Cattle Skin Disorders

Skin diseases can be painful and irritating to cattle. They occur most often in the wet, cold season. Skin disorders are very common and can sometimes spread and affect the entire herd. Cattle are an essential part of not only our food supply, but our economy. Keeping the cattle healthy and knowing what health complications can occur is important. Luckily, most cattle skin disorders are treatable.

  1. Rain Scald--Dermatophilosis

    • Rain scald, or dermatophilosis, is a skin disease seen in all ages of cattle, with the young stock most commonly affected. This disorder is caused by the bacteria, dermatophilus congolensis, usually associated with wet weather. The number of cattle affected by rain scald is highest in the winter months.

    Facial Eczema

    • Facial eczema is a type of sunburn that affects the exposed areas of pale skin on cattle. The substance that causes this--sporidesmin--leads to liver damage. Sporidesmin is produced on pasture plants, including rye grass. It is produced by a fungus called pithomyces chartartum, which occurs naturally within dead plant material at the base of standing pastures.

    Ulcerative Mammillitis

    • Ulcerative mammillitis is a more rare condition, but it can spread rapidly in cattle herds. It is an infection of the skin of the teats and udder of dairy cows. The cause is a herpes virus known as BHV-2, which produces a lot of pain and discomfort to the cattle. It generally occurs in early winter.

    Ringworm

    • Ringworm is caused by an infection with a fungus that lives in hairy skin. This disorder significantly increases in winter, especially when wet. Ringworm is one of the most common skin diseases in cattle.

    Lumpy Skin Disease

    • Lumpy skin disease can cause skin lesions in the mouth, pharynx and respiratory tract. It is an acute infection found in cattle of all ages. Emaciation and other problems can result from this disorder.