I’ve written before in this column about the bat disease that has decimated North American populations. As a brief refresher, white nose syndrome is a disease caused by a fungal pathogen that was introduced into the state of New York in 2006. The fungus causes a skin infection, making a characteristic white fuzz around the […] Read more
Tag Archives animal health — page 11
Veterinary medicine makes use of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are becoming part of everyday life very rapidly. From smart watches that track your sleep to apps on your smartphone that use artificial intelligence to provide information in seconds, AI is becoming more and more commonplace. My simplified understanding of AI is that this field of computer science is developing […] Read more
Swelling under the jaw in cattle requires close attention
I recently dealt with a bovine case of swelling under the jaw, and it wasn’t what I expected. As a result, I would like to go through several things to look for when dealing with cases like this. Don’t assume anything. Look closely for clues and remember that treatment may be different in each case. […] Read more
Mosquitoes can spread significant animal pathogens
As with my previous column on flies, it is hard to come up with anything positive to write about mosquitoes. In an optimistic take on these tiny insects, Ned Flanders from the TV show The Simpsons commented, “sure are fun to scratch — satisfying.” There are approximately 3,600 known species of mosquitoes ,and scientists classify […] Read more
Study looks at modified live vaccine interference in calves
Vaccines for cattle can be categorized in several ways. We can categorize them by the pathogen that they are designed to protect the animal from (bacterial or viral), or we can categorize them by their route of administration (injectable or nasal). For viral vaccines, we also can split them into modified live or killed vaccines. […] Read more
Handling tied to cattle health
Low-stress handling called an important tool that producers can use to improve their cattle’s health
Lee Sinclair’s interest in low-stress cattle handling emerged during a summer job at a feedlot and carried through to his career with Merck Animal Health. “Nobody had ever told me position, distance and angles make the difference. All we were taught is, ‘we’ve got to get this done’,” Sinclair said of his initial experience working […] Read more
Disease fight requires multiple fronts
The more you learn about viral and bacterial threats to livestock, the more you wonder how we can effectively protect the sector. Maybe we need to view big disease events as waves rather than singular events — and if we know the next wave is coming, how prepared are we? I asked several people who […] Read more
Stomach tube an essential tool in cattle operations
A good bovine stomach tube is useful for relieving bloat, administering oral medication or relieving an esophageal obstruction or choke. As well, dehydration is caused by many things and a good stomach tube and pump can address that problem. Properly maintained equipment and proper restraint make the job easy. The procedure is generally innocuous but […] Read more
Cattle protection charges dropped
Sask. producer was charged under the Animal Protection Act and the Criminal Code of Canada
SASKATOON — The crown has stayed all charges levied against a producer from Craik, Sask., for violating the province’s animal protection laws. “It was a long haul, but it showed I was right, and they were wrong,” said Tom Miller. “They came out here and they started bossing me around, and they didn’t know what […] Read more
Study shows deadly horse parasite alive and well in Alberta
A recent Alberta study of horses found that a particular parasitic infection is more common than previously thought. The parasite, Strongylus vulgaris, was considered to be well controlled by modern deworming medications. However, veterinary pathologists at the University of Calgary undertook the study after noticing an apparent increase in the number of horses affected by […] Read more
