Our job as scientists is to find the truth. But we must also be storytellers. Science can’t exist without telling a story. The question is not whether we should use it, but how we should use it best, writes Nick Enfield in The Guardian. Scientists often struggle to communicate the findings of research. The subject […] Read more
Telling a story
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Dealing with uncertain times
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
[UPDATED: June 13, 2019] Cattle producers across Western Canada grow weary of the relentless 2018-19 winter. For those of us living on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, it started with a record snowfall in October followed by record cold temperatures that extended across the central and northern Prairies. From mid-December to the end of […] Read more
Bold scientists and scientific scrutiny at odds in TSE research
To argue that prion diseases don't jump species barriers is wishful thinking
An old friend called the other day. For years, Jim and I hunted together and have spent many hours discussing issues affecting hunters and the wild game industry. His concern centred around chronic wasting disease (CWD), how it had affected his family’s 2018 harvest of big game and a renewed optimism that researchers, armed with […] Read more
Chute-side diagnostics for bovine respiratory disease remain elusive
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Speakers at the 2019 Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners addressed bovine respiratory disease (BRD) from several perspectives, including emergence of changing patterns of respiratory disease, economics of BRD, prudent use of antimicrobials in prevention and treatment of BRD, and diagnostics. BRD accounts for approximately 75 per cent of feedlot morbidity and 50 to 70 […] Read more
Getting help from a diagnostic laboratory
Animal Health: Diagnostic testing is geared for disease prevention and control
Veterinarians and their large animal clients find themselves in a new era. Regulatory changes regarding the use and acquisition of antimicrobials through 2018 redefined the need for veterinary-client patient relationships between livestock producers and veterinary practitioners. Increasingly sophisticated electronic communication, the universal use of computers and a changing culture of service opened the doors to […] Read more
Why calving season is different this year
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
The first major event facing cattle producers in 2019 is planning for calving season. This year there is a new wrinkle in managing animal health programs on the ranch: establishing a veterinary-client patient relationship with a veterinarian. This provides an avenue to access medically important antimicrobials through a prescription as needed. There are few ranches […] Read more
Public still waiting for answers in romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak
The extensive romaine recall of 2018 is a testament to the difficulties in pinpointing tainted produce
We are often reminded that nature, not mankind, controls the universe. There is no shortage of examples: draconian fires and floods linked to climate change and tragedies such as the influenza virus in the early 20th century that killed millions. We also see people’s reluctance to prevent the damage nature asserts even though appropriate tools […] Read more
Climate change’s impact on managing animal health
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
I’m losing more arguments with grandchildren that our climate hasn’t changed significantly, prompted by signals that have only grown more evident through the last half of my lifetime. At one point, I convinced myself that climatic changes were part of a natural phenomenon — one of those things history would look upon and call an […] Read more
African swine fever – watch and learn
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Many human infectious diseases travel at the speed of the fastest airplane. It’s critical for those involved in the animal protein business — be it beef, poultry or pork anywhere on the globe — to remain vigilant of what’s happening with international neighbours struggling with highly infectious diseases in animals, and learn. No one in […] Read more
History: Let us remember the horses
From the December 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
A year ago, the Vintage Veterinary Committee embarked on a project to bring stories about veterinarians and the contribution they made to the early days of agriculture to life at Calgary’s Heritage Park. Remembering the Great War and the colossal contribution horses made to the war effort during a time in history when ranching had […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
