No cause for concern even though we don’t know what killed the cows!
If it was a possible highly infectious disease, why no reports of a quarantine?
The news report of the 200 dead cows discovered in a pasture in Wisconsin is bizarre as while officials have told local residents there’s no threat to humans or animals, officials still don’t know what killed the cows. The two viruses reported in the news as the possible cause of death, diseases which normally don’t kill 200 cows during a short time frame.
According to news reports a farmer in Stockton, Wisconsin, was ‘shocked’ to discover 200 of his cows were dead. Even though the farmer was shocked, he thinks the cows may have died from a virus, Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis, IBR, or Bovine Virus Diarrhea, BVD. Officials told local residents that even though they don’t know what killed the cows, there’s no need to be concerned.
We did some research on the viruses including symptoms and cattle mortality. While IBR has a low mortality rate, Acute BVD has a higher mortality rate after cattle show symptoms including loss of weight, diarrhea, and bleeding from the eyes. Both viruses, highly infectious which seems to contradict officials informing local residents and farmers there’s no need to be alarmed while officials figure out what killed the 200 cows.
Samples of the dead animals were sent to Madison to be tested, but officials said other animals and people in the area will likely not be affected by whatever killed the cows. The Portage County Humane Society is handling the investigation, the newspaper said.
But what about other cows in the area if it turns out the 200 cows died from either IBR or BVD both infectious diseases? And what about these viruses, are they known to kill 200 cows during a relatively short time frame?
According to the local news report the cows were in a pasture located in the town of Stockton. The dead cows discovered at approximately 1 PM Friday.
As someone who has lived in a ranching area the knowledge local residents would have contacted authorities as soon as they saw several dead cows in a pasture. In this bizarre case, 200 dead cows. According to the local news report, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the location after being notified about the dead cows. Our observation, the individual who called the sheriff’s department wasn’t the farmer. In another news report, the location of the dead cows, in Amherst.
Info on Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis mortality rates:
The Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis / Infectious Pustular Vulvovaginitis (IBR/IPV), sometimes called Red nose, is an infectious disease of cattle due to the bovine herpesvirus-1. The virus can infect the upper respiratory tract or the reproductive tract. Mortality is low but the economical loss can be important.
