Podcasts

Episode 335 - What the Necropsy Revealed: Hidden Heart Issues and Citrobacter Abortions

Hosted by members of the University of Minnesota Extension Beef and Dairy Teams, The Moos Room discusses relevant topics to help beef and dairy producers be more successful.

In this solo episode, Brad shares a few recent herd-health case studies from his dairy, highlighting the value of diagnostics and transparency. He walks through two calf losses—one at 60 days old and another at 9 months. Both animals had been treated for common issues but continued to decline. Necropsies revealed severe heart abnormalities in each case (thin, underdeveloped ventricles), pointing toward possible genetic or nutritional causes. The takeaway: without a necropsy, these would have remained unexplained losses. Brad also discusses a recent abortion in a dry cow. Diagnostic testing ruled out BVD and IBR and identified Citrobacter sp., an environmental organism found in manure, soil, and bedding that can contribute to abortions. He suspects environmental exposure in wintered dry cows may have played a role. Overall, the episode emphasizes investigating unexpected losses, using lab diagnostics, and learning from on-farm challenges as spring calving approaches. Questions, comments, scathing rebuttals? -> themoosroom@umn.edu or call 612-624-3610 and leave us a message! Linkedin -> The Moos Room Twitter -> @UMNmoosroom and @UMNFarmSafety Facebook -> @UMNDairy YouTube -> UMN Beef and Dairy and UMN Farm Safety and Health Instagram -> @UMNWCROCDairy Extension Website AgriAmerica Podcast Directory

February 23 • 19m 13.7s