Improving detection of pneumonia with lung scanning - January newsletter

We all dread the day walking into the calf shed to find sick calveswhich are off their feed and showing signs of pneumonia. However, clinical cases are usually just the tip of the iceberg. Up to two thirds of calves can have lung lesions without showing any clinical signs. These undetected cases have a massive financial impact in both dairy and beef calves:

• 202g - this is the reduction in weight gain, per day, of beef calves with subclinical lung damage from birth to slaughter
• A recent study found that finishing time can be delayed by 33-59 days for cattle without clinical signs but simply housed with cattle with pneumonia
• Cost per case: minimum of £43.25 per sick calf with an added costof £29.58 per calf for the rest of the in-contact group

Unfortunately, most cases of pneumonia are sub-clinical and go unnoticed. This not only impacts the calf pre-weaning but has major implications on future productivity such as:

• 4% reduction in 1st lactation yield, 8% in 2nd lactation
• Delayed age at first calving by 2 weeks 

Lung Scanning - How does it work?  Click the link at the top of the page for the full newsletter.