I spoke to a veterinarian in Western Canada this week who was dealing with a significant disease outbreak in one of his client’s herds. The cow-calf producer had a number of cows abort and now at calving time, they had a significant number of calves dying with what appeared to be septicemia, which is a […] Read more
Stories by John Campbell, DVM, DVSC
New research studies intranasal vs. injectable vaccines
As we watch the first deliveries of the SARS-coronavirus 2 vaccines into the provinces, and the ongoing challenges with the distribution of vaccines, it is amazing to think about how quickly these vaccines came to market and how rapidly the scientists were able to accomplish the difficult Phase 3 clinical trials that are necessary to […] Read more
Ureaplasma may be overlooked diagnosis for abortions
I was recently consulted about a disease investigation involving a group of heifers that was exposed to three bulls during a 90-day breeding season. The bull-cow ratio was more than adequate and the heifers were well vaccinated, receiving a modified live pre-breeding vaccine, as well as being vaccinated for vibriosis (Campylobacter) and leptospirosis. The herd […] Read more
Cattle movement benefits from quality stockmanship
With the fall run in full swing, I’ve had the opportunity to be at a number of feedlots where they were processing fall calves. As I watched the processing crews, I was impressed at the stockmanship that I witnessed. There was no shouting, everybody was calm and quiet and animals were moved through the system […] Read more
Technology improves identification of common viruses
Bovine respiratory disease is usually considered the most important economic and costly disease of beef cattle. Estimates vary, but up to 75 percent of the antimicrobial treatments and 50 percent of the mortality in feedlot cattle can be attributed to respiratory disease. Stressors such as weaning, transport and mixing play an important role in the […] Read more
Public health work deemed a success if nothing happens
I attended a webinar a few weeks ago on the subject of the epidemiology of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The speaker made an interesting statement when discussing various public health interventions and about the difficulty in assessing the success of those interventions. She quoted a British systematic review that studied the return on investment […] Read more
Proper testing instrumental in controlling BVD virus
Bovine viral diarrhea virus is one of the most important viruses affecting the North American cattle industry. I have witnessed a variety of ways in which this virus can cause devastating economic losses in terms of infertility, abortions, stillbirths, and calf deaths. It is not surprising that it is an important and vital component of […] Read more
Herd immunity can be effective way to prevent disease
In the last few months you may have heard experts on the COVID-19 pandemic discuss the concept of herd immunity as a way of slowing or stopping the pandemic. It would seem that herd immunity is not an imminent possibility for the Canadian population with regard to COVID-19, but I thought it would be interesting […] Read more
Causes of pre-weaning respiratory disease in calves
When we think of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in beef cattle we often think of the “shipping fever” pneumonias that occur in weaned calves shortly after arrival in the feedlot. However, BRD is also the most common cause of death for nursing beef calves older than three weeks and much less is known about the […] Read more
Selecting for birthing ease not always clear-cut exercise
Most cow-calf operations finished calving season some time ago. In many herds, the bulls are out and next year’s calf crop is already being conceived. Calving and the early post-partum period is a critical time in the life of a calf. Problems at this time can significantly affect the calf’s mortality risk. A study published […] Read more
