattle often enough to detect subtle signs of early disease. Early detection and early treatment can often make the difference of life or death, quick recovery or prolonged treatment/convalescence for that animal.
Glennon Mays, clinical associate professor for Texas A&M University’s Large Animal Clinical Sciences Department, says the first thing that might catch your eye is an animal off by itself — away from the rest of the herd.
“In that same category would be an individual that is not coming to feed, if it’s a time of year when you are feeding or supplementing the cattle,” Mays says. “Don’t just pour out the cake and leave. Stick around a bit longer to see if the slow animal actually comes to the feed and whether or not it eats.”
Sometimes an animal will start eating and then quit, or just nibble or root the feed around. Make sure each animal is actually eating normally and with good appetite. Anything an individual animal is doing differently from the herd should be noted, Mays explains. Atypical behavior warrants a closer look. Often there are things about an animal that capture your attention when checking cattle.
“Maybe one of them has a drooped ear or ears, or runny eyes or snotty nose or a cough. Check for increased respiratory rate,” Mays says.
Monitor respiratory rate by watching the animal’s flank movement or ribcage, he explains. Normal rates can be influenced by geographical and environmental factors.
“If it’s mid-afternoon on a hot summer day, we expect increased respiration rate, even if the animal is in the shade. If it’s 9 a.m. in the morning, respiration should be lower,” Mays says. “If the animal has increased respiration at that time of day, look at another animal and compare.”
Note anything that might seem out of the ordinary, he suggests. An animal moving with soreness or discomfort should arouse suspicion. Is the animal standing with its back arched, or is it lame?
“An animal with a cocked tail and maintaining that tail position — that hasn’t just defecated or urinated — may be another clue. If it’s a pregnant cow, this may indicate a dystocia,” Mays says. “If it’s a stocker animal, it might be an abdominal issue. Some infectious diseases or toxins can produce abnormal posture, tail carriage, or position of the head and neck.”
If the animal is lying down, make it get up and move, he advises. Just because it is lying there, seemingly comfortable and chewing its cud, doesn’t mean there’s no problem.
“You need to check that animal’s ability to rise and stand, and walk off,” Mays says. “Maybe that individual is three-legged lame, but you won’t know it until you make it get up. Cattle are very stoic and have a high pain tolerance, and first appearance might be deceptive.”
To get an accurate assessment of body language, you may need to be sneaky. Being prey animals, cattle tend to become alert and ready to move with the herd if they see a person, even if they are sick. They don’t want to be singled out by a predator that might think they are easy prey.
Depending on the age, nature and personality of the animal(s), you may want to view them first from a distance, before they see you. This may give you a better clue as to which ones are dull or not feeling up to par. Mays says binoculars could come in handy when approaching your herd. This might make it easier to pick out any individuals at which you’d want to get a closer look — before they become alert and harder to pick out of the herd.
Editor’s Note: Heather Smith Thomas is a freelance writer and cattlewoman from Salmon, Idaho.