alot of my cattle are dying part 2

[Anonymous]

Today we had 8 more sick cows. They seem to be salivating alot and look like they cough lightly. This ones do have ticks but they are regular everyday ticks. We brought another vet. He says they have tick fever. We injected them and bathed them. Tommorrow we will do the same. Any idea on what disease this might be?

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

Might help a little if we knew where your cattle operation is located. Is it in the desert southwest parts of Texas, NM, Ariz., etc. and/or near the US-Mexico border generally?

 

[Anonymous]

Today we had 8 more sick cows. They seem to be salivating alot and look like they cough lightly. This ones do have ticks but they are regular everyday ticks. We brought another vet. He says they have tick fever. We injected them and bathed them. Tommorrow we will do the same. Any idea on what disease this might be? We are located in deep south Texas in the U.S. / Mexico Border.

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

Your added comment about being in deep south Texas, near the Mexico border, is a crucial bit of info. Your second vet is probably right -- your cows probably are having problems from tick fever, AKA Texas fever and I think AKA "redwater". There are a number of "tickticides" that I would suppose any reputable large animal vet in deep south Texas will know about. Do you remember seeing old western movies, documentaries, etc. years ago where cattle are chased through a chute and then into a deep pool of medicated water --- they were treating for the ticks. The ticks were eradicated long ago from Texas but are still a problem in Mexico, and you are probably in the "buffer zone" area where outbreaks in Texas can happen.

Is it all mature animals that are dieing, and not the young calves? I recall that's another aspect of the disease --- exposure in adulthood can be fatal but not nearly so if exposure was in calfhood.

If you need more info I'd bet A & M has good info someplace on their site --- or do a google search for "tick fever in cattle" or "Texas fever" or "redwater fever".

Good luck!

 

[dun]

http://www.usaha.org/history/chapter3.html

http://agnews.tamu.edu/stories/ANSC/ticks.htm

http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite/boophilus.html

Australia also has a lot of data/information on the subject

dun

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

Arnold is more than likely correct,but one should also consider contaminated feed.

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

It could be feed contaminated with a nerve agent, sx include excessive salivation. I knew a guy once that bought some feed "on sale", it was bran,and had been contaminated with an insectacide or herbacide.