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Livestock death loss reports coming in

South Dakota livestock producers are digging out from one of the worst blizzards ever to hit western South Dakota. Reports of animal losses are coming in.

South Dakota State University livestock specialist Julie Walker has talked to some of the affected cattlemen.

“I’ve had one producer tell me that he had lost 75 head in one group of cattle and then he had a couple more groups to look at yet, but he said that he thought this group was in the best protection,” Walker said, during an interview with Brownfield Ag News on Monday.

“One producer thought he had lost 10 to 15 percent of his herd, but he said he had just been out and did a little spot check and he hadn’t done a complete assessment yet,” she said. “But I know there’s probably ones out there that are worse than that.”

Walker tells Brownfield she learned from the blizzards of 1996 and 1997 that if there’s an available government livestock disaster program, producers will need documentation to prove losses.

“Some of the information that they will need will be number of dead animals, they should keep track of time and labor to handle those animals, any additional equipment time and how much time was used as well as if they can verify those dead animals,” she said.

Because of the federal shutdown, Walker says it may be a while before producers determine whether or not a federal program is available to assist ranchers.

In addition to the weekend blizzard creating deadly conditions for cattle, there are health issues South Dakota ranchers may see as a result of the blizzard.

“After mortalities are disposed of and the lost cattle returned to pastures, ranchers may still face problems with their animals in the days and weeks following the storm,” said SDSU Extension Veterinarian, Russ Daly, listing several health issues.

Prolonged stress placed on animals, especially younger animals, due to weather events results in increased cortisol levels in the animals’ bloodstream, which can have profound effects on the immune system. Prolonged stressful events, such as the blizzard experienced over the weekend, are more significant than short-term events.

“Long-term stress can have the effect of shifting the immune system towards production of antibodies and away from cell-mediated responses. In practical terms, this means that the body has less of an ability to respond to diseases caused by viruses,” Daly said.

He added that in growing cattle, respiratory diseases are often caused or started by Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), or “red-nose”, Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV), and Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV).

“Respiratory diseases in cattle generally have an incubation period of 7-14 days. Therefore, ranchers might expect that cattle affected by the blizzard could break with these illnesses over the next two weeks,” he said.

Weaned calves may be more susceptible to coccidiosis as well.

“This condition will present as bloody stools, along with dehydration and depression in more severely affected calves. Prompt identification of affected calves and treatment with individual or feed-based medications is important,” he said.

Daly said ranchers should consult with their veterinarian whether feed- or water-grade antibiotics, especially in weaned calves, would be appropriate for any of these conditions.

“In spring calving herds, the storm hit in the midst of ranchers’ normal preparations for weaning. Herds were in various stages of the process, anywhere from having calves weaned already to calves having their first pre-weaning vaccination, to calves that had not had pre-weaning vaccinations at all,” he said.

Long-term stress has the effect of inhibiting the immune system against infectious diseases, but it also inhibits the body’s response to vaccines.

“It’s best that calves have seven to 14 days following the blizzard event for their immune system to recover from the stress before they receive initial or booster doses of vaccines. Vaccinations will be less effective in cattle that are still under the influence of cortisol due to stress,” he said.

In cattle, it is generally considered that the effect of stresses on the body are additive. Daly explained that this means that any sort of transportation, processing, or weaning will add to the stresses already encountered by cows and calves going through the blizzard, or faced with moving through snow banks or muddy lots.

“Likewise, it’s best that calves get a break from any processing, weaning, or long-distance transporting for seven to 14 days following the weather event,” he said.

The best source of information regarding animal health in adverse conditions is the local veterinarian, as they will have the proper advice for prevention and treatment in light of local conditions.

The blizzard also coincides with the traditional marketing window for spring calves, according to SDSU Extension Cow-Calf Field Specialist Warren Rusche. If at all possible, said Rusche, ranchers should consider delaying marketing until the calves have had time to recover from the added stress load.

“Feedlots or backgrounders who purchase calves who have undergone these conditions should do all they can to minimize stress and provide as much TLC as possible. Feeders should consult with their veterinarian concerning timing of arrival vaccinations and possible preventative strategies,” he said.

“There’s no easy fix for this,” said Walker. “The producers are just going to have to work their way through it like they do with just about any disaster, sadly.”

AUDIO: Julie Walker (6 min. MP3)