Malignant edema symptoms are primarily depression, loss of appetite and a doughy swelling around the wound where the organism entered. Temperatures of 106 or more and death within 24-48 hours are usually associated with the disease. Black disease occurs as a sudden death and sick cattle are not generally recognized. Red water is associated with liver fluke infestations and is not generally found outside of Montana and the east coast of Texas. Enterotoxemia is limited to the mountain and great plains states.
Big head is another sudden death disease which occurs primarily in feedlot cattle.
No symptoms are observed as only dead animals are found. Dead animals exhibit massive swelling in the areas of the throat and brisket. Even though not all of the diseases found in a 7-Way vaccine are found in North Carolina, the vaccine is very inexpensive and those of the diseases that we do have cause significant losses here, particularly tetanus, blackleg and malignant edema. Vaccination with a 7-Way Clostridial vaccine is strongly recommended. It does not occur often on the farm but cattle prices in our area are discounted because of it.