Establishing a Treatment Protocol

Podcast discusses establishing treatment protocols with veterinarian for winter illness.

Commingling of cattle and winter weather both increase the odds of sickness in the herd. Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute (BCI) professor Bob Larson offers strategies for managing cattle illness for positive outcomes for both the animal and the producer.

“It is important to establish a logical plan of first and second treatments,” Larson says. “The veterinarian is going to help you select an antibiotic that is a good match for the bacteria that is causing the disease.”

Larson says the common health challenges for cattle this time of year are respiratory disease and foot rot.

Part of the treatment plan is outlining treatment frequency and establishing a second protocol for those that don't respond to the initial treatment. Recordkeeping is important in this treatment process.

Once a plan is in place, it is important that cattle producers stick with it, advises Larson. “This is a protocol. Treat every animal the same so we can evaluate if this protocol is working.”

To learn more on this topic, check out the BCI podcast Cattle Chat, specifically at the 20:10 mark.

Editor’s note: This article is reprinted with permission from BCI News.