Stress from weather conditions led to congestive heart failure in livestock killed in S.D. blizzard

Congestive heart failure brought on by stress killed many of the thousands of livestock that died in the South Dakota blizzard last month, according to the state veterinarian, which has verified the deaths of 13,977 cattle, 1,257 sheep, 287 horses and 40 bison, Andrea Cook reports for the Rapid City Journal. After being drenched by rain for 12 to 18 hours, the animals were finished off by snow and winds from the blizzards, according to Dr. Dustin Oedekoven, who told Cook, "Those cows likely got hypothermic. They were cold." As a result of the weather, "the cardiovascular systems of the cattle were working overtime, causing hypertension or high blood pressure in their lungs."

Overall, an estimated 180,000 cattle were lost in the blizzard. Since Congress hasn't passed a farm bill, the livestock owners are not eligible for federal assistance because the program that once protected livestock owners expired. The Rancher Relief Fund, designed to aid farmers who lost livestock, "has received more than $700,000 in donations, according to Silvia Christen, executive director of the South Dakota Stockgrowers," Cook writes. (Read more)