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Veterinary assessment of the condition and needs of livestock and their owners in an emergency is an essential element of the disaster response. The emergency response for livestock has 4 critical components: assessing the need for and attending to the immediate medical needs of injured or affected livestock, determining the resources available to meet the needs, including feed and facilities, identifying any ongoing threats or potential hazards to livestock health and welfare, and appropriate documentation of damages and actions by responders. Information gathered from cattle assessments by veterinarians is used to prioritize resources and plan for anticipated needs., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To describe Schirmer tear test I and rebound tonometry findings in healthy bovine calves., Animals Studied: Thirty-three clinically normal dairy breed calves of mean (SD) 11 (1.1) weeks (range, 9.3-13.3 weeks) of age were evaluated., Procedures: A Schirmer tear test I was performed on each eye followed by tonometry, using a TonoVet(®) without topical anesthesia. We report means (SD) and statistical analysis of data for each assay., Results: For both Schirmer tear test (STT) I and tonometry, significant differences were not found between fellow eyes (P = 0.1536 and P = 0.83, respectively). The mean (SD) STT I value of all eyes was 20.4 (5.0) mm/min (range, 9-34 mm/min) while the mean (SD) intraocular pressure (IOP) value of all eyes was 15.2 (5.2) mmHg (range, 7-25 mmHg)., Conclusions: This study reports normal data for the STT I and rebound tonometry in calves. This data may be useful in complete ophthalmic examinations of cattle, guiding diagnosis of glaucoma, uveitis, and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. However, results of these diagnostic modalities must be interpreted in light of clinical signs, given the wide range of normal values obtained in this study., (© 2014 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.)

Objective: To evaluate corneal sensitivity as measured by the corneal touch threshold in healthy bovine calves., Animals Studied: Twelve clinically normal male calves with predominantly Holstein genetics and a median age of 76.5 days (range, 67-92 days)., Procedures: Corneal touch threshold (CTT) of the central cornea was measured in both eyes of each calf using a Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer., Results: The mean ± standard deviation corneal touch threshold of all eyes was 1.33 ± 1.1 g/mm(2) (range, 0.62-66.15 g/mm(2) ), corresponding to a filament length of 34.56 ± 8.02 mm (range, 14-47.5 mm). There was no significant difference between fellow eyes., Conclusions: Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometry was well tolerated in all 12 calves using a modified head restraint. Calves in this study may have a relatively sensitive central cornea compared to adult cattle and some other species; however, wide variation among individuals and eyes may be possible. Studies utilizing larger calf populations are necessary to establish reference ranges., (© 2014 American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.)

Transportation of cattle to the slaughter plant could influence hide contamination with Salmonella enterica. Fecal and hide samples were obtained from 40 lots of cattle at the feedlot and again at the slaughter plant. Potential risk factors for hide contamination were evaluated. A multilevel Poisson regression model was used to determine whether transportation and lairage were associated with hide contamination by Salmonella. Cattle with hide samples positive for Salmonella at the feedlot had twice the risk of having positive slaughter hide samples compared with cattle without positive feedlot hide samples (relative risk [RR], 1.9). Cattle transported in trailers from which samples positive for Salmonella were collected had twice the risk of having positive slaughter hide samples compared with cattle transported in culture-negative trailers (RR, 2.3). Cattle transported for long distances had twice the risk of having positive hide samples at slaughter compared with cattle transported shorter distances (RR, 2.3). Cattle held in lairage pens contaminated with feces had twice the risk of having positive slaughter hide samples compared with cattle held in clean pens (RR, 1.8). Cattle held off feed longer than 18 h before loading had twice the risk of having positive slaughter hide samples compared with cattle held off feed for shorter times (RR, 1.7). Cattle that were agitated during loading had twice the risk of having positive slaughter hide samples compared with cattle that were calm (RR, 2.2). These findings suggest that variables associated with transportation and lairage can impact the presence of Salmonella on the hides of cattle at slaughter.

Transportation of cattle from the feedlot to the slaughter plant could influence hide contamination of Escherichia coli O157. A study was initiated to investigate the influence of transportation and lairage on shedding and hide contamination of E. coli O157. Fecal and hide samples were obtained from 40 pens of harvest-ready beef cattle at the feedlot prior to transport and again at the slaughter plant immediately after slaughter. Potential risk factors for hide contamination at the feedlot, during transport, and at slaughter were evaluated. A multilevel Poisson regression model was used to evaluate if transportation and lairage were associated with hide contamination by E. coli O157 in finished beef cattle. Lots of cattle held in E. coli O157-positive lairage pens had eight times greater risk of having positive slaughter hide samples compared with cattle held in culture-negative pens (relative risk, 8.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.6 to 38.8). Lots of cattle that were held in lairage pens contaminated with feces had three times greater risk for positive slaughter hide samples compared with cattle held in clean pens (relative risk, 3.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 7.9). Lots of cattle that were transported for long distances (> 160.9 km) had twice the risk of having positive hide samples at slaughter compared with cattle transported a shorter distance (relative risk, 2.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 5.1). These findings suggest that transportation and lairage should be considered in E. coli O157 control strategies.

Objective: To evaluate associations between neonatal serum IgG1 concentration and pre- and postweaning morbidity and mortality rates and average daily gains (ADGs) in beef calves and define a cutoff point for serum IgG1 concentration necessary for optimal health and performance of beef calves., Design: Nonconcurrent cohort study., Animals: 1,568 crossbred beef calves., Procedure: Single radial immunodiffusion was used to quantitate IgG1 concentration in sera collected from calves between 24 and 72 hours after birth. Logistic regression, ANCOVA, and likelihood ratios were used to analyze data., Results: In the preweaning period, lower perinatal IgG1 concentrations were significantly associated with higher morbidity rates, higher mortality rates, and lower ADGs. Calves with serum IgG1 concentration < 2,400 mg/dL were 1.6 times as likely to become ill before weaning and 2.7 times as likely to die before weaning as calves with higher serum IgG1 concentrations. Calves with serum IgG1 concentration of at least 2,700 mg/dL weighed an estimated 3.35 kg (7.38 lb) more at 205 days of age than calves with lower serum IgG1 concentration. No significant association of serum IgG1 concentration with feedlot morbidity, death, or ADG was identified., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: By use of likelihood ratios, the threshold of serum IgG1 concentration for optimal health and performance of calves was higher than values reported previously. Implementation and maintenance of management and intervention strategies designed for early detection and treatment of calves at risk for failure of passive transfer will likely result in increases in preweaning health and performance parameters.