News

South Dakota cattle died from congestive heart failure

South Dakota’s state veterinarian continues to get reports of livestock killed by the early October blizzard in that state. Dustin Oedekoven told Brownfield that the South Dakota Animal Industry Board Office has received reports of 14,840 cattle, 1,257 sheep, 288 horses and 40 bison killed in the storm.

“Those reports do continue to come in, and we sure encourage producers who’ve lost livestock to call our office,” said Oedekoven, in an interview with Brownfield Ag News on Thursday afternoon. “We’re simply gathering these numbers in an effort to have a verified count to measure the impact of this disaster.”

Cattle that died in the blizzard walked long distances seeking shelter, gathering in low spots that either filled with water in which they drowned, or were covered by snow that suffocated them, said Oedekoven. Regardless, the early date of the storm caught animals before an adequate winter hair coat had developed.

“The cardiovascular system of those animals became overwhelmed and they basically got pulmonary edema and their lungs filled up with fluid,” he said, which is very similar to congestive heart failure.

“’Dryland drowning’ is a term that I think developed with this storm,” said Oedekoven, repeating how producers described what they’ve found in many dead cattle. “But it isn’t water that the animals inhaled or blew in from the environment; it’s fluid that actually came from their bloodstream as their cardio vascular system was compromised.”

There is some positive news. Oedekoven had asked producers to watch livestock for respiratory diseases that may have been brought on by the stress of the storm.

“Fortunately we’re seeing very few animals that have actually had long lasting issues,” said Oedekoven. “ There are some here and there that veterinarians and producers have reported treating with respiratory symptoms, but by and large most of the calves are healthy.”

There are still producers who, for personal reasons, have not reported, or may never report their losses from the storm, according to Oedekoven.

“This was a deeply personal issue for many and they may not want to share that number, or the fact that they lost animals, with anybody.”

AUDIO: Dustin Oedekoven (8 min. MP3)