Determining respiratory or circulatory health condition in animals for improved management

摘要

A method and system for managing at least one animal is disclosed. The method can include imaging, such as ultrasound imaging, a lung of a live animal, such as a ruminant or bovine. The imaging can be performed to determine a degree of respiratory damage from past respiratory illness. After imaging, information regarding respiratory damage can be used to select at least one aspect of the treatment, care or disposition of the animal. For example, the information can be used to select the amount or type of feed provided to the animal at a feedlot. The information also can be used to select how long the animal should be housed at the feedlot prior to slaughter. If an animal is diagnosed with a respiratory illness, information about its degree of respiratory damage from past respiratory illness also can be used to select the appropriate medical treatment or lack of treatment.

主权项

1. A method for managing at least one animal, comprising:
entering characteristic data including at least weight for an animal in a computer system, wherein the characteristic data is associated with a unique identifier for the animal in the computer system; imaging at least one lung of the animal to produce a first image; determining a degree of respiratory damage in the animal based upon the first image; assigning the animal a respiratory damage designation corresponding to the animal's degree of lung damage that is associated with the unique identifier for the animal; recording the respiratory damage designation in an electronic database; determining in the computer system, from at least in part the characteristic data and the respiratory damage designation, a projected target condition for the animal; determining for the animal an estimated time required to reach the projected target condition, from at least in part the projected target condition and feed ration information; selecting the animal for a group based at least in part on the estimated time required to reach the projected condition; feeding the animal with the group in a feed pen for a feeding period; administering a first feed additive to the group by dispensing the first feed additive into a first feed ration by a computerized feed additive delivery system; comparing the first image to at least one other lung image to determine whether the first image indicates active or past disease; and selecting at least one additional aspect of treatment, care, and/or disposition of the animal based at least in part on whether the first image indicates active or past disease.