Reading Time: 2 minutes Fog fever — a condition that causes cattle to suddenly drop dead — has returned to Alberta and Saskatchewan. “Fog fever isn’t extremely common” said Nathan Erickson, a veterinarian and assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan. “Some of these old diseases, we start forgetting about them because we’ve managed our way out of them. […] Read more
Deadly cattle condition called fog fever returns to the Prairies
Cases of fog fever, a type of pneumonia that causes severe cattle mortality, have been recently diagnosed in Alberta
Passionate about livestock? AFAC needs you
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) is seeking volunteers to help with the ALERT line. Volunteers need to be passionate about livestock welfare and knowledgeable about current practices of care. AFAC is especially in need of volunteers with knowledge of any livestock species in northern Alberta and in remote locations, but welcomes volunteers from anywhere in […] Read more
Get rid of your cattle if they’re getting too big
Heavier cattle — particularly ones with small frames — can develop feet problems, especially if they suffer heat stress
Reading Time: 3 minutes Don’t keep big, fat cattle around because it could increase animal welfare problems. Animal welfare icon Temple Grandin has recently been sounding alarms about more lameness in beef cattle and part of that is related to heavier weights and genetics. “There are certain genetic lines of beef cattle that are repeating a mistake the pig […] Read more
Show me the money: The lowdown on preconditioning
Preconditioned calves are healthier, grow faster, and grade higher — but can cow-calf producers make money on the practice?
Reading Time: 5 minutes Can you make money preconditioning feeder calves? The answer depends on whom you talk to. Attendees at a University of Calgary conference last month were told about an Indiana producer who pocketed an extra $80 per calf by preconditioning his animals. “The producer realized that the more days he preconditioned those calves, the more money […] Read more
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
Stress a bison and someone will pay
Some call them athletic, others say ‘suicidal,’ but all agree that wild is the default mode for bison
Reading Time: 4 minutes Bison producer Ivan Smith doesn’t go anywhere without a butcher knife and a rifle in his truck. “Anything can go wrong when you’re dealing with an animal that’s this athletic,” said Smith, who operates Big Bend Bison Ranch near Innisfail. “It’s just the nature of the bison. They’re not meant to be captive, so when […] Read more
Warning issued as anthrax shows up early
Having a case this early in the year is unusual and the dry spring may be to blame
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has confirmed a case of anthrax in a cow in Mackenzie County. A few cases of anthrax are reported in Western Canada nearly every year, typically between July and mid-September and usually following hot weather. This case is unusual in that it was detected in March. Anthrax spores survive in soil, […] 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
Message received on antibiotic use
Poultry health expert says industry has responded to consumer concerns and is reducing antibiotic use
Reading Time: 2 minutes The poultry industry has a good news story when it comes to antibiotic use and it’s time to share it. “The industry is driving the bus right now and that’s a good thing,” said Dr. Tom Inglis, a vet and managing partner of Poultry Health Services in Airdrie. “It behooves us to think a little […] 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
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