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Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) is one of the costliest cattle diseases, according to reports the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. Because this common disease can greatly impact cattle health and reduce a ranch's profitability, it's critical to remain alert and ready to act to protect the health of your herd.
Consider devoting budget to proactively screening and protecting your herd from persistently infected BVD cattle.
Learn more in the free BVD Management guide from FBN®.
In this post, we’ll cover:
What Is Bovine Viral Diarrhea?
What Are the Potential Costs Associated with Screening for BVD?
When Should Cattle Be Screened for BVD?
How Is BVD Transmitted?
What Are BVD Symptoms?
How to Manage BVD
Bovine viral diarrhea is one of the most widespread diseases impacting cattle herds across the United States. Belonging to the genus Pestivirus of the family Flaviviridae, it is a pestivirus infection induced by the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV).
Severe cases of BVD can be fatal for cattle of all ages. However, vaccinated cattle usually do not experience severe infections. Screening for BVD can help reduce instances of viral spread.
Persistently infected bovine viral diarrhea virus (PI-BVDV) only occurs in utero. It develops when, at 40 to 125 days of gestation, the fetus encounters the virus.
Although some PI-BVD cattle grow to maturity, others are plagued by the disease. For the duration of their lives, they are carriers of the disease and can cause BVD to spread to other livestock. If they successfully breed, their offspring will also have the disease. Therefore, it’s critical to be aware early of cattle that are carriers to limit exposure and infection.
There are two types of BVD:
Cytopathic: This type causes cell death.
Noncytopathic: This type does not cause the death of cells.
Cattle that are persistently infected by BVDV may develop mucosal disease (MD). Researchers believe this uncommon disease derives from a mutation of noncytopathic BVDV to cytopathic BVDV.
MD is uncommon even among cattle that are exposed. However, if a cow does become infected with MD, it will likely be fatal.
Screening for PI-BVDV helps protect the herd and the economic viability of the farm. While there is an upfront cost for screening, it allows producers to identify infected livestock, remove them from production, and prevent disease spread.
The approximate cost for screening a pen of 100 head of calves is highlighted below in the two tables. Calculations include the current cost of sending blood samples to University of Nebraska-Lincoln to conduct BVDV testing.
Red top tubes can be found here; information on the PCR testing can be found here.
The employee cost is variable in both tables because testing can and should be done at the time of processing.
The total cost if there is a positive animal is far less than the loss of one finished calf. Keep in mind that when a BVD outbreak occurs, the death loss is usually far higher than one head, often 20–30% of the pen.
Screening for BVD should be routine. All newborn calves and newly purchased cattle should be screened.
If BVD is suspected on the farm, follow the screening guidelines above and determine which animals are infected. Read on to learn about how BVD is transmitted and what symptoms to look for.
Bovine viral diarrhea is endemic to countries that produce cattle. Consequently, the disease is a high risk for most cattle herds.
BVD can spread when cattle are transported and commingled. When new cattle are introduced to a farm or ranch, they may be carriers and silently start the spread the disease to the rest of the herd.
Remember that this disease can also gain entry to your herd from neighboring operations through fence line contact, even if cattle are not in the same pen.
Once on the farm, BVD can spread not just through direct contact but through commonly used objects, such as:
Feeders
Water tanks
IV equipment
Nose leads (bulls, show cattle)
The BVD virus can impact other livestock as well, including:
Goats
Pig
Sheep
While BVD can spread to some other livestock, it is not considered a threat to human health.
Unlike its name might suggest, this disease does not primarily target the digestive system. BVD suppresses the immune system and has a wide range of health impacts on cattle, largely causing respiratory and reproductive problems.
BVD symptoms include:
Appetite loss
Bloody diarrhea
Diminished milk production
Discharge from the nose and eyes
Fever
Pneumonia
Drowsiness
Ulcers
Open cows may have trouble breeding. Those that are pregnant may abort, or they may deliver a weak calf that has a chance to be persistently infected.
The resulting calves may be especially susceptible to succumbing to BVD. Their symptoms may include:
Birth defects
Congenital malformations
Coordination problems, including stumbling
Exaggerated stance
Tremors
From vaccines and testing for BVD to managing its symptoms, FBN offers a wide variety of products on the market that can help manage the impacts of this disease.
Visit the FBN vaccine page to find additional offerings.
It’s important that infected cattle stay hydrated and nourished, as they often lose their appetite.
Visit the FBN Feed store to find mineral supplements and lick tubs.
FBN is your one-stop shop for livestock products. Whether you’re looking for animal health products or animal feed, we’ve got you covered.
Shop conveniently online 24/7 and have your order shipped directly to your farm so that you can focus on what you do best — caring for your cattle and managing your ranch.
Download the Free BVD Management Guide here.
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