alot of my cattle are dying

[Anonymous]

The veterinarian claims it is lime disease but he can not find the carrier ticks in any of the deaths. The cows first become weak, and they have exessive mucous coming out of their noses. They just lay there. After about 3 or 4 days they die. Can anyone suggest what disease it might be?

 

[Bez]

You need to do the following - bloody right now!

An autopsy of the last dead.

Contact the nearest veterinary school - I do not care how far away it is - get one there asap. Yesterday would have been best.

Get another vet in - more brains on site the better.

Get blood samples and tissue sample - asap. Store them in liquid nitrogen if you can - freeze in freezer if you have to.

Contact your local federal / state verterinary people - asap - get their help immediately.

Sounds like you are out of your depth here - not an insult - I probably would be as well - get every darned expert you can working on this.

Time / time / time - you have NONE - I repeat if what you say is true - you have no repeat no time - get on this immediately and do not waste time waiting for people from this board to speculate.

Move man. And good luck with this one.

Bez

 

[Bez]

Further to my last post - do not allow any neighbours on your property - do not visit an neighbours.

You may be a carrier if this is contagious - they may take it home.

You have said the veterinarion thinks it is lime disease. But at present this appears to be pure speculation if I read your email correctly. You need to KNOW.

Find out.

Get you biosecurity up and running immediately.

Not a joking matter and you need to make some phone calls - to every expert you can think of - email is too slow in this case. Pick up the Dammned phone and use it. Cost of those cows .... save one and you have more than saved the cost of your efforts.

Do not think I am over reacting - sh!te happens and it MUST be cut off at the pass.

Best of luck

Bez

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Bez is right! Do autopsy, lab tests, quarantine your remaining animals. Contact another Vet, State animal inspection lab, etc. ASAP!

There are a lot of nasty diseases out there such as: Brucellosis, Blackleg, Anthrax, Vessicular Stomatis (sp?), that are highly contageous. ANY unexpected, sudden death of more than one animal is HIGHLY suspect of something serious going on!

 

[Anonymous]

The veterinarian claims it is lime disease but he can not find the carrier ticks in any of the deaths. The cows first become weak, and they have exessive mucous coming out of their noses. They just lay there. After about 3 or 4 days they die. Can anyone suggest what disease it might be?

I believe Lyme disease symptoms are flu like, fever, muscle and joint pain..... So if it were me I would have called another vet.

 

[Jake]

Don't get your shorts all in a bunch about this being carried over by humans, really sounds like microplasmic pnemonia. nose contact and shared water spreads that. Could also be a poison plant, don't remember the name but one makes your cows mucus themselves to death is what I've heard. Um.... can't think of much else but DEFFINATELY get a different vet out there. This is NOT Lyme disease!

 

[Cattle Rack Rancher]

Depending on where you are, it could be any number of poison plants. There are also some types of mushrooms that will have this effect on cattle. My brother lost 8 steers a few years ago. The best the vet could figure was that they had gotten into an old perennial garden at an old house site on the land and eaten something poisonous.

 

[Tony Jr]

Another poison is acorns. With all the rain we've had it spoils them and I know of many people losing several cattle at a time to that. A autopsy should be able to tell. :cboy:

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

You should also consider and rule out organophosphate poisoning,maybe from contaminated feed. :cboy:

 

[TEdwards]

The veterinarian claims it is lime disease but he can not find the carrier ticks in any of the deaths. The cows first become weak, and they have exessive mucous coming out of their noses. They just lay there. After about 3 or 4 days they die. Can anyone suggest what disease it might be?

Where are you located? Just your farm being infected or others in your area? I am with Bez you needed expert help yesterday? How may cows do you have and how many have died already? What ages of cattle have been affected? Mature cattle or cavles or both? If you havent already separate any sick cattle from the others, move the non sick leave the sick ones in that pasture or pen etc. I would only move very healthy cattle. If in question leave them where they are so you don't spread whatever all over place. Who knows what you are dealing with.