Pen riding and evaluation of cattle in pens to identify compromised individuals

Abstract

There are a myriad of disease processes that can be diagnosed in feedyard cattle. Playing the odds, the signs of bovine respiratory disease are what pen riders are most often trained to look for. Bovine respiratory disease is responsible for the majority offeedyard morbidity and subsequent mortality. The approach to evaluation of cattle in the home pens to detect individuals early in the course of disease needs to be as efficient and as thorough as possible. Focusing on single clinical signs of BRD may not be the most feasible approach. Instead, the focus should be on more subtle behavioral changes to isolate individuals within the group that should be further examined for secondary clinical signs.