Treating Hoof and Leg Injuries

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What is Johne's disease? A test for a cow on our farm came up positive.

—Ted Goldman
Mansfield, OH

Johne's disease is a chronic wasting disease caused by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. This organism enters most cattle when they are young, and after a lengthy incubation period, proliferates in the small intestine and local lymph nodes to cause intermittent diarrhea. The disease is difficult to diagnose because of its waxing and waning nature. Most adult cows that have the disease do not show signs of it until later stages, when they suffer from weight loss (despite a healthy appetite) and watery diarrhea. ELISA tests look for antibody to the bacteria and since some cattle may simply contact the bacteria, form antibody to it, and never get the disease, the gold standard in diagnosing the animal is the fecal culture in which the bacteria are isolated from the intestinal contents. Suspect Johne's disease farms have herd fecal cultures performed annually.

What can you do to keep Johne's off the farm? First, try to keep a closed herd. If you must add cows, make sure they are tested and from a negative herd. Second, prevent the infection in new calves. Clean the calving area. After calving, remove the calf immediately from the dam. Never let a positive cow calve on the farm. Use colostrum from negative cows and pasteurize it. Feed milk replacer from clean utensils after the colostrum. Keep all adult manure away from calves. Use calf hutches away from the adult yard. Keep the feed clean; in other words, don't use front end manure loaders to feed. Isolate all scouring animals. This is just a basic program. Be sure to consult your veterinarian to get a comprehensive program of testing and treating (culling) before the disease enters the whole herd.

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