Bronchopneumonia in calves
Bronchopneumonia in calves leads to problems of keeping cattle livestock, being a fairly common disease, which results in large financial losses for farms.
Bronchopneumonia in calves
Essence and etiological nature
Bronchopneumonia in calves is defined as an inflammatory process in the bronchi and lung tissues, when serous exudate accumulates in them, which rapidly spreads through the bronchial system. This disease is most often noted among young cattle.
Bronchopneumonia in calves is classified as the second type of disease after dysfunction of the digestive organs and stomach, which are most often found in cattle. According to research by scientists, bronchopneumonia is recorded in 20-30% of young animals.
As a result of the pneumonia suffered by the calves, a decrease in the daily weight gain, a decrease in productive indicators and breeding characteristics is observed in young animals.
The etiology of bronchopneumonia in calves can be associated with several factor signs:
- decrease in the general resistance of the animal organism,
- colds,
- stressful situations,
- crowding when keeping young animals.
The etiology of calf bronchopneumonia is added by such contributing factors as the presence of hypovitaminosis A and C, the wrong choice of individuals for crossing, the production of unhealthy offspring in the process of inbreeding, and the hereditary susceptibility of animals to diseases.
In addition, the etiology is complicated by physiological characteristics that are characteristic of young animals, including:
- the shortness of the trachea and the narrowness of the bronchi of young animals,
- excessive supply of blood vessels to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract,
- weak elasticity of the walls of the alveoli, oversaturation with lymph.
All these reasons directly affect how quickly catarrhal pneumonia develops and develops in calves.
Secondary etiology is associated with infections: streptococcal, staphylococcal, the presence in the body of animals of hemophilic and intestinal infections, pasteurella, pneumococci, fungi and viruses. In many cases, the nature of the inflammation, its course and outcome depend on additional etiological messages.
The appearance and course of the disease
The manifestation of the described ailment in calves is a rather complex effect on the body, because during the process the work of most organs and internal systems of cattle vital activity is affected. The most unfavorable changes occur in the activity of the nervous system, as a result of which there is a decrease in the stability of young animals with a decrease in the level of histamine and an increase in protein fractions, blood stagnates in the lung tissues and edema of the bronchial mucous membranes occurs.At the very beginning of the disease, the work of leukocytes sharply decreases, and the epithelium begins to lose its protective function, and serous exudate begins to accumulate in the bronchi. This serves as a favorable condition for the reproduction of microorganisms, which spreads the inflammatory effect throughout the animal's body, gradually uniting the affected areas into large foci. The lymph nodes are enlarged.
Bronchopneumonia of calves often causes irreversible disruption of the functioning of the bronchi and lungs of representatives of cattle:
- disruption of the pulmonary system of calves undermines the protective role of the immune response and causes general intoxication due to the virulence of microorganisms,
- changes in the work of the systems of the body of animals slow down the metabolic processes of vital activity, leading to additional mobilization of all protective functions to combat pathogenic agents.
As a result, catarrhal pneumonia delays and changes the work of not only the respiratory system, but also the cardiovascular and digestive systems. In addition, there is a decrease in the filtration function of the renal system due to disruption of the central nervous system, the process of thermoregulation changes, often leading to fevers.
As a defensive reaction against bronchopneumonia, calves have a slight cough and snort.
During the course of the disease in animals, ventilation of the lungs is impaired. For this reason, the respiratory process becomes more frequent, and a decrease in gas exchange leads to shortness of breath, decreased vascular tone and impaired blood flow. As a result, animals have low blood pressure, and congestion leads to a change in the activity of the liver.
Symptomatic signs
Depending on how severe the disease is, catarrhal pneumonia is of three forms.
Acute current
In the acute form of the course, pneumonia produces for 5 to 10 days, starting with a slight malaise in animals, characterized by lethargy and decreased appetite. However, already on day 2-3, the body temperature of young animals rises to 42 ° C, accompanied by shortness of breath or breathing with an open mouth, a sharp and dry cough, which subsequently turns into a weak and moist one. Serous discharge may appear from the nasal cavity of calves, which, after some time, acquire a purulent character.
Subacute form
The subacute course of bronchopneumonia in calves is accompanied by a wet cough, decreased appetite and a suspension of the growth of young animals, maintaining symptoms for 20 days to a month. During the day, the usual body temperature of the animal is recorded, which rises by 1-2 ° closer to evening time. During an exacerbation of the disease, an increase in temperature is noted, diarrhea and increasing toxicosis and hypoxia are possible.
Chronic appearance
Catarrhal pneumonia in chronic form significantly slows down the growth rate of young animals and is characterized by systematic cough and serous nasal discharge. Appetite in cattle is unstable and changeable, body temperature sometimes rises, lymph nodes are enlarged.
Diagnostics and treatment
For the treatment of sick young cattle, correct diagnosis is important, when the clinical picture is revealed, the stages and form of the disease are determined, medications are prescribed and measures for the prevention of bronchopneumonia in calves are planned.
Diagnostic procedure
The veterinarian is able to diagnose the disease on the basis of laboratory studies in the study of clinical symptoms and analysis of anatomical changes, the history of the disease is studied. Diagnostics takes into account data on the conditions of keeping and raising young livestock. In addition, the behavior of calves in confined spaces and in open areas is studied. X-ray diagnostics helps to obtain data on the degree of damage to the lung tissue.
Diagnosis of pneumonic disease in calves uses bronchopulmonary testing according to the method of I. Kondrakhin, in which the content of coarse protein components in the total blood mass is studied. According to the indications received, conclusions are drawn about the recovery of young animals or the ineffectiveness of the treatment and unfavorable outcomes.
Treatment
In the complex treatment of bronchopneumonia in calves, there is both a direct drug effect and its accompanying prophylaxis. The effectiveness of the treatment largely depends on the created external conditions of keeping and growing. For this purpose, sick animals are placed in individual cages for living, and in conditions of group rearing, healthy individuals are separated from patients. In warm weather, the calves are kept outdoors for as long as possible.
Among the main medicines used to treat calves with bronchopneumonia, there is a group of antibiotics. Most often, treatment occurs with tetracyclines, cefazolin, the effectiveness of pentacyclin, erythromycin, tylosin has been noted.
In this case, the treatment regimen can be carried out in several ways:
- intravenous administration of drugs is possible,
- the intratracheal route of administration of medications is used,
- the effectiveness of aerosoletherapy in the form of inhalations was noted.
In addition, daily herbal medicine is widely recommended as a complementary agent, as well as as a prophylaxis of disease to increase immunity. Prevention can also include peptide-based immunostimulating medicines that do not have a toxic effect on cattle organisms, vitamin complexes and mineral supplements.
Prevention of the disease is of no small importance during the period of the spread of respiratory diseases in calves.