Fanning, Saturday, May 3,1900
Ask the
VMD
Help keep my
heifer Cram coffin.
Areaderaaks:
One of our heifers has
developed a hacking cough.
She coughs when she rang,
eats, and Is just standing
stflL But, she doesn’t have a
runny nose. Could this be
worms? Any other thoughts -
- she eats everything hi
sight and isn’t running fever.
Dr. Trayer comments:
Hacking coughs can be a
real problem in cattle.
Since the age of the animal
was not given, I will assume
that the heifer was older
than six months.
In this case, it will be hard
to differentiate whether the
cough is being set up by
worms or a young calf
pneumonia which has left
residual damage to the lung
tissue. This damage will
create a situation where the
animal does not have the full
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lung capacity that it would
normally have.
Concerning worms, there
are only two species that
could possibly be giving the
heifer the hacking cough.
Hie ascarid, or round
worm (Tozocara vitulorum)
migrates through the in
testine, liver, and lungs is
usually seen in animals less
than six months of age.
The other worm that can
be an adult-type lung
parasite is Dictyocaulus
viviparus, commonly called
the lung worm. This worm is
primarily a problem in high
rainfall areas with moderate
temperatures, subtropical
climates. In Pennsylvania,
there is not a high level of
diagnoses of lung worm
infestations. But, it is a
possibility especially when
there are Ugh moisture
conditions with a high
density of animals where
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barnyard acid resistam
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on hardworking feet Come
try on a pair
J«0. 565
Edgar Sheaffer
TlmTrayer
there would be a continual
build-up of the parasite.»
However, where con
sidering the coughing heifer,
I have to keep in mind all
worms because their
presence in the animal
lowers her natural
resistance and depletes her
body protein.
Dairymen and livestock
owners need to ask their
veterinarians whether they
need to switch worming
medicines in their parasite
control program.
With reports coming from
(Mo indicating increased
resistance of different
species of worms to
thiabendazole, I recommend
going to the levamisole
products. There has been no
research to date
documenting any resistance
to this group of wormers.
The worming program in
most cattle operations needs
FRIEND
to be reviewed. I recom
mend initiating it earlier in
the life of heifers and bulls,
starting with a levamisole
product at six to eight weeks,
reworming when the animal
goes to pasture, and again
after being on pasture for
three to six weeks.
%.-4L
Most worm damage to
young stock occurs soon
after exposure to a con
taminated pasture or feed lot
area. If a dairyman or
livestock breeder only has a
limited amount of dollars to
invest into a worming, or
anthelmintic, program, it
should be spent on the
younger animal versus
spending it on the mature
cow.
There is still too much
question in the research data
whether a breeder gains
anything by worming the
adult animal, where there
will be definite gains when
the younger animals are
treated. Worming young
cattle is generally
overlooked due to lack of
handling facilities, but it
should be looked into more
carefully by producers and
initiated.,
If you believe you do have
a lung worm infestation in
the herd the only way to get a
positive diagnosis is by
postmortem findings
submitting an animal to the
state diagnostic laboratory
and having the results sent
to your veterinarian for
interpretation.
In case of positive test
results for lung worm, the
only wormer that has been
proven effective is the
levamisole group of wor
mers, and their efficacy in
preventing the disease is,
questionable.
I don’t consider a hacking
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cough to always be worms.
However, in this situation,
where the heifers is said to
be eating everything in
sight, there may be a chronic
worm problem that may be
predisposing her to a cough
and lung problems.
If it is worms, the cough is
the result of the migration of
the parasite up the throat,
causing a tickling effect The
animal then hades, trying to
cough up the migrating
parasite.
Keep in mind, this is not a
common diagnosis in central
Pennsylvania.
I am more concerned with
the animal that had
pneumonia at a young age,
recovered but was left with
scar tissue in the lungs.
Perhaps there is an old
abcess that is causing
chronic irritation. And when
the heifer exercises, she
over exceeds her ability to
ventillate her lungs and
begins to cough.
I have been called out on
cases of coughing stock an
on observation'have found
that those cattle that are
'coughing are the unfortunate
ones that somehow managed
to hang on after pneumonia.
They can look forward to
only a moderately
productive life.
Before getting hung up on
an exotic worm diagnosis,
there seems to be a need to
take a closer look at the calf
raising facilities. Keep
records of those calves that
had pneumonia, as they
mature and enter the.
milking or breeding herd.
Often times, these animals,
during the stress of summer
heat and high humidity, are
the first ones to contract
viral pneumonia, go off feed.
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NOW THRU MAY 10th
FURADAN 68',>
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and run a high temperature
before recovering.
Recently, I have made
several diagnoses of fungal
infections in herds that havaa
been bedded on com stalks
or fodder. My recom
mendations are for the
young stock not to be ex
posed to these conditions
because of the potential for
mold and the abnormal
pneumonia that sets up.
Young calves should be
bedded on dean straw, and
the moisture concentration
and air circulation in calf
barns and heifer pens
controlled, along with
ammonia level build-ups.
If yon have a' question yon
would like answered by the
team from Valley Animal
Hospital, send it to Ask the
VMD, Box 38S, Lititz, Pa.
17543. Questions will be kept
anonymous on request.
New farmland
map
HARRISBURG - Work on
Dauphin County’s Important
Farmland Map has been
completed, announced Joel
Myers, District Con
servationist, Conservation
Soil Service, Dauphin
County.
Myers added the map was
submitted for printing.
“This map will be a step
forward in the land use
decision-making processes
of Dauphin County,” he said.
“One of the most difficult
land use decisions we face as
a nation is when to allow
prime farmland to be con
' verted to other uses. These
kinds of decisions must be
made on a local basis.”