On-Call / Vet

Recent weather conditions have raised several health problems for cattle producers. One of the most dramatic changes has been an increase in mastitis cases on dairy farms. Mastitis can be devastating to the economic well-being of a dairy operation, and successful treatment and control measures are needed to ensure financial stability, especially in the current economic environment.

It seems that every other week I hear about how unsafe our food supply has become, that livestock producers are poisoning an unknowing public with all manner of substances and that antibiotic use in livestock should be banned because of bacterial resistance to certain antibiotics. Much of what I hear on news shows and read in magazines or newspapers seems often to be biased against prudent use of pharmaceuticals in livestock production. I have a few thoughts based on experience and research that I would like to discuss in more detail in this column.
There are innumerable articles detailing all sides of the problem of antibiotic resistance, food safety and livestock production in general.

Spring is the classic time of year for booster vaccinations on horses.

There have been many recent reports of deer found dead throughout Missouri; many of these deer have been reported to have died from bluetongue, but in all likelihood, most of these animals were infected with a disease known as epizootic hemorrhagic disease, or EHD. This viral disease is potentially devastating to the white tail deer population both wild and captive, and can affect domestic ruminants.

'Colic’ is a general term used to describe abdominal pain and is a clinical syndrome that is commonly recognized in horses. Colic can be caused by many different abnormalities occurring within the abdominal cavity of the horse. For horse owners it is advantageous to be familiar with the clinical signs, diagnosis and treatment options for colic as most horses will encounter this problem at some point in their lives.

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.

Watch for acorn toxicosis this fall.

Creating a biosecurity plan is one of the most powerful means of preventing disease-related problems in beef cow-calf herds. The primary goal of a biosecurity plan is to prevent the introduction of disease into the herd.  This can be coupled with efforts to prevent transmission of disease within the herd and plans to eliminate disease carrying individuals. This is particularly applicable to purebred producers in that a disease-free status can add significant value to marketable seedstock. Similarly, however, smaller commercial producers can also benefit greatly from some basic biosecurity practices.

An outbreak of equine herpes virus has created quite a stir in the horse world recently. Several horses that attended the National Cutting Horse Association's Western National Championships in Ogden, Utah this May later developed neurologic signs and then tested positive for Equine Herpesvirus-1. Several shows have subsequently been cancelled, some farms have been quarantined and a few of the affected horses unfortunately euthanized as a result of the outbreak.

My practice has several small ruminant herds in it. We see a few cases each year of Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE) or Infectious Leukoencephalomyelitis. This disease is devastating to the animal it affects. CAE is usually seen in young goats. The most important thing to remember is there are no effective treatments for CAE. Prevention is the only way to control this syndrome.