Dr. Brenda Ralston and her team have been getting to the root of the problem to see what is actually causing itching in cattle.
Animal Health
Blaming parasites for itchy cattle only scratches surface, study finds
Researchers looked at everything from lice to nutrient deficiencies as they examined hair loss and itchiness in cattle
How to read a vaccine label
Knowing what is on a vaccine label helps ensure a high level of immunity in your cattle
Vaccination requires an open dialogue between the producer and a vet, discussing what to vaccinate for and when. Knowing how to read the labels of the vaccine is just as important.
Oil and cattle: When major industries collide
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
There are currently just under 500,000 gas and oil wells in Alberta. Although difficult to find exact numbers, it appears nearly 5,000 new oil and gas wells are drilled across Western Canada every year. Capital investment for the Canadian oil and gas sector could reach $40.6 billion in 2024. It’s big business and much of it […] Read more
Hemlock: A deadly poison affecting spring and summer pasture
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Poisonous plants are a major cause of economic loss to the livestock industry. It’s estimated poisonous plants adversely affect three to five per cent of cattle, sheep and horses grazing the western range.
Keep an eye on water quality this summer
Low winter snowfall, low rainfall, heat and water use all heighten concern for dugout quality
On the Canadian Prairies, a green Christmas doesn’t exist. However, a brown Christmas sure did in 2023, thanks to El Niño. Snow was scarce on the Prairies earlier this winter, with temperatures rarely falling below -20 C, or even -10 C. With a drought stretching through multiple years, the dry winter is causing even more […] Read more
Preventing and prepping for a foot-and-mouth outbreak
Canada has lined up funding for an improved vaccine bank in case of a foot-and-mouth outbreak. But does that mean we’re ready?
In 2001, foot-and-mouth disease decimated the U.K.’s beef industry. Millions of animals were culled after foot-and-mouth broke out in the country. According to the BBC, there were 2,000 cases of the disease, which resulted in entire farms having their animals slaughtered. Soldiers dug mass graves and piles of carcasses burned, black smoke billowing into the […] Read more
Managing parasite resistance to livestock dewormers
There’s no easy way to extinguish resistance to dewormers, but producers can manage it and control parasites
The debate is over on whether internal parasites are developing resistance to dewormers in Canadian cow herds, as far as the research is concerned. But while researchers can offer some general principles, ranchers will need to get a little creative to figure out how to manage it on their own operations. Dr. John Gilleard is […] Read more
Tech for cattle disease diagnostics edges into the Star Trek age
Researchers are testing new, compact equipment to see if it can quickly and accurately diagnose specific pathogens that cause BRD in the field and feedlot
Remember the COVID rapid test? That was a point-of-need test designed to find a target and match it to a “binder” which then changes the colour if it’s positive or negative. The same principle is applied to the rapid lateral flow device test for anthrax, Dr. Anatoliy Trokhymchuk explains, which was developed by the U.S. […] Read more
AUDIO: Preventing BRD on cow-calf operations
Shipping fever. Bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Whatever moniker you favour, the fact is that it remains one of the most costly health problems in beef cattle today. And although we often think of it as an issue in feedlots, cow-calf operations can also struggle with it, especially if their herds are exposed to other cattle. […] Read more
University delves into motivations behind preconditioning calves
"Different strategies, different management"
How do preconditioned calves perform when mixed with auction animals? That question sparked a study in 2020 at the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine. Researchers found that preconditioned calves still outperform auction animals when mixed, and even when mixed at different ratios, such as 50/50, or three to one. “This data was extremely […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
