UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- While the obvious factor affecting livestock in drought conditions is lack of drinking water, farmers must be aware of many other drought-related problems, says a veterinarian in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

"All producers should be alert for special problems that can occur during a drought," says Larry Hutchinson, professor of veterinary science.

--Overheating. All animals can overheat in hot weather, but animals at special risk include working animals such as draft horses or oxen, or horses being exercised; very young animals; very old animals; and animals that are pregnant or have recently delivered offspring.

"Watch for rapid, shallow breathing and a reluctance to move," Hutchinson says. "If the rectal temperature is more than 105 degrees, apply cold water by hose or wet burlap bags."

--Lack of drinking water. As wells go dry and streams dry up, farmers may consider supplementing water to animals. Hutchinson says giving too much water at one time to livestock that have been deprived of water can cause edema (swelling due to excess fluid), nervousness and red-colored urine.

--Poisonous plants. Often weeds and toxic plants are the only green plants in a drought-condition pasture. Livestock that normally ignore these plants may eat them during a drought. "Walk your pastures once a week to check on edible materials," Hutchinson says. "Farmers should feed supplemental roughage and clip pastures to keep noxious and poisonous weeds under control."

--Blue-green algae. This algae variety can overgrow in a stagnant pond during extremely hot and dry weather. The algae is poisonous to livestock if they drink it. "If a pond can be aerated, do so," instructs Hutchinson. "Otherwise, fence off the pond and offer the animals another water source."

--Nitrate accumulations. Annual weeds, sudangrass, corn and small grains can have high nitrate levels in a drought. Dry conditions followed by rainfall can cause plants to absorb nitrates very quickly. "If the plants are grazed or baled as forage, farmers should use caution feeding it to animals," Hutchinson says.

Farmers also can minimize the effects of heat and drought by:

• Providing shade and air movement, particularly during the hottest part of the day.
• Sprinkling confined animals with cool water to reduce heat stress.
• Giving livestock access to salt and water.
• Providing a clean, algae-free source of water accessible to animals at all times.
• Supplying almost all pastured livestock with supplemental feed during the drought.

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Larry Hutchinson at 814-863-2160.

Contacts: John Wall jtw3@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax