Nutrition has a large effect on the occurrence and severity of many diseases of dairy cattle. See the table Nutritional Diseases of Dairy Cattle.
Nutritional Diseases of Dairy Cattle
Clinical sign | Possible Nutrient or Dietary Involvement |
|---|---|
Deficiencies of trace minerals or vitamins, especially selenium, copper, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin E, have been implicated | |
Possible copper or cobalt deficiency in adult cattle; iron deficiency in young calves | |
Blindness and night blindness | May be an initial isolated clinical sign of polioencephalomalacia; may be associated with vitamin A deficiency, with or without signs of corneal opacity |
Consumption of legume pastures or finely ground, high-starch diets (such as are frequently fed to feedlot cattle) is predisposing; cattle not acclimated to these diets are particularly susceptible to frothy bloat | |
Inadequate quantity or quality of colostrum provided to newborn calf. Protein-energy malnutrition due to underfeeding of milk or milk replacer, especially in conditions of cold stress. Deficiencies of vitamin A, selenium, copper, and zinc as regulators of immune response | |
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 distillers' grains and solubles; nonprotein nitrogen intoxication (urea) |
Congenital defects | Deficiencies of vitamin A, manganese, or copper |
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 |
Both metabolic and nutritional causes; feeding should 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 |
Excess body condition during late lactation or during the dry period accompanied by poor feed intake in late gestation and early lactation | |
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 decreased 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 |
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 | |
Chronic and 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 |
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 | |
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 |
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 | |
Seizures | Vitamin A deficiency, particularly if seizures occur intermittently, interspersed with periods of normal activity in growing calves |
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 feedborne toxicants; including nitrates, cyanide, many mycotoxins, toxic plants, urea |
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 |
