Group Pen Respiratory Scorer
Now available on iTunes App Store.
The Group Pen Respiratory Scoring App was developed at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. The app uses a graphical interface to score group pens of young stock based on the respiratory scoring method developed and employed by Dr. Sheila McGuirk and Dr. Theresa Ollivett.
The categories scored are nasal discharge, ocular discharge, ear or head tilt, and coughing. Group pen scoring output determines disease of the group of animals in addition to individual animals. The group would be classified as having respiratory disease (high risk) if 25% or more of the animals in the pen/group were abnormal in 2 or more of the categories scored. Affected individual animals will have 2 or more abnormal categories. Individual animals exams can be conducted using the Calf Health Scorer App available via iTunes. Abnormal scores (2 or 3) are tallied by touching the category button.
When the app is initiated, the user is prompted for a Herd Code, Herd Name and Scorer Name. This is to facilitate data storage and retrieval. The Herd Code is simply an identifing number such as the DHI herd code and is not required input. This information is stored in a settings bundle for future use and can be accessed via the device Settings app.
Directions for use:
To enter the Pen ID to be scored, touch inside the Pen ID text field. Type the pen identification and when finished, touch Done.
The No. in Pen text field will automatically be selected for data entry. To unlock the scoring buttons, record the number of animals in the pen by typing the number and touching Done when finished.
Next, choose an age range of the animals grouped within the pen (not required). Choose the desired age range via the pop up picker, then touch Done. Values from 1 week to 15 months are represented by categories in the picker. An age range classification of 1 wk equals calves that are from 1-7 days old, 2 wk = 8-14 days of age. An “Unknown” value may be ascribed if the age range is not known to the scorer.
Score each abnormal respiratory disease category within the pen by touching the appropriate picture button. Each button has 2 pictures showing abnormal conditions. These buttons may be alternated between pictures and descriptions by touching the “Picture / Description” selector. The score is added to the category text field. A zero score will be entered for all skipped categories when the record is saved. To subtract a score, touch the Subtract selector and touch the desired category. After the category touch, the Subtract selector is returned to Add to prevent repeated subtraction.
You may enter a comment about the pen in the Pen Comment text field by touching inside it. Type the comment and touch Done when finished.
To save the record, touch the Save Score button. To score another pen, touch the New Pen button and begin scoring.
To edit a previously saved record, touch the record in the data view table below the Save Score button. The record values will populate the text fields above and may be modified. Touch Save Score to complete modification. Touch New Pen button to continue scoring a different pen.
Group Pen Respiratory Scoring Descriptions and Pictures
Normal |
Abnormal |
||
Score 0 |
Score 1 |
Score 2 |
Score 3 |
Nasal Discharge | |||
Normal | Small amount of unilateral cloudy discharge | Bilateral, cloud or excessive mucus discharge | Copious bilateral mucopurulent discharge |
Ocular Discharge | |||
Normal | Small amount of ocular discharge | Moderate amount of bilateral discharge | Heavy ocular discharge |
Ear/Head Position | |||
Normal | Ear flick or head shake | Slight unilateral droop | Head tilt or bilateral droop |
Cough | |||
None | Induce single cough | Induced repeated coughs or occasional spontaneous cough | Repeated spontaneous coughs |
Group pens are first assessed quietly from outside the pen trying not to disturb the animals. Cough assessments require gentle coaxing of animal movement from inside the pen. The examiner should quietly create enough activity to stimulate spontaneous coughing. Only scores of 2 or 3 in each category warrant the touch of the scoring buttons.
The purpose of the Data button is to provide the user with methods to quickly delete many records from the data. A pop up window will provide three deletion options:
- Delete records from a dairy (date range)
- Delete all the records from a dairy
- Delete all records
The user is prompted to confirm any deletion choice. There is no data recovery method once the data has been deleted.
Touching the Email button will allow you to compose an email message containing your data. You will be prompted to Share data with the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. You may choose Share data or Do not share. In order to facilitate sharing your data with the experts at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, an email address will be added to the To: field. If you choose not to share your data, the draft email will appear with no email address inserted.
The Report button will show the data of your choosing (either Herd Today, Today HR, Herd All, Herd HR, or All Herds) for easy review. The Herd Today option will view only records from the herd listed in the Herd Name text field and scored with the date in the Score Date text field. The Today HR (High Risk) option will view only records from the herd listed in the Herd Name text field, scored with the date in the Score Date text field that have at least 25% of the animals scored abnormal in 2 of the scoring categories. The Herd All option will view all records from the herd listed in the Herd Name text field. The Herd HR (High Risk) option will view all records from the herd listed in the Herd Name text field that have at least 25% of the animals scored abnormal in 2 of the scoring categories. The All Herds option will report all records recorded in the app.