Source: Pfizer Animal Health The clinical signs of Salmonella
are easy to identify — sudden weight loss, weakness, fever,
diarrhea and dehydration. While these symptoms signal clinical
Salmonella on your dairy, they are only the tip of the iceberg.
The majority of Salmonella infections in herds are sneaky and
often can go undetected for long periods of time in the form of
subclinical salmonellosis. These cases show no visible clinical
signs of disease, so they are difficult to identify yet reduce a
herd’s productivity. What’s worse, Salmonella pathogens can
spread from animal to animal throughout an operation for months
without detection. “USDA data tells us that nearly half of all
dairies are infected with Salmonella, and in herds over 500
cows, that number jumps to 61 percent,”1 explains Gary Neubauer,
DVM, senior manager, Pfizer Animal Health Cattle Technical
Services. “Most of those infections are subclinical, resulting
in decreased milk production and cattle that are more
susceptible to other diseases, e