Bovine Respiratory Disease

 Bovine respiratory disease, or BRD, is among the cattle industry's top health challenges. Understanding the many factors that contribute to the BRD complex is an important step for cattle producers to take in managing the disease. When BRD hits, a perfect storm of stress factors, virus agents and bacteria are at play in the animal’s respiratory system.

Mitch Blanding of Zoetis shares tips to keep in mind for BRD prevention. 

Blanding: “Specifically when you start talking about animal health tools, we are talking about vaccines and dewormers. People often forget about dewormers, but if we are able to minimize the impact of parasitism on these animals, they are more likely to be able to respond to the vaccines and actually have an immune system that is capable to handling the challenges of a respiratory disease.”

The second principle is controlI in addition to minimizing stress factors and vaccinating, the use of on-arrival anti-infectives with extended therapy in higher risk cattle is a key BRD management technique. Third for those animals that do require treatment, to give them antibiotics treatment. Blanding concludes

Blanding: “As long as producers keep those three principles in mind -- prevention, control and therapy -- that will help ensure the best start for these calves as possible. Cattle that get sick anytime during the feeding period, are less likely to not only perform and less likely to grade appropriately so it truly has an impact on them meeting their genetic potential.”