Bos taurus, or domestic cattle, are large, even-toed, horned ruminants. They are commonly raised for meat (beef cattle) or dairy (dairy cattle). Key facts include that cattle have a body temperature of 100-102.5°F, heart rate of 40-80 bpm, and respiration rate of 10-30 breaths per minute. Their average lifespan is 20 years. Common health concerns for cattle include bloat, bovine virus diarrhea, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, mastitis, milk fever, hardware disease, brucellosis, pinkeye, and Johne's disease.

1. Bos taurus

2. General Information
• Bovine
• Male = bull
• Female = cow
• Castrated male = steer
• Newborn = calf
• Young female = heifer

3. Statistics
• Body temperature 100 – 102.5
• Heart rate 40-80 bpm
• Respiration 10-30 breaths per min
• Life span 20 years
• IV Injection sites – Jugular or tail vein
• IM Gluteal, semitendinous or triceps
• SQ small amounts in neck area

4. Anatomy
• Ruminant • Dental pad
four divisions of • Horned or polled
stomach: Rumen,
reticulum, omasum,
abomasum
• Even toed ungulate

5. Breeding
• Polyestrus
• Gestation 285 days
• AI common
• Puberty 7-9 months
• Act of giving birth: calving or
freshening

6. Restraint
• Two ends to every cow: The butting,
trample you in the manure and mud end and
the kick, smash you into the wall and swat
your face with the tail end!

7. • There is a big difference between handling
dairy and beef cattle.
• Chute Bull staff
• Nose lead Tail hold
• Bull ring Squeeze Rope

8. Health Concerns
• Bloat – overeating - immediate treatment
or death occurs.
• BVD – Bovine virus diarrhea. Common,
not usually severe, but chronic. Vaccine
available

9. • IBR – Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis.
Fever, coughing nasal discharge. Hardest
on calves. Vaccine available.
• Mastitis – Most prevalent problem of dairy
cattle. Symptoms: abnormal milk; hot,
swollen, painful udder; fever; anorexia;
decreased milk flow; dehydration

10. • Milk Fever: Caused by decreased blood
calcium ratio. Usually seen shortly after
giving birth. Symptoms – ascending
paralysis. An emergency.
• Hardware disease: Swallowing metal
objects. Metal stays in reticulum.
Prevention is key!

11. • Brucellosis: Bacterial. Only sign is
abortion during last 3 months of gestation.
Public health hazard. Vaccine available.
• Pinkeye: Summer months, spread by flies.
Symptoms – watery, bloodshot eye.
• Johne’s Disease: (Paratuberculosis)
Bacterial. Symptoms, recurrent diarrhea