Sometimes there are new products that have a definite place in cattle production, or we find easier ways to do things. Products are changed due to developing resistance or the need for alternatives. It’s a global market, and Canada can occasionally find itself on the outside looking in. Regulatory changes can make our lives more complicated as more paperwork is introduced, and sometimes the speed of commerce slows down.

In this column, I am going to provide a variety of tips that can work on western Canadian cow-calf operations, both commercial and purebred.

Stomach ulcers are blamed on a number of factors, but research by Dr. Murray Jelinski has found they always happen in the transition from milk to grass consumption at around six weeks, resulting in a one per cent death loss. Some producers are creeping calves with very soft palatable grass hay and access to their own minerals to decrease incidence.

Clostridial vaccination is a possible prevention method, but whether it is or isn’t, the vaccine is a core one for young calves.

Speaking of clostridial vaccination, a new broader-spectrum product has just come on the market. It is called Covexin 10 but includes clostridium perfringens A. This is pretty rare in beef cattle and is seen more in mature dairy cows, but I talked to a purebred producer who had it diagnosed in younger calves that were dying. Discuss it with your herd veterinarian because, like all vaccines that have tetanus, it does not include histophilus somnus.

Vaccination tips

The latest information released by the Beef Canada Research Council is worth looking at. It’s a review of proper vaccinating techniques, which is always nice to have, not only for new employees or producers but also for those who have been in the business for a long time because over time, we can develop bad habits.

Producers pay good money for vaccines, so it’s important to look after them and take a little more time and thought to administer them properly. Vaccination is still a huge part of a producer’s biosecurity program, so keep abreast of new developments.

The BCRC put out information on core vaccines necessary in the cattle industry, and I would say pretty much all veterinarians would agree with 80 to 90 per cent of it.

Histophilus somnus should be considered a core vaccine because it is added to a lot of clostridial vaccines, and I remember when we saw the brainers and heart forms of it in our calves, especially in feedlots post-weaning. If we do see it now, it’s because there is a lack of a booster shot at the proper time.

Work in progress

We sometimes need to pat ourselves on the back for how far the industry has progressed in the last two to three decades. We’re seeing fewer navel infection and joint issues in young calves as a result of improving colostral consumption and hygiene. And we’re seeing far fewer calving issues because of proper selection for birth weight and body type in our herd sires.

Almost no dehorning is necessary now due to polled genetics, and cancer eye has a super low incidence because of dark pigment in almost all the breeds. Even Charolais animals have a darker pigment, resulting in a super low incidence. We used to perform a lot of surgeries for this condition at our clinic because of the complete white faces, and now they are a rarity.

We now try not to over-treat lameness because we know that non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs (NSAIDs), in a lot of cases, are a better choice. In bad cases, we can get a diagnosis before treatment. Each case is different and may simply require convalescence, trimming, surgery or, if something is incurable, shipping.

I used to do a lot of claw amputations. They are easy to recognize and worth doing, depending on the value of the animal and stage of pregnancy. It might even make sense in feeder animals. The success rate is very high.

Some feedlots have trimming tilt tables because they have recognized the recovery success rate and the growth potential, not to mention the animal welfare implications. If this service is required, look for clinics that will do it. The procedure is preferably done on a tilt table, but occasionally they can be done in a squeeze chute with good access, depending on which claw is involved. Your veterinarian will tell you their comfort level.

Record high cattle prices are helping speed up the decision to ship or treat as producers weigh the prognosis for success based on past experience. Both producers and veterinarians are more engaged now on the animal welfare side of livestock production. Again, treatment often involves NSAIDs.

A multitude of options are on the market, and veterinarians have their preferences as to which ones they want to use in each situation. Any NSAID is likely better than no NSAID in almost all situations, but producers must pay attention to withdrawal times.

We are fortunate in Canada that in most places, winter frosts and frozen yards and fields prevent transmission of lots of problems, eliminating the need for year-round treatment for internal and external parasites. This slows the development of resistance. But we still need to be cognizant of this and not over-treat. Treat for flies only when they reach the economic threshold. One life cycle in the summer may likely do it for most climates.

Foot-and-mouth disease and bovine tuberculosis have received a lot of attention lately because of recent outbreaks. Prevention needs to focus on border security, and our cattle organizations need to continually lobby the federal government on this.

I have great faith in our canine friends and the work they do, not only in drug detection but also with all citrus fruit, plants and meat. They are specialists and get lots done.

I am not a trained epidemiologist, but it appears that a new strain of bovine TB has been found in these last few outbreaks that hadn’t been detected before and isn’t found in surrounding herds, trace-outs, trace-ins or wildlife. Where is it coming from? We have one of the best surveillance systems in place during slaughter, which is how we find these cases in the first place. I also realize the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s handling of reportable diseases is always under scrutiny from our trading partners.

My last couple of points involve equipment.

When buying applicator guns, look for ones that can be used on different products. Clean them out and maintain them like you do your vaccine guns. All things will wear out, so parts should be replaced often.

Chutes and pens

For those just starting out in the cattle business, chutes, alley systems, maternity pens and calf chutes are available at auction.

Any squeeze chute or maternity pen is better than nothing because they will help you treat your animals appropriately and on time. Some may need a bit of repair, but I see chutes that are 50 years old or older that are still functioning well if maintained. This will make your life easier while maximizing animal welfare and minimizing injuries when handling.

Equipment can be upgraded as your herd grows, and herds larger than 200 head warrant a hydraulic chute. Expanding producers will seldom sell older chutes because they will be moved to a pasture to be used out there.

I hope that at least a couple of these points will resonate with you.

As well, if you ever feel a health area should be covered in these columns, plant the seed with one of the veterinary writers. Your idea or question will likely help others.

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These days all antimicrobials, NSAIDs and a few other products are prescription products and most come under the VCPR (veterinary-client-patient relationship). The two products in this case have already been on the market for years, but now, with no advertising on these prescription drugs, the huge teaching burden falls on the veterinary profession.

Sometimes your veterinarian is too busy or not familiar enough with the products or may not deal that much with the actual pharmaceutical company that manufactures them.

Producers can educate themselves on new emerging products that enter the marketplace, as they may benefit your operation or management style. You all need to realize any new and old products before them have passed rigorous testing and even though they may be generics (lookalikes), they have passed the same testing as the original product.

If you find the name of a product, veterinarians can find it on the Veterinary Compendium, where it will have the label described. Understanding how other producers use and their veterinarians prescribe a medication is great information, but make sure to get accurate information and not just hearsay.

Two similar products are Resflor and Zeleris. Both these products contain florphenicol, which has a good effect on respiratory pathogens. The products also contain an NSAID, giving anti-inflammatory or pain control as well. The antibiotic is the same and both trade names are used for pneumonia as prescribed by veterinarians.

There are other conditions where they are the top choice, but your veterinarian can advise you as to what product for what condition. Florphenicol is a Category 3 antibiotic, so we want to use it on cattle as a first choice, as there is little crossover in human medicine.

These two products have slight differences. When similar products are launched, the new soft, subtle, potentially convenient things are what may excite the vet and/or producer.

Zeleris has three features worth considering. It comes in a plastic bottle, it has a lower dose than Resflor and it is more syringeable.

There are great plastics out there these days and I hope the regulatory people will approve more and more antimicrobials in plastic bottles. This makes sense from a wastage, breakage and recycling perspective. From breakage during shipping to needing protective plastic shrouds around them, there is much more cost and wastage with glass. Plastic is the best new way to go as it is user-friendly. I know of several antimicrobials in plastic bottles, so I see no reason why all can’t be.

A lower dose adds convenience but the product Resflor, despite being six c.c. per 100 pounds, was used extensively because the efficacy was so darn good. If efficacy is excellent, a lot of inconvenience can be tolerated. Zeleris is a bit lower at 4.5 c.c. per 100 lbs., for a slight convenience on administration.

Syringeability only really comes up in colder weather, and I know the company that makes Resflor provides bottle warmers to try and keep the product as syringeable as possible.

Despite the high dosage of either product, there’s rarely an event with swelling. That’s why one needs to try these products to see the degree of swelling and make your judgment. I found it interesting that on the label of Zeleris, the amount in one site is 15 c.c. and virtually everything else is at 10 c.c. I believe this company went ahead and did the testing to get the 15 c.c. on the label. That is admirable.

For another advantage, the florphenicol molecule shows very little resistance and it is a safe Category 3 antimicrobial. That’s very good news for cattlemen — not to mention that two separate companies make these very similar products. Two similar products will tend to erode the price, and, in many ways, they can be used interchangeably — but check with your veterinarian first, and remember the dosage difference.

I have experience using both products and you will appear to get a quicker response with the Resflor because the banamine lowers temperature quickly. I see no difference in the recovery of sick calves and getting them back onto feed. 

All florphenicol products have longer withdrawals and Zeleris is no different, with a 56-day withdrawal; Resflor has a 60-day withdrawal.

The good news is these drugs are used in calves on cow-calf enterprises and feedlot cattle shortly after entry. With the long withdrawal, it’s best to keep away from use on heavy feedlot cattle.

We need multiple pharma companies to keep markets competitive and innovative. Amazingly, features like a plastic bottle or ease of administration can be important decisions in which product we choose, both as veterinarians and producers.

Always remember, availability may have you moving between products — but practice prudent use with your veterinarian. The first decision is whether antibiotics are needed or not.

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It is best that producers educate themselves on new, emerging products that may benefit their operation or management style. Everyone needs to realize that any new products have passed rigorous testing.

Even though they may be generics, they have passed the same testing as the original brand-name product.

For example, a new product called Zeleris contains essentially two generic products that have been combined into a new product. The products are florphenical and meloxicam — two very well- accepted and well-used products combined to produce an antibiotic for things like pneumonia and which also contain an anti-inflammatory or pain control component.

These days, generic drugs should be the equivalent to the brand- name drug, but the carrier may be different and there may be other subtle changes. Zeleris was no doubt developed as a competitor to Resflor, the tried and proven number one product used to treat clinical pneumonia in Canada. As a first- line treatment against pneumonia, Resflor contains a category-three antibiotic and banamine, which is also an NSAID.

When a new product hits the market and is equivalent to other products, a veterinarian usually reviews the literature and decides whether to prescribe it. Some may prescribe the new product to give it a try while others might want to stay with the proven product following the adage of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” It is up to the producer to decide which product to use — and neither is wrong.

Features worth checking

What I am finding with new, similar products are the sometimes subtle different features that may attract the vet/producer. Zeleris has three that in my mind make it a bit different. It comes in a plastic bottle, has a lower dose than Resflor and is more syringeable, meaning the viscosity of the medicine makes it easier to load and inject with less effort.

In regards to plastic bottles, there are great plastics out there these days and I would hope the regulatory people will approve more antimicrobials in plastic bottles. It makes sense to reduce breakage during shipping and eliminate the need for protective plastic shrouds around a glass bottle during shipment. It reduces the amount of packaging, reduces waste and hopefully reduces overall cost. Plastic is by far the best new way to go. It is user-friendly and I know of several antimicrobials already sold in plastic bottles so I see no reason why all can’t be packaged that way.

The lower-dose feature of Zeleris does add convenience. Resflor used at the six cc per 100 pounds was used extensively because the efficacy was so darn good. If efficacy is excellent a lot of inconvenience can be tolerated. Zeleris is a bit lower at 4.5 cc per 100 lbs., so there’s a slight convenience on administration. Zeleris should be administered as a single subcutaneous dose at a rate of 40 mg florfenicol/kg bodyweight and 0.5 mg meloxicam/kg body weight (i.e. 1 mL/10 kg bodyweight). Do not administer more than 15 mL at each injection site. The injection should only be given in the neck area.

The syringability issue really only comes up in colder weather and I know the company that makes Resflor provides bottle warmers to try and keep the product as syringable as possible so they have found a way around that.

I have heard of the odd case of swelling related to Zeleris. That is possible with its more watery product so one has to see how much swelling it actually might produce. The only question for producers is whether they can put up with whatever swelling, if any.

With Resflor used widely I have never seen any swelling personally. That is why a person needs to try these products and make their own judgement.

There are actually three antimicrobial products that carry the florphenicol molecule, so the competition may affect price. But it is best to check with your veterinarian first to determine if the products can be used interchangeably. It should be noted all florphenicol products have a longer withdrawal of 56 days than other antibiotics, and Zeleris is no different.

Your veterinarian has the VCPR with you. So don’t be afraid to ask them about any new products on the market. Sometimes all vets need to try new products first hand to see if they’re effective.

It is important that the various pharma companies keep the market competitive and keep being innovative. It is amazing in this day and age how often simple things like a plastic bottle and ease of administration can be important decisions in which product we choose both as veterinarians and producers.

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Dr. Eugene Janzen of the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has been studying pain mitigation in beef cattle for several years. He says non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Metacam and Meloxicam Oral benefit young calves after banding or surgical castration.

“The calves would move around a whole lot better. They would mother up. They would suckle.”

Dr. Doug Myers, a technical services vet with Boehringer Ingelheim, says they’ve seen a “groundswell of support from the ranching community” for Metacam 20, a product approved for pain relief in cattle.

“It’s really sold itself,” says Myers. “I would say the producers have talked about this among themselves maybe even more than the veterinarians have.”

Dr. Merle Olson, founder of Alberta pharmaceutical manufacturer Solvet, says they designed Meloxicam Oral after producers requested an affordable pain control product for calves. The cost of treating a calf during processing is under $2 per head, he says.

“Our mission is to make sure animals in pain have pain control,” says Olson. He adds Meloxicam Oral has been “very well-received.”

Tips for use

Both Metacam and Meloxicam contain meloxicam as an active ingredient, and both are approved for treating cattle. But label claims and administration do differ.

Right now castration is Meloxicam’s only label claim. Olson says they pursued that label claim because castration is the most common painful procedure done on calves. “We could never provide label studies for every known painful condition.”

Olson says producers can use Meloxicam off-label under veterinarian direction. They need to purchase it through a veterinarian, as it’s a prescription product.

Meloxicam comes with an oral dosing gun. Producers who process calves on the ground can get another dosing gun with a hook-shaped tube that goes in the mouth to make it easier to administer. Olson says either dosing gun administers Meloxicam in seconds.

Metacam has several label claims, including pain relief from scours, dehorning, mastitis, and abdominal surgery (C-sections). It’s also an anti-endotoxin, meaning it works against the poisons released by bacteria during infections. Metacam drops the fever and controls pain from scours.

“It allows the animal to feel better,” says Myers. “And some of those animals may not need an antibiotic.” Animals with bovine respiratory disease are also in pain, he adds, so sometimes those animals are treated with Metacam as well.

Metacam can be injected subcutaneously by tenting the skin on the neck. Vets can also administer it with an IV during surgeries.

Producers should look to veterinarians for off-label use of Metacam, says Garner Deobald, territory sales manager for Boehringer Ingelheim. Boehringer has tech services vets who can be consulted about potential issues, he says.

Contraindications, or negative effects, are one good reason to check with a vet before using either product off-label. For example, Myers says producers shouldn’t use Metacam on scouring calves that are flat out and can’t get up, as they’re likely hypovolemic (low on blood due to loss of body fluids).

Dosage for both products is based on body weight. Both Myers and Olson say they haven’t had any reports of ill effects from overdosing their products. Metacam has been tested at five times the label dose for three times the licensed treatment rate, Myers says. Producers would have to exceed that very high dosage to harm an animal.

Both products control pain for days after administration: Metacam for 72 hours in ruminants, Deobald says. Meloxicam’s label indicates therapeutic pain relief for 56 hours.

Research shows limitations

The research has proven that NSAIDs such as Meloxicam Oral and Metacam Oral reduce pain after a procedure. But there’s a big stumbling block for cow-calf producers hoping to reduce pain during a painful procedure such as castration.

“If you’re going to give the medicine at the time of the procedure, that’s like going to the dentist and getting him to block your teeth and then he immediately starts drilling,” Janzen says.

When researchers dosed the calves with an NSAID well ahead of time, the calves showed less pain during the procedure. That’s good news, as Janzen could see dairy producers administering an NSAID before disbudding calves. But right now it’s likely not a practical option for cow-calf producers during processing.

Using castration bands on older calves also poses challenges. If a producer or feedlot operator is stuck banding a 500- or 600-lb. calf, the pain is “pretty difficult to medicate away,” Janzen says. The problem is that the real pain sets in once the band breaks the skin, about 15 to 25 days after banding.

Surgical castration requires more skill and comes with complications and risks. However, for older calves in the feedyard, it’s the best way to go, Janzen says. “You can find combinations of pharmaceutics that just eliminate the pain completely.”

Researchers are also studying how effective NSAIDs are in situations other than castration. Dr. Claire Windeyer of the University of Calgary is using NSAIDs on cows and calves as part of a study on dystocia (hard calvings), Janzen says.

And Janzen has plans of his own.

“The elephant in the room has to be branding,” he says. “I mean, disbudding is painful, the castration is painful. But it’s not anything like branding. And how are you going to medicate away the pain of branding?” Janzen plans to look at medicating two-month-old calves during branding this year.

Researchers seem to have quite a bit of support within the beef industry. Janzen sometimes speaks to 4-H clubs, and the kids are very aware of pain in animals, he says. And during producer meetings, Janzen fields questions from producers on how to reduce pain.

“And it turns out lots of times we don’t have an answer for them,” he says. “So I think that’s why it’s appropriate to keep looking.”

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There are two main ways ranchers process calves. The first is the traditional way we call “branding” where calves are roped and pulled backwards to an area where wrestlers restrain the calves and all procedures are done almost simultaneously. These can go very smoothly depending on the experience of the crew but require lots of people power. Branding day is mixed with steep tradition and neighbours help each other out. The other method is separating and using a runway where calves go into a calf cradle (essentially a small chute) and are restrained and processed by a much smaller crew.

While the traditional branding does require lots of planning it also allows people not all that familiar with cattle a chance to participate and experience a western tradition. I have observed and participated in several brandings over the years and for the most part they are well organized and accomplish excellent processing speed and accuracy. The key person to me is the one who assigns the jobs and of course I always focus on the health aspect.

About vaccination

With the vaccines, it is best to give a person one needle and have the syringe labelled with that vaccine and have them always administer it in the same location. With traditional branding the calves are on their sides and through necessity the shots need to be given on the same side.

The wrestler is often lying over the calf’s neck so we must often pick the next best location. With the front leg lifted many give one vaccine under the elbow. I would give the least reactive vaccine — the one containing the viral vaccines — in this location. If these are modified live vaccines they are generally less reactive. Your clostridial vaccines could be given higher in the neck so this allows greater separation of different vaccines.

At one branding I attended the owner had us use paint sticks on each calf with a different colour for each vaccine that helped the wrestlers insure everything was done before releasing calves. Store the vaccines in a cooler with ice packs and only reconstitute enough modified live vaccine to use in one hour. If taking breaks in-between groups that is the time to reconstitute more vaccine. Change needles frequently and use the disposable sharp needles, not the old thick-walled steel needles. Vaccinating during the rain also leads to more injection site abscessation. Insure from your veterinarian vaccines selected are covering the intended disease complex. Gone are the days when just clostridial vaccines are given. There are many combination vaccines that help prevent respiratory disease and will serve as the priming shot for the booster in the fall at weaning.

Pain control

If castrating with a knife ensure the same experienced people do it. The young calves are often done with a closed technique (testicle is kept in its outer protective membrane and the cord is pulled). This will lead to less infections as all that is touched is removed. I would follow this up with a disinfectant spray and have the castrator clean their hands as much as possible. With all the stress of vaccinating, castrating and branding it may be a very wise idea if NSAIDS (Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) are given. This will soon be mandatory for bigger calves in our beef Code of Practice. If calves are given NSAIDS (on the advice and consultation with your veterinarian) you will find they may recover quicker not miss even one meal and gain more weight. Your veterinarian may advise even just using the product on castrated bull calves for starters. A few calves get the odd sprain and strain from being roped and pulled to the processing area so the NSAID will help in that regard as well. NSAIDs are available only through prescription so must be prescribed by your veterinarian.

Branding tips

Branding may one day become a thing of the past but for now it still acts as identification and takes a lot of the labour at spring processing. Use the smallest calf irons. And to promote healing, treat the band area with an Aloe Vera liquid. They had found it promotes healing much like we do by applying it to burns. An added benefit of the NSAID’s is they will decrease inflammation and pain at the branding site for up to two days. This all bodes well for animal welfare concerns. Unless running cattle on community pastures or if pasturing finance cattle there really is little reason to brand these days. Think why you really need to brand. It may only be needed for your replacement heifers?

Branding day is the ideal time to implant all steer calves and the non-replacement heifer calves with a growth promotant. Replacement heifers can also be implanted safely once between one month and weaning with some of the implants. The implants simply replace some of the hormones we remove with castration.

Only about 25 per cent of calves are implanted in Canada so we are missing out on lots of gains. Implants are extremely safe but it takes practice to get proficient in injecting the capsules in the proper location.

Also on branding day, if due to weather (too wet, or too hot) and any sickness in animals, your veterinarian may even advise on certain years giving long-acting antibiotics as a preventive treatment. Some new macrolide antibiotics can last upwards of four weeks and for young calves the dose is very low. Fly control can be considered at branding as well as reading or replacing lost RFID tags. Some will use tag readers to monitor which calves have been processed.

When the work is done “branding day” allows for some good camaraderie and socializing but always remember doing a good job is your livelihood so always critique yourself and get good ideas when attending other ranchers brandings. We can always learn from each other and improve what we are doing. Make a list of the new things you will implement next branding to improve the health, welfare and productivity of your herd.

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Mastitis or inflammation of the mammary gland results in swelling in the infected quarter together with heat and soreness. Affected cows may have a guarded walk because of the pain. If a severe infection or when more than one quarter is involved the cow may be febrile (feverish) and depressed. The sooner we initiate treatment the better.

Treatment approach

Stripping (hand milking) out the infected milk together with systemic antibiotics such as penicillin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs ) as well as treatment with approved products into the udder is my preferred method. This has the greatest chance of success.

If in stripping the quarter out you detect air, these are often the serious infections. The bacteria produce gas with toxins and can be life threatening. Unlike dairy cattle where we must consider milk withdrawal this is not an issue with beef cattle so using the dry cow treatments is an option.

The dry cow therapies have much longer effectiveness. They pose a viable option for beef cattle, which may be harder to treat. Make sure you comply with any slaughter withdrawal times as dry-cow infusions have slaughter withdrawals ranging from 30 days and longer. Follow your herd veterinarian’s recommendations, as they may need to examine and initiate intensive therapy for cows that are very sick.

It may be necessary to poultice the infection to the outside if a large abscess develops. In severe cases the infection will wall itself off and the whole quarter may slough off. The cow may totally recover and the problem is eliminated for next year but we wonder if other quarters are predisposed. The cow probably should be shipped.

Calves seem to avoid sucking the affected quarter(s) so I personally don’t worry about them becoming sick from infected milk. Keep an eye on their flanks though to make sure they are getting enough milk. If the mastitis makes the cow physically sick their milk production will drop dramatically and the calf may need to be supplemented. In severe cases the calf may need to be orphaned to another cow as the udder may dry up completely.

May not be detected

Many times mastitis in beef cows is not caught soon enough or there is a smouldering infection which starts after weaning and becomes clinical when the cow calves the following year. These are chronic infections and the odds of clearing them up are very rare indeed.

My advice — either ship the cow or attempt to dry up the infected quarter. It has been found a three-teated cow will compensate for milk production and produce almost as much milk as if all four quarters were functional. Talk to your veterinarian what they would recommend.

There are many concoctions, which appear to work. Varying concentrations of silver nitrate, copper sulfate and other products have been tried. See which one has worked for your veterinarian. The most ideal time to do this is after weaning when the cow is naturally drying off.

When a cow is producing milk it becomes difficult to dry one quarter while expecting the others to keep producing. Once the quarter is chemically dried off it will scar down and should not produce milk again, thus eliminating the chance for reoccurrence.

In my experience two groups have a higher incidence in the beef herds. The younger, good-producing cows that have a tendency to leak milk at or around calving, and the old cows with the low-slung broken-down bags are the other group. Good selection for udder and teat confirmation goes a long way to preventing mastitis problems further down the line.

Cows with the larger — what I call “coke bottle” — teats are not only a bother because the calves have difficulty sucking but they often have quarters which develop mastitis. Culling older cows that develop the poor teat and udder conformation (broken-down suspensory) will eliminate problems before they develop. These cows become very evident at calving and it becomes labour intensive getting the calf to nurse. A good option is to move their calf to another cow if the opportunity presents itself.

Never ever cut the teat end off or lance into the udder to drain an abscess. The udder and teats have a very good blood supply and blood loss can be very severe, even causing death.

By proper selection of replacement stock with good udder conformation and being vigilant and calving in a clean area, mastitis can be kept to an absolute minimum on beef farms. If you do observe a case be aggressive with treatment on advice from your veterinarian as most can be saved.

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