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Anthrax confirmed in South Dakota cattle, producers urged to monitor herds

South Dakota has confirmed its first case of anthrax in cattle this year. 

State veterinarian Dr. Mendel Miller says it was detected in some cow-calf pairs located in Meade County. 

“This time of year in South Dakota, you never know if it’s a water situation, especially as dry as it’s been. They changed pastures and vaccinated for anthrax, just kind of to cover both bases and then, did some testing after that and it was confirmed that it was anthrax.”

Miller says anthrax is a bacterial disease that livestock get from the ground, and it can be present in fields for decades. He says a vaccine is available.

“It’s fairly cheap when considering all other vaccines but it’s really cheap when considering death loss that can occur with anthrax,” he says. “If you’re in an area where it’s happened in the past, it’s a cheap preventative to do it every year.”

Miller says there have been other sudden death events for cattle in the state, but they’ve been negative for anthrax.

He says history shows anthrax to have a widespread presence in South Dakota, and producers should be closely monitoring their herds.