Bovine Congestive Heart Failure (BCHF) has become a very serious concern within today’s beef industry. BCHF exhibits symptoms similar to high-altitude disease or brisket disease. Once thought to only affect cattle at high elevation, BCHF is one of the predominant killers of cattle in feedlots at much lower elevations. The worst part is that cattle afflicted with BCHF tend to die within a week or two of slaughter. Death rates as high as 7% have been linked to BCHF.
While high-altitude disease has always existed, cattle usually recover when brought to a lower elevation. BCHF is different in that cattle deaths are observed at much lower elevations, such as feedlots located in the Midwest. Some theories as to why BCHF seems to be more prevalent now include increasingly larger cattle and feedlots trying to put more weight on cattle before slaughter. The bovine heart is not able to keep up with the increased weight and stress brought on by more days on feed.
Genetically, status quo bulls that are pushed for extreme growth are very likely to carry higher risk factors for BCHF. Up until recently, there has not been a way to test for BCHF. A test has been recently developed at the USDA research center in Clay Center, Nebraska. The test results are based on two gene markers and have been peer reviewed and published. The results are public and any lab can run this test. The test results are presented as rankings from 1 to 5, with 1 being the best and 5 being the worst. More information is provided on a USDA fact sheet.
Since the development of the USDA test for BCHF, some independent labs and feedlots have come up with their own tests. Some industry insiders have said this was due to the USDA test making many of the status quo genetics look bad. In other words, some popular main-stream bulls tested high risk, so they developed their own test to provide different results. This is evidence that the mainstream, status quo cattle complex will go to great lengths to protect its interests.
The USDA test for BCHF looks promising. It’s a very good tool for predicting risk from BCHF. Results can be used for management decisions and cattle selection. Many feedlots are now testing all incoming cattle and selling those with high-risk factors. Stay tuned for more discussion on BCHF versus PAP testing.