Preslaughter Hide Status of Cattle and the Microbiology of Carcasses.

An assessment was made of the association between tag (mud, bedding, and manure) attached to hides of beef cattle at slaughter and bacterial deposition on carcasses. A total of 624 carcasses from 52 lots of cattle in southern Alberta from January to June 1996 were studied at a high-line-speed abattoir (HLSP) which processed 285 carcasses per h and at a slow-line-speed abattoir (SLSP) which processed 135 carcasses per h. Tag was quantitatively assessed on the belly, legs, and sides of 12 carcasses per lot by the same project worker (lot tag score) and for each incoming lot of cattle by plant personnel (plant lot tag score).

Evaluation of florfenicol for the treatment of undifferentiated fever in feedlot calves in western Canada.

A study was conducted in western Canada to evaluate the efficacy of florfenicol for the treatment of undifferentiated fever (UF) in feedlot calves. One hundred and twenty-five recently weaned, auction market derived, crossbred, beef steer calves suffering from UF were allocated to 1 of 2 experimental groups as follows: florfenicol, which was intramuscular florfenicol administered at the rate of 20 mg/kg body weight at the time of allocation (day 0) and again 48 h later; or control, which was intramuscular saline administered at the same volume as florfenicol at the time of allocation and again 48 h later. Eighty-four calves were allocated to the florfenicol group and 41 calves were allocated to the control group.

Canadian beef quality audit.

A study was conducted in 4 Canadian processing plants in 1995-96 to determine the prevalence of quality defects in Canadian cattle. One percent of the annual number of cattle processed in Canada were evaluated on the processing floor and 0.1% were graded in the cooler.

A field investigation of the economic impact of respiratory disease in feedlot calves.

A trial involving 512 beef calves was conducted in a commercial research feedlot to determine the effect of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) on performance parameters and carcass characteristics. Two hundred and fifty-six calves that were deemed to be "sick" (S) from BRD were allocated to 16 pens and 256 calves that were considered to be "well" (W) were allocated to another 16 pens. The outcome variables that were measured included average daily gain (ADG), daily dry matter intake (DDMI), dry matter intake to gain ratio (DM:G), BRD treatment rate, death loss, carcass traits, and net profit per pen.

Prophylactic efficacy of tilmicosin for bovine respiratory tract disease.

The prophylactic administration of injectable tilmicosin for pneumonia in weaned beef calves was investigated in 1,806 animals. Comparisons were made among calves receiving an "on-arrival" injection of tilmicosin, calves receiving a single injection of long-acting oxytetracycline, and calves receiving no prophylaxis. Morbidity and mortality attributable to pneumonia, morbidity and mortality attributable to all causes, and case fatality were significantly lower in the group of calves that received tilmicosin, compared with calves that received long-acting oxytetracycline and calves that received no prophylactic antibiotic.