Reading Time: 3 minutes In my travels, on calls or when talking to other veterinarian’s 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 […] Read more
Don’t be fooled into thinking a ‘closed herd’ is an excuse for inaction
Transmission can occur from wildlife, via spores or breeding bulls, so be proactive
Cattle can get stuck or go down when being processed
Watch for balking and think prevention when it comes to alleyways and chutes
Reading Time: 3 minutes 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 […] Read more
Focusing on the big three calf conditions will pay dividends
Scours, pneumonia or navel infections are commonplace but their incidence can be reduced
Reading Time: 3 minutes Most experienced cattlemen 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 […] Read more
Keep a close watch for these issues when calving
Recognizing the signs of trouble and acting quickly can be a true lifesaver
Reading Time: 3 minutes With spring approaching, I am going to attempt to summarize the many ways we can collectively (and 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, […] Read more
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
Reading Time: 3 minutes 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 […] Read more
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
Reading Time: 3 minutes 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 […] Read more
When it comes to equipment, it’s best to be like a Boy Scout
Beef 911: ‘Be prepared’— maintain equipment and having a backup plan
Reading Time: 3 minutes 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 […] Read more
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
Reading Time: 3 minutes 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 […] Read more
New slaughter regulations are a step forward
Beef 911: Changes to allow video ante-mortem inspection and on-farm slaughter make good sense
Reading Time: 3 minutes All through the year accidents can happen and the need for emergency slaughter can arise. Broken legs during breeding season, fighting, very rarely during transport or downer cattle make access to emergency slaughter imperative. Recently announced changes will allow a mobile butcher to video the animal and that can be used by an inspector for […] Read more
Beef 911: The goal should always be to produce the healthiest cattle
We need to ditch the notion that high-risk cattle are somehow the most profitable
Reading Time: 3 minutes I’ve heard it said on the feeder side that high-risk cattle are the most profitable. The argument is that when you run the numbers and take into account morbidity, mortality and all other costs, these cattle have the potential to make the most profit at the end of the day. Of course the big factor […] Read more
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