Prevention of Respiratory Disease in Cow/Calf Operations

Respiratory disease in nursing calves is a common, yet sporadic herd event. In herds that experience respiratory disease, this can be a frustrating experience. Beef cow operations have an expectation of losses during the calving season. Losses because of respiratory disease in calves, that are at least 1 month up to weaning age, is not a normal expectation. Veterinarians providing services and advice to these operations must be able to present scientific and logical recommendations to manage these events. A strong working knowledge of the risk factors contributing to clinical disease is necessary to developing prevention strategies.