This past year has seen a huge resurgence of pinkeye and other eye ailments in our practice. While I may have some of the answers the last year was unique with the lush growth of grass and a very high face fly population. And dry years see producers grazing alfalfa and the coarse stems also […] Read more
Tips for preventing/treating pinkeye
Proper implants lead to improved profits
The practice of implanting cattle to improve rates of gain has been around since the 1950s but today’s myriad of protocols and combinations of products can make it difficult to decide which combination to use. So it is important to clarify some points about implanting, as well as highlight new developments with implant manufacture. Despite […] Read more
Animal health: Vaccine selection — it’s a jungle out there
There are a multitude of diseases to consider vaccinating against, along with a multitude of vaccine combinations with different types of administration routes (subcutaneous or intramuscular) as well as different dosage amounts (usually two to five cc). These variables should all be considered when choosing vaccines. First and foremost, use the advice of your local […] Read more
Entire industry can work to control E. coli
With food safety always a top media issue, there is increased awareness among consumers of foodborne zoonotic diseases such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria and most recently E. coli. Every time there is a meat recall or an increase in disease incidence from other sources such as water or contaminated vegetables, it becomes a big media event. With […] Read more
Make the most out of implanting calves
Implanting cattle has been around since the 1950s, but the myriad of protocols and combinations can make it difficult to decide which combination to use. Despite the fact implants have a return on investment of approximately 20 to one, these growth promotants are very much underutilized in the cow-calf sector. Feedlots use implants to a […] Read more
Watch out for bull penis problems
Many times throughout the breeding season calls come in to veterinary clinics regarding swellings along the sheath of bulls. In many instances a favourable outcome is highly attainable. Location of the swelling tells a lot about its cause. Generally if the penis has been broken the swelling is just ahead of the scrotum. Swellings lower […] Read more
Dealing with intestinal disorders
Every spring brings sudden deaths of apparently healthy calves. Unfortunately, some internal conditions are beyond the control of even the best managers. Perforated ulcers We see one to two per cent perforating ulcers every spring on many well-managed farms. These are ulcers on the abomasum (fourth stomach), which have eaten right through the entire wall […] Read more
Dealing with intestinal disorders
Every spring brings sudden deaths of apparently healthy calves. Unfortunately, some internal conditions are beyond the control of even the best managers. Perforated ulcers We see one to two per cent perforating ulcers every spring on many well-managed farms. These are ulcers on the abomasum (fourth stomach), which have eaten right through the entire wall […] Read more
Tricks to grafting a calf
Since the beginning of time a common procedure in spring calving is cross-grafting calves onto surrogate mothers. It used to be if a beef cow had lost her calf, a new calf was bought from a dairy, but that brought with it the risk of exposing the beef herd to new infectious organisms such as […] Read more
Caring for newborn calves
Beef producers might need to use one or more of several common procedures to help newborn calves get off to a good start. Some things have changed over the years, whereas many others haven’t. The newborn calf is easy to handle (sometimes its possessive mother isn’t) and the calf is readily accessible, so it makes […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
