On-Call / Vet

As we enter the New Year many of my horse clients are making plans for the spring. This is the time of year to start thinking about vaccinating, don’t wait. Remember vaccines do not provide immediate protection, some require four to six weeks for protective immunity. If you are planning on moving your horse out of state for any reason do not wait until the last minute for your EIA (Coggin’s) test.

If you’ve been in the cattle business long you have probably heard of the downer cow syndrome, or chances are, have had a downer cow of your own. This is a very common presentation and vets frequently get called out to examine cows that, for any number of reasons, are down and cannot get up. There is some irony in this condition as the apparent superficial problem is quiet easy to identify – the cow’s inability to rise. However, identifying the underlying cause for her apparent problem can be challenging and complex, hence the term, downer cow ‘syndrome’.

Animal agriculture is becoming more and more advanced each and every year and unfortunately, even though dairy producers are more efficient and producing a higher quality product than ever before, remaining profitable has become even more challenging. Therefore, in order to maximize cow health and milk production and to minimize treatment cost and milk discard, I encourage producers to consider implementing a pre-planned mastitis treatment protocol.

Urolithiasis is a common condition in goats and typically affects young wethers. It is characterized by small, crystallized stones (urinary calculi) forming in the urine which then settle out in the bladder and cause disease when they obstruct the outflow of the urethra and render the animal unable to urinate. This condition is of major significance due simply to the fact that it can make animals very sick very quickly and often results in death if not effectively treated soon enough.

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.

Blackleg is a disease that most cattle producers are relatively familiar with, if for no other reason than the ‘blackleg’ vaccine is probably the most commonly administered vaccination by cattle producers. And this for good reason, because for those producers that may have elected to forgo vaccination and unfortunately experienced the disease firsthand as a result, blackleg can be truly unforgettable. The disease frequently affects the biggest, fastest growing calves and renders them acutely dead in the majority of cases.

There are several tools available for cow/calf producers that can lead to a decrease in one of the primary problems seen in neonatal calves – diarrhea. Diarrhea is a leading cause of mortality in baby calves and has many causes.

How do we keep from leaving money on the table?