Grad Student Competition
Prevalence of Thoracic Point-of-Care Ultrasound Scores at Arrival in Feedyard Calves
| Date/Time: |
8/28/2026
09:00
|
| Author: |
Taynah Peres Franca |
| Clinic: |
Kansas State University |
| City, State, ZIP: |
Manhattan, KS 66502 |
T.P. Franca, BS
1
;
M.R. Mancke, BS
1
;
J. Szasz, DVM, PhD
2
;
B.J. White, DVM, MS
1
;
1Beef Cattle Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506
2Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, Johnstown, CO 80534
Introduction:
Targeted thoracic point-of-care ultrasound (TT-POCUS) can provide prognostic information by detecting lung lesions associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD), a major health concern in feedyard cattle. Diseased cattle have been evaluated with TT-POCUS; however, ultrasonographic findings in lightweight cattle at arrival are poorly described. This study aimed to characterize prevalence and distribution of TT-POCUS scores at feedyard arrival in lightweight cattle from multiple sources.
Materials and methods:
Holstein calves (n=972; 250–400 lb) from six sources were evaluated using TT-POCUS during initial processing at a large commercial feedyard in Wellton, Arizona. The TT-POCUS process involved scanning a specified area in the right caudodorsal lung field within 60 seconds to determine a standardized ultrasound lung score (ULS) from 1 (normal lung) to 5 (severe consolidation).
Results:
Most cattle were classified as ULS 2 (45%) or ULS 3 (40%), indicating a high prevalence of mild to moderate lung abnormalities at arrival. Fewer cattle were classified as without lesions (ULS 1; 10%), and severe lesions (ULS 4,5) were also uncommon (5% and <1%, respectively). Variation in ULS distribution was observed among sources. Mild to moderate ultrasonographic abnormalities were common at arrival, whereas severe lesions were uncommon.
Significance:
The high prevalence of intermediate ULS may limit the discriminatory ability of TT-POCUS at arrival. Further research is needed to evaluate the application of TT-POCUS at arrival in commercial feedyards and potential associations with clinical outcomes (e.g., BRD treatment, mortality, and re-treatment).
