Veterinarians working with Spanish speaking caregivers of dairy and beef cattle now have access to a new set of guidelines to reference during one-on-one conversations and in presentations with farmers and caretakers.
The new set of guidelines, specific to castration, was completed in mid-August. They are a continuation of the Spanish-speaking training and oversight tools the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) has developed for veterinarians’ use.
“The board of directors decided to create a task force to translate AABP guidelines that can be used for training purposes on beef and dairy farms to provide guidance to caretakers who speak Spanish as a first language. Veterinarians can download these guidelines and print them for use,” says K. Fred Gingrich, DVM, executive director of AABP.
Essential to this process is that consultation occur between the herd veterinarian and the client regarding age of castration, castration technique and pain mitigation strategies that are appropriate for each operation. The use of written, herd-specific protocols to document these discussions is encouraged, according to AABP.
Appreciation For Diversity
Gingrich says the guidelines were born out of the AABP board of directors’ appreciation for the cultural diversity of the bovine veterinary profession today and also the significant LatinX population who are caretakers on the operations where veterinarians provide services.
“The task force was populated by AABP volunteers who are fluent in Spanish and English. AABP wishes to sincerely thank Drs. Adrian Garzon, Adrian Ortega Ornelas, Mariana Guerra Maupome and Raul Landeo for their significant effort in translating these guidelines for our members,” Gingrich says.
Additional sets of guidelines that have been developed in Spanish -- all available here -- include:
* Care and Disposition of Non-Ambulatory and Injured Ambulatory Cattle Guidelines
* Dehorning Guidelines
* Transportation of Cattle
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