Texas Veterinarian Cracks Mystery of Bird Flu in Cows

In early March, Texas veterinarian Dr. Barb Petersen began receiving calls from dairy owners with concerns over dying crows, pigeons, and other birds on their farms. Then, word came of barn cats suddenly dying, including half the cats on one farm. Days later, the Amarillo vet started hearing about sick dairy cattle cows with unusual symptoms: high fevers, decreased appetite, and reduced milk production. Tests came back negative for typical illnesses. Dr. Petersen, who monitors more than 40,000 cattle on a dozen farms in the Panhandle, drew samples from cattle and cats and sent them to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory at Iowa State University....