Water quality is an important issue when the temperatures start to rise. Work closely with your vet to diagnose the cause of any sudden death cases.
Stories by John Campbell, DVM, DVSC
Cardiac defects in calves rare but likely underdiagnosed
A recent case of stillborn and weak beef calves was brought to my attention by a veterinarian who was working to diagnose the cause of calf mortality.
Protecting yourself from zoonotic diseases
Close contact with livestock during calving or lambing can increase exposure to potentially devastating illnesses
As many producers and veterinarians work with animals on a regular basis, it can be easy to become careless about protecting ourselves from zoonotic diseases.
New research studies modified live vaccines and fertility
Vaccines are an important part of protecting our herd’s health and fertility.
Pain control at castration in calves has obvious benefits
A recent survey on pain mitigation at castration yielded highly encouraging results
You probably won’t make money by using pain control, but your calves will feel better, pair up faster and you’ll be doing something that promotes animal welfare in your industry.
Salmonella dublin becomes more common in Canada
The technology gender-types embryos before they hatch, avoiding the standard practice of euthanizing day-old male chicks
Most of us are familiar with salmonella bacteria as a potential cause of gastrointestinal disease in humans. The severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, headaches and dehydration can cause serious consequences in people, especially in the elderly and young children. However, there are numerous strains of salmonella bacteria, and some of them are adapted to cattle […] Read more
Cache Valley Virus can be difficult to prevent in sheep flocks
In the past few weeks, Prairie Diagnostic Services in Saskatoon has had some confirmed cases of stillborn and aborted sheep fetuses diagnosed with Cache Valley Virus, a mosquito-borne disease. The virus is widely distributed in mosquito populations throughout North America and in parts of Central America. It was first identified in 1956 in mosquitoes collected […] Read more
Low cow herd pregnancy rates should be investigated
Many producers have finished or will soon finish pregnancy testing their cattle herds this fall. Anecdotally, it seems pregnancy rates are improved compared to the last few years, when many areas were affected by drought, and poor-quality feed affected body condition and pregnancy rates. This year it seems many herds have returned to normal levels […] Read more
Feed testing the first step in planning winter feeding program
It’s that time of year, when you will see lots of articles about the importance of feed testing. I would certainly agree that feed testing is an important step in planning winter feeding programs for our cow herds. However, it is just the first step of the process. We need to take the information from […] Read more
Caution needed when feeding brassica forages to cattle
Polycrops have become a more commonplace method of feeding beef cattle in Western Canada over the past number of years. They may also be known as intercrops, cover crops or cocktail crops but all involve a mixture of plant species that may range from three to more than 20 species. Polycrops can provide grazing when […] Read more
