[Incidence and costs of health problems in Swiss dairy cows and their calves (1993-1994)]
1997
Staerk, K.D.C. (Bern Univ., Mittelhaeusern (Switzerland). Institut fuer Viruskrankheiten und Immunprophylaxe) | Frei-Staeheli, C. | Frei, P.P. | Pfeiffer, D.U. | Danuser, J. | Audige, L. | Nicolet, J. | Strasser, M. | Gottstein, B. | Kihm, U.
Between July 1993 and July 1994 morbidity and management data related to dairy cows and their calves up to the age of 8 weeks were recorded in 113 randomly selected dairy herds. Any costs caused by disease and prevention were also recorded. Blood and faeces were analysed with respect to selected pathogens. The health problems most frequently diagnosed in cows were reproductive and udder diseases. Calves suffered most often from diarrhea, omphalitis, and pneumonia. The directly disease-related costs per cow-year amounted to CHF 139.44 and CHF 4.18 per calf on average. For prevention the farmers spent on average CHF 10.18 per cow-year. Results from the laboratory analyses indicate that in 68.1 % of the farms antibodies against Leptospira hardjo and in 61.9 % against Coxiella burnetii were detected. In 8 % of the farms antibodies against Mycobacterium paratuberculosis were found. Antibodies against BVD virus were present in 99.1 % of the farms. Cows from 63.7 % of the farms were infected with gastrointestinal strongylids. Veterinary assistance was required on average 1.96 times per cow-year. In almost all reproductive and puerperal disease cases a veterinarian was consulted, while lameness was treated in the majority of cases by the owner. The veterinary profession was hardly ever involved in disease prevention
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