Herd Health
As one of the top scourges to calf raisers, cryptosporidium is an ever-present challenge that rarely takes a holiday.
Seasonal changes in day length can have a huge impact in milk production, ranging from 5 lb/cow/day in the northern United States to 8 to 9 lb/day in the south.
The intricacies of transition-cow nutrition and its role in lactation success may be made a bit easier with the Liver Functionality Index.
Calves with navel infections will present wet or pus ridden navel cords and their navel areas will be swollen, hard, and painful to the touch.
Michal Lunak, Extension Educator for Penn State, addresses the seven most common -- and costly -- management diseases that occur during the cow’s transition period on U.S. dairies
Here’s a breakdown of just how much these seven transition period diseases could be costing you.
There’s not a clear answer to why heifers contract the disease, though studies have shown that teat canals of heifer calves can become colonized at very young ages.
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.
“The more we understand about how specific nutrition components influence health and performance responses, the more we can support cows in their production cycles.”
Over-conditioned cows that lose weight after calving subsequently have lower fertility, produce fewer quality embryos and face higher rates of health problems.
If you or an employee treats an animal with a drug, it’s important to keep adequate and updated treatment records.
If a way could be devised to shut down immune system activation, and thus reduce the detrimental effects of inflammation at its root cause, cows in transition may remain healthier.
Growing the ideal heifer is an ever-changing goal. A research team from Penn State University and the University of Florida recently explored the impact of bodyweight at first calving on milk yield and herd longevity.
As awareness of animal welfare grows, new methods of detecting and evaluating stress and pain in calves are being evaluated. Researchers are exploring heart rate variability as an accurate, non-invasive assessment tool.
They’re a danger to milk cows, to be sure. But mycotoxins in feedstuffs also can be damaging to the health and development of calves and heifers.
While the milking herd is usually given top priority in management efforts, dry cows and springing heifers are arguably the more important groups to protect from heat.
Just because a cow is resting does not mean that she is recovering properly. In order to maximize optimal rest on your facility, analyze these key areas.
It’s an old and frustrating disease that is not easily controlled. But Johne’s disease may soon be tamed by a new vaccine under development.
Zoetis Draxxin KP is designed to control bovine respiratory disease and, specifically, fever.
A rural veterinarian in Faribault County, Minn., is offering to give away his practice, clinic, pickup and even the vet clinic cat, in an effort to recruit his replacement.
Even healthy calves can suffer dehydration in extremely hot weather.
If you watch carefully, you can tell a lot about a cow by reading her face. Know the telltale facial expressions of cows in the early stages of pain and sickness.
In this article, Dr. Patrick Gorden, Iowa State University, addresses the issue of mastitis caused by the emerging pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae. He says exposure prevention is key to infection control.
As the thermometer climbs, farmers are eager to make sure their fans and sprinklers are running to keep lactating and dry cows cool. But just like adult cows, calves are also challenged by hot weather.
Researchers are exploring whether cattle would benefit from pain management associated with calving.
While udder edema is a common occurrence on dairies, there are several methods to help prevent it from happening.
Using pain mitigation techniques when disbudding or dehorning is now the standard of care for U.S. cattle veterinary and quality assurance organizations.
No one wants to have a down cow, but unfortunately it does occasionally happen.
The three priorities Andy and Sarah Lenkaitis set out to accomplish when they began their renovation remain the same – take care of the cows, take care of the people and keep the farm around for generations to come.
When used correctly, ionophores can be highly effective in preventing scours caused by coccidia in pre- and post-weaned dairy calves.