Keeping cattle healthy

A sick cow costs you twice: once in treatment, and again in the weight she does not gain. In fattening, where profit often comes down to a few kilos per head, keeping animals healthy is not extra work. It is the work. This guide covers how to spot trouble early, the problems most often seen in Philippine cattle, and the everyday habits that keep disease out of your bakahan.

Healthy or sick? Learn to read your animals

The best tool you have is your own eyes, every morning and every afternoon. Get to know how each animal normally behaves, so you notice quickly when something changes.

Signs of a healthy animal

Department of Agriculture guidance on choosing feeder cattle describes a healthy animal as:

Alert and active, aware of what is going on around it
Bright, clear eyes
A smooth, shiny hair coat
A moist muzzle (the nose area)
Walking normally, with no limping

Add to this: a healthy animal eats and chews its cud, drinks normally, and has normal manure for its feed.

Warning signs

Look closer, and consider calling a vet, if an animal:

Stays apart from the group, head hanging, dull or weak
Stops eating or chewing the cud
Has a rough, dull coat
Is limping or does not want to move
Is drooling heavily, or has sores or blisters on the mouth, nose, tongue or feet
Has a swollen belly, especially on the left side
Has diarrhea, dark-coloured urine, fast or hard breathing, or a fever
Is losing weight even though it is being fed

Common health problems in Philippine cattle

Hemorrhagic septicemia (HS)

UPLB researchers describe hemorrhagic septicemia as the principal killer disease of ruminants in the Philippines, especially cattle and carabao. It is caused by a bacterium (Pasteurella multocida), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) describes it as acute and highly fatal. In Asia, outbreaks mostly happen in hot, humid, monsoon-type weather, so the rainy season is a time to be extra watchful.

HS can kill quickly, so prevention by vaccination matters. Department of Agriculture guidance says feeder animals should be vaccinated before they enter the feedlot. Ask your veterinarian or your city/municipal agriculture office about HS vaccination in your area.

Internal parasites (worms and liver fluke)

Worms in the stomach and gut, and liver fluke (fasciolosis), quietly eat into your profit. The animal eats but does not gain well.

A Visayas State University study of slaughtered animals in Ormoc City found liver fluke in about 18% of cattle and 59% of carabaos.
The Philippine Carabao Center notes that fasciolosis is one of the leading causes of the decline of carabaos and other ruminants.

Liver fluke is linked with wet, swampy areas, so where your animals graze and drink matters. Regular deworming is the usual answer, but the right product and timing depend on your area. A vet can do a fecal (manure) exam to find out which parasites are actually present before you treat.

Ticks and “tick fever”

Ticks are more than a nuisance. Research by the Bureau of Animal Industry with Australian partners found that babesiosis and anaplasmosis, together known as tick fever, occur throughout the Philippines. Local cattle tend to be more resistant, but the researchers warned that improved or imported breeds can be more susceptible, and in susceptible cattle tick fever can cause big losses and death.

Check animals regularly for ticks, especially around the ears, neck, belly and tail. Ask your vet which tick control method suits your animals.

Bloat

Bloat happens when gas gets trapped in the rumen (the big first stomach). Watch for:

A swollen upper left side of the belly, the first and most important sign
Kicking at the belly, lying down and getting up again and again
Grunting, stretching the neck, difficulty breathing

Bloat can kill within hours, so call a vet immediately. To prevent it, change rations slowly. University of Nebraska guidance advises moving cattle from forage-based to grain-based rations gradually, over a period of at least three weeks.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD): the one we must keep out

The Philippines has kept its status as FMD-free without vaccination since May 2015, as recognized by WOAH. This is a big deal: it protects our herds and our trade.

According to WOAH, FMD causes fever, blisters on the tongue, lips, nose, between the toes and on the teats, heavy drooling, and painful sores that make animals lame. It spreads through the air, through contaminated vehicles, clothing, footwear and equipment, and through contaminated meat or animal products fed to animals.

If you ever see blisters in the mouth or on the feet together with drooling and limping, do not move any animals. Report it right away to your municipal or provincial veterinarian or to the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

Bringing in new animals: quarantine

Most diseases enter a farm walking in on four legs. Before adding new animals:

Buy from sources you trust, and check the animals using the healthy-animal signs above.
Keep new arrivals separate from your existing herd, in their own pen with their own feed and water, for the period your veterinarian recommends.
Watch them closely every day while in quarantine.
Vaccinate and deworm as advised by your vet before they join the herd.
Start them on roughage with limited concentrate. DA guidance notes the first weeks in the feedlot are critical.

Moving animals legally

Moving cattle between places needs the proper papers, usually a Veterinary Health Certificate and a shipping permit. BAI’s National Veterinary Quarantine Services Division processes local shipping permits for live animals online, and permits are checked at BAI quarantine checkpoints. These rules exist because uncontrolled animal movement is one of the fastest ways diseases like FMD spread. Ask your provincial or municipal veterinarian what you need before you buy or sell.

Biosecurity basics for every farm

Biosecurity simply means keeping disease out, and stopping it from spreading if it gets in.

Limit visitors. Fewer people and vehicles in your pens means fewer chances to bring in germs.
Clean footwear and tools. Have a footbath or a place to wash boots at the entrance.
Keep vehicles away from the animals where possible. Trucks that visit other farms can carry disease.
Keep pens, feeders and water troughs clean.
Never feed animals leftover meat or food scraps containing meat.
Separate sick animals from healthy ones right away.
Write it down. Keep records of every vaccination, deworming, treatment and death.

Vaccination and deworming schedules

We do not give a fixed schedule or drug doses here, on purpose. The right program depends on your location, the season, the animals’ history and which diseases are present nearby. Ask:

Your private veterinarian
Your city or municipal agriculture office / municipal veterinarian (LGU)
Your provincial veterinarian or the BAI

Always follow the label and your vet’s instructions on dose and on withdrawal periods (how long to wait after treatment before selling an animal for slaughter).

When to call a veterinarian

Call right away if you see:

Sudden death of any animal
Blisters in the mouth or on the feet, with drooling or limping
A swollen left belly (possible bloat)
High fever, difficult breathing or collapse
Several animals getting sick at the same time
An animal that stops eating for more than a day

When in doubt, call. A vet visit costs far less than losing an animal.

Key takeaways

Check your animals twice a day; a healthy animal is alert, bright-eyed, smooth-coated and has a moist muzzle.
Hemorrhagic septicemia, internal parasites, liver fluke, ticks and bloat are common causes of loss; prevention is cheaper than cure.
The Philippines is FMD-free without vaccination. Protect it by following animal movement rules and reporting suspicious signs immediately.
Quarantine new animals and follow basic biosecurity: limit visitors, clean boots and tools, separate the sick.
Get vaccination and deworming schedules from your vet, LGU or BAI, never guess doses.

This guide is general information. Prices, rules and programs change, and every farm is different. Check with your Municipal Agriculture Office or a licensed veterinarian before making big decisions.

Sources

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