The past few winters have thrown many curve balls at cattle producers. In addition to causing stress, these conditions are tough on cattle’s overall health, making deworming this spring even more important.
A cow is most susceptible to getting a new mastitis infection at the beginning of a dry period. A sealant stimulates a natural barrier, providing protection. Here are 10 ways to use such stimulants properly.
Subclinical hypocalcemia has been reported to affect up to 73% of U.S. dairy cows on third or greater lactations, and costs an average of $150 per case. But there are typically no visible symptoms.
Veterinarians say every dairy operation can benefit from having a checklist to follow on how to prevent and manage outbreaks of this endemic serotype of Salmonella.
Most cows form a keratin plug that seals off the teat canal to prevent the entry of mastitis-causing pathogens. But it often doesn’t happen soon enough in today’s high-producing animals.
From dry-off to freshening, mineral supplementation can play a pivotal role in keeping cows healthy, comfortable and productive, says Curt Vlietstra, DVM, Boehringer Ingelheim.
Even with the best management practices in place, some stressful events such as shipping are unavoidable. These recommendations can help mitigate the risk of respiratory disease and other health issues.
We can’t control everything on a cattle operation. But we can make a battle plan to protect calves from bovine respiratory disease long before we ever reach for antibiotics.
In the past, it was believed there was no point to give injectable respiratory vaccines before about 4 months of age, because they would be inactivated by maternal antibodies. A recent study proves that’s not the case.
Every re-treatment puts additional stress on calves and reduces profit margins due to the additional medicine and labor costs. On the other hand, waiting too long to re-treat can increase the number of sick calves.
Now there is a new way to help cows transition into the dry period more comfortably with Bovikalc Dry — an oral mineral bolus designed to decrease dry matter intake and reduce milk production.
Early mastitis detection is often the key to reducing the impact of the disease in a dairy herd. There are a number of technologies to help address the issue.
While results from a recent national survey of more than 800 beef and dairy producers show positive strides in the industry’s understanding and management of bovine viral diarrhea virus, more work needs to be done.
Volatile cattle prices and decreased margins make managing bovine respiratory disease imperative to protecting the profitability of stocker operations.
More than 200 students from 42 veterinary schools in the U.S. and six other countries will forego vacation this summer and spend time in labs and classrooms.