Pneumonia in Calves

Teagasc and Animal Health Ireland (AHI) ran a series of CalfCare on farm events throughout January, supported by Feed for Growth. Michelle McGrath, Animal Health Ireland (AHI) spoke to us at one of the events to provide an overview of pneumonia in calves. Pneumonia is the most common cause of disease in animals between weaning and 10 months of age. There are certain factors that influence the cause of pneumonia in this age group. These include the presence of certain viruses and bacteria on your farm as pneumonia is usually caused by viruses and a secondary bacterial infection follows. If the calves have poor colostrum intake, this will also predispose them to pneumonia. Poor housing with bad ventilation is another key risk factor as well as overcrowding and sharing a house with older animals.