It is amazing how variable the prevalence of a specific disease can be between geographic areas.
We always think of the huge difference between warm climates and colder climates, but sometimes differences can be as close as a one-hour drive away.
Knowledge of disease differences for specific areas becomes critical when cattle are shipped over large distances, such as moving to summer pastures.
I will use the differences in the clostridial diseases, more specifically Bacillary hemoglobinuria (redwater), to illustrate this point.
Redwater will often cause a sudden death due to toxins produced by the bacteria and it occurs primarily in the summer and autumn pasture seasons. It has been commonly reported in cattle and is also prevalent in game-farmed animals in endemic areas. It is less common in sheep.
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It’s spread by water systems through flooding or drainage. Movement of contaminated hay has been incriminated and carrier animals such as coyotes may spread it from scavenging on carcasses killed by the disease. It is best to burn or bury carcasses deep if redwater is suspected.
Producers should have a veterinarian conduct an autopsy on sudden deaths or check a clinically sick animal, especially if its urine is red. Several diseases can cause red urine and each case must be investigated to differentiate because each problem requires a different treatment.
Clostridium hemolyticum is often provided in the blackleg vaccines, which is added into a seven-way vaccine to make it an eight-way vaccine.
In areas where blackleg is prevalent, routine vaccinations at six-month intervals may be necessary for prevention. This is after the cattle receive an initial and priming shot of vaccine, as instructed by the label.
The toxin causes red blood cells to burst, which is why hemoglobin contained in red blood cells shows up as a red-coloured urine, hence the name red water.
In some cases, early treatment with large doses of penicillin may prove successful.
Most often, the only sign of the disease is a sudden death and an autopsy is needed to confirm the cause.
Certain areas in Alberta, especially in west-central Alberta (eastern slopes of the Rockies), can have a high incidence. On infected farms, death losses can vary from five to 20 percent if susceptible cattle are not protected. These specific geographic areas have large tracts of land where cattle are pastured from other areas. These cattle may not be protected if coming from areas where redwater is not a problem.
My former practice area north of Edmonton, for instance, has seen only very sporadic cases in the last several years, although the incidence is increasing. Our standard recommendation is to use a nine-way vaccine (covexin-plus) because we do see advantages in treating for tetanus as well, especially with banding calves.
Tetanus incidence will increase with the use of banders for castration or the use of dirty needles for vaccinating.
Our protocol is to typically have all cattle vaccinated two times for feedlot animals and three times for replacement heifers by the time they are bred. This will give a very long immunity for most clostridial diseases.
In areas where redwater is prevalent, cattle, bison and elk must be vaccinated at least yearly and twice yearly if a real problem exists with specific herds.
Ideally, the shot should be given two to three weeks before the maximum exposure occurs. Otherwise, deaths will occur.
Vaccination protocols may differ significantly in other areas and producers moving cattle great distances must be aware of the situations.
Some cattle are vaccinated with seven-way vaccine and have absolutely zero protection against redwater. Other areas of Alberta might administer a vaccine protective against redwater every six months to maintain protection.
The vaccine labels state clearly that if a problem with redwater exists, at least annual vaccinations are recommended. The labels also state that if a problem exists, up to twice-yearly vaccinations may be necessary.
The good news is most producers can work this into their management schemes. If vaccines for the reproductive diseases are given in the spring, a multivalent clostridial vaccine containing hemolyticum can be administered at the same time. This is cheap insurance because the clostridial vaccines are the cheapest vaccines on the market today.
Liver flukes can also predispose cattle to redwater. If liver flukes have been a problem in your area, as they currently are in regions of Manitoba, make sure their Clostridium hemolyticum (redwater) vaccines are up to date. Liver flukes damage the liver, increasing the likelihood of animals contracting the disease.
There are numerous other examples where local geography, climate or soil type can lead to an increase in certain disease conditions, nutritional deficiencies, parasitic infestations or poisonous plants.
It is imperative for producers moving cattle to areas they are unfamiliar with to find out from local practitioners or producers the common local diseases and other potential problems.
Redwater is preventable and is endemic in certain areas of Western Canada.
As with all vaccines, but especially clostridial ones, make sure and read the label for the specific diseases you are trying to prevent.
Also, dispose of the carcasses, especially if clostridial diseases or anthrax is diagnosed.
