Dry areas across the Prairies have received much needed rains in recent
weeks but dugout levels are still dangerously low, says a water expert.
Larry Braul told producers attending the Western Beef Development
Centre’s Termuende field day that when water levels drop as low as they
have, it can cause problems.
Moisture that has been sitting adjacent to the dugout for five or 10
years seeps in. That old water can be loaded with bad things.
“Almost overnight you can change from a dugout that’s really good water
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quality to one that’s quite high in salts and sulfates that can really
affect the cattle,” said the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration
water quality engineer.
If the salt level in the dugout gets too high, the cattle will decrease
their water intake and can become dehydrated. But the bigger concern is
the sulfates, which can cause “nutritional polio” or nutrient
deficiencies in the animals.
Excess sulfates cause valuable minerals to be flushed out of the body,
leading to a swelling of the brain.
“As a result the brain is kind of crushed up against the skull. With
that, the cattle are basically losing brain cells. They can become
blind, they can become disoriented, they star gaze and eventually they
can die from that.”
The condition is easily reversed if caught early. A veterinarian can
simply provide the cows with the minerals they are lacking and the
animal’s health will rapidly improve.
But there is something producers can do to prevent the onset of
nutritional polio.
“It’s very important to test the water, especially during drought,”
said Braul.
“If your dugout is low and you have no runoff, those are warning signs
and you want to test your dugout and watch your cattle.”
Testing for levels of dissolved solids and sulfates is inexpensive and
can be done at almost any water testing lab listed in the yellow pages,
he said.
A list of prairie labs is also available on the PFRA’s website at
www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/water/wqualite.htm.
Braul said producers should also test for blue-green algae because it
is more prevalent during drought, thriving on the thicker concentration
of nutrients in the water.
Most blue-green algaes don’t produce toxins, but some do and those
poisonous ones are easily identified through standard tests.
Identifying blue-green algae in dugouts is straightforward. Producers
should look for colouration of the water and if they see any algae they
should grab it.
If they can hold the material in their hand, it’s not blue-green algae,
but if it slips through the fingers, it likely is.
If that is the case, it should be checked to see if it is the variety
dangerous to cattle.
