By Angela Hatton
Hopkinsville, KY – Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer has asked Governor Steve Beshear to seek a disaster declaration due to an increased number of cattle deaths this spring. Cows who eat too much clover may develop a condition known as frothy bloat, which causes gas buildup and asphyxiation. Breathitt Veterinary Center Head of Pathology Dr. Louis Pittman says the issue hasn't affected western Kentucky cattle.
"This appears to be at this point in time. We have had maybe one or two cases of frothy bloat in animals that have come to the laboratory here in Hopkinsville for necropsy within the last two months. That's really not more than we anticipate seeing in a given spring."
Pittman says the problem usually occurs in the springtime when clover is most prevalent. He says a late frost and drought in 2007 killed many grasses, allowing more clover to fill in the fields. According to Pittman, frothy bloat is treatable if cattle are properly managed.