Downer (animal)

Downer (animal)

A downer is an animal, usually livestock, that cannot stand on its own and therefore is to be killed. A downed animal, one that is unable to stand, is not necessarily a downer.

The animal's inability to stand may be caused by illness or injury. In nearly all cases it is considered by most farmers to be both humane and cost-effective to kill the animal when it becomes a downer, rather than keeping it alive and unhealthy. Once killed, and depending on how the animal became a downer and how it was killed, the animal may then be incinerated, buried, rendered, or slaughtered. Because of mad cow disease, the slaughter of downer cattle is a topic of great concern.

There are many possible reasons for an animal staying down, including:

• Mastitis
• Metritis
• Hypomagnesaemia
• Hypocalcaemia
• Ketosis
• Dystocia
  • Nerve damage
  • Pelvic fracture
• Long bone fracture
• Neurological disease