As show and fair season continues throughout the country, it’s important livestock exhibitors remember good biosecurity practices. Idaho state veterinarian, Scott Leibsle, shares about what youth and their parents should be thinking about as they prepare for exhibiting and comingling animals.
“The first thing always is to make sure you’re monitoring the health of your own animals,” Leibsle says. “You never want to transport an animal that may not be in good health condition.”
Leibsle recognizes some jackpot shows and fairs have a significant amount of money involved, and exhibitors put time and resources into raising their project, but the animal’s health needs to come first.
“I think the health and welfare of the animal is important and you never want to forgo that for a blue ribbon or prize money,” he says. “The best way to avoid having to leave an animal at home is to follow all the basic health recommendations that you’re attending veterinarian recommends including vaccinations, good feed, regular examinations. All those types of things and good basic health and wellness are very important.”
After that if all animals are healthy and you’re ready to go to the show, you will want to know any health requirements of the show, he says.
High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has made news headlines across the country as 13 states have reported dairy herds testing positive for the H5N1 virus, which affects the mammary glands of dairy cows and reducing milk production.
“With H5N1 showing up in dairy herds around the country, if you have lactating dairy cattle, you’ll want to know any entry requirements,” Leibsle says.
Health certificates, which would certify that a veterinarian had seen the animal within a recent time frame, are usually required for animals crossing state lines.
“Any animal that is going to come to a communal venue where different groups of livestock will be exposed to each other should have a veterinarian give them a physical exam and you identify that they’re healthy,” Leisble says.
Some states are also requiring testing of dairy animals before they can be transported, so it’s important for exhibitors to know the rules for each particular show or exhibition,” he adds.
While cattle infected with H5N1 usually make a full recovery or only culled due to loss of production, HPAI is fatal to poultry, so anyone showing poultry should use sound judgement when deciding to exhibit birds that would then be returned to the flock.
Reminders of biosecurity practices:
• Give adequate space in between animals so to avoid nose-to-nose contact.
• Disinfect pens or stalls prior to adding animals. Bring and use own equipment, including wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, when cleaning stalls or disinfect tools between uses.
• Use separate water sources and feed pans for each animal.
• Use different boots or footwear when cleaning up manure and stalls.
• Wash hands regularly.
“It’s very basic stuff,” Leibsle says. “I think anybody can do this; it just takes a little bit of extra time. Sometimes it’s the simple things that we forget or get lazy about, but they really can do a lot to prevent some of these pathogens and stuff from affecting our livestock.”
After the show, it’s important to keep animals returning to a flock or herd isolated for several days to a week.
“Keep an eye to see if any illness comes up,” Leibsle says. “You want to limit exposing the entire herd or group to any pathogens. Respiratory illnesses are the most common that arise when we have livestock in a comingled situation.”
