Respiratory disease can be a devastating issue for the calf caretakers on your farm. According to Terry Ollivett from the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, pneumonia is the second leading cause of death in pre-weaned calves on dairy farms, following only scours. It is the number one reason for death in post-weaned young stock.

The losses from respiratory disease impact the whole farm. "For some herds, respiratory disease is a large cost, both financially and to animal welfare," Ollivett explained.

Earlier detection leads to earlier treatment and more successful outcomes. Thus, Ollivett and her colleagues created a tool to make respiratory disease screening a simpler task. Their solution was the Calf Health Scorer app, released late last year.

The app uses the respiratory scoring method developed by Sheila McGuirk several years ago. The categories evaluated are nasal discharge, eye discharge, ear or head tilt, and coughing. Using the app, producers can quickly score calves in the provided categories and document the results on their smart phone or tablet.

The newest app added to the collection in late January is the Group Pen Respiratory Scorer. This tool allows for the evaluation of group pens of calves, a form of housing growing in popularity. With either app, producers can select between pictures or word descriptions for each category, and upon completion data can be saved and then emailed if desired.

Both apps are now available for purchase on iTunes for a cost of $2.99 each. Visit the following links for more information or to purchase the apps.

Calf Health Scorer
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calf-health-scorer/id943051407?mt=8

Group Pen Respiratory Scorer
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/group-pen-respiratory-scorer/id933247853?mt=8

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The author is an associate editor and covers animal health, dairy housing and equipment, and nutrient management. She grew up on a dairy farm near Plymouth, Wis., and previously served as a University of Wisconsin agricultural extension agent. She received a master's degree from North Carolina State University and a bachelor's from University of Wisconsin-Madison.