Reading Time: 3 minutes Over the last few years several herds have been affected with grass tetany in our area. These herds will often have multiple cases in short order. Once clinical signs occur and cattle go down, chances of recovery are very poor so treatment-wise they are a true emergency. Early in the course of the disease, treatment […] Read more
A lack of macrominerals for cattle can be a true emergency
Beef 911: Grass tetany can be successfully treated if caught early, but you need to watch for symptoms and contact your vet immediately
It’s worth the effort to find out what happened
Beef 911: Autopsies can provide very valuable information you can use to enhance preventive medicine protocols
Reading Time: 4 minutes When an animal dies, producers often simply have it disposed of. But that often means valuable information is lost — so decisions for the rest of the herd or altering treatments for subsequent cases cannot be made. An experienced veterinarian can glean very valuable information from a complete autopsy and often give you the cause […] Read more
Ways to reduce incidence of navel ill
You need to pay close attention to this costly problem and take steps to reduce it
Reading Time: 4 minutes Much has been written about omphalophlebitis — inflammation of the umbilical veins also known as navel ill — in calves. The bovine species appears to be fairly susceptible to developing infection, with the incidence increasing when calves are born into wet or damp conditions and in close confinement. With more producers calving later — many […] Read more
When the need arises, fetotomy is the best solution
The goal is always to protect the cow from further trauma and hopefully give her many more productive years
Reading Time: 4 minutes Fetotomy — a veterinarian’s fancy word for cutting up a dead calf within the cow during the birthing process — still has a valuable place in a competent veterinarian’s bag of tricks. The whole object with a fetotomy is to minimize trauma or damage to the cow. The calf at this point is a lost […] Read more
Calving problems are decreasing
Vets aren’t called out during calving as often as they used to be, but producers need to know when to call for backup
Reading Time: 4 minutes With genetic selection of lower birth weights and easy calving bulls, calving problems due to fetal oversize are becoming rarer and rarer. But there are still common problems, which are worth reviewing to help producers recognize and assist these deliveries to save more calves as calving season is upon us. Fetal malpresentations today are the […] Read more
Crypto presents a number of challenges for vets and producers
These protozoa are difficult to detect so vigilance is needed to spot and deal with outbreaks
Reading Time: 4 minutes The incidence of ‘crypto’ diarrhea is most definitely higher on dairy farms where calves are raised in close confinement and the wet or moist environment is conducive to the transmission of these protozoa. But large-animal veterinarians are also detecting it more often in our beef herds out west. Crypto is a protozoa with a very […] Read more
Factors which can contribute to bullers
Beef 911: Close observation and working with your vet on a customized plan is key to dealing with this problem
Reading Time: 4 minutes Bullers are, fortunately, a rare, sporadic occurrence in western Canadian feedlots and backgrounding operations. When dealing with cases of steers mounting other steers, one must bear in mind the economic loss to the entire pen when frequent riding occurs. Because the incidence is so sporadic (one to six per cent in U.S. feedlots), no hard […] Read more
Watch for newer respiratory pathogens
Beef 911: Corona virus and B. trehalosi bacteria aren’t always easy to spot
Reading Time: 3 minutes We have all heard of corona virus being one of the main causes of viral scours in our newborn calves. It and a couple of strains of rotavirus are the two main viruses we see in our scours vaccines. (It also causes a winter dysentery bloody diarrhea in mature cattle, especially housed dairy cattle in […] Read more
We need a better approach to dealing with wildlife
Beef 911: Farming has created a great environment for wildlife but farmers are paying a steep price for the damage it causes
Reading Time: 4 minutes There have been many articles on the escalating conflict between wildlife and agriculture (both livestock and grain production) in certain areas of Canada. Our governments are struggling as to what to do and the most recent survey on wildlife damage by Alberta Beef Producers and the Miistakis Institute shows a high percentage of farmers impacted […] Read more
Checking cattle for pregnancy: Rectal palpation versus ultrasound
Beef 911: Both methods have advantages, but the key is having reproductive exams at least once a year
Reading Time: 4 minutes Both rectal palpation and ultrasounding for pregnancy have advantages depending on their intended application, and both require a skilled veterinarian performing the pregnancy exam to get accurate results. I will outline the pros and cons of each method so you can see how to best fit them into your farming operation, and dispel some myths […] Read more
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