Disease risks and disease management during weaning KJ

Disease risks and disease management during weaning KJ Whitman, DVM, MS

Spring calving herds-beef cattle cycle • What are the options for where this calf goes? • What are the disease risks around weaning time and at entry into the feedlot? • How can those disease risks be mitigated? • What are the health, production, and economic impacts? Precalving Calving WINTER Weanin g FALL SPRING SUMME R Brandin g Breedin g

Overview of the (traditional) weaning process +/-PRECONDITIONING WEANING-VARIOUS METHODS • • REPLACEMENTS CONTRACTING ORDER BUYERS AUCTIONS/SALE BARNS RETAINED OWNERSHIP BACKGROUNDER/STOCKER • • COW HERD FEEDLOT HARVEST DRYLOT GRASS

Many Weaning Strategies • Type • Immediate • Fence-line • Nursing aversion tools • Timing • Health considerations • Other goals

Common Diseases of Calves at Weaning Risk Categories • Low-Ultra High • How do we determine this? • Preconditioning status • Timing of routine procedures • Comingling and shipping risk • Planning and management • Risk vs. Reward Disease Outcomes • Respiratory • Upper and lower • Digestive • Lameness • Other

Direct to feedlot: Disease Risks • Stress of weaning and shipping • Comingling-naïve animals • Exposure to new environment • Reduced feed consumption • Previous management strategies Diseases • BRD • Coccidiosis • Acidosis/diarrhea • Bloat • Behavior

Backgrounding/Stocker: Disease Risks • Stress of weaning and shipping • Comingling • Exposure to new environment • Pastures with toxic plants • Other pasture pathogen exposure • Cycling females Diseases • • BRD Bloat IBK Coccidiosis Footrot Plant toxicity Other Parasites Precocious pregnancy

Treatment Protocols-First things first…. • Disease identification • Diagnostics • Economic and outcome decisions • Epidemiology • Is there truly a problem? • Appropriate therapy • Effective (and legal) treatments IN OU VE T ST BR IG EA A K TI O N

Treatment/Therapy Options • • • Antibiotics Analgesics Anthelmintics Nutritional therapy Supportive therapy Surgical/corrective procedures

Medication Options • http: //www. farad. org/eldumain. asp • https: //www. avma. org/KB/Resources/Reference/Pages/AMDUCA 2. aspx

Disease management/prevention Medical • Arrival vaccination? ? • Metaphylaxis • Routine procedures Management • Low stress handling during weaning • • Reduce stress-delay processing Preconditioning/creep feeding Appropriate receiving diet Biosecurity/biocontainment assessment

Weaning process review WEANING-VARIOUS METHODS +/-PRECONDITIONING • • REPLACEMENTS CONTRACTING ORDER BUYERS AUCTIONS/SALE BARNS RETAINED OWNERSHIP BACKGROUNDER/STOCKER • • COW HERD FEEDLOT HARVEST DRYLOT GRASS

Questions?