Re: Brisket disease. Interesting similarities with humans and AMS:
Indeed,Steve, although Brisket Disease in cattle is more like Monge's Disease in humans. Both of these are chronic conditions occurring after months or years at various species-specific altitudes and manifested by two main problems (1)complications from too many red blood cells as a response to hypoxia. yes, you can make too much, and (2) Right-sided congestive heart failure (CHF) due to the extra workload of the right side of the heart pumping blood through pulmonary hypertension, itself a direct effect of hypoxia.
(note: this is
different from usual left-sided CHF that humans get from coronary disease or systemic hypertension
By the way, why do llamas in South Americas and bar-headed geese in Asia survive well at high altitudes? They do not get the pulmonary hypertension effect , and, they have left-shifted oxyhemoglobin dissociation curves for their hemoglobin, and/or other metabolic advantages. There is a lot we can learn from veterinary medicine.
Wiki does not have much on Monge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_mountain_sicknessThis has a bit more and other sources are searcheable.
http://www.amjmed.com/article/0002-9343%2871%2990181-1/abstract 
