Who “Nose” When a Calf is Getting Sick?
If you observe a calf with a heavy cough or watery scours, you’ve probably already missed the window of opportunity to treat the disease effectively for a full recovery, according to Abbigail Prins, graduate student in Animal Science at the University of Minnesota.
Before she entered graduate school on a path to earning her master’s degree, Prins was responsible for thousands of preweaned calves on western calf ranches. Her #1 tip for identifying calves in the earliest stage of illness: “Check their nose temperature. If it feels cold, they’re getting sick,” she advised.
A more in-depth explanation by Jillian Bohlen, Associate Professor at the University of Georgia Department of Animal and Dairy Science, confirms Prins’ intuition. Bohlen said cold extremities – including the nose, ears, and hooves – are a sign that calves may have reduced circulation to the extremities, “which would be considered abnormal.” It’s an early signal that blood is being shunted away from the extremities to fight disease elsewhere in the body.
On a recent episode of the Dairy Nutritionist Blackbelt Podcast, Prins said she also relied on the following, early cues that calves were on the front side of illness:
- Rectal temperature of 103°F or higher;
- Sunken, recessed eyes, signaling dehydration;
- “Skin tenting” test showing a slow return to flat status – another telltale sign of dehydration;
- Slow drinking speed; and
- Lethargy and disinterest in getting up to eat.
Cattle are a prey species, so they have natural instincts to not appear impaired or weak. That’s why observing subtle signs of early illness is so important.
“Cattle are generally good at hiding the early symptoms of disease, so careful observation by someone with experience with healthy and sick calves is necessary to identify calves that require further attention,” advised Bohlen. “Calves may also change their behavior if they know they are being watched, so frequent and consistent observations are important as part of the calf-care routine.”
For more on calf health, read:
- New Artificial Intelligence Technology Meets the Maternity Ward
- Facility Focus: The Best Way to Better Manage Group Maternity Pens for Calmer Calvings
- Uniting Technology with the Youngest Herd Members on Your Farm
- America's Heifer Shortage is Preventing Expansion. Is the Big Money for Beef-on-Dairy a Factor?
- 3 Offense Tools to Control Crypto in Calves
