Anti-Inflammatory Speeds Recovery in Cattle with Bovine Respiratory Disease

Treatment Is Cost-Effective, Field Experience Shows

Recovery time in cattle with bovine respiratory disease can be vastly improved by administering a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory with an antibiotic, say a feedlot health manager and veterinarians.

"The animals are back on feed a lot faster and recover in three to four days instead of five or six days," says Eric Brandt, who manages animal health care for Brandt Cattle Co. in Brawley, Calif.

"They usually feel better within 12 hours after treatment. They even look more relaxed."

The anti-inflammatory is "definitely" improving time to market that otherwise would be lost. "We’re real pleased with the results," Brandt says.

Major Health Problem

Brandt Cattle Co. is a feedlot with about 60,000 head. Like other cattle operations, one of the major health problems it faces is bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Animals most often affected are in the 300—500-pound weight range, he says.

For years, antibiotics have been and remain a mainstay of treatment for BRD, a bacterial lung infection usually due to one of three organisms: Pasteurella haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida or Haemophilus somnus.

However, says Brandt, despite antibiotic treatment, cattle still go off feed while they are recovering. They lose weight and take longer to reach market weight, reducing producer profits.

Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave veterinarians the green light to use Banamine (flunixin meglumine) in cattle to help fight the effects of BRD. Banamine is the only injectable nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) approved for use in cattle. It is indicated for treatment of fever due to BRD, as well as inflammation and fever due to endotoxemia – a condition that often affects animals with BRD.

Role of Endotoxemia

"In cattle with BRD, it’s not just the infection that makes the animal ill – it’s endotoxemia," explains Dr. Roger Winter, a veterinarian with Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, which developed and markets Banamine.

Endotoxemia occurs as the animal’s immune system attacks bacteria and as antibiotics disrupt the ability of bacteria to repair themselves.

"Bacteria break up and fall apart, releasing cell wall ‘chunks,’ or endotoxins," Dr. Winter explains. "Endotoxins cause inflammation, resulting in fever and lung tissue damage, which reduces performance and prevents a speedy recovery."

Administering an NSAID reduces inflammation, and that’s why animals feel better and go back on feed quicker, Dr. Winter says.

"In BRD, treating inflammation with an anti-inflammatory is a valuable addition to the use of antibiotics," he adds.

Dr. Dick Fredrickson of Simplot Livestock Company, Grand View, Idaho, agrees.

"You need both an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory to fight the effects of BRD."

Simplot, which has over 100,000 head, began using Banamine as soon as it was approved for use in cattle in May 1998.

"We routinely give it to animals with BRD that have high fever and depression – both signs of endotoxemia," he says. "We see a quicker response to treatment and a faster recovery. Most animals improve in about 24 hours. The animals feel better and start eating again sooner."

Fewer Chronic Cases and Deaths

"BRD cattle treated with an NSAID exhibit fewer lingering effects from lung damage and fewer chronic respiratory cases than untreated cattle," Dr. Fredrickson says. The number of deaths also has been reduced by administering an NSAID.

"We see death during two phases," he adds. "One is during the acute phase of BRD, when animals have a high fever. That tends to be about 12 hours after they are found to be ill. The other time we see deaths is weeks or months after initial antibiotic treatment for BRD, in animals that develop chronic lung disease."

Dr. Dan Nielsen of the St. Paul Veterinary Clinic in St. Paul, Nebraska, reports similar experience.

"I routinely use an NSAID for fever in BRD and have monitored the results," he says. " I see less endotoxemia. As a result, feed intake is improved, and recovery from the disease is better."

Cost Effective

The veterinarian also thinks that NSAID treatment is cost effective. "By getting animals back on feed a day or two sooner, you save two or more pounds of weight. That pays for the cost of treatment," he says.

The recommended dose of Banamine is 1-2 ml/cwt, given by slow intravenous administration either once daily or divided into two doses, for up to three days.

Feedlot health manager Brandt, however, says, "We usually give one dose along with the first of three antibiotic treatments. That’s often sufficient to get the animal back on feed and on the road to recovery."

Key Points

In BRD, inflammation due to endotoxemia results in fever, lung tissue damage and reduced performance.

Controlling inflammation with an anti-inflammatory makes animals feel better.

Animals go back on feed sooner and recover quicker.