Abortion

Deficiencies of trace minerals or vitamins, especially selenium, copper, zinc vitamin A, or vitamin E, have been implicated

Anemia

Possible copper or cobalt deficiency in adult cattle; iron deficiency in young calves (unlikely in adult cattle)

Blindness and night blindness

May be an initial isolated sign of polioencephalomalacia; may be associated with vitamin A deficiency, with or without signs of corneal opacity

Bloat

Consumption of legume pastures or finely ground, high-starch diets (such as are frequently fed to feedlot cattle) are predisposing; cattle not acclimated to these diets are particularly susceptible to frothy bloat

CNS signs

Incoordination, blindness, nystagmus, thrashing, and opisthotonos may be associated with polioencephalomalacia; high-starch diets with microbial inactivation of thiamine and high-sulfur diets such as those associated with heavy feeding of distiller’s grains and solubles; nonprotein nitrogen intoxication (urea)

Congenital defects

Deficiencies of vitamin A, manganese, or copper

Convulsions

Sign of vitamin A deficiency, particularly if they occur intermittently interspersed with periods of normal activity in growing calves

Cystic ovaries

Energy insufficiency and associated subclinical ketosis in early lactation are predisposing; vitamin E and selenium deficiency speculated to contribute; excessive or rapid body condition loss in early lactation due to dietary energy, protein, or combination deficiencies

Diarrhea

Numerous dietary factors, including abrupt changes in diet, especially those associated with increases in dietary nonfiber carbohydrates and dietary rumen fermentability; lush rapidly growing pasture and increased dietary protein or salt concentrations

Displaced abomasum

Both metabolic and nutritional causes; feeding should be to prevent ketosis and stimulate high dry-matter intakes; both pre- and postpartum diets are important in management; hypocalcemia and subclinical ketosis are predisposing issues

Dyspnea

Atypical interstitial pneumonia associated with movement of cattle from poor pasture to lush pasture; associated with ruminal conversion of tryptophan to 3-methyl indole

Fatty liver

Excess body condition during late lactation or during the dry period accompanied by poor feed intake in late gestation and early lactation

Hypomagnesemic tetany

Functional and absolute magnesium deficiency; risk increases with consumption of lush pasture grasses, especially with high potassium concentrations

Inappetence (off feed)

Many nutritional deficiencies (protein, mineral, and vitamin) eventually result in reduced feed intake

Incoordination (ataxia)

Blind staggers associated with sulfur intoxication (formerly considered chronic selenium toxicosis); demyelinization associated with copper deficiency; subclinical hypocalcemia

Infertility

Energy is the most clearly associated nutrient; insufficiencies of carotene or manganese may affect ovarian function

Ketosis

Glucose deficiency from insufficient gluconeogenesis coupled with excessive lipid mobilization; excess body condition in late gestation and insufficient feed intake in early lactation are the primary nutritional influences

Laminitis

Chronic or acute laminitis and their sequelae are thought to result from diets with high concentrations of nonstructural (sugar and starches) carbohydrates; excessive hindgut fermentation of dietary nonstructural carbohydrates (bypass starch sources)

Milk fever (parturient paresis)

Failure of calcium homeostasis rather than dietary calcium deficiency; control by feeding low-calcium diets or acidifying diets prepartum

Pica and dirt eating

Common causes are not well determined; sodium deficiency, potentially phosphorus deficiency, low-fiber diets implicated

Polioencephalomalacia

Associated with either ruminal destruction of thiamine or with ruminal production of hydrogen sulfide associated with high-sulfur diets; more common in feedlot than dairy cattle

Retained fetal membranes

A range of nutritional deficiencies resulting in compromised immune function are predisposing; prepartum negative energy/protein balance leading to metabolic issues

Rickets and osteomalacia

Insufficient calcium, phosphorus, or vitamin D consumption

Rumen acidosis, acute clinical

Usually associated with major errors or inconsistencies in feed delivery in which high starch intake occurs in cattle unaccustomed to such diets; associated with formation of lactic acid in the rumen with severe drops in rumen pH

Rumen acidosis, chronic subclinical

Associated with lactation diets with high nonfiber carbohydrate concentrations and low fiber concentrations; also associated with high rumen concentrations of volatile fatty acids and rumen pH ≤5.6 for prolonged periods throughout the day

Skin problems

Problems such as dull, brittle coats, hypotrichia, easily depilated hair, hyperkeratosis, thin skin, and poor healing may be associated with nutritional problems; deficiencies of vitamin A, copper and zinc, generalized protein-calorie malnutrition

Sudden death

Deficiencies of vitamins A or E, selenium, or copper; vitamin E and selenium deficiencies may be associated with cardiac nutritional myodegeneration

Suppressed immunity

Generalized immunosuppression, including both cellular and humoral immunity, may occur due to malnutrition; specific nutrient deficiencies include vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, copper, and selenium; also generalized protein-calorie malnutrition

Toxicities

Many toxicities associated with feed borne toxicants; including nitrates, cyanide, many mycotoxins, toxic plants, urea

Urolithiasis

Diets with high phosphorus and relatively low calcium and high potassium inducing alkaline urine (struvite); vitamin A deficiency may be predisposing; low fiber concentrations minimizing saliva flow may be predisposing; high intake of oxalates, silicates or calcium may predispose to other calculi types

Wasting and failure to thrive

Signs of many nutritional deficiencies as well as of chronic diseases such as internal parasitism; cobalt deficiency is a well-documented cause of ill thrift in cattle; protein-calorie malnutrition should always be evaluated

White muscle disease (nutritional myodegeneration)

Dietary deficiency of selenium or vitamin E