On-Call / Vet

It is breeding season once again and we often get the question, “will heat synchronization work in heifers?” Heat synchronization will work, but before we say yes, I like to look at each individual case and see if the producer has the time and facilities to do so. Some producers want to do large numbers, other may only have a few cows, and so each case must be assessed differently.

Over the past few weeks our clinic has seen a couple of cases of classic anaplasmosis. Anaplasmosis is a clinical condition primarily recognized in cattle caused by the organism anaplasma marginale. This organism acts as a parasite to the red blood cell of the animal resulting in destruction of circulating red blood cells and rapid onset of severe anemia. This condition can produce acute death in cattle and is a complex disease in regards to effective treatment and prevention strategies.

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.

While dealing with the ice and cold weather I have noticed our nutrition gurus are looking more and more into balancing rations of essential amino acids instead of protein. I ask the question “Is their requirement of protein for animals in their diet?” Actually “NO.” Animals must have the 10 essential amino acids and cats require 11 amino acids.

Spring is just around the corner and calves are already hitting the ground for many producers. One of the most common concerns amongst cattlemen this time of year is calf scours and general neonatal calf health.
Calf death and disease in the first couple of months post-calving is a significant source of lost production for many operations. The latest information on the subject suggests that neonatal calf health is by and large an issue of management. I'll discuss three topics of primary importance.

New rules regarding identification of livestock from one state to another became effective on March 11, 2013.  These rules were designed to assist with traceability of livestock in the event of a disease outbreak in the United States. The new rules were originally posted on January 9, 2013, but were postponed until March while revisions were made after several comments from the public. The new rules apply primarily to cattle and include several changes in recording identification for health certificates accompanying cattle transported across state lines. The new rules describe the classes of animals required to have official identification, the types of official identification allowed and the record keeping and documentation requirements for the new identification rules.

Many types of squeeze chutes exist today, each with features that make cattle restraint easier.

Warts are a common condition seen in cattle, which for the most part is a nuisance. But in sever cases warts may cause other problems, like secondary bacterial infections, which may lead to unthriftiness. Many say warts are due to compromised immune systems or poor nutrition, that may be so, but most cases I see are in fat, slick show animals. I see these animals because they cannot be shown or sold if warts are visible. In some of these cases, depending on the severity, we can surgically remove or freeze the warts. This allows the animals to recover from the problem at a faster rate, allowing a quicker return to the show or sale ring.

As I prepare this column, it would appear there is at least a small reprieve from some of the economic gloom and doom of the past 6 months.  Now I understand that this does not take away from the fact that everyone’s input costs have jumped drastically over the past couple of years.  But it should get you to thinking of ways to maximize your production and more efficiently use your resources.

Last year producers experienced falling calf prices and input costs that went through the roof. This year calf prices are still expected to be low but for cow-calf operators these difficult times can be seen as an opportunity.