Foreign material and toxin consumption by beef cattle can lead to significant health problems, reduced performance and economic losses. Canadian cattle producers take great pride and care in how they manage their farms and ranches, from providing proper nutrition to stewarding their land and ensuring excellent animal care. Yet even with the best intentions, foreign materials and toxins can quietly find their way into feed, water or pastures. Understanding where they come from and how to prevent exposure is a key part of protecting your herd.
Foreign materials and toxins often slip in through everyday farm activities such as repairing fences, running equipment, feeding hay or dealing with weather-stressed crops. A small piece of wire, leftover net wrap or contaminated feed source might not seem like much, but if consumed by cattle, it can trigger health issues, lost performance or even death.
Understanding Hardware Disease
When cattle consume sharp metal objects like nails or pieces of wire, those items can settle in the reticulum and irritate or puncture the stomach lining. In the worst cases, these foreign objects can migrate and damage the heart, causing severe illness or death. This condition is known as hardware disease (or bovine traumatic reticuloperitonitis), and it can be both dangerous and costly.
Signs of hardware disease include:
- Depression or dullness
- General discomfort (e.g., teeth grinding, grunting)
- Arched back
- Off feed
- Brisket swelling
- Loss of body condition
Common sources of metal pieces include cables on fences or feed bunks, fragments from feed processing equipment and scrap materials left on the ground. Prevention goes a long way and there are several preventative practices that can be implemented, including:
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