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Cattle still threatened as flood waters recede

Flooding continues to threaten cattle even as waters recede.

Barry Whitworth with Oklahoma State University Extension says livestock in his state and several others drowned this spring as rivers spilled out onto pastures.

In the aftermath, he tells Brownfield there are new threats producers need to be aware of.

“The things we’ve worried about is foot rot because of all the muddy, wet conditions and the cattle constantly having their feet wet.”

Whitworth says he’s also concerned about blackleg in calves.

“And that’s because it’s a spore-borne disease, and those spores are in the soil. With all that flooding, we’re afraid those spores might be disturbed and maybe redistributed on pastures.”

The good news, he says, is that vaccinations can prevent blackleg.

Whitworth adds clinical signs of the disease are rarely seen before the animal dies.