What Makes Braunvieh a Perfect Pet

Introduction and Origin

The beautiful Switzerland alpine region is the origin of a breed of a very special domestic cow, the Braunvieh. This is German for “brown cattle” or “brown cow.”All types of cows are bred originally for milk, meat, or draught work, but the modern Braunvieh can be raised as a pet. Yes, a great companion and wonderful partner.

The Braunvieh cow may be the oldest pure breed as there are records dating back to as early as 800 B.C. Cattle bones for this cow have been found in the ancient Swiss lakes, dating back to the Bronze Age.


Braunvieh is an extremely docile breed, which gives it the first qualification as a pet. Its beautiful and soften sleek hair has various shades of brown, with the mousy brown being its predominant shade. The border of the muzzle is light, and such is the poll. It has a black nose and many variations of this breed have a colored dorsal stripe.

The tail is often found with a switch between brown to black. This is a muscled (but again, docile) animal with symmetric and well-formed feet and legs. Braunvieh cattle can be horned or polled and both bulls and cows usually have horns that are pale with dark points.


Pet Care

Caring for this cow as a pet is a special task and basically divided into three stages.


Remember that the Braunvieh cow is of extremely calm temperament which makes grooming a less-daunting task. Washing your pet is a recommended twice or thrice per week. Prior to washing, always blow off to remove as much debris from the skin as possible.

Washing doesn’t always involve using soap; it could be just a rinse with water to remove mud and debris. If soap is used, make sure that the product does not strip the oils from the hair. After washing or rinsing is done and all the excess water is dried off the cow’s skin, brush off the hair forward. Continue to comb until the hair has a separated and full look.

Health Needs

As is the case with all other types of cows, the Braunvieh breed needs space to move around and socialize in the herd. Make sure your pet has plenty of space to exercise as well as rest and graze. This is a key issue for your pet’s health. Working closely with a veterinarian or an animal nutritionist is highly recommended so that your cow pet can get as much nutritious feed it needs to fulfill its health needs.

Vaccines and regular checkups must be scheduled throughout the year to make sure the cow is healthy. Braunvieh cows are strong and genetically healthy animals and cancer risk is very low in this breed. This is another big check that makes your Braunvieh a perfect pet.


As previously mentioned, feeding is extremely important for your pet. Climate, region, season of the year, etc. must be taken into account when deciding on the quality, quantity and frequency of feeding. There are several feeding systems for all types of cows. For a Braunvieh cow as a pet, the pasture-based system is the most recommended.

Remember, you have your cow as a pet, so supplemental energy sources to achieve, for example, high milk production is not what we are looking for. So an optimized use of forage resources and pasture system is more than enough to keep your pet cow happy and well fed. Also, as previously mentioned, a veterinarian or animal nutritionist is highly recommended.
