Animal Health

These pages are designed to help you with the causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention for some of the more common diseases of dairy cattle.

Cow health and welfare

Farmers want to do what’s best for their cows and ensure that, regardless of the situation, they are proud of the way they treat their cows. But making decisions that relate to the cows’ health and welfare can sometimes be difficult.

Careful monitoring of the herd at all times is vital to pick up on and treat problems early. When it's really busy or times are tough, it can be easy to move checking the herd lower down the list of priorities.

The most important aspect of maintaining optimal welfare is to make early decisions about treatment of sick or injured cows.

If a cow is showing signs of pain, is injured or sick, the most important step you can take is to act decisively.

Sometimes these decisions can be tough to make, but the most important thing is that a cow is not suffering unnecessarily or for any prolonged period of time.

Learn more about common diseases of dairy cattle:

• Johnes Disease
• Facial Eczema
• Facial Eczema Spore Count Data
• Conditions of the eye
• Respiratory conditions
• Down cows
• Conditions of the reproductive system
• Lameness
• Botulism
• Sudden Death
• Calf Scours
• Skin Conditions
• Sudden Drop in Milk Production
• Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus
• Conditions of the digestive system
• Theileria
• Biosecurity