By the time you read this, one of the longest heat waves to hit the Prairies should be ancient history and you’ll be assessing what the ramifications were. If this becomes an event we see every few years (global warming?), we need to explore how we can potentially initiate emergency measures to help cattle cope.
There will be more heat waves, and we need to be prepared
Beef 911: Extreme heat is no different than any natural disaster, so get an emergency checklist ready
Our thinking about vaccinations is evolving for the better
Beef 911: We want the best bang for our vaccine buck, and research is looking for ways to do that
This article will focus on some recent work on vaccination by Dr. Nathan Erickson and others at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. They basically had different calf groups vaccinated with different respiratory virus products in different ways, and measured the results. They solidified some knowledge we have about how we vaccinate our calves, but
Don’t be fooled into thinking a ‘closed herd’ is an excuse for inaction
Beef 911: Transmission can occur from wildlife, via spores or breeding bulls, so be proactive
In my travels, on calls or when talking to other veterinarians’ producers, I still hear some hide behind the proverbial, ‘I don’t do that because I have a closed herd.’ It is an absolute misconception that because a herd is ‘closed,’ it is protected. That is a very broad statement and may apply to a
Cattle can get stuck or go down when being processed
Beef 911: Watch for balking and think prevention when it comes to alleyways and chutes
Large cows or bulls can get stuck or go down in a chute or an alleyway system, and that can cause losses or welfare issues. I have trained myself to really watch when cattle balk at certain points of a handling system as there is often a very good reason for this, and one that deserves attention. In some cases
Focusing on the big three calf conditions will pay
Beef 911: Scours, pneumonia or navel infections are commonplace but their incidence can be reduced
Most experienced cattle producers will have had an increased incidence in one of the three main calf diseases we see on ranches across Western Canada. These can be smouldering problems and occur year after year. I have spent many a time over my career discussing treatment of scours, pneumonia or navel infection (and then, ideally, working on
Keep a close watch for these issues when calving
Beef 911: Recognizing the signs of trouble and acting quickly can be a true lifesaver
This column is my attempt to summarize the many ways we can hopefully maximize calf survivability and productivity starting at calving time. Each of you will have different management styles, strategies, and numbers — but if there are one or two new things, techniques, or observations you can learn from, the read will have been
What to do when the expiry date has passed
Beef 911: While there are some grey areas, products have an expiry date for a good reason
We as veterinarians and you as producers run into many questions in our careers regarding whether we can or cannot use expired medications in cattle production. Veterinary clinics cannot sell product that has been expired, so if you see that a product has expired, simply take it back as a mistake has been made. In
Individual animal treatments are often worth pursuing
Beef 911: We focus on the herd, but it’s often worth it to treat problems specific to one animal
We focus on herd medicine, herd reproduction, production, biosecurity, animal welfare and marketing — and these, without a doubt, have a big impact on profitability as well as consumer acceptance. However, in cattle production there are still the individual cases which require our attention and can have favourable outcomes. Early detection and treatment increase our
When it comes to equipment, it’s best to be like a Boy Scout
Beef 911: ‘Be prepared’ should be your motto — maintain equipment and have a backup plan
We all spend lots of time in animal health using equipment to administer vaccines, giving implants, weighing cattle, handling cattle, and administering pain control. In the veterinary world, we use surgical instruments, semen ejaculators, ultrasounds for diagnosis of reproductive things to internal problems and other equipment ranging from tubing devices to esophageal feeders to calf
The vaccine supply is more fragile than you might think
Beef 911: Supplies can run short for many reasons, so you need to be prepared for that possibility
A lot of disease prevention and maintaining productivity relies on vaccination, and we often don’t realize how much we rely on these vaccines until there is a shortage. With there only being a few large pharmaceutical companies, there may be few alternatives to turn to. With regulatory control being very strict and changes slow to
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