Estimating US dairy clinical disease costs with a stochastic simulation model

Abstract

A farm-level stochastic model was used to estimate costs of 7 common clinical diseases in the United States: mastitis, lameness, metritis, retained placenta, left-displaced abomasum, ketosis, and hypocalcemia. The total disease costs were divided into 7 categories: veterinary and treatment, producer labor, milk loss, discarded milk, culling cost, extended days open, and on-farm death. A Monte Carlo simulation with 5,000 iterations was applied to the model to account for inherent system variation. Four types of market prices (milk, feed, slaughter, and replacement cow) and 3 herd-performance factors (rolling herd average, product of heat detection rate and conception rate, and age at first calving) were modeled stochastically. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to study the relationship between total disease costs and selected stochastic factors. In general, the disease costs in multiparous cows were greater than in primiparous cows. Left-displaced abomasum had the greatest estimated total costs in all parities ($432.48 in primiparous cows and $639.51 in multiparous cows). Cost category contributions varied for different diseases and parities. Milk production loss and treatment cost were the 2 greatest cost categories. The effect of market prices were consistent in all diseases and parities; higher milk and replacement prices increased total costs, whereas greater feed and slaughter prices decreased disease costs.

Animal board invited review: Dairy cow lameness expenditures, losses and total cost

“…For example, involvement by veterinarians is more common, and even required for treatment, in some countries. Liang et al (2017) surveyed 19 veterinarians and industry professionals and used their estimates to simulate both veterinary and producer labor costs associated with seven different diseases (mastitis, metritis, hyperketonemia, left displaced abomasum, retained placenta, lameness and hypocalcemia). Among all disease, the veterinary and producer labor costs associated with non-specific lameness were second highest only behind left displaced abomasum.…”

Symposium review: Intramammary infections—Major pathogens and strain-associated complexity

“…It is difficult to accurately estimate the cost of bovine mastitis globally, but it has been reported that in Ireland an increase in the bulk milk SCC from <100,000 cells/mL to 300,000-400,000 cells/mL decreased net farm profit from €0.059/kg to €0.033/kg (Geary et al, 2012). In the United States it was reported that the average cost of a mastitis case was $325.75 for first lactation heifers and $426.50 in later lactations (Liang et al, 2017), whereas in the Netherlands the total economic losses associated with clinical and subclinical mastitis were estimated to be €114 to €182 per cow per year (Huijps et al, 2008). In addition to the economic impact, mastitis can have serious negative consequences for animal health and welfare.…”

Genome‐wide association study identifies energy metabolism genes for resistance to ketosis in Chinese Holstein cattle

“…The economic loss caused by KET was estimated at $77 per case for primiparous cows and $181 for multiparous cows (Liang et al . ). The desire for more targeted selection for improved robustness and health of the dairy cows has received more attention in dairy breeding (Pryce et al .…”