BRD in feedlots: comparison of laboratory versus cowboy diagnostic methods

Abstract

Since Bovine Respiratory Disease is the main health problem in fall placed feedlot calves, it is obvious that a lot of effort is made to minimize the impact of this disease syndrome. The aim of this study is to detect diseased calves based on their measured food- and water intake behavioral data. Besides this, the normal pen checking procedures have been performed and registered carefully. The behavioral data will be compared to the cowboy’s diagnoses to see if the measured data can equal the cowboy’s diagnoses. All pulled calves have been divided in three groups: ‘BRD’ ‘No fever treatment’ and ‘No treatment’. To obtain a golden standard, all calves have been drawn blood on arrival and during their first pull. These blood samples will be tested on several laboratory diagnostic values for disease. Acute phase proteins such as Haptoglobin (Hp) and Serum Amyloid A (SAA) are promising diagnostic values in bovine veterinary medicine and are especially useful here because they rise both in acute and long term unspecific disease. Unfortunately, these comparisons have not been made by the time of writing this report. It is expected though, that laboratory values have the highest correlation with the ‘BRD’ group, these animals show clear signs of disease and have a fever too. Laboratory values will have less correlation with the ‘No fever treatment’ group; these animals showed signs of disease but did not have a temperature, and least correlation with the ‘No treatment’ group; these animals were pulled but not treated after all. Possibly laboratory values already show signs of disease while the animal does not appear too sick yet. This hypothesis makes the ‘No treatment’ group the most interesting and leaves room for further analysis of the data.