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
New slaughter regulations are a step forward
Beef 911: Changes to allow video ante-mortem inspection and on-farm slaughter make good sense
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
Generics are part of a strong medicine pipeline
The regulatory regime, including patents, means the product lineup is always changing
Reading Time: 3 minutes Generic medicines have been around for a long time in both human and animal medicine. They are essentially copycat products that come out after the protective patents run out on the original product. You are familiar with the ‘apo’ products that are available when you get your human prescriptions filled and it is really no […] Read more
They’re hard to diagnose but flukes are a concern
Unexplained weight loss is one sign that this parasite may be affecting your herd
Reading Time: 3 minutes I hear of the diagnosis of liver flukes here and there, a condition that can be hard to diagnose and has rather limited treatments. One of the first clinical signs is non-specific weight loss, which can be confused with many things. As well, having liver flukes predisposes cattle to a susceptibility to a clostridial disease […] Read more
Cattle sector knows about learning and adapting
Infectious disease is a constant risk on ranches and feedlots, and we know how to reduce the threat
Reading Time: 3 minutes The COVID-19 outbreak gives us time to reflect on how we do things with our livestock. Cattle producers are in the unique situation in the sense we all know about infectious disease — and mitigating risk. From now on, it won’t be as hard to explain to people how we don’t want visitors, especially around […] Read more
Technique matters when administering oral products
There are several things to be aware of when using balling guns and oral techniques
Reading Time: 3 minutes The use of balling guns or administration of other oral products is increasing in the cattle business, including for NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). In the old days, a few antibiotics such as long-acting sulfa drugs were given as oral tablets or there were big aspirin pills. These are both actually still available today but seldom […] Read more
Now is a good time to check udders of cows and bred heifers
Paying attention to teat and udder conformation greatly reduces the odds of having a cow with mastitis
Reading Time: 3 minutes Before calving is a good time for scrutinizing the udders of cows and bred heifers. Occasionally chronic infected quarters (probably emanating from the year previous) are highly visible as large swollen quarters compared to the other three. They will often flare up a few weeks before calving as the colostrum is being formed. Usually the […] Read more
Inducing cows is always a risk-and-reward scenario
Many factors need to be considered and no two cases are exactly alike
Reading Time: 3 minutes There comes a time in cow-calf production to induce cows to calve for a number of reasons. This may be because there is an abnormal pregnancy, the cow has a life-threatening condition, the pregnancy has gone on too long leading to health issues or other reasons. All require careful thought and examination as every case […] Read more
Quick treatment of sick animals is often critical
Sometimes a wait-and-see approach works but often a rapid response is needed to prevent losses
Reading Time: 3 minutes Veterinary medicine, like human medicine, is very complex and difficult to master. Outcomes can rely on a quick, accurate diagnosis and followed up by a timely treatment. If we have made the right diagnosis, detected it early enough and treated with the appropriate product, then the odds of a successful prognosis will go up considerably. […] Read more
What we can do to address the shortage of large-animal vets
More spots in veterinary schools and more support for new grads would go a long way
Reading Time: 4 minutes After talking with large-animal veterinarians, observing the number of ads for large-animal veterinarians, and taking part in a job fair at the University of Calgary’s vet school, it’s clear that there is getting to be a real shortage of veterinarians wanting to do either mixed- or large-animal practice in Western Canada. But strategies are starting […] Read more
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