Organization:
The Key to Weaning Success

There are many pleasant things about the upcoming change of season. Autumn brings cooler weather, harvest and football season to name a few. The fall season also means weaning time for spring born calves. Along with weaning comes the unpleasant potential for sick calves.

Pneumonia, the term we use to describe animals with respiratory disease, is a complicated issue. In general we think of pneumonia as being caused by a bacteria or virus. Calves are predisposed to develop a bacterial or viral pneumonia during periods of stress such as weaning, environmental stressors such as change of weather, exposure to a dusty environment and commingling with other animals.

Animals with a bacterial pneumonia that are treated early in the course of disease generally respond well to antibiotics and recover quickly. Those calves with a viral pneumonia can not be cured with antibiotics. A viral disease must simply run its course with the antibiotics used to control potential bacterial complications. Animals with bacterial or viral pneumonia may exhibit similar symptoms such as fever, nasal discharge, poor appetite, lethargy & cough. It is hard to know the true cause of the disease from outward appearances.

Having said these things, it may leave a producer believing that treating animals suffering from respiratory disease is nothing more than a ‘shot in the dark’. The following steps should help take some of the mystery out of successfully weaning a healthy group of calves while helping to effectively manage those animals which do become sick.

• Vaccinate. Develop a vaccination program (pre-weaning and at weaning) with the help of your veterinarian which is specific for your herd. There is a variety products from which to choose and all products are not created equal. Some vaccines, unless given prior to weaning, will provide little if any benefit to the animal.
• Wait. Procedures such as castrating, dehorning and implanting are best left until after the calves are weaned and begin to eat well. At this time the calves are better able to handle these potentially stressful procedures. Implants are most effective in the animals and cost effective to the producer if the calves are eating and gaining weight at the time they are administered.
• Reduce Exposure. When purchasing newly weaned calves to feed, look to acquire the total number you wish to feed within a few days. Buying a few animals here and there over the course of several weeks and commingling those animals serves to constantly expose the entire group to new disease causing agents which in turn increases the risk of sick animals. Find out what vaccinations, if possible, newly purchased calves have received and when they were processed. This will reduce unnecessary duplication of vaccinations and subsequently reduce your processing costs.
• Treat Early. The best success in treating sick animals is realized when they are treated early on in the course of disease with an appropriate antibiotic and dosage. Purchase a rectal thermometer and take the temperature of sick animals. Body temperature will normally range from 100.5-102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Record animal ID information, date and body temperature as well as antibiotic and dosage used to treat each animal. Assess treated animals 24 hours after the initial treatment. Follow up with a subsequent dose of antibiotic at the correct time interval. Avoid repeatedly treating animals which have not responded to antibiotic therapy.
• Post Mortem Exam. In the event that treatment is not effective or that an animal is lost prior to being treated, contact your veterinarian to post the calf. The best tissue samples for laboratory analysis are taken as shortly after death as possible. Positive identification of the cause of death in an animal that is lost may lead to more successfully managing animals in the future

Coccidosis

Weaning & Pneumonia Prevention

Controlling Face Flies

Pet Osteoarthritis & Pain

Pet Nebulization Therapy

Equine Bot Fly Infestation

Equine Deworming Schedule

Equine Wormer Chart

Equine Vaccine Chart

Equine Vaccination Guide

Equine Scaleless Weight Measure

Zoonotic Diseases

Canine Vaccine Chart

Canine Wormer Chart

Feline Vaccine Chart

Feline Wormer Chart