Veterinarian Roy Lewis provides a variety of tips that can work on western Canadian cow calf operations, both commercial and purebred.
Tag Archives Roy Lewis
Canada must address potential veterinary drug shortages
If critical products are unavailable when needed, it could result in unnecessary human and animal deaths in the worst-case scenario.
Positive changes have been made to Canada’s BSE program
Canada has had BSE negligible risk status for some time now, but samples are still needed to maintain this status.
Individual animal care and marketing has its benefits
There is nothing better than having acute observational skills, knowing your animals and then following up with treatment or marketing in a timely matter.
BSE testing continues despite country’s clean bill of health
Testing for BSE at slaughterhouses continues, despite the dramatic decline in cases in recent years and the fact that Canada’s last case was in 2015.
Managing lameness in cattle can mean tough decisions
In cow calf production, lameness is second only to reproduction for culling criteria. It impacts all levels of the production cycle, and in the long term, it can become an animal welfare issue. Cow-calf producers must prevent and treat lameness and provide an area with feed and water close by where convalescence can occur. If […] Read more
Removing extra teats is usually a good idea if possible
The other day I saw supernumerary teats in the middle or intercalary position — between the normal teats on an udder — on a bred heifer close to calving and it got me thinking. Are these of much significance and what have I done with them in practice? Are there many negatives or can we […] Read more
Producers must take their bulls’ health by the horns
Bulls can be hard to handle, but there are good facilities for examining and treating them. They should be vaccinated for most things you give to cows, with the exception of scours vaccines. Deworming and lice control should always be considered, since bulls get the highest load of flies in summer. When handling bulls, get […] Read more
New stress reliever has many uses on cattle operations
A new product released into the cattle and swine market has strong potential to help cattle producers in many ways. Its main premise is calming cattle for a considerable period of time. Making cattle calmer in the most stressful stages of their life can go a long way toward reducing sickness and improving weight gains. […] Read more
Producers can manage a change in their health protocols
Producers are sometimes forced to change the medications they use because of availability. Other times, a change is prompted by bad experiences or adverse drug reactions. As well, new products will enter the market that need to be considered. How new medications enter the market depends on whether they are generic or a new standalone […] Read more
