Keeping livestock healthy can feel like a delicate balancing act, and winter weather makes that even harder. Cold fronts, sudden temperature swings, and damp conditions can weaken animals’ immune systems, making them more vulnerable to respiratory illnesses like pneumonia.
Dr. Kevin Washburn, a professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, explains what causes pneumonia, how to recognize it, and how to keep food animals healthy during the cold winter months.
Clearing The Air On Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a common and serious respiratory illness that can be caused when certain viruses or bacteria infect the lungs. The condition leads to inflammation, fluid buildup, and lung damage, making it difficult for animals to breathe.
“Most of the bacteria that cause pneumonia live in the animal’s sinuses without causing disease until their immune system weakens,” Washburn said. “When the immune system weakens, the bacteria can be inhaled into the lungs and are able to multiply and cause damage.”
Stress is one of the main factors that can weaken an animal’s defenses, enabling bacteria to reach the lungs and cause disease.
Common stressors include:
- Transportation over long distances (also known as shipping fever)
- A viral infection
- Weaning
- Severe weather changes
- A new environment
- Mixing with calves of different ages at an auction
- A change in feed
- Introduction of new animals to the herd
More Than Meets the Nose
Pneumonia often begins quietly but can progress rapidly, sometimes within hours. Detecting the early signs can significantly improve an animal’s chances of recovery.
“Loss of appetite is one of the very first signs of pneumonia,” Washburn said. “This is accompanied by an increased respiratory rate and elevated temperature.”
As pneumonia progresses, animals may exhibit changes in posture and breathing.
“The animal may stand with its neck outstretched and its elbows flared out. This is often accompanied by an increased effort to blow air out of its lungs while breathing,” Washburn said. “Sometimes, the animals may ‘grunt’ as they exhale because they are forcibly pushing air out.”
In severe cases, animals often alter the way they breathe even more.
“The animals may start to open-mouth breathe — this is a severe sign indicating the animal can’t get enough oxygen and may be near death,” Washburn said. “Farm animals are obligate nose breathers, meaning they normally only breathe through their nostrils. When these animals open their mouths to breathe, it indicates that they are desperate for normal breaths.”
Recognizing and responding to these signs early helps prevent spread of disease and improves treatment success. If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your local veterinarian to plan the next steps for your animal.
Prevention Is In The Air
Air flow is an important part of preventing disease, so owners should be aware of ventilation needs when bringing animals into barns for the winter.
“Poor air circulation leaves the animals breathing in more of the same air as their surrounding herd or flock mates, leading to viruses being easily transmitted through aerosol droplets from the lungs,” Washburn said. “Stagnant air allows this to happen more easily, as moving air would typically sweep these droplets away before they can reach a nearby animal.”
Another way to help reduce the risk of pneumonia is to vaccinate.
“Like all forms of respiratory diseases, vaccination is the most important tool in prevention,” Washburn said. “There are vaccines for all the common bacteria and viruses that cause or lead to the development of pneumonia in all species of farm animals.”
Planning ahead can also help protect animals during travel or when they come into contact with unfamiliar livestock.
“In addition to a regular vaccination schedule for all animals, those that are going to undergo transportation for exhibition should be given booster vaccinations three weeks prior to their event,” Washburn said. “Avoiding nose to nose contact with other animals as much as possible can also aid in prevention of disease either on-site or when the animals return home.”
Another consideration is when you are weaning young animals in the spring.
“Weaning is a very stressful event for all farm animals,” Washburn said. “Vaccination three weeks prior to weaning and again at weaning can aid in the prevention of pneumonia.”
With proper preparation — including good ventilation, vaccination, and stress reduction — owners can lower the risk of winter pneumonia. By understanding its causes and recognizing early signs, you can help keep animals healthy throughout the coldest months of the year.
Pasture Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/tag/pasture-talk/. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to [email protected].
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