health/welfare « Dairy Bearing

Colleagues at Oregon State University and University of Idaho are investigating the effects of wildfire smoke on cattle, forming the Livestock and Wildfire Research Group. As part of that effort, we have built a website that we intend to serve as a clearinghouse of information about livestock and wildfire. The “Hub” is updated regularly and includes information about our research projects, webinar recordings, scholarly papers, Extension publications, “What To Do” advice when wildfire threatens or the air is smoky, announcements of interest, other relevant resources, and links to our social media. Content on the “Hub” is also available in Spanish and Portuguese.

Visit our livestock and wildfire website here: https://livestockwildfirehub.org/

The fire season is right around the corner! Get ready for it with our Wildfires, Smoke, and Livestock Webinar Series.

ONLINE AND FREE – June 13, 14, and 15; 6:00-7:00 pm PT.

This webinar series aims to provide educational content to livestock producers, focusing on preparedness for wildfires, caring for livestock prior to and during wildfires, and providing the most updated information on research on wildfire smoke exposure and its effects on livestock health and performance.

AGENDA:

06/13/2023 6:00 pm PT

Katie Wollstein – Oregon State University

GETTING READY: Dr. Wollstein will provide information on wildfire preparedness for livestock producers, focusing on fuels and property management prior to and during wildfire events.

06/14/2023 6:00 pm PT

Juliana Ranches and Jenifer Cruickshank – Oregon State University

CARING FOR LIVESTOCK: Dr. Ranches and Dr. Cruickshank will share information on preparedness for livestock producers focusing on animal health prior to and during wildfire events.

06/15/2023 6:00 pm PT

Amy Skibiel and Pedram Rezamand – University of Idaho

RESEARCH UPDATE: Dr. Skibiel and Dr. Rezamand will provide a research update on wildfire smoke exposure and its effects on livestock health and performance.

QUESTIONS? Contact Juliana at juliana.ranches@oregonstate.edu

This project is supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive. Grant no. 2023-68008-39173 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture

For a run-down on how the availability of livestock antibiotics will be changing, just click through to this article on the OSU Extension page:

Over the counter sale of livestock antibiotics will cease June 11, 2023. How you can prepare?

A Holstein calf lies in a calf pen with some loose manure in the corner.

Diarrhea, or scours, kills too many calves. For those heifers that fall ill and don’t die, they tend to experience reduced growth, higher age at first calving, and lower first-lactation milk production. Prevention is always our best bet for managing animal health.

We have learned a lot about how the gut microbiome (all the microbes living in the digestive tract) functions and interacts with its host (here, the calf). Several types of bacteria, when prevalent in feces, have been associated with increased weight gain and lower incidence of diarrhea: good gut bugs! We know early colostrum feeding has many positive benefits; one of them is helping to establish the population of good bacteria. (Feeding waste milk containing residual antibiotics seems to be associated with more frequent imbalances in the gut microbiome.)

Is there something else we can feed calves to help establish/maintain/enhance the gut microbiome? Maybe so? Probiotics are live strains of particular microorganisms (specific fungal or bacterial strains). There have been a fair number of studies that have examined the effects of giving calves probiotic supplementation. These are briefly summarized in the table below.

Table 1. Common probiotics and summarized effects on preweaned calves from a review of scientific studies.

*type of probiotic*	effects on growth & performance	effects on health
*yeast (various forms of product)*	> positive or no effect on growth (may depend on yeast product, health status of animal, whether delivered via milk or starter)	> reduced incidence and severity of diarrhea > reduced mortality rate
bacterial-based products (genera include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus, Enterococcus)	> positive or no effect on growth (may depend on health status of animal)	> reduced risk of diarrhea (especially for calves fed whole milk rather than replacer) > faster recovery from diarrhea when given a multispecies bolus

Probiotic supplementation seems to work best during periods of high stress, such as the first two weeks of life or when there is a “bad bug” known to be present in the calf facility. There may be also be some interaction between a particular probiotic product (which microbial species are present) and the “typical” calf gut environment on a particular farm. If you decide to try feeding probiotics to your calves, keep good records! Track individual calf health and the supplementation regimen so you’ll know whether a specific product—and the way you’re using it—is making a difference.

For a deeper dive into the topic, see this review paper by Cangiano et al. 2020 (Applied Animal Science 36:P630-651): https://www.appliedanimalscience.org/article/S2590-2865(20)30135-X/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email

Many evacuated livestock have fortunately returned home.

If you’re caring for livestock that were exposed to days of wildfire smoke, keep them quiet. That is, limit exertion, even for several weeks after the air quality has improved. Be extra sure to keep fresh water always available. For more information, see https://extension.oregonstate.edu/animals-livestock/beef/animal-exposure-wildfire-smoke.
See also https://www.oregon.gov/oda/shared/Documents/Publications/AnimalHealth/CaringforLivestockAfterWildfire.pdf

If you lost hay or pasture in the wildfires or are feeding displaced animals that don’t belong to you, OSU Ag Extension is coordinating a statewide hay donation and distribution program to those in need over the next 3 months. Three regional locations are being set up for receiving hay donations and distribution, in Aurora, Roseburg, and Central Point. If you need hay due to wildfire loss or to housing extra, unexpected mouths to feed, please fill out this form: https://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b8BCqXt7sgbM113

Some livestock have not returned home.

For livestock that may have gone missing, Oregon Department of Agriculture has established an animal tracking website with a database of “found” animals and a way to submit information on animals with unknown owners that you may be tending. https://data.oda.state.or.us/fmi/webd/AH_AnimalTrack?homeurl=https://data.oda.state.or.us/ah.html

For those with livestock that perished in the wildfires, there is the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) from USDA Farm Service Agency. General information about the program can be found here: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/disaster-assistance-program/livestock-indemnity/index
An Oregon wildfire-specific fact sheet on the LIP is here:

2020-OR-Wildfires-LIP-Handout-8.5-x-11-002 Download

We hope everyone stays safe through this wildfire emergency.

Here are several websites providing information (with maps) on specific wildfires and air quality.

Here’s an article on Wildfires, Smoke and Livestock http://cecentralsierra.ucanr.edu/files/220420.pdf The short summary is: minimize animals’ exertion when the air quality is poor and for 4-6 weeks after. There’s additional information about caring for fire-injured livestock.

Australian dairy farmers know about wildfire preparation: https://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/farm/land-water-carbon/extreme-weather/preparing-for-bushfire

Options for evacuating livestock:

Benton County: Fairgrounds (110 SW 53rd Street, Corvallis) — Evacuated Livestock and RV campers are being accepted. Call 541-243-2491. See https://www.bceventcentercorvallis.net/events/2020/benton-county-evacuation-information

Clackamas County: Fairgrounds is no longer an option. See alternatives here https://www.clackamas.us/wildfires/animals (some noted here). See also https://www.facebook.com/crisisresponse/773709353364775/?alias=773709353364775&source=search

Clatsop County: Fairgrounds (92937 Walluski Loop, Astoria) has space. Call 503-717-3824 to check; https://www.facebook.com/clatsopcountyfair/.

Columbia County: Fairgrounds (58892 Saulser Rd, St Helens) has space. Call 541-357-2899 to check.

Crook County: Fairgrounds (1280 S. Main Street, Prineville) has space. Call 541-419-6706 to check.

Douglas County: Fairgrounds (2110 SW Frear Street, Roseburg) has space for smaller livestock; call 541- 440-4394 to check availability. For large livestock (cattle, horses), contact Douglas County Parks Department at 541-440-6040. https://www.flashalert.net/news.html?id=5204

Hood River County: Fairgrounds (3020 Wyeast Road, Hood River) has space. Call 541-354-2865 or 541-490-2985 to check. https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Fairground/Hood-River-County-Fairgrounds-168670806623958/

Jackson & Josephine Counties: Southern Oregon Emergency Aid (for animal evacuations), call 541-226-1124.

Marion County: Oregon State Fairgrounds (enter at 2400 Silverton Road NE, Salem) has space. St. Paul Rodeo Grounds is almost at capacity; contact Cindy Schonholtz at 719-440-7255 for availability; https://www.facebook.com/StPaulRodeo. West Hills Stables (West Salem); call 503-851-2214 to confirm availability.

Lane County: Events Center (796 W. 13th, Eugene) has space for livestock. Contact at 541-285-8227 before arriving to confirm space availability; https://www.facebook.com/LaneEventsCenter. See also https://www.lanecounty.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=17035134 under Pet and Large Animal Resources tab.

Linn County: Fairgrounds (3700 Knox Butte Road E, Albany) is full. See other options at https://www.facebook.com/groups/linncountylivestock

Lincoln County: Livestock County Commons (633 NE 3rd Street, Newport). Call 541-265-4961. https://www.co.lincoln.or.us/emergencymanagement/page/seasonal-hazards-wildfire

Polk County: Fairgrounds (520 S Pacific Hwy West, Rickreall) has room. Call ahead at 503-623-3048 to let them know what kind of animal and how many; https://www.facebook.com/Polk-County-Oregon-Fair-199482210083788.

Tillamook County: Fairgrounds (4603 3rd Street, Tillamook) has space. Contact Hayden at 503-812-6189; https://www.tillamookfair.com/p/about/fire-evacuee-information.

Washington County: Westside Commons (801 NE 34th Avenue, Hillsboro), formerly known as the Fair Complex, has space; call 503-314-3433 to check; https://www.co.washington.or.us/News/fire-evacuations.cfm.

Yamhill County: Fairgrounds (2070 NE Lafayette Avenue, McMinnville) still has room. Check https://www.facebook.com/YamhillCountyFairRodeo/

For assistance with livestock transportation/housing or to offer assistance, see https://pnwfireanimalrescue.org/

Oregon Department of Agriculture has set up an animal reunification website: https://data.oda.state.or.us/fmi/webd/AH_AnimalTrack?homeurl=https%3A%2F%2Fdata.oda.state.or.us%2Fah.html&fbclid=IwAR1-CFxfYUlW5UP0KbRKbdQg0Em-mnfBTBP3iVBsFWuQ4oz8bf-uhewew1I.

Photo shows milker washing cow udder in parlor.

It’s impossible to keep much sterile on a dairy, but could clean udder cloths be transmitting mastitis-causing bacteria in the milking parlor? A recent study of 67 U.S. dairies in ten states investigated whether there is an association between the bacteria levels in (clean) cloth towels and the health of the udders those towels were used on. The authors measured bacteria on clean towels and in milk samples. They also looked at towel use and laundering practices.

What did they discover?

~20% of udder quarters were infected
- 10% non-aureus Staphylococcus species
- 4% Staphylococcus aureus
- 5% Streptococcus or Strep-like organisms
- 4% other gram-positive bacteria
- 2% gram-negative bacteria (includes coliforms)
No towels were free of bacteria. The mean overall bacterial count was 3.77 log₁₀ cfu/cm² (cfu=colony forming units).
Bacillus species were the most commonly found (95% of cloths). Approximately half the towels contained Staph and/or Strep species.
Only Staphylococcus species and Streptococcus species counts on towels were associated with mammary infection rate.
No towels laundered off-site by a service had high coliform counts. Also, undried towels had higher coliform counts.

Now, the study authors note that they have not demonstrated that new infections are necessarily being introduced from bacteria on clean towels, just that they found a positive association between Staph and Strep infections and the presence of those organisms on clean towels. However, given their findings, they suggest getting clean towels tested and then working to get those bacteria levels to essentially undetectable for Staph, Strep, and coliform species. Changes in laundering or storage practices could help. (When was the last time the clean towel bin was washed?)

The bottom line: Dry udder cloth towels after washing. Get clean towels tested periodically to see if they may be carrying mastitis-causing bacteria.

The paper:

Rowe et al. Cross-sectional study of the relationship between cloth udder towel management, towel bacteria counts, and intramammary infection in late-lactation dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, December 2019, 102:11401-11413. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17075

Earlier this month, a beef-type cow in Florida was identified as having bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also called mad cow disease. For those old enough to remember, BSE was the cause of death (by disease and culling) of many thousands of cattle—most heavily in the United Kingdom—in the late 1980s through early 2000s. Worse yet, it caused the deaths of a couple hundred people who had consumed beef from infected cattle (in humans, this is called variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease).

The “bad” prion protein (PrPSc) converts normal PrP proteins.

The caused-many-deaths BSE is referred to as classical BSE, where the route of infection was due to ingestion by cattle of the infectious agent: a nasty little misfolded protein called a prion, specifically a prion designated PrP^Sc. Infection with PrP^Sc came from affected animals that were recycled into meat and bone meal and fed to other cattle. When the molecules of PrP^Sc get into the body, they go around refolding the native, normal PrP^C proteins into the abnormal PrP^Sc proteins (see figure). As the disease progresses (over years), normal brain tissue becomes decidedly abnormal, and the animal’s behavior follows suit. Key symptoms of BSE include nervousness or aggression, abnormal posture, and lack of coordination. Cattle exhibiting such behaviors are not allowed in the food chain and are automatically tested for BSE.

Due to bans on the recycling of higher-risk tissues into feed, identified cases of classical BSE have fallen to essentially zero worldwide. What surveillance programs have picked up are a very few cases of what is called atypical BSE. The prions detected in these cases are slightly different at the molecular level from that in classical BSE. Atypical BSE arises from a spontaneous mutation in the gene that encodes the native PrP protein with the result that they start to misfold into a PrP^Sc-like shape. Like the atypical BSE-affected cow recently identified in Florida, these cases are not caused by infection from the outside.

Discovery of this “mad” cow (and the five others over the last 28 years) demonstrates that the surveillance procedures conducted by USDA are effective. At this point, USDA is testing about 25,000 cattle a year, and those are largely sampled from older or ill animals. USDA estimates the prevalence of BSE in the US at 1 in 1 million cattle.

Bottom line: we will occasionally see cases of atypical BSE pop up due to nature (mutations happen!) and our well-functioning surveillance system, but risk to the health of people and other cattle is exceedingly low.

Additional information:

on this recent case (August 2018; USDA)

USDA’s general information on BSE

CDC’s information on BSE

Are too many heifers on your farm showing up with mastitis early in that first lactation? You may want to examine your prevention strategies. A review paper that examined the effectiveness of various precalving treatments in heifers was published earlier this summer. Here are the key take-a-ways:

developing udder on a Jersey heifer — She’ll be in the parlor soon.
photo: Spirited Rose Homestead Dairy Farm

When the infection is caused by contagious bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus), antibiotics, teat sealants, and vaccines can improve udder health outcomes.
Particularly if you are considering using antimicrobial treatments, culture quarter milk so you know who the enemy is. We want to minimize the development of antibiotic resistance.
When environmental pathogens (e.g., Escherichia coli, non-agalactiae streptococci) are the problem, teat sealants and combination therapies are effective at reducing mastitis risk.
When coagulase-negative staphs (CNS) are infecting heifer udders, antibiotics, teat-sealants, and combination therapies offer the most help.
When employing any of these treatment options, be sure they are delivered by a well-trained person.
On farms with effective fly control and that minimize stress for late-gestation heifers, there may be little benefit from preventative medical treatment.

The paper: Naqvi, Nobrega, Ronksley, & Barkema. June 2018. Effectiveness of precalving treatment on postcalving udder health in nulliparous dairy heifers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Dairy Science 101:4707-4728.

Another good resource is the National Mastitis Council’s Heifer Mastitis Prevention and Control Plan.

Researchers from Oregon State University investigated the blood serum profiles of Holstein cows before and after calving and compared those that developed clinical mastitis with those that did not. To do so, they used ultra-performance liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry plus statistics to identify differences in concentration of metabolites, lipids, minerals, and inflammatory markers in blood serum. It’s OK if you read that last sentence and went, “Huh?” The short version is that they ran blood serum samples from dry cows through some fancy laboratory equipment to see if there were any indicators associated with developing clinical mastitis after calving. And yes, there are!

For example, alpha-tocopherol (a form of vitamin E) levels were significantly higher in the blood of cows that did not develop clinical mastitis compared to those that did (Figure 1). Another difference was in the overall profile of metabolites (molecules that participate in or are produced during metabolism); they were quite different for cows that remained healthy and those with post-calving mastitis (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Control animals (no mastitis; open bars) had significantly more alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) in their blood than cows that developed mastitis (shaded bars). From Figure 4 from Zandkarimi et al. 2018.

The figure shows self-organizing map of metabolomic data. — Figure 2. See the starkly different profiles in serum metabolite concentration between cows that developed mastitis post-calving (CMP) and those that did not (Control)? The metabolites are grouped by metabolite family, e.g., carnitines. The more red colors indicate higher concentrations, while blue indicates lower. From Figure 5 from Zandkarimi et al. 2018.

While no dairies have liquid chromatography mass spec technology in their on-farm lab, these results may lead the way to identifying one or two highly reliable blood markers that could be easily measured on the dairy. And forewarned is forearmed, right? Knowing which cows were likely to develop mastitis could allow proactive treatment to prevent the more expensive and damaging clinical mastitis.

The paper: F. Zandkarimi, J. Vanegas, X. Fern, C.S. Maier, G. Bobe. Metabotypes with elevated protein and lipid catabolism and inflammation precede clinical mastitis in prepartal transition dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, June 2018, 101:5531–5548

Dairy Bearing

the blog of Oregon State University Dairy Extension

Category Archives: health/welfare

Livestock and Wildfire Resource Hub

Wildfires, Smoke, and Livestock webinar series

Change is coming to the availability of livestock antibiotics

Probiotics for Calves

Post-wildfire Resources

Wildfire Resources (updated 1:00p.m. September 16)

Is your udder towel management contributing to mastitis?

Another mad cow?!

Strategies for reducing mastitis in fresh heifers

OSU Research: Predicting post-calving clinical mastitis in dry cows via serum profile

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