Veterinary Handbook Disease Finder

Veterinary Handbook Contents

4.1 Introduction

This section describes the disease syndromes of cattle, sheep and goats that may be observed between arrival at the assembly feedlot and destination port.

A syndrome is a common set of signs that may be displayed by animals suffering from one or more conditions. When animals present with a syndrome, the animal could be suffering from one or more of the specific conditions that may be associated with that syndrome. Lists of the major syndromes and their differential diagnoses are presented in alphabetical order in Tables 4.1 (sheep and goats) and 4.2 (cattle). The individual descriptions of the diseases and conditions then proceed in alphabetical order, providing information on definition, pathogenesis, incidence, risk factors, clinical and necropsy diagnosis, differential diagnoses, treatment and prevention.

An awareness of the differential diagnoses that may be associated with a syndrome is important. It reduces the likelihood of misdiagnosis, which is important for diagnosing or excluding exotic and emergency diseases. It also increases the likelihood of reaching the correct diagnosis, which leads to selection of effective treatment and preventive measures to reduce the recurrence of disease.

A large number of diseases and conditions are mentioned, including some that are rarely seen. Less common conditions are included for completeness, because they are differential diagnoses for syndromes that have other more common causes. They also help users make accurate diagnoses for insurance, disease reporting and exotic disease exclusion purposes.The major conditions that can cause increased mortality and that have triggered disease investigations in the past are asterisked in each table: salmonellosis, inanition, heat stress, pneumonia and trauma in sheep, and respiratory disease or pneumonia, heat stress and trauma in cattle.


Table 4.1: Clinical syndromes of sheep and goats, and specific diseases

Syndrome Specific Diseases in Handbook
Abdominal distension

Abdominal distension

Abdominal hernia

Bloat

Gastrointestinal obstruction

Pregnancy - advanced

Urinary tract obstruction

Colic (abdominal pain)

Abdominal distension

Diarrhoea

Enterotoxaemia

Rumen acidosis

Urinary tract obstruction

Diarrhoea

Copper deficiency

Diarrhoea

Enterotoxaemia

Gastrointestinal parasitism

Indigestion

Monensin poisoning

Rumen acidosis

Salmonellosis*

Downer Asphyxiation
Decubital ulcers
Downer
Exhaustion
Foot abscess
Footrot
Monensin poisoning
Spinal cord injury
Swollen legs
Traumatic injuries*
Eye disease

Eye foreign body

Pinkeye

Illthrift
Abomasal ulcer
Abscess
Actinobacillosis
Bulling
Caseous lymphadenitis
Gastrointestinal parasitism
Heart failure – congestive
Illthrift
Inappetence/inanition*
Johne’s disease
Ketosis
Malnutrition
Monensin poisoning
Salmonellosis*
Shy feeders

 Knuckling Asphyxiation
Bulling
Downer
Gastrocnemius muscle rupture
Ketosis
Knuckling
Nervous disease
Spinal cord injury
Transit tetany
Traumatic injuries*
Lameness

Arthritis

Bulling

Foot abscess

Footrot

Gastrocnemius muscle rupture
Haematoma – cutaneous

Knuckling

Lacerations

Lameness

Laminitis

Nutritional myopathy

Overgrown hooves

Swollen legs

Salmonellosis*

Nasal discharge

Nasal discharge

Oesophageal obstruction

Respiratory distress

Nervous disease

Annual ryegrass toxicity

Copper deficiency

Downer

Enterotoxaemia

Hepatic encephalopathy

Hypocalcaemia

Ketosis

Lice

Meningitis

Middle ear abscess

Nervous disease

Nitrate - nitrite poisoning

Poisoning with lubricants, fumigants or exhaust gases

Polioencephalomalacia

Rumen acidosis

Salt poisoning

Spinal cord injury

Transit tetany

Respiratory distress

Asphyxiation

Bloat
Exhaustion
Heart failure – congestive

Heat stress*

Pneumonia*

Poisoning with lubricants, fumigants or exhaust gases

Respiratory distress

Skin lesions

Abdominal hernia

Abscess

Actinobacillosis

Alopecia

Decubital ulcers

Dermatophilosis

Fleece rot

Flystrike

Haematoma – cutaneous

Itch mite

Lacerations

Lice

Photosensitisation

Pizzle rot

Ringworm

Scabby mouth

Skin swellings

Squamous cell carcinoma

Warts

Straining

Abortion

Coccidiosis

Constipation

Gastrointestinal obstruction

Metritis

Pizzle rot

Pregnancy - advanced

Prolapse of the rectum

Prolapse of the uterus

Prolapse of the vagina

Retained foetal membranes

Urinary tract obstruction

Sudden death

Asphyxiation

Blackleg and malignant oedema

Bloat

Copper poisoning

Cyanide poisoning

Electrocution

Enterotoxaemia

Heart failure – congestive
Heat stress*

Hypocalcaemia

Lupinosis

Nitrate - nitrite poisoning

Pneumonia - embolic*

Poisoning with lubricants, fumigants or exhaust gases

Polioencephalomalacia

Rumen acidosis

Salmonellosis*

Salt poisoning

Sudden death

Traumatic reticuloperitonitis

Swelling of the head and neck

Abscess

Actinobacillosis

Big head

Bluetongue

Bottle jaw

Iodine deficiency

Retained cud

Salivary duct blockage

Swellings on the body and limbs

Abdominal hernia

Abscess

Arthritis

Blackleg and malignant oedema

Bloat

Caseous lymphadenitis

Decubital ulcers

Haematoma – cutaneous
Heart failure – congestive

Mastitis

Pizzle rot

Prolapse of the rectum

Prolapse of the vagina

Urinary tract obstruction

* Major conditions that can cause increased mortality

Table 4.2: Clinical syndromes of cattle and their specific diseases

Syndrome Specific disease sections in Handbook
Abdominal distension

Abdominal distension

Abdominal hernia

Abomasal displacement

Bloat

Gastrointestinal obstruction

Oesophageal obstruction

Pregnancy - advanced

Urinary tract obstruction
Vagal indigestion

Colic (abdominal pain) Abdominal distension
Diarrhoea
Enterotoxaemia
Rumen acidosis
Urinary tract obstruction
Diarrhoea

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus

Coccidiosis

Copper deficiency

Diarrhoea

Enterotoxaemia

Gastrointestinal parasitism

Indigestion

Monensin poisoning

Rumen acidosis

Salmonellosis*

Downer

Asphyxiation

Decubital ulcers

Downer

Ephemeral fever

Exhaustion

Foot abscess

Footrot

Swollen legs

Traumatic injuries*

Eye disease

Eye cancer

Eye discharge

Eye foreign body

Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis

Malignant catarrhal fever

Pinkeye

Illthrift

Abomasal displacement

Abomasal ulcer

Abscess

Actinobacillosis

Bulling

Gastrointestinal parasitism

Heart failure – congestive

Illthrift

Inappetence/inanition*

Johne’s disease
Ketosis

Malnutrition

Monensin poisoning

Salmonellosis*

Shy feeders

Tick fever

Vagal indigestion

Knuckling

Asphyxiation

Bulling

Downer

Gastrocnemius muscle rupture

Ketosis

Knuckling

Nervous disease

Spinal cord injury

Transit tetany

Traumatic injuries*

Lameness

Arthritis

Bulling

Ephemeral fever

Foot abscess

Footrot

Gastrocnemius muscle rupture

Haematoma - cutaneous

Knuckling

Lacerations

Lameness

Laminitis

Mastitis

Nutritional myopathy

Overgrown hooves

Swollen legs

Traumatic injuries*

Nasal discharge

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus

Gastrointestinal obstruction

Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis

Malignant catarrhal fever

Nasal discharge

Oesophageal obstruction

Pneumonia*

Respiratory distress

Nervous disease

Annual ryegrass toxicity

Copper deficiency

Downer

Enterotoxaemia

Hepatic encephalopathy

Hypocalcaemia

Ketosis

Lice

Meningitis

Middle ear abscess

Nervous disease

Nitrate-nitrite poisoning

Poisoning with lubricants, fumigants or exhaust gases

Polioencephalomalacia

Rumen acidosis

Salt poisoning

Spinal cord injury

Transit tetany

Respiratory distress

Asphyxiation

Bloat

Exhaustion

Heart failure – congestive

Heat stress*

Pneumonia - Cattle*

Pneumonia - Embolic*

Poisoning with lubricants, fumigants or exhaust gases

Respiratory distress

Skin lesions

Decubital ulcers

Dermatophilosis

Flystrike

Haematoma - cutaneous

Lacerations

Lice

Mange mite

Photosensitisation

Pseudolumpy skin disease

Ringworm

Skin swellings

Squamous cell carcinoma

Stephanofilariasis

Warts

Straining

Abortion

Coccidiosis

Constipation

Diarrhoea

Gastrointestinal obstruction

Metritis

Pregnancy - advanced

Prolapse of the rectum

Prolapse of the uterus

Prolapse of the vagina

Retained foetal membranes

Urinary tract obstruction

Sudden death

Abomasal ulcer

Annual ryegrass toxicity

Asphyxiation

Blackleg and malignant oedema

Bloat

Copper poisoning

Cyanide poisoning

Electrocution

Enterotoxaemia

Heart failure - congestive

Heat stress*

Hypocalcaemia

Lupinosis

Monensin poisoning

Nitrate-nitrite poisoning

Pneumonia - embolic*

Poisoning with lubricants, fumigants or exhaust gases

Polioencephalomalacia

Rumen acidosis

Salmonellosis*

Salt poisoning

Sudden death

Traumatic reticulopericarditis

Swelling of the head and neck Abscess
Actinobacillosis
Bluetongue
Bottle jaw
Iodine deficiency
Lumpy jaw
Retained cud
Salivary duct blockage
Swellings on the body and limbs

Abdominal hernia

Abscess

Arthritis

Blackleg and malignant oedema

Bloat

Decubital ulcers

Haematoma - cutaneous

Heart failure - congestive

Mastitis

Prolapse of the rectum

Prolapse of the vagina

Urinary tract obstruction

* Major conditions that can cause increased mortality