BVD?wtf?i

[fnfarms1]

Ok so if you guys remember I had some charolois heifers that I bought and have had trouble with their calves being "slow starters". Started a new thread since we think we know the cause. We clipped a piece of ear off each calf and sent it off for testing. Test came back today positive for BVD. Which as I understand is a diarrhea problem, I would assume like scours but could affect adults as well. The vet is out of town but supposed to call me as soon as he checks in with his clinic later this evening. Earlier when I was asking the hypothetical questions of "if" the test came back positive, I thought he had said to get rid of them if they were positive because the cows could be lifetime carriers, calves probably will never grow good etc. Any input or experience guys? Basically I'm a little freaked out because I turned them out with my regular cows a week ago. Calves seem to be ok now, still not the best but look ok.
Calves have never shown signs of diarrhea is the weird thing, wondering if the tech read it wrong and it said BRD or something. O will update upon talking to the vet, but like I said, a little freaked

 

[wbvs58]

Any that show positive to an ear notch test will be persistently infected and are a constant source of infection to other cows. In cattle on pasture you will rarely see any symptoms, the danger is to cows in early pregnancy causing abortion and others producing poor growing weedy PI calves.

Ken

 

[Aaron]

I'd pull the heifers out and take notches out of them. Ship anything that is positive.

 

[Lucky_P]

Overview here: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_healt ... osheet.pdf

IMO, the name 'Bovine Virus Diarrhea' virus is a misnomer. In most instances, though, diarrhea is NOT a feature of infection with BVD virus... it's an immunosuppressor, setting the stage for BRD, infertility, abortion, and various and sundry maladies.
I'm presuming that it was named that, when discovered, back around 1946, because the initial cases were actually BVD-Mucosal Disease cases - all of which DIE.

Calves infected, in utero, between days 80-110(perhaps as far out as 140) will be persistently infected(PI)... and will be constantly spreading virus in every fluid and secretion for the entirety of their life... serving as a source of infection for other animals in the herd.

Ear notch - that's one of the samples we routinely use in testing for BVD. Animals that are BVD+ on ear notch are most likely Persistently Infected - and need to be removed from the herd. If they're really valuable, you could isolate them and retest in 2-3 months or so... and if negative at that time, it's an indicator that they had acute infection at the time of ear notching, and are not BVD-PI animals.

Hope they're not BVD-PI... it's a bad deal to have in your herd.

 

[Craig Miller]

Now you gotta decide if you tell whoever buys them or just pass the problem along like someone did to you.

 

[Lucky_P]

Here in KY, BVD is a 'reportable disease' - any animals that come up positive on the BVD-PI test at the two university diagnostic laboratories in the state, or the two commercial labs running the test, must be reported to the Office of the State Veterinarian.
These animals are not allowed to be 'run through the salebarn'. Stockyard personnel and KyDeptofAg inspectors are on the lookout for 'ear-notched' animals coming through.

Present options to the owner for managing the cattle involved:
a) Isolate and retest in 2-3 weeks to confirm the diagnosis.
b) Transport to slaughter with OSV permit.
c) Isolate either on owner's farm or at permitted feedlot and feed to slaughter only.
d) Euthanize and dispose of by an approved method

 

[Anonymous]

Did you vaccinate with a 5 way respiratory vaccine? If you did the rest of your herd or most should be protected. The ones infected need to be culled though.

 

[Dave]

Any infected ones should be penned separate and fed out for locker beef. Or hauled directly to a slaughter plant. Taking them to a sale not only runs to risk of them spreading the if they go back to the country but also by simple contact with other animals while at the sale yard. I am actually have a PI heifer in my freezer right now. Not a thing wrong with the meat but I am sure not going to allow her to spread the disease.

 

[fnfarms1]

Here in Oklahoma bvd isn't a reportable disease. However I ask the vet about what to do, he said to tell the stockyard people and let them handle it. So I did. I was told by a friend at the sale that they sold them as "feedlot only stock". He said they went to packer buyer going straight to a packing plant. The calves were split off to a buyer wanting feeder calves. Said it was announced as they entered ring that they were "PI positive cattle". I figure that's about all I can do. Looking back I guess feeding them out and selling for freezer beef would have been better to avoid infecting others but honestly didn't think about it. Vet said it isn't a disease easily spread but I will more than likely have 3-5infected by the fall due to having them in my herd, but likely won't show on a test for 2-3 months. So I will ear notch when work them in fall. Said its not a disease that wipes you out, but typically nickel and dimes you if you dont wipe out the infected ones.

 

[Craig Miller]

How did it affect your sale price?

 

[fnfarms1]

Got hit pretty hard on the. About half what they would healthy. But I don't have enough roo. And did think to quarantine them off. Probably wasn't cost effective either