March 13, 2006

Photos and Graphics Click for larger images

Video Quicktime Movie (5.9 Mb) Real Player (1.0 Mb) Video Script

AMARILLO – Livestock caught in the path of Sunday's 50-mile-an-hour wind swept fires in the Panhandle could suffer death and severe damage from burns as well as smoke inhalation.

An estimated 700,000 acres burned in 14 different grass fires, taking out as many as 25 structures and causing seven fatalities. But the untold number is the amount of livestock injured and dead in the wake of the fire.

As many as 25,000 cattle are estimated to have been on the burned rangeland, said Dr. Steve Amosson, Texas Cooperative Extension economist. Included in the damage is the loss of pasture, which was at a minimum already due to the drought, and the burned fences that can cost as much as $10,000 per mile to replace.

"Find them, get them adequate nutrition and then consult your veterinarian," said Dr. Robert Sprowls, assistant agency director of the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory.

"If they can be moved to unburned ground, it is best," Sprowls said. "Get them to fresh water and then rotate their feeding area to prevent the build-up of pathogens."

The most important thing is to get livestock is to high-quality forage with a protein and mineral supplement and good water, Sprowls said. If the livestock don't get adequate nutrition and water immediately, their health can deteriorate rapidly.

The fires came at a very inopportune time for ranchers who are beginning the calving season, said Dr. Ted McCollum, Extension livestock specialist. Not only will there be damage to the animals, but the dry soil profile doesn't promise any recovery of those rangelands anytime soon unless significant rain falls.

"We probably had a lot of calves that were laying out susceptible to the fire, as fast as it was moving across there," McCollum said. "They had no place to go. Also there will be a lot of mothers with potentially scorched udders. The calves that survived won't be able to suckle the mothers who have sore udders."

Analyzing injuries to cattle following a wildfire is important to minimize losses, said Dr. Floron "Buddy" Faries of Texas A&M University in College Station, Extension program leader for veterinary medicine.

"It might look like they've made it and there was no visible physical damage," Faries said. "However, it's important to have them looked at by a veterinarian as soon as possible because there could be secondary problems that lead to infections and further problems."

Health disorders, such as burned eyes, feet, udders, sheaths and testicles, as well as smoke inhalation with lung inflamation and edema, are the most common problems, he said.

"One of the problems we've run into in the past is with the feet," said Ron Gill, Extension livestock specialist in Stephenville. "It may take 10 days to two weeks for the damage to start showing. The cattle will start sloughing the hoof wall and become crippled."

Extension and veterinarians are working on determining major symptoms to look for and what actions to take if lameness begins to appear, he said.

"To assure the welfare of the affected animals, veterinarians need to be consulted," Faries said. "If, in the event the animal is not going to be able to be treated, decisions concerning sending them to market need to be made immediately, before secondary complications develop."

Faries advised having an animal evacuation and rescue plan in place and implementing it ahead of a wildfire. The plans should include ways of moving livestock out of the fire danger zone and preventing any damages.

This may include hauling the livestock out in trailers, or opening gates or cutting fences and releasing the livestock, allowing them to move to a safer place, including plowed ground or wheat pasture, he said.

A fire danger zone is where the livestock risk inhaling smoke, he said, and will change according to the wind direction.

Smoke can move for miles, and cattle that are not near the flames or heat could suffer some damage, Faries said.

Contact with burning grass, weeds and brush causes immediate burns, he said. The severity of the burns will be determined by the degree of heat.

However, inhalation of smoke causes immediate irritation to the lining of the respiratory system, including nasal passages, trachea and lungs, Faries said. This can lead to inflamation, edema and emphysema, with the severity determined by the duration of inhaled smoke.

"The time it takes to cause damage might only have to be a few minutes with high quantities of smoke and may be hours in low quantities of smoke," he said.

In addition, the lining of the eyelids and eyeballs can be irritated and lead to secondary infections which can be fatal, Faries said.

Once the fire has passed, immediately consult a veterinarian for any animals with severe burns or direct smoke exposure. Other livestock should also be evaluated for possible health disorders and treatment or determining if the animal can be salvaged, or for humane reasons, should be slaughter or euthanized, he said.

The prognosis of mild cases may be good with treatment and will be cost-effective, Faries said.

Monitoring should continue for weeks after the event, he said. Secondary complications could be indicated by a cough or cloudy eyes in the animals.

"Before these secondary complications of infection occur, immediate slaughter for human consumption may be the most appropriate humane procedure," Faries said. "Prior to slaughter, an antemortem inspection will be conducted by veterinary meat inspectors to determine safety and wholesomeness for human food."