{"id":36447,"date":"2025-10-03T16:55:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T16:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarypractice.com\/?p=36447"},"modified":"2025-10-06T19:59:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T19:59:16","slug":"avian-influenza-and-dairy-cattle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarypractice.com\/infectious-disease\/avian-influenza-and-dairy-cattle\/","title":{"rendered":"Avian Influenza and Dairy Cattle: What Mixed Animal Practitioners Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

It started as a mystery. An unknown disease was spreading through a herd of dairy cattle on a farm in the Texas panhandle in the first months of 2024. The symptoms painted a murky clinical picture: respiratory and digestive issues as well as mastitis and subsequent decreased milk production.<\/span><\/p>\n

The veterinarians on site ran a litany of tests to rule out the usual suspects. Those diagnostics yielded no definitive answers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNobody really knew what the what was going on,\u201d says Kay Russo, DVM, MAHM, DACPV, of RSM Consulting based in Colorado. Dr. Russo was employed as a technical services veterinarian for a feed additive company at the time and was asked to reach out to the clinicians at the impacted farm.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was talking with them,\u201d Dr. Russo says, \u201cI recognized fairly quickly that this wasn\u2019t something that I\u2019ve seen clinically in dairy practice. The combination of clinical signs just really didn\u2019t add up.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As a dairy cattle and poultry veterinarian, Dr. Russo had a suspicion. She asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s going on with the birds on the farm?\u201d <\/span>The on-site veterinarian replied, \u201cWell, they\u2019re all dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

The farm\u2019s birds were submitted for testing. The suspicion was confirmed. The birds tested positive for avian influenza. The next step was to test the cattle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although no approved test existed at the time to check for avian influenza in dairy cattle, researchers at Iowa State University performed testing on the milk from the farm\u2019s dairy cattle.1<\/sup> It was positive. The first case of avian influenza in U.S. dairy cattle had been confirmed in March 2024.1<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

A Growing Outbreak<\/h2>\n

The current avian influenza outbreak began in the United States in early 2022. Since that time, more than 175 million birds across all 50 states have been affected, including nearly every type of avian creature: commercial poultry, backyard flocks, and wild birds.2<\/sup> As of late summer 2025, more than 1000 herds of cattle have been infected, with cases appearing in at least 17 states.3<\/sup> An estimated 70 people across more than a dozen states have also tested positive for avian influenza.4<\/sup> And this flu is not unique to just these species; avian influenza has been confirmed in a wide range of mammals throughout the country, including bears, raccoons, skunks, rodents, seals, and big cats held in captivity.5<\/sup> <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that the numbers of animals impacted are changing daily. See <\/span>BOX 1<\/b><\/span> <\/b>for resources reporting updated numbers of cases per animal groups and their geographic distributions for a better understanding of the state of the outbreak in your area.<\/span><\/p>\n

BOX 1 Disease Dashboards<\/div>
The USDA and CDC track the most up-to-date numbers of avian influenza cases in different animal groups across the United States. Utilize the links below to understand the risk for a specific group in your area.<\/p>\n