brain fever

[highdesertmom1]

what is Brain fever? What are the symptoms and causes and is it contagious?

 

[Scotty]

Never heard of it. HAve seen people with Lack-of-Brain fever. Stay away. Very contaigious. ;-)

 

[highdesertmom1]

Pardon me scotty if I do not find your answer humorous. We had to put down a young steer yesterday because of what one vet said was pneumonia. I have since talked to other vets and a few cattlemen and given the symptoms , all have said it was not pneumonia...but most likely "brain Fever"....an infection of the brain causing a severe neurological disorder.

 

[rgv4]

What symptons did your steer have? It may be known as something else in different parts of the country.

 

[highdesertmom1]

Friday he went off his food...Saturday he was pacing in circles...and agitiated.
Sunday he went running across the back field crashing thru the fence into tehe neighbor's field and collapsed. We gave him an LA 200 shot and a shot of Banamine. Vet came took his temp...103....listened to his lungs and heart, she said pneumonia. We got him back to our side of the fence...where he took off running again only to crash thru a tree and collapse again....thrashing his head around hitting it on a rock. We propped him up with a bale of hay. Each time he thrashed his head. he would bite his tongue. eventually biting off the entire end. Sunday night he was up and walking sort of. Monday he went down again...eyes rolled back and laying on his side...with a funny smell. We put him down at that time. Does not sound like pneumonia to me......

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Only brain fever I ever heard was encephalomyetitus (spelling?). Had the unfortunate priveledge of watching a horses suffer from this mosquito borne disease once. Pretty sure cattle don't get it.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Never heard of "Brain Fever", but the term brings to mind Rabies? Maybe? It certainly sounds like a neurological affliction. Sorry for your loss. Also sounds like whatever it is/was may have caused swelling of the brain? Meningitis or Encephalitis perhaps? Did you have a necropsy done? From what pneumonia cases I've seen, they didn't fit what you have described.

 

[rgv4]

Go to the http://www.mercksource.com and look under meningoencephalitis for thromboembolic meningoencephalitis. Also known as sleeper syndrome.

It causes blindness, which is probably the reason that he was crashing into things. I've never seen any cattle with this, but, it sounds pretty bad. Sorry for your loss.

 

[dun]

From my deep reservoir of "I think I recall", try maybe listeriosis, I think it's also called circling disease. A neighbor had a yearling heifer with those symptoms last year. Gallons of LA-200 later she got over it but just never grew into anything much.

dun

 

[dd]

Another possibility may be a thiamine (vitamin B) defiency

 

[highdesertmom1]

Thank You all very much for your input. It is greatly appreciated. My husband and I are not real experienced with cattle and usually we raise one or two a year. along with a few pigs.

I spoke with another vet who suggested Listeriosis because of the symptoms I gave him, especially the circling. I do not believe he was blind in any way because his eyes were clear though he did have a look of panic at times.

We did not have the body tested though I am thinking now, we probably should have. Our other steer is showing no signs of anything except loneliness right now. I guess we'll be looking for another calf soon.

Thanks again.

 

[highdesertmom1]

One more question about this...how is it transmitted and is it real contagious?

hmmm...I guess that was two wasn't it

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

In the case of any disease with neurological sx like that,one would have to be concerned about BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy). :shock:

 

[highdesertmom1]

This steer was 16 months old...I was told that BSE was not likely

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

This steer was 16 months old...I was told that BSE was not likely

But not ruled out..... :shock:

 

[ollie]

Anaplasmosis I would guess isn't a problem in your world. I think it would be wrong time of the year anyway.I have never seen a clinical case but I hear they get crazy.It does respond to tetracycline.

 

[highdesertmom1]

The rendering plant said they would check so I assume they will.....

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

The symptoms sound classic listeriosis. I have only read about it, but I don't know the cause or if it is contageous. If you post on the Health & Nutrition Board, Vicky the Vet might answer these questions.

 

[Vicky the vet]

Listeria is a neurologic disease caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes which is commonly found in ensiled feedstuffs. It can be found elsewhere in nature, so cattle not being fed silage can develop it. It causes circling etc, and is caused by microabscesses in the brain. Treatment before the animal goes down is often curative.

Brain fever is not a name I've ever heard attributed to any disease--must be a local misnomer.

A PM should have been done to determine cause of death. The list would include Listeriosis, ITEME, Polio, lead poisoning, rabies, encephalitis etc. Some of those are a little scary...and worrisome for other animals.

V

 

[Scotty]

Pardon me scotty if I do not find your answer humorous. ]


Your pardoned. Sorry for your loss.


Scotty