UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS DIVISION…

                  UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

                  DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE

                  Cooperative Extension Service

University of Arkansas, United States Department of Agriculture, and County Governments Cooperating



                  Flood-Related Diseases in Poultry and Livestock

     If your fields or farm buildings have been                    difficult breathing and convulsions followed by death
flooded, take special precautions against flood-                   are signs of malignant edema. This disease kills
related diseases in poultry and livestock. If possible,            animals one or two days after symptoms appear.
move the poultry or livestock to a dry, clean                      Treatment for blackleg and malignant edema is rarely
environment. Give animals extra care, particularly if              effective. If massive doses of penicillin are given
they have been stranded by floodwater and have been                early in the course of disease, treatment may be
off regular feeding schedules (see Table 1 for                     successful. However, clinical signs are seldom
minimal survival requirements for livestock). Be                   detected early enough to allow effective treatment.
cautious about allowing livestock access to wet or                 The key to controlling these diseases is initiating a
contaminated feed. Feed only a few animals initially,              good immunization program. Both specific and
watching them for several days before allowing other               combination vaccines are available.
livestock access to questionable feed, hay or silage.
In addition, watch for signs of flood-related diseases.
                                                                   Tetanus (Lockjaw)
Blackleg and Anthrax
                                                                        Tetanus is a problem whenever animals have
     Blackleg, caused by microorganisms spread over                puncture wounds. Symptoms include generalized
fields by standing water, is a potentially serious post-           stiffness caused by muscle contractions. Legs and tail
flood disease. It most commonly affects cattle 6 to                are extended; the third eyelid hovers over the eye
24 months old, but it also affects sheep, goats and                when its head is raised. Animals can be vaccinated
infrequently occurs in swine.                                      for prevention, and the disease is treatable in its
                                                                   early stages.
    Symptoms include acute lameness, depression,
fever and swelling in the hip, shoulder, chest, back,
neck or throat muscles. If untreated, blackleg is                  Foot Rot
usually fatal within 24 hours after onset, and death
may often be the first indication of disease.                           Constant exposure to mud and water softens
Treatment may be effective in the early disease                    tissues around the hooves of cows and sheep, greatly
stages. The best prevention against blackleg is                    increasing their susceptibility to foot rot. Lameness, a
inoculation of all unvaccinated young cattle before                painful swelling of the hoof and foul-smelling dead
they are put out on pastures that have been flooded.               tissue in the space between the claws are common
Vaccines are available which also protect against                  symptoms of the disease.
malignant edema (gas edema) and other water-borne
diseases.                                                               To prevent foot rot and other foot infections,
                                                                   walk cows through a solution of copper sulfate
    Anthrax is another disease that may break out
                                                                   (2 pounds of ordinary commercial bluestone in
following flooding. All animals that die suddenly
                                                                   5 gallons of water) as they leave the milking parlor
following flooding should be necropsied by a
                                                                   or stable after they have been thoroughly milked. Put
veterinarian.
                                                                   the solution in a 4- to 6-inch deep container, placed
                                                                   in an alleyway or doorway. As long as cows' feet are
Malignant Edema
                                                                   stained with the copper sulfate solution, they are
    Hot, painful swelling at point of infection, high              reasonably protected against foot rot. A vaccine is
fever, loss of appetite, decreased milk production,                now available to help producers control this disease.
                        Table 1. Minimal Survival Requirements for Livestock

           Animals                  Feed per day                      Water per day          Space required per head*
Dairy cow in production       Large breeds: 20 lb hay         7 1/2 gal in winter,           20 cows or less ­ 30 sq ft
                              Small breeds: 15 lb hay           preferably 15 gal or more    21 cows or more ­ 50 sq ft
                                                              9 gal in summer,
                                                                preferably 20 gal or more

Dairy cow, dry                Large breeds: 15 lb hay         7 1/2 gal in summer            5 dry cows or less ­ 20 sq ft

Beef cow, dry                 12 lb hay or 8 lb ground        5 gal in winter                30 sq ft
                              ear corn, oats or barley        7 1/2 gal in summer

Beef cow with calf            14 lb hay or 10 lb ground       7 1/2 gal in winter            150 sq ft
                              calf ear corn, oats or barley   9 gal in summer

Weaning calves                8 ­ 12 lb hay or 5 lb ground 3 gal in winter                   30 sq ft
                              ear corn, oats or barley     6 gal in summer

Brood sow with litter         3 ­ 4 lb grain                  3 ­ 4 gal                      40 sq ft

Brood sow, dry                1 ­ 2 lb grain                  1 gal                          20 sq ft

Weaning pigs to market        1 ­ 4 lb grain                  1 qt ­ 1 gal                   4 ­ 12 sq ft
weight

Hens in production            1/4 lb feed                     5 gal for each 100 hens        1 1/4 sq ft

Broilers                      0.1 ­ 0.2 lb per bird           5 gal for each 100 hens        1 sq ft

Ewe with lamb                 4 lb hay or 3 lb grain          3 qts                          32 sq ft

Ewe, dry                      2 lb hay or 1 1/2 lb grain      2 qts                          16 sq ft

Weaning lamb                  1 1/2 ­ 2 lb grain              1 qt                           16 sq ft

* Close quarters increase water and ventilation requirements.




Mastitis                                                             Botulism

     Organisms in mud and muddy water can cause                          Botulism, the most common post-flood chicken
severe mastitis. Coliform organisms may be                           ailment, is caused by toxins from organisms in
involved. They cause acute intoxication (septicemia)                 spoiled vegetables or decaying animal carcasses.
in the udder and death of udder tissue (gangrene).                   Botulism toxins form in spoiled or decaying
                                                                     materials, and birds are affected when they eat these
     To protect cows against mastitis, clean their teats             materials. Paralysis, difficulty eating and swallowing
                                                                     and general weakness are symptoms. The best way to
thoroughly before milking. Wash teats and udders
                                                                     prevent this disease is to confine chickens well away
with a cleansing agent before applying the sanitizing
                                                                     from spoiled or decaying matter.
solution. Dry teat ends carefully with clean paper
towels before applying the milking machine. Milk                         Horses are also very susceptible to botulism from
the cows carefully; do not overmilk and be careful to                drinking stagnant water and eating spoiled food.
avoid injury of teat ends. If possible, allow cows to
lie down in a relatively dry, clean place. Cows are                  Brooder Pneumonia
probably better off outside in a wet, muddy pasture                      This disease affects chickens and turkeys of all
than they are in wet, foul barns or confinement.                     ages. It can affect poultry when they breathe in mold
spores from wet, moldy feed or from wet litter.                            Protecting Yourself and
Symptoms include fast breathing, coughing and                              Your Family From Disease
gasping. To prevent brooder pneumonia, keep
brooders sanitary, give the birds clean litter, clean all                      Since certain animal diseases can infect humans,
utensils and do not use moldy feed.                                        protection is important. Puncture wounds can result
                                                                           in diseases such as tetanus or other serious diseases.
Erysipelas                                                                 Cuts, scrapes or other skin injuries can lead to local
                                                                           infections or more serious diseases such as dermal
    This disease commonly affects turkeys and swine                        anthrax or erysipelas. Since floods and standing
following flooding. In swine the disease may be                            water can promote the growth of anaerobic
either acute (causing high fever and rapid death) or                       pathogens, avoid contact. Very young, very old or
chronic (with development of characteristic skin                           persons with impaired immune function (e.g., AIDS
lesions). Swine that have not been vaccinated against                      patients or cancer patients) are likely most
erysipelas should be vaccinated before they are                            susceptible.
allowed into flooded buildings or released onto
flooded pastures. Prompt antibiotic treatment is
effective against erysipelas in swine and turkeys. In
turkeys, the disease frequently affects the snood of
toms after even a slight injury.


Adapted from The Disaster Handbook, 1998 National Edition, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences,
University of Florida




Dr. Jeremy Powell, DVM, Extension Veterinarian
Dr. Jodie Pennington, Extension Dairy Specialist
Dr. Frank Jones, Extension Poultry Specialist and Associate Center Director for Extension                                              3/2006

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