If all the symptoms are detected in time, and the treatment of pneumonia in calves is carried out under the supervision of a specialist, then the animals will quickly return to normal, and without any negative consequences. At an advanced stage, pneumonia can become chronic and lead to serious disorders of the respiratory and digestive systems, which will inevitably affect the development of young animals.

Most often, pneumonia or pneumonia develops in calves under the age of 5 months. Adults are less susceptible to this disease.

Causes of pneumonia in cattle

It is customary to single out the following reasons for which pneumonia begins in young animals:

  1. Unfavorable conditions of detention. If calves sleep on a cold damp floor without bedding and are in a room that is rarely ventilated, the risk of getting pneumonia is greatly increased.
  2. Stress after early weaning from the mother. It is not recommended to wean small calves from mother’s milk too early.
  3. Castration in young bulls.
  4. Poor feed quality or poor diet. In particular, calves often get pneumonia during the transition from milk feeding to roughage, as any sudden change in diet weakens the body of the animals.
  5. Illiterate transportation. Animals can catch a cold during transportation in the cold season.
  6. Lack of movement and lack of oxygen due to rare walking. Without movement, the muscles of animals atrophy, as a result of which ventilation of the lungs weakens.
  7. Viral and bacterial infections.
  8. Overheating in the sun, which causes a violation of thermoregulation.
  9. Keeping a large number of animals in cramped circumstances. When a large number of cows and calves gather in one room, there is a rapid accumulation of a large amount of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in the air, which is not the best effect on the health of cattle.
Important! The peak of the disease occurs at the end of winter – the beginning of spring, when calves have a general weakening of immunity. During this period, young animals are especially vulnerable to various viruses and bacterial infections.

Symptoms of pneumonia

The success of treatment largely depends on how early pneumonia was detected in cattle. The following changes in the behavior and well-being of animals indicate pneumonia in calves:

  • rapid and difficult breathing;
  • frequent cough;
  • watery discharge from the nose and eyes;
  • high body temperature;
  • rare stool, diarrhea;
  • lack of gum;
  • the depressed state of the animal as a whole (lethargy, apathy, ears down).

Some symptoms alone do not always mean that the calf has pneumonia. Very often, coughing and slight discharge from the nose are observed in individuals kept in a barn with stale air. In this case, it is enough to transfer the animals to another room or to ensure regular ventilation of the former place.

Advice! If pneumonia is suspected, infected individuals should be isolated from the rest of the herd as soon as possible so that the disease does not spread to the entire population. The disease is contagious and is transmitted by airborne droplets.

Pneumonia in cattle: symptoms and treatment

Course of the disease

The disease can occur in acute or chronic form. In especially neglected cases, the course of the disease is accompanied by abundant formation of abscesses.

The acute form of pneumonia involves primarily a sharp increase in body temperature, coughing and discharge from the nose and eyes. The appetite and general condition of the animals is satisfactory, although sometimes there is apathy in the behavior of calves. Sick animals do not move unnecessarily and prefer to lie still. If you start the disease, its symptoms will begin to expand: the stool will change, the calves will begin to refuse food, etc.

The chronic course of pneumonia in cattle is characterized by a clear developmental delay:

  • sick calves are smaller than their peers;
  • there are bald spots and bald patches on the wool;
  • dry skin.

As in the acute form, animals move little, cough, and show persistent shortness of breath. Occasionally, mucus from the nose can be observed in infected calves. The body temperature of sick calves is normal, which is one of the main differences between the chronic form of pneumonia and the acute one.

Important! The acute course of the disease is more common in calves aged 1-2 months. The chronic form is more typical for older individuals – from 3 to 5 months.

Diagnostics

A specialist should diagnose pneumonia in cattle – almost all symptoms of pneumonia intersect with some other diseases to one degree or another. In particular, with independent attempts to determine the root of the problem, it is very easy to confuse pneumonia with tuberculosis and dictyocaulosis. These diseases are treated in different ways.

In addition, before the final diagnosis, the possibility of the presence of the following diseases in calves should be excluded:

  • chlamydia;
  • bronchitis;
  • viral diarrhea.

Confirm the diagnosis after laboratory tests. The best way to determine if an animal’s lungs are inflamed or not is to take a chest x-ray. Sometimes a lung biopsy is done to make a definitive diagnosis.

Important! Most often, pneumonia in calves is confused with tuberculosis, which is much more dangerous due to the fact that at first the disease proceeds secretly. It is possible to detect the presence of tuberculosis in cattle using a tuberculin test.

Therapies

Before proceeding directly to the treatment of pneumonia in calves, it is necessary to isolate the animal and create the most comfortable conditions for it. It is important that the sick individual is in peace and quiet, has access to fresh water, and the litter in the stall is clean. No less important is the nutrition of cattle – it will not be superfluous to dilute the calf feed with vitamin supplements. It is also recommended to take animals outside more often if the weather is dry and warm.

Advice! Increased air humidity, frost or, conversely, extreme heat, will not benefit sick livestock. The scorching sun can have a particularly negative impact on health. Direct sunlight can cause calves to overheat and thus worsen their condition.

Medication

All medicines for the treatment of pneumonia are prescribed by a doctor. In no case should you treat yourself – any mistake can only worsen the condition of infected calves.

Most pneumonia is successfully treated with various antibiotics. They are represented by a wide variety, and the choice of a specific drug depends on the type of cattle (meat, dairy, meat and dairy), the age of sick individuals and the cause of the disease.

Pneumonia in cattle: symptoms and treatment

Among the most popular drugs for the treatment of pneumonia include the following drugs:

  1. Cefazolin is an antibiotic for intramuscular administration of the drug. It is highly recommended not to mix Cefazolin treatment with other strong medications.
  2. If the cough is dry, you can give the calves “Mukaltin”, which quickly dilutes sputum and helps to remove it from the respiratory tract.
  3. Very often, Isoniazid is used to treat pneumonia in cattle, which is injected into the trachea.

In addition, for the treatment of pneumonia, the following drugs are used, which are less common, however, they do a good job with the task:

  • “Pharmazin”;
  • “Tetracycline”;
  • “Streptomycin”.

Additionally, the veterinarian may prescribe warming procedures, inhalations and rubbing. Novocaine blockade helps with inflammation of the lungs. In any case, the best result is given by complex treatment, when intravenous or intramuscular injections are combined with external influence on sick calves.

Advice! Treatment of meat breeds for pneumonia has its own characteristics. In no case should antibiotics be administered to meat-oriented animals if their slaughter is scheduled for the next few days. Drug components can remain in the meat and reduce its quality.

Folk ways

Young calves are fed with a solution of soda, slightly warmed up before use. In addition, the following herbs have proven themselves in the treatment of pneumonia:

  • thyme;
  • liquorice root;
  • coltsfoot.

Decoctions and infusions are made from these herbs, which are also aimed at stimulating the withdrawal of sputum.

Advice! It is best to avoid self-medication whenever possible. Folk methods are resorted to as a last resort in order to alleviate the condition of the animals before the visit of the veterinarian. It will not be possible to completely cure infected calves from pneumonia with the help of herbs and improvised means.

Aftermath

If the treatment of pneumonia in cattle is started, it can become chronic or lead to serious disorders in the respiratory system. In addition, the cardiovascular and digestive systems may be irreversibly affected, they are closely related to the functioning of the lungs. Finally, if the animal is severely tolerant of the course of the disease, it can subsequently cause a general weakening of the immune system in calves. In general, they will be more susceptible to adverse environmental conditions and various infectious diseases.

Pneumonia rarely leads to death.

Pneumonia in cattle: symptoms and treatment

Prevention

Preventive measures against pneumonia in calves include compliance with the following recommendations:

  1. First of all, it is necessary to ensure good ventilation of the premises where the calves are kept. To do this, for convenience, a forced ventilation system is often installed in barns. In addition, calves with pneumonia need to be walked from time to time so that their muscles do not atrophy.
  2. A good prevention against pneumonia is the feeding of small calves with colostrum. They should receive the first portion within 3-5 hours after birth, the approximate volume is 3-4 liters. Such a natural food supplement activates the full functioning of the gastrointestinal tract on the first day of life and helps to strengthen the immune system.
  3. Proper feeding by itself reduces the risk of pneumonia in calves. A complete diet for calves should include milk feeding (5-7 liters per day) and free access to clean water. Starter feeds are introduced gradually so as not to stress the calves.
  4. In the barn, minimum sanitary requirements must be observed: the bedding must be changed in a timely manner, the premises themselves and inventory are periodically disinfected.

Separately, it is worth highlighting such a method of prevention as vaccination. Currently, calves can be vaccinated against pneumonia using various drugs prescribed by a veterinarian. On the other hand, in addition to highly specialized vaccines, there are also complex ones that neutralize the action of several types of bacteria at once.

Important! Vaccination is an effective way to protect cattle from pneumonia, however, it is not a panacea. Even after this procedure, the risk of infection of calves with viral infections remains.

Conclusion

The most important thing is to detect the first symptoms in time, and the treatment of pneumonia in calves will take very little time. It is important to carefully monitor the young in the first 2-3 months of life, so as not to miss the violations in the behavior of animals. A healthy calf is mobile, with a smooth and shiny coat and regular stools. He does not refuse food and often drinks water. If any deviations from these baselines are noticeable, you should take a closer look at the calf. Of course, only a veterinarian can make an accurate diagnosis – the symptoms of pneumonia largely overlap with other diseases, however, vigilance never hurts.

You can learn more about the treatment of pneumonia in calves in the video below:

Pneumonia in calves. Complex treatment. Pneumonia in calves. complex treatment.

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