On-Call / Vet

The abomasum is the fourth compartment of the stomach in the cow. This compartment is most like the simple stomach of humans or the horse in that it is the only glandular portion of the stomach of cows secreting hydrochloric acid and enzymes. The abomasum must function normally for cows to maintain their health and production. Dysfunction of the abomasum, namely displacement, is one of the most common causes of a need for abdominal surgery in the bovine.

According to the calendar, spring is here and you have your calf crop on the ground and are thinking maybe you should be going over the farm equipment before spring planting starts. Something else you should be thinking about is getting ready for breeding season so that you have a new calf crop for next year. Some planning now on your part can go along way to making next year’s calf crop successful.

Many times clients ask about treatment for Fescue foot, but after several questions and upon physical exams, they are asking for a treatment for the wrong problem. There are major differences between Fescue toxicosis and foot rot.

Getting young stock off to a good start is critical to the success of any livestock operation. For most livestock species, the successful transfer of maternal immunity from a dam to her offspring is the first step and also the cornerstone of neonatal health. Whether we are discussing foals, calves or goat kids, all rely heavily on the ‘passive transfer’ of immunity by means of the first milk or colostrum to provide protection from disease.

Implanting calves with growth promoting implants is one of the most profitable practices for cattle producers. Unfortunately, my experience suggests that many local producers are simply not taking advantage of growth promoting implants in their calves. This could be due in part to a lack of familiarity with implants and their appropriate use or potentially, a deficiency in management strategy necessary to realize benefits.

Over the past several months, I have examined several beef cows that presented with chronic weight loss and diarrhea. Based on clinical findings, I decided to test several for Johne’s disease, and found cows from four separate farms that tested positive for the disease.

You’ve been training the cows to come into the catch pen for the past couple of weeks. You got your help all lined up. You’ve got the vet scheduled for the exact time you wanted to work cows. Everything appears ready to go work your herd. But wait-have you taken time to give your facilities an inspection? This may not be the first thing you think about when planning fall herd work, but it may be the most critical and important thing you can do to ensure an efficient and safe working day for your cattle, your help and yourself.

Most horse owners I know have at least one "easy keeper". These horses seem to require very little in terms of nutrition to maintain their body condition. Often the battle is in keeping them from becoming obese and horse owners go to great lengths, even what seems like near starvation to prevent these "easy keepers" from getting fat. As with all species, unchecked obesity comes with great health risks and for horses, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a condition not too uncommon for the overweight horse.

Flies are a well known and common pest to most all classes of livestock. With heat and humidity, flies thrive and this makes summer in the Ozarks a prime environment for fly populations. Economic losses can be substantial, particularly in beef and dairy cattle. In cattle, flies can cause production losses in the way of reduced weight gain, lowered milk production and the transmission of disease.