• ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Media
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspective
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 LIVE!™
Insights
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Client Handouts
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Upcoming dvm360 Conferences
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2022 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2022 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

New ear tag technology shown to improve illness detection in cattle

February 1, 2022

The electronic SenseHub Feedlot from Merck Animal Health is designed to find sickness earlier and more accurately than alternative methods might provide.

Merck Animal Health has released the new electronic ear tag technology SenseHub Feedlot, which is designed to detect sickness in cattle more accurately and earlier than traditional visual observation. A product of Allflex Livestock Intelligence, SenseHub Feedlot is available now as a part of a limited rollout, with plans to expand availability this summer, according to Merck.

The state-of-the-art technology was proven to be effective by investigators at a feed yard in Oklahoma. It features an illuminating electronic ear tag designed to easily identify and sort sick cattle, with less labor and minimal disruption to other animals, according to Merck.

SenseHub Feedlot tracks behavioral and biometric data to monitor the health of each animal. Body temperature is captured by an infrared thermistor, and a built-in accelerometer measures animal activity. Using collected data, this electronic ear tag applies machine learning algorithms to identify individual calves that vary from baseline norms, according to Merck.

Cattle caregivers receive a daily pull list on their mobile device or computer that includes individual animals identified by the system as needing further assessment such as those with bovine respiratory disease (BRD), lameness, or other ailments. Simultaneously, an LED light on the respective sick animals’ tags illuminates and flashes, so pen riders can quickly spot them. After an animal is pulled, the caregiver determines the cause and provides appropriate treatment.

“SenseHub Feedlot offers those who manage and care for cattle an innovative new approach to detecting illness,” said Jason Nickell, DVM, PhD, DACVPM, director of insights and outcomes at Merck Animal Health, in a company press release. “Cattle’s defense mechanisms mean they often hide symptoms of illness, making it very challenging for even experienced pen riders to find sick animals. SenseHub Feedlot assists the pen rider by removing the guesswork. Animals can be pulled and treated more quickly and more accurately.”

Investigators at the Oklahoma feed yard found that monitoring market cattle with the SenseHub Feedlot system significantly reduced mortality caused by BRD, compared with traditional pen rider observation. In the first 60 days, BRD mortality was lower for cattle monitored with SenseHub Feedlot, even though disease incidence was higher for that group.

Additionally, the Oklahoma trial demonstrated a 71% reduction in labor for riders entering pens with the use of SenseHub Feedlot. Riders who observed cattle visually entered an average of 18 pens per day, compared with only 5.3 pens per day on average when assisted by the new technology.

“The technology is like having another employee monitoring cattle 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even with ‘feedlot’ in the product name, the product also has application in backgrounding/stocker operations or cow/calf operations retaining calves,” Nickell noted in the company release. “Current users of the technology have reported lower treatment costs, as it allows them to pull sick animals earlier and only treat sick animals. They’ve also reported less mortality, fewer retreats and improved treatment outcomes due to earlier intervention.”

SenseHub Feedlot requires minimal hardware, is easy to implement on any size operation, and has a range up to 2 miles, according to Merck. The product consists of the reusable ear tag, and an antenna placed on site. A gateway collects, stores, and sends information to a data platform.

Reference

Merck Animal Health introduces SenseHub Feedlot electronic ear tag technology. News release. Merck Animal Health. February 1, 2022. Accessed February 1, 2022. https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/newsroom/merck-animal-health-introduces-sensehub-feedlot

Related Content:

TechnologyProductsFood AnimalsRespiratory Medicine
A pet pig patient requires these items to be stocked for proper care
A pet pig patient requires these items to be stocked for proper care
Shepherd Veterinary Software debuts new pet portal
Shepherd Veterinary Software debuts new pet portal
Tailored Pet adds new supplements and treats for its summer product line
Tailored Pet adds new supplements and treats for its summer product line

Latest News

A pet pig patient requires these items to be stocked for proper care

Rare Przewalski's horse foal born at an England zoo

3 Must-reads from DIVM

Shepherd Veterinary Software debuts new pet portal

View More Latest News