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When raising cattle, it is worth paying special attention to young animals, since they are the ones most often susceptible to various kinds of diseases. In addition, the level of productivity of the herd depends on the health of the calves. Lung diseases in cows can cause mass mortality of animals. This is why farmers need to know the signs of diseases in order to identify and eliminate them in the early stages.
Types of lung diseases in cattle
Today there are the following types of lung diseases in cows and calves:
- tuberculosis;
- bronchopneumonia;
- pasteurellosis;
- dictyocaulosis.
If you know the causes and symptoms, you can overcome the disease at an early stage, as a result of which the animal will not die.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis in cattle is a fairly common infectious disease around the world, the causative agent of which is Koch's bacillus. As a rule, this disease affects the lungs; there are cases when tuberculosis develops in other internal organs. Initially, a small nodule appears on the lungs, which over time can lead to tissue necrosis and death.
Causes and symptoms
There are a large number of reasons why an animal developed lung disease:
- the disease was transmitted by airborne droplets;
- the cow was kept in a stall after a sick animal;
- the bacterium was brought from pasture;
- the causative agent of tuberculosis is found in a common watering hole;
- the carrier is a domestic animal.
In addition, lung disease can occur if cows are kept in cramped stalls and the farm is unsanitary.
Symptoms of tuberculosis include:
- rapid breathing;
- dyspnea;
- decreased appetite;
- sudden weight loss;
- dry, inelastic skin;
- elevated temperature;
- mucus is released when coughing;
- wheezing.
When these symptoms appear, it is recommended to take samples and conduct research to identify the causative agent of the disease.
Treatment methods
One of the common lung diseases in cows is tuberculosis. Unfortunately, today there are no medications against this disease, so it is almost impossible to cure a sick animal.
Since this disease cannot be cured, it is recommended to carry out health work in the herd:
- it is necessary to periodically take samples and conduct laboratory tests to identify infected cows (sick animals are sent for slaughter);
- If lung disease is detected in all animals, the herd will need to be completely replaced.
If a new herd is acquired, then appropriate samples should also be taken from the animals.
Bronchopneumonia
Bronchopneumonia in cattle is a non-contagious form of the disease, that is, the lung disease appeared as a result of improper husbandry of the animal. This may include hypothermia of the body, as a result of which inflammatory processes began to occur, which, in turn, began to affect the bronchi. After this, the process of spreading to other respiratory organs begins.
Causes and symptoms
There are a large number of reasons why a cow developed lung disease, namely bronchopneumonia:
- the animal stays in a small room;
- there is no ventilation system and the air is saturated with hydrogen sulfide;
- low temperature, high humidity, lack of litter;
- a lot of stress;
- low quality food.
Symptoms include the following:
- lethargy;
- loss of appetite;
- temperature increase;
- dyspnea;
- dry cough;
- swelling of the nasal mucosa;
- discharge of pus from the nose;
- weight loss.
If these symptoms are detected, it is recommended to immediately diagnose the disease.
Treatment methods
Despite the fact that bronchopneumonia has been studied quite well (lung disease in cows and calves), there is still no single method of treating this disease. Depending on the form of the course and its severity, you can resort to the following methods of therapy:
- traditional – the infected calf or cow is separated from the main herd, given a dry and clean place, the diet is increased and many more vitamins and mineral-based supplements are included;
- etiotropic – the essence of this method of treatment is that they create a high level of concentration of drugs in the body, which directly affects inflammatory processes;
- intratracheal – this method of therapy assumes that a cow with lung disease will be injected with drugs using a probe into the trachea;
- aerosol – in the room where sick calves are located, the active ingredients are sprayed.
Experienced veterinarians recommend using several types of treatment at once.
Pasteurellosis
Pasteurellosis is one of the dangerous types of disease in cattle, leading to death in just a couple of days. It is important to consider that this disease spreads quite quickly and can affect not only domestic animals and birds, but also humans themselves. That is why it is so important to recognize this disease in the early stages and take measures to eliminate it.
Causes and symptoms
The causative agent of this disease can remain in water or soil for many years and enter the animal’s body through food, water, care items, bedding, or through contact with other animals. Factors in the development of the disease include:
- poor sanitary conditions;
- irregular feeding process;
- small stable.
Symptoms include:
- increased body temperature;
- prostration;
- lack of milk;
- rapid breathing;
- rapid pulse;
- loss of appetite;
- diarrhea;
- labored breathing;
- discharge of pus from the nose;
- thirst;
- swelling.
To distinguish this type of disease from others, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis.
Treatment methods
The infected animal must be immediately isolated and placed in a warm and dry room equipped with a ventilation system. The food must be balanced and contain a large amount of vitamins.
In addition, you must give:
- pain reliever;
- antipyretic;
- diuretics;
- drugs that restore the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
It is worth taking samples periodically to check the development of infection.
Dictyocaulosis
Dictyocaulosis is a type of lung disease that affects most herbivores. The infection affects the bronchi and trachea. It is similar to bronchitis, which gradually begins to develop into pneumonia. As a rule, this infection affects young animals. In the Northern regions, dictyocaulosis occurs quite often, but in the Southern regions, isolated cases of this disease have been recorded.
Causes and symptoms
As a rule, animals become infected in the summer, while eating green fodder in the pasture.
Symptoms include:
- loss of activity;
- the cow does not respond to stimuli;
- loss of appetite;
- diarrhea;
- there is a cough that only gets worse;
- frequent breathing.
In severe cases, death occurs.
Treatment methods
When a disease is detected, prepare the following solution:
- Take crystalline iodine 1.0 and potassium iodide 1.5.
- Pour in distilled or boiled water - 1500.0.
- Heat the mixture to +30°C.
The resulting solution is injected with a needle into the trachea.
Prevention measures
To prevent many diseases it is necessary:
- comply with sanitary standards;
- keep animals in clean, dry, warm rooms with good ventilation;
- provide quality food;
- if one of the animals dies, disinfect the entire premises;
- periodically take samples to detect infections.
This is the only way to promptly identify the disease at an early stage and eliminate it.
Conclusion
Lung disease in cows is a fairly common problem that many farmers have to deal with. It is important to understand that any type of disease is most severely suffered by young animals, unlike adult cows. That is why it is so important to recognize lung disease in the early stages, which will allow measures to be taken to eliminate it, without harming the livestock.
