For nearly 30 years, Kevin Fenton, DVM and rancher, from Stigler, Okla., has been battling bovine respiratory disease (BRD) to help advance cattle health and performance.
Since graduating from Oklahoma State University in 1995, he has specialized in large animal care, with a focus on cow-calf and stockers. Today, he owns a mixed animal practice with his wife, Jennifer Fenton, DVM, called Fenton Animal Clinic and their ranch, Fenton Cattle Co.
“The main thing we try to emphasize with our cattle clients is to be in control of the situations that we can actually be in control of, whether it’s biosecurity or implementing a proactive preventive-medicine protocol,” Fenton says.
BRD is one of the top health issues that impact the finances of Fenton Animal Clinic’s cattle clients.
“When we’re dealing with BRD, we have to all realize it’s a syndrome of a lot of different events that come to one disease complex,” Fenton explains. “Fortunately, there are many resources out there to manage BRD, whether those are testing, antimicrobials or vaccinations.”
Jody Wade, DVM, Boehringer Ingelheim, also sees BRD as a major issue for the wider cattle industry.
“It costs us more money than any of the other animal health diseases that we deal with, as far as the beef cattle segment is concerned,” Wade explains. “What we’re trying to figure out are the best ways to battle against bovine respiratory disease, so that we can actually stay ahead of it.”
Establishing Immune Support
Setting cattle up for success starts with building a robust immune system that can respond to disease challenges.
“The immune system, whether that’s humans or cattle, is very complex and unique,” Fenton says. “As veterinarians, I feel like we really need to be aware of its ability to protect an animal.”
Building immunity starts the day a calf is born. There needs to be passive immunity transferred down from the cow via colostrum. If it doesn’t happen, that calf is already set back on its performance potential.
“Making sure we get good colostrum in calves provides antibodies against those diseases that we’re going to battle,” Wade notes.
Calves should receive colostrum within four hours of being born to get enough nutrients and antibodies at the start of their lives.
Vaccination’s Role in Immunity
As passive immunity from colostrum begins to wane, vaccinating calves against BRD is the next step in ensuring the health of your future herd.
“From a veterinary standpoint, we must do what we can to minimize morbidity and mortality through vaccination protocols,” Fenton says. “We have the opportunity to provide those animals with the recipe for success, through exposing them to antigens or disease pathogens that they may be faced with in the future. With Pyramid® vaccines, we can safely and effectively vaccinate younger calves without the interference of maternal antibodies.”
Following initial vaccination, a preweaning and postweaning vaccination protocol to administer boosters can be implemented.
“The pressure we put on cattle to achieve our end goals faster means they need to be primed to perform,” Fenton says. “The beauty of that is we can do it not only with good efficacy, but we can improve the calf’s productivity on out to weaning.”
Testing and Treating
Another management practice Fenton advises his clients to utilize is testing for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) persistently infected (PI) cattle.
“We can add value not only to those cattle, because we’re going to ensure that they’re not immunocompromised, but as those cattle are migrated through the market chain, it adds value by guaranteeing those cattle to be free of persistent BVDV infections,” Fenton says.
If a PI calf does occur, it should be removed from the herd to reduce the risk of other cattle being exposed and leading to issues, such as BRD.
“Early detection of BRD is one of the key factors in making sure that we try to keep it at bay,” Dr. Wade stated. “Unfortunately, when you talk about diseases like BVDV and persistent infection, some of the research that’s been done shows that damage can happen really quickly.”
Transmission of BVDV can take as little as an hour of exposure, so identifying PI cattle quickly is crucial.
“Testing is probably one of the most influential things that we have done to maximize our vaccination protocols,” Fenton points out. “We’ve tried to convey to our clients that a BVDV-PI-free group of calves allows you to know everything works. You can vaccinate those cattle with the intent and expectation that your vaccine is going to work, rather than hoping it might work.”
When BRD strikes, early intervention makes all the difference.
“Finding sick calves early and getting them to the chute quickly helps them mount an immune response sooner,” Wade says. “I recommend a broad-spectrum, fast-acting antibiotic, like Zactran® (gamithromycin), to give them the best chance at recovery.”
Fenton agrees and adds, “I think we have to realize that the bovine species may be one of the toughest, most resilient animals on earth. Sometimes, those animals can be sick longer than we realize before we pick up the clinical signs. The quicker we can get them treated, the better they respond.”
