liver damage

[Anonymous]

We've had problems for several years with cattle on a certain group of pastures. Cattle develop photosensitization (crusting/peeling of white areas of skin). Usually only one animal is sick at any given time. This has only happened in adult animals - calves are okay. Bloodwork on one of the latest cases showed extremely high liver enzymes. These cattle have all recovered - treatment was to confine in a barn and antibiotics were given before we knew the cause was liver damage. I know liver damage can cause photosensitization, but does anyone know a likely cause of the liver damage? We live in SC, so liver flukes shouldn't be a problem.



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[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

The only thing that comes to mind is fatty liver syndrome. This is where cows have a lowered level of liver function due to enlarged liver infiltrated with fat. Symptoms include a reduced appetite, off-feed, and impaired immune system. Need to make sure supplementation is adequate enough to balance for protiens, minerals and vitamins to meet requirements.Prevent exessive weight gain in the late w/ calf stages to prevent fat cow syndromes and metabolic disorders.



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[Anonymous]

I don't know the answer to your question, Kathy, but will throw a couple of thoughts your way.

Flukes are found nationwide, so living in SC doesn't rule them out.

I'm thinking more toward something they are ingesting in those certain pastures. Your post makes me think they have eaten something toxic that is excreted through the liver.

Hopefully Vicki will read your post. I'd like to hear her thoughts. There's something I've read about in the past that your post reminds me of, but I'll be darned if I can think of it.

> We've had problems for several
> years with cattle on a certain
> group of pastures. Cattle develop
> photosensitization
> (crusting/peeling of white areas
> of skin). Usually only one animal
> is sick at any given time. This
> has only happened in adult animals
> - calves are okay. Bloodwork on
> one of the latest cases showed
> extremely high liver enzymes.
> These cattle have all recovered -
> treatment was to confine in a barn
> and antibiotics were given before
> we knew the cause was liver
> damage. I know liver damage can
> cause photosensitization, but does
> anyone know a likely cause of the
> liver damage? We live in SC, so
> liver flukes shouldn't be a
> problem.

 

[Anonymous]

> Hopefully Vicki will read your
> post. I'd like to hear her
> thoughts. There's something I've
> read about in the past that your
> post reminds me of, but I'll be
> darned if I can think of it.

There is a string on 'implants' on the Everything Else Board that has a few posts that address the liver damage issue that might be of interest to you. Mike

 

[Anonymous]

Your post leads me to think that what you have is a fungus that does cause toxicity, and Photosensitivity

And the reason they got better was because they were in the barn and eating a cleaner or fungus free feed source, not because of antibiotics, also I think if you redrew blood and looked at liver funtion, you would see normal levals within a 30 day period or close to that depending on the quality of the feed.

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