Vetdle Archive Case #165: Bovine Viral Diarrhoea

Clinical Clues

A group of young cattle is investigated for fever, loose manure, and poor growth.
The owner reports nasal discharge and mouth erosions in several animals.
Affected cattle are dull and some have a sudden drop in appetite.
One persistently poor-doing calf seems to have been ill on and off for a long time.
Laboratory testing supports infection with a bovine pestivirus.
This viral disease can cause respiratory, enteric, reproductive, and mucosal syndromes in cattle.

Diagnosis

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea

This case is most consistent with Bovine Viral Diarrhoea because the cattle have a mixed systemic syndrome involving diarrhoea, oral lesions, and poor growth with supportive testing. The most important clues are the mucosal erosions and herd-level pattern, which make a simple nutritional problem less likely.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this cattle case supports the provided diagnosis, Bovine Viral Diarrhoea, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

Clue 1: A group of young cattle is investigated for fever, loose manure, and poor growth.
Clue 2: The owner reports nasal discharge and mouth erosions in several animals.

Clues 3-4

Clue 3: Affected cattle are dull and some have a sudden drop in appetite.
Clue 4: One persistently poor-doing calf seems to have been ill on and off for a long time.

Clues 5-6

Clue 5: Laboratory testing supports infection with a bovine pestivirus.
Clue 6: This viral disease can cause respiratory, enteric, reproductive, and mucosal syndromes in cattle.

Self-review prompts

After clues 1-2, what evidence from this cattle case shaped your initial interpretation?
When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Bovine Viral Diarrhoea?
How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea?

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.