United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

Veterinary Services 

Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health April 2013 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Types and Costs of Respiratory 

Disease Treatments in U.S. 

Feedlots1

Respiratory disease (bovine respiratory disease, 

shipping fever) is the most common cause of morbidity 

and mortality in cattle feedlots. Often, respiratory 

disease is caused by co-infections with pathogens such 

as bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus, infectious bovine 

rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus, and bacteria such as 

Mannheimia, and Pasteurella. Overall, an estimated 16.2 

percent of cattle placed in feedlots showed signs of 

respiratory disease at some point during the feeding 

period. Cattle experiencing respiratory disease usually 

reduce feed intake, and a percentage of these animals 

die, making respiratory disease costly for the feedlot 

industry. Feedlot operators have many treatment 

choices for respiratory disease, and costs vary with 

treatment type. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National 

Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) conducted 

the Feedlot 2011 study, an in-depth look at large 

feedlots (capacity of 1,000 or more head) in 12 States,2

and small feedlots (capacity of fewer than 1,000 head in 

13 States.3

 The 12 participating States accounted for 

over 95 percent of the inventory in large feedlots (NASS 

Cattle on Feed report, February 18, 2011). As part of the 

NAHMS Feedlot 2011 study, data were collected on the 

usual treatment protocols for and the average cost of 

treating cattle with respiratory disease. 

This information sheet describes treatment for 

respiratory disease for cattle on large feedlots, which 

were categorized into two groups: those with a capacity 

of 1,000 to 7,999 head and those with a capacity of 

8,000 or more head. Feedlots with capacity of 1,000 

head or more accounted for 82.1 percent of the January 

1, 2011, inventory in all U.S. feedlots, but only 2.8 

percent of all feedlots. 

Respiratory disease treatments 

Most of the 16.2 percent of cattle affected with 

respiratory disease (87.5 percent) were treated. Some 

cattle with respiratory disease may not have been 

 

1 For feedlots with at least 1,000 head capacity. 2 Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New 

Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Washington. 

3 Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, 

Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin.

treated if it was deemed that they were unlikely to 

respond because of the type or severity of disease. In 

addition, some cattle with mild cases of respiratory 

disease are not detected or treated.

Respiratory disease treatments like antibiotics are 

directed at pathogens, whereas other treatments may be 

used to enhance the cattle’s immune system. Antibiotics 

used to treat respiratory disease may be delivered orally 

or by injection. Nearly all feedlots treating cattle for 

respiratory disease used an injectable antibiotic, and 

essentially all cattle treated for respiratory disease 

received an injectable antibiotic (table 1). 

Table 1. Percentage of feedlots and percentage of 

cattle by treatment usually given to cattle as part of 

an initial course of treatment for respiratory disease 

Treatment 

Percent 

feedlots* Percent cattle**

Injectable antibiotic 99.0 100.0 

Oral antibiotic 14.9 3.0 

Vitamin C injection 7.8 34.1 

Vitamin B injection 16.8 5.4 

Respiratory vaccination 

(e.g., IBR) 39.3 48.5 

Corticosteroid (e.g., 

dexamethasone) 30.9 10.1 

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory (e.g., 

flunixin, aspirin) 

55.9 19.6 

Antihistamine 16.7 5.4 

Anthelmintic (dewormer) 3.6 1.5 

Probiotic paste 18.2 6.7 

Oral electrolyte, fluids, 

drenches 16.4 6.8 

Other 0.0 0.0 

*

Percentage of feedlots that treated cattle for respiratory disease by 

use of specified treatments for at least some cattle. 

**Percentage of cattle treated for respiratory disease receiving the 

specified treatment. 
United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture 

In addition, 14.9 percent of feedlots that treated 

cattle for respiratory disease used an oral antibiotic, 

resulting in 3.0 percent of treated cattle getting an oral 

antibiotic. The use of oral antibiotics for treating 

respiratory disease was more common in feedlots with a 

capacity of 1,000 to 7,999 head (20.2 percent) than in 

feedlots with capacity of 8,000 or more head (2.2 

percent). 

The majority of feedlots (55.9 percent) used some 

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Use of these 

products was more common in feedlots with a capacity 

of 1,000 to 7,999 head than in feedlots with a capacity of 

8,000 or more head. Approximately two of five feedlots 

used a respiratory vaccine as part of the treatment for at 

least some cattle. About one of three feedlots used a 

corticosteroid for some cattle. Other supportive 

treatments such as vitamin injections and efforts to 

support the gastrointestinal flora (e.g., probiotic pastes, 

oral electrolytes) were used by less than one of five 

feedlots. 

Nearly half the cases of respiratory disease that 

were treated were given a respiratory vaccine. 

Approximately one of three affected and treated cattle 

were given vitamin C by injection. Less than one of five 

affected and treated cattle received each of the other 

specified treatments. The percentages of affected and 

treated cattle receiving some of the treatments differed 

substantially by feedlot capacity. Cattle in feedlots with a 

capacity of 1,000 to 7,999 head were much more likely 

than cattle in feedlots with 8,000 or more head to receive 

vitamin B injections, a corticosteroid, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory, a probiotic paste, or oral electrolytes, 

fluids, or drenches. 

Cost of treatment for respiratory disease 

The cost of treatment for a case of respiratory 

disease depends on the treatment regimen used, 

including which products are used and how many times 

they are applied during the course of treatment. The 

average cost of treatment for a single case of respiratory 

disease was $23.60. This cost did not differ by feedlot 

capacity: feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 to 7,999 head 

($23.40) compared with feedlots with a capacity of 8,000 

or more head ($23.90). These reported costs are 

substantially higher than those reported during a similar 

study in 1999 in which the average per case treatment 

cost was $12.59. The cost of treatment for respiratory 

disease was compared with the costs of treating acute 

interstitial pneumonia ($21.70 per case) and central 

nervous system disease ($20.10 per case), but were 

much higher than the costs of treatment for lameness 

($13.40 per case) and digestive problems ($9.90 per 

case). 

Summary 

Nearly all cattle treated for respiratory disease in 

feedlots were treated with an antibiotic injection; some 

cattle also received oral antibiotics. Other treatments 

included vitamin injections, vaccines, and antiinflammatory drugs. The use of products other than 

injectable antibiotics varied, which may be related to 

past experience of the feedlot operator, perceived 

underlying etiology of the disease, and current condition 

of the cattle. 

The direct cost of treatment of respiratory disease in 

feedlot cattle is substantial at $23.60 per case. These 

costs appear to have nearly doubled since 1999, when 

the cost of treatment was estimated at $12.59 per case. 

The overall cost of respiratory disease for the industry is 

not simply the product of these direct costs and the 

estimated number of cases annually. The total cost for 

the industry must account for production losses due to 

morbidity and mortality. However, the direct cost alone 

highlights the reason that feedlot operators’ 

management strategies are frequently directed at 

minimizing the occurrence of respiratory disease in 

these cattle. 

______________________________ 

For more information, contact: 

USDA–APHIS–VS–CEAH–NAHMS 

NRRC Building B, M.S. 2E7 

2150 Centre Avenue 

Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117 

970.494.7000 

http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov

#671.0513

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