Cattle Chat Podcast Summary

Episode Date: February 13, 2026
Host: Dr. Brad White, BCI Cattle Chat team (Dustin, Philip, Bob)
Guest: Dr. Christine Navarre, Extension Veterinarian, Louisiana State University
Main Topics: Liver Flukes in Cattle, Emergency Preparedness for Cattle Operations

Episode Overview

In this episode, the BCI Cattle Chat team welcomes Dr. Christine Navarre from LSU to discuss pressing topics in the beef cattle industry: the practical realities of liver fluke infections in cattle—especially as they affect different regions—and concrete strategies for emergency preparedness for ranches and feedlot operations. The episode combines listener questions, expert commentary, and field experiences to provide actionable advice for producers and veterinarians.

Meet the Guest

• Dr. Christine Navarre introduces herself and her Louisiana background, noting her extensive work as an extension veterinarian at LSU ([01:16]).
  • “I was born and raised in Louisiana. …I’m currently the extension veterinarian for the LSU Agricultural Center. I’m in the animal science department on campus.” — Dr. Christine Navarre [01:16]

Lighthearted Start: Favorite Cajun Foods ([01:59])

• Hosts and Dr. Navarre discuss their favorite Cajun foods, adding a personal, regional touch to the episode:
  • Bob attempts “Etouffee,” and Dr. Navarre approves his pronunciation.
  • “Pretty much all of those. I love boiled crawfish.” — Dr. Christine Navarre [02:36]
  • Group mentions gumbo, crawfish boils, and jambalaya as favorites.

Liver Flukes in Cattle: Experiences & Advice

Listener Case Study ([02:53])

• A veterinarian from a feedlot reports unexplained cattle deaths with jaundice, “port wine” urine, and liver spots in animals from a fluke-endemic area.
• Key Question: Could these be due to old or recurring liver fluke injuries, or something else?

Dr. Navarre’s Fluke Primer ([04:03])

• Liver flukes: Parasitic organisms with a unique life cycle involving a snail as intermediate host—prevalence depends on environmental factors: snail presence, soil, temperature.
• Flukes migrate from the cattle GI tract to the liver, potentially causing tissue damage and enabling clostridial infections, such as Clostridium hemolyticum, which can be fatal.
• Symptoms described (jaundice, red urine, sudden death) are consistent with severe fluke damage, though other causes should be considered.
• Important Point: Not all clostridial vaccines protect against C. hemolyticum. Treatment at arrival may also have been missed.
  • “A typical deworming strategy does not include a flukicide unless you put a flukicide in it. …So a lot of our dewormers don’t have that capacity...” — Dr. Brad White [06:11]

Regionally Specific Problems ([06:26]; [07:31])

• Flukes are rare in Kansas but common in cattle from southern/southeastern U.S.; imported animals may still carry and suffer from previous fluke damage.
• Should every arrival be treated? Dr. Navarre’s advice:
  • Assess risk (origin of cattle, necropsy findings, economics). “If you’re deworming anyway, and there’s some crossover and the cost is the same, why not throw in those products that also get flukes.” — Dr. Christine Navarre [08:22]
• Estimating prevalence is hard due to lack of granular condemnation data at slaughter.

Diagnostics and Prognosis ([08:37]; [09:13])

• Can you test new arrivals for flukes?
  • Yes: Fecal samples (using a special technique) can sometimes detect eggs, especially in older cattle; negatives aren’t definitive since immature flukes still cause damage.
• Is liver damage permanent?
  • Damage can persist; the liver is resilient if the source is removed. Recovery depends on the extent of the initial insult; would need histopathology to assess.
  • “We know that the liver is pretty good…at regenerating a little bit and going back. So it really kind of depends on how bad the damage was.” — Dr. Navarre [09:42]

Differential Diagnoses ([10:49])

• With similar signs, also consider bacterial abscesses, plant toxicity, anaplasmosis, additional clostridial diseases, and other circulatory/liver conditions.

Emergency Preparedness for Cattle Operations

Core Principles ([12:48])

• Dr. Navarre’s Emergency Prep Basics:
  • Focus first on cattle needs post-disaster: water, feed, shelter, and stress reduction.
  • “What are going to be the needs of those cattle right after a storm...that we can prepare for ahead of time? So thinking about...water...low-stress cattle handling...herd health programs...nutrition...” — Dr. Christine Navarre [12:48]
• Low-stress handling, vaccination, and nutrition are all preventive measures to boost cattle resilience after disasters like hurricanes, fires, and tornadoes.

Practical Preparedness Tips ([12:48] - [14:52])

• Water:

  • Have backup plans for well outages (generators, access to surface water, ability to haul water in ag tanks—never use former chemical tanks [17:21]).
  • “Cattle can go a few days without feed; they can’t go very long without water.” — Dr. Bob [16:14]

• Feed:

  • Avoid sudden feed changes post-disaster.
  • Plan for readily available emergency feed options.

• Power and Communications:

  • Backup power for wells and phones, cash reserves for purchases if card systems are down, and cloud-based record keeping in case of local data loss.
  • “I use my credit card for everything now, but it doesn’t work when there’s no power and you need to buy fuel.” — Dr. Navarre [13:33]

• Operations Plan:

  • Have a communication tree and list of responsibilities (with backups) for employees and family members in case key people can’t reach the farm.
  • “You need to have a plan if of who's doing what so that everybody knows...” — Dr. Philip [18:09]

• Record Keeping:

  • Insurance and cattle records should be cloud-based; documentation (photos, lists, brands) is crucial post-disaster for proof of ownership and claims ([20:31]-[21:03]).
  • “It's really the only thing that cattle rustlers can't cut out. …With cattle prices these days, that's something to think about.” — Dr. Navarre on branding [21:03]

• Self-care for Producers:

  • Stress management, personal safety, and self-preparation are critical. “You got to take care of yourself. Yes, we're trying to take care of the animals...but these times can be highly stressful.” — Dr. Brad White [19:14]

• Checklists:

  • Use pre-made or extension-service-provided disaster checklists to avoid missing critical steps during a crisis ([19:45]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Liver flukes are a parasite that is in certain parts of the country. It is kind of unique compared to our other parasites in that there's a snail intermediate host.” — Dr. Navarre [04:03]
• “...if you're deworming anyway...why not throw in...those products that also get flukes.” — Dr. Navarre [08:22]
• “Water consumption, that's first thing that cattle would run into trouble. I mean, they can go a few days without feed, they can't go very long without water.” — Dr. Bob [16:14]
• “...when you're in that situation…have a checklist. … Because when you're stressed and you're trying to remember, oh, what do I need to do? ... you can go down that checklist and go boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.” — Dr. Navarre [19:45]
• “We talk about branding for a lot of reasons, but it’s really the only thing that cattle rustlers can’t cut out. … we have had that problem after storms with people coming in and taking advantage of the situation.” — Dr. Navarre [21:03]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:16] — Dr. Navarre’s background
• [02:53] — Listener question about cattle with possible liver fluke damage
• [04:03] — Overview of liver flukes: biology, signs, diagnosis
• [07:31] — Treatment: when and who to treat for flukes
• [08:37] — Diagnostics: fecals & liver function
• [10:49] — Discussion of differential diagnoses and other causes
• [12:48] — Emergency preparedness in cattle operations: critical needs
• [14:52-18:48] — Power, water, feed, communication planning; case examples
• [19:45] — Checklists, record-keeping, branding & worker responsibilities

Actionable Takeaways

• When purchasing cattle from fluke-endemic areas, assess the need for fluke treatment on arrival and ensure clostridial vaccine coverage includes C. hemolyticum.
• Emergency preparedness must include solid water and feed strategies, power contingency plans, clear communication protocols, up-to-date and offsite/cloud-based record keeping, and careful self-care.
• Use checklists and practice disaster scenarios so everyone knows their roles; brand cattle and document everything for loss prevention and insurance needs.
• Stress resilience at both the herd and human level is key for disaster recovery.

For questions or to suggest future topics, email the hosts at bcisu.edu or reach out on social media.