Using Dogs to Sniff Out Respiratory Disease in Calves – Vet Guide 2025 🐶🐄

Hello! I’m Dr Duncan Houston BVSc. Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains the number one cause of death in calves worldwide. Exciting new research at Texas A&M is exploring whether dogs can sniff out early cases of BRD—changing the way we detect illness and use antibiotics.

1. What Is the Innovation?

Scientists at Texas A&M, led by Dr. Courtney Daigle and others, are training dogs—some from the Huntsville guard dog program—to identify calves that will develop pneumonia by scent alone. Studies involve nasal swabs taken on arrival at the feedlot; dogs are trained across months to recognize markers of emerging illness—even before symptoms appear.

2. Why Dogs?

• Superior olfaction: Dogs can detect volatile organic compounds associated with disease—even in liquid samples.
• Targeted treatment: Instead of mass medicating entire groups, producers could treat individual sick animals—reducing antibiotic use and cost.
• Early detection: Dogs may identify illness before clinical signs appear, improving outcomes.

3. What the Trials Show

Two trials are underway:

• First study: Dogs trained over 7 months were unable to reliably distinguish infected from healthy in controlled tests. Researchers concluded BRD may present subtler olfactory markers than other diseases.
• Second study: Now underway at the Texas AgriLife Research Center, this phase is testing live cattle to assess real-world performance and whether dogs can indeed sniff out early disease.

4. Benefits of Scent-Based Detection

• Precision medicine: Reduce antibiotic usage, fight antimicrobial resistance.
• Economic gains: Lower antibiotic and labor costs.
• Animal welfare: Quicker diagnosis and treatment for individual calves.
• Biosecurity: Identify sick animals during initial feedlot processing.

5. Challenges & Limitations

• BRD may have weak or variable scent markers.
• Training is time-intensive and costly.
• Consistency across dogs and environments is crucial.
• Controlled trials may differ from field conditions.

6. Practical Applications on Farms

1. Chute-side screening: Dogs sniff nasal swabs during intake—calves flagged as “positive” get further testing/antibiotics.
2. Regular herd sweeps: Screen selections of calves weekly to detect early illness.
3. Combine with diagnostics: Dogs act as early-warning; positive cases confirmed via clinical exam or vet testing.
4. Integrate with Ask A Vet: Use vet teleconsultation after dog screening to determine next steps.

7. Optimizing Antibiotic Use

• Scent screening enables selective treatment only of infected calves, minimizing overuse.
• Improved antibiotic stewardship addresses consumer and regulatory concerns.
• Potential to cut antibiotic-related costs while maintaining or improving health outcomes.

8. How Ask A Vet Supports Adoption 📱

Ask A Vet can assist farms implementing scent detection by:

• Advising on dog training protocols alongside kennel teams.
• Creating intake protocols that integrate scent screening and vet triage.
• Setting up tele-vet consultation processes for flagged calves.
• Monitoring antibiotic usage and outcomes for herd health planning.
• Assisting in data collection and reporting for herd improvement.

9. 2025 What’s Next?

• Awaiting results from live-calf trials to determine sensitivity and specificity.
• If successful, this could be a breakthrough in early BRD detection.
• Future expansion could include mobile detection teams, automated sampling systems, and refined training protocols.

10. Key Take‑Home Messages

• BRD remains the top calf killer. New detection tools matter.
• Scent-trained dogs may detect early infection, enabling targeted treatment.
• Trials are ongoing: initial results were inconclusive, second phase is active.
• Ask A Vet supports farms integrating this innovation.
• Success could reduce antibiotic use, improve welfare, and lower costs.

Conclusion

Using dogs to smell out respiratory disease is a fascinating frontier. While early trials were inconclusive, the ongoing live-calf study may mark a major shift in BRD detection—one that supports targeted treatment and antibiotic stewardship. With Ask A Vet by your side, your farm can be ready to pilot this tech and enhance calf health. Let’s stay ahead of respiratory disease in 2025—and let dogs show us the way! 🐶❤️🐄