Prev Vet Med. 2025 Oct 20;246:106725. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106725. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Determining the frequency of outbreaks and use of management practices in Canadian beef cow-calf herds is important to understand the extent to which herds may be vulnerable to disease and help direct future management recommendations. Objectives were to 1. benchmark the frequency of outbreaks of preweaning Neonatal Calf Diarrhea (NCD), Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD), and calf mortality, as well as the use of relevant management practices, 2. compare the frequency of outbreaks and practices across regions, 3. assess the unconditional association of these practices with outbreaks, and 4. describe the importance producers gave to productivity parameters. Participants in the Canadian Cow-Calf Surveillance Network were surveyed in October 2022. One hundred and twenty-five participants responded to the questionnaire. Over 40 % of herds had at least one type of outbreak from 2019 to 2021. Eighty percent of herds that had mortality outbreaks also had NCD or BRD ones. The frequency of outbreaks did not differ across regions (P ≥ 0.05), while the use of several breeding, calving, colostrum, and biosecurity practices did (P < 0.05). Several calving practices associated with intensive management were associated with increased odds of herds having NCD or calf mortality outbreaks. Also, calving in large pastures was associated with increased the odds of mortality outbreaks, and leasing or sharing bulls with increased the odds of BRD outbreaks. Several commonly used high-risk herd-level practices could be associated with the high frequency of outbreaks and warrant further investigation as potential risk factors.
PMID:41135330 | DOI:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2025.106725
