Merck Animal Health Introduces Herd Health Tool and Feedlot Diseases App

Merck Animal Health has introduced two new tools to bring important cattle health information to cattle producers’ fingertips. The Merck Animal Health Herd Health Manager guides producers and their veterinarians to build a customized herd health plan, and then encourages them to print out a record to share the information at marketing. The Merck Animal Health “Merck Feedlot Diseases Atlas” app shares comprehensive photos of diseases that impact feedlot cattle.

     “The Herd Health Manager provides a convenient way to identify products and protocols to be used at key prevention points and to keep detailed health records,” said Tim Parks, D.V.M., technical services manager, Merck Animal Health. “Veterinarians and producers can easily document vaccination, parasite and reproductive protocols, and then it creates a veterinary-certified health history for producers to use at sale time.”

     The tool includes the PrimeVAC™ preconditioning herd health protocols. Beef and dairy options are available, and both versions enable print and email summaries in English and Spanish. A password-protected account can be created in less than a minute at HerdHealthManager.com.

     The Merck Feedlot Diseases Atlas app provides photographs of diseases impacting feedlot cattle – from the most common ailments to the rarest of conditions. A valuable resource for cattle producers, veterinary students, clinicians, technicians and specialists, it includes more than 700 educational, high-resolution images of diseases encountered in cattle production, along with brief educational descriptions.

     “The Merck Feedlot Diseases Atlas is a new way to support our customers and those who advise them in diagnosing feedlot diseases,” explains John Hutcheson, Ph.D., director of beef technical services, Merck Animal Health. “Used on mobile devices, it offers high-quality photos of diseases that impact feedlot cattle to aid in disease diagnostics.”

     A keyword search function is offered, and the content is organized by the various body systems. It is available in English, Spanish and French. The app works without internet connection, making it ideal for in-field use. The Merck Feedlot Diseases Atlas app can be downloaded to a phone or tablet within the app store.

     Both are free of charge. For more information on both tools, go to www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/resources.