Weaning strategy influence on pulmonary hypertension risk and respiratory disease

Commodities

• Animals: bovine
• Animal Products: meat

Practices

• Animal Production: animal protection and health
• Education and Training: extension, on-farm/ranch research

Bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF) presents a risk to the production and economic sustainability of beef operations. Utilization of pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) testing is the current method to select against high-risk individuals in mating decisions, however, data also indicates a strong link to bovine respiratory disease (BRD). At weaning, calves undergo stress due to transport, separation from their dam, vaccines, dehorning, etc. Often, incidence of BRD is heightened during the weaning period, potentially creating damage to the pulmonary system and impacting those animals risk to BCHF. Therefore, our goal is to evaluate weaning strategy impacts on BRD incidence, PAP score, and respiratory microbiome in a collaborative project  between the University of Wyoming and beef producers.

Objectives are to:
1) evaluate the impact of weaning methods on pulmonary arterial pressure score in post-weaned calves from producer and research herds, 2) measure the incidence of respiratory disease, characterize the respiratory microbiome, and analyze in relation to pulmonary arterial pressure score in calves from various weaning backgrounds, and 3) utilize research results of pulmonary arterial pressure score and respiratory microbiome at the time of weaning to inform decisions on managing risk for pulmonary hypertension and respiratory disease associated with weaning strategy. 

Objective 1: Evaluate impact of weaning methods on pulmonary arterial pressure score in post-weaned calves from producer and research herds.

Objective 2: Measure incidence of respiratory disease and respiratory microbiome in various weaning methods and corresponding pulmonary arterial pressure score.

Objective 3: Utilize research results of pulmonary arterial pressure score and respiratory microbiome at the time of weaning to inform decisions on managing risk for pulmonary hypertension and respiratory disease associated with weaning strategy.