Through my years in practice and my career afterwards, I could never accept the fact that some producers starve cattle. Malnourished cattle almost always occurred through winter and, inevitably, the lack of care of the cow herd meant all animals on a particular farm or ranch suffered. Horses were bone racks, the farm dog skeletal, […] Read more
Assessing malnutrition in beef cows: Part 2
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Protecting beef cattle from extreme heat and cold
Veterinary Case Study: 2023 was one of the warmest in memory, and climate change is only getting started
Sixty years with the cattle industry has created many stories for me — good, bad and funny. Veterinarians don’t get called to many good ones, but there are a few funny stories mixed in with the many tales chronicling sickness and dying. Fortunately, more animals respond to treatment and recover than not. Bills get paid. […] Read more
Assessing malnutrition in beef cows: Part 1
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
I never cease to wonder why some producers starve cattle through the winter. Fortunately, they represent a very small percentage of producers, but their lack of care has a big effect on those who drive along the road and see starvation first-hand — downer and dead cattle left in plain sight, matts of hair on […] Read more
Feral hogs — the problem persists
This article is not specifically about the business of beef except to cover the potential effect disease transmission plays and the ecological damage invasive species can wreak, either directly or indirectly. Wild pigs continue to expand out of control in Canada. We’ll also dive into the really bad decisions agriculture producers made in the 1980s […] Read more
Limb injury in newborn calves
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Calving time is just down the road and questions dealing with limb injuries in newborn calves are about to become daily entries in large animal clinics serving beef herds. Next, are dairy calves with crippling limb injuries throughout the year. Many require veterinary care. Limb injuries fall into the following areas: Most veterinarians agree that […] Read more
Ergot: Madness meets modern medicine
Vet Case Study: The risk of ergot toxicity has only grown for cattle, but ergot alkaloids can also be used in human medicine
Ned had a question one morning when he stopped by the clinic for vaccine. “Is ergot still a problem in cattle feed?” “We seem to worry more about ergot today than we did thirty years ago,” I replied. “Don’t know exactly why, but I think cropping practices changed as did our concern about ergot. Headlands […] Read more
Grain overload in cattle
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Only a few calls in practice were totally disheartening. Grain overload in a group of pregnant brood cows three months from calving at -25 C turned out to be one of the worst. By the time producers noticed signs of grain engorgement, cows were often really sick: staggering, down and unable to rise, dehydrated, rumen […] Read more
Decision tree busy come calf weaning time
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
During 2023, work, family events and funerals carried me across ranching country from Grand Prairie in Peace River country to Maple Creek on the Saskatchewan side of the Cypress Hills. The travel took me through a patchwork of pastures alternating from satisfactory to barren depending on precipitation. Cow condition varied from good and sleek to […] Read more
How did the E. coli outbreak happen in Calgary’s daycares?
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Debacle is not a word I use much. It’s too harsh, especially when describing disease. Debacle denotes a “violent collapse” or “a fiasco.” However, I’m convinced — based on what I read about what consumed Calgary daycares — that debacle best describes what’s going on across town in one of Canada’s most modern cities, with […] Read more
Cattle rustling remains ‘one of great mysteries of the range’
Rustlers are still pilfering cattle, often with the help of modern technology
To quote a CBC article in the Cochrane Eagle, “For as long as there have been cattle, people have been stealing them.” In my view, it may be the second-oldest profession in the world. While brand inspectors check auction markets in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan, no such system exists in Manitoba or Ontario. The lack of […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
