Behavior assessment and applications for BRD diagnosis: preweaned dairy calves

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Health
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) significantly impacts dairy calves, necessitating early detection for better outcomes.
• Producers face challenges in identifying all calves affected by BRD.
• Sickness behavior, characterized by behavioral changes during illness, is explored as a potential disease detection tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of sickness behavior as a tool for detecting bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in dairy calves.
• To assess the limitations of behavioral measurements in BRD detection compared to other diagnostic methods.

Main Methods:

• Reviewed behavioral changes associated with BRD, including decreased milk intake, slower drinking speed, depressed attitude, and reduced interaction with novel objects or humans.
• Acknowledged the potential for automatic or low-cost collection of behavioral data.
• Identified limitations in previous BRD behavioral studies, such as the use of imperfect reference methods (lung auscultation, clinical signs) and the influence of external factors on behavior expression.

Main Results:

• Behavioral measures alone lack the necessary sensitivity and specificity for sole reliance in BRD detection.
• Other diagnostic tools, like calf lung ultrasound, demonstrate superior test characteristics.
• External factors can influence the manifestation and timing of sickness behaviors, complicating their use in detection.

Conclusions:

• Behavioral assessments are insufficient as the sole method for identifying BRD in calves.
• Integrating behavioral assessments with other detection methods can enhance the robustness of BRD detection programs.
• A comprehensive BRD detection strategy incorporating behavioral data alongside methods like ultrasound can help mitigate the disease's impact.