RESEARCH
Kit Developed to Detect Calf Respiratory Disease Early
Dr. Sheila McGuirk examines a calf for respiratory disease.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Bayer Animal Health ©2009 Bayer HealthCare LLC, Animal Health Division, Shawnee Mission, KS 66201
Keeping calves healthy has been Dr. Sheila McGuirk’s passion for as long as she can remember.
So when her research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine revealed that bovine respiratory disease, commonly referred to as calf pneumonia, is responsible for over 20 percent of pre-weaning and 50 percent of post-weaning calf deaths, she developed a respiratory disease screening tool to find affected calves at an earlier age when they could be treated more effectively.
The screening tool assigns numbers to some classical signs of respiratory disease like nasal discharge, coughing and rectal temperature. An illustrated chart gives a numerical score to each potential sign of respiratory disease making its use by dairy producers straight forward. After screening for individual signs of respiratory disease, the total score determines whether the calf needs treatment.
Recently, Bayer Animal Health partnered with Dr. McGuirk to market this respiratory screening tool as part of their “Breathe Easy Bovine Respiratory Disease Detection and Treatment Kit.” The complete kit has the illustrated respiratory scoring chart included in a record keeping booklet that fits in a specially designed pouch with pockets for a thermometer, gloves, syringes and bottles of Baytril 100 (enrofloxacin).
“Early identification and proper treatment of dairy calf pneumonia before permanent damage is done is crucial to maintaining a healthy and successful dairy operation,” Dr. McGuirk says.
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) can afflict dairy calves during the first few weeks of life, and, if left untreated, can lead to permanent lung damage, reduced milk production and long-term reproductive issues in replacement females.
“The goal is to catch problems early – before spontaneous coughing and other symptoms appear,” Dr. McGuirk says. “Timely treatment protects the dairy farmer’s investment.”
Dr. McGuirk is pleased that the new kit will help give calves a better chance at life.
A downloadable version of the screening tool can be found at http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/dms/fapm/fapmtools/8calf/calf_respiratory_scoring_chart.pdf
