Mitigating Stress - Gut Health

Every organ of the body contains its own community of microbes. Both beneficial and harmful organisms reside there and produce metabolites that are in constant communication with the immune system. The microbial community in the gut is the most prevalent and diverse of any other organ in the body. 

Gut – Brain Connection

The gut-brain axis describes the communication network that connects the gut and the brain. This communication system is not a one-way street as these two organs can converse back and forth with one another.

Animal studies have shown that stress inhibits signals from the brain from being sent to the gut and can result in negative impacts to the microbial population, mucosal layer, and tight junctions of the gut. This can lead to increased intestinal permeability and make the animal more susceptible to disease.

Stress and Disease

Stress is an everyday occurrence and includes variables such as: pathogens, environmental temperature, diet changes, handling, transportation, mold/mycotoxins, weaning, and overcrowding.

Prolonged periods of stress can negatively impact immune function. Although vaccines are commonly given to cattle to prevent disease, a stressed animal producing a large amount of cortisol, may still not produce an effective immune response, even after being given a vaccine.  The animal could still get sick and spread the disease to the rest of the group.

Common stress related diseases include Coccidiosis, Pasteurellosis, and Mannheimia haemolytica. These are opportunistic organisms that are commonly found as part of the normal microbiome. During periods of stress, their population growth can get out of control and result in making the animal sick. 

Reducing Stress

There are many methods to minimize stress to the animal.  Low stress cattle handing, timing of weaning, nutritional status, shade during hot spells, adequate bedding during cold periods, and employee training can all have positive effects in reducing the amount of stress that the animal encounters.

Over the past decade as I have formulated starter and grower rations, and transitioned cattle onto feed at weaning I have, of course, observed one important thing; the cattle that keep up their feed intake during this stressful period, are much less likely to get sick. This observation really points toward gut health. 

If we are going to be successful in reducing the incidence of disease, and the need for antibiotics, we are going to have to level up our nutrition game. Sure, we need to do what we can to decrease the amount of stress we expose our cattle to, but the reality is even with all of our efforts, cattle will still regularly encounter stressors. 

Over the years we have done a good job of breaking down the nutritional requirements of protein and energy into amino acids and fatty acids. Now it’s time to level up our game to account for immune support and gut health in our nutrition programs. Doing so will help to mitigate the effects of stress by improving the gut environment. 

TomaHawk

One thing we have started doing with our own cattle at weaning, is to drench them with 30 ml of a supplement called TomaHawk.  TomaHawk is a direct fed microbial that also includes components that modulate (prime, but also keep it from overreacting) the immune system, prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, liver, and lung support.  TomaHawk can be given in large doses of 30 ml during stressful events such as weaning, shipping, or receiving.  It can also be added to feed at lower doses to prevent illness. 

As we implement the information scientists are continually uncovering about the gut microbiome, the effect it has animal health, and the communication it provides to all the other organs of the body, we will be more and more successful at overcoming disease and reducing the need for antibiotics. 

Written by: Mariah Gull, M.S.