Bad habits create a backwash of damage in places where people live. Old garbage dumps litter the Prairies. Every farm site at one time had a corner dedicated for refuse. Coulees were convenient places to rid the garage and home of unwanted things — out-of-site, out-of-mind. Through the generations, many items — some harmful — […] Read more
Toxic dumps in backyards lead to lead poisoning
Dust a risk factor in calf pneumonia
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
When drought and the Great Depression introduced the 1930s, the wheat market collapsed. Oceans of wheat had replaced the sea of prairie grass that anchored the topsoil into place. Once the wheat dried up, the land was defenseless against the winds that buffeted the Plains. The term “dust pneumonia” originated during the Great Depression when […] Read more
Vet Advice: Pandemics lay at the door of human dilemma
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
From a recent article by Jocelyne Piret and Guy Boivin that appeared in Frontiers in Microbiology: The shift from hunter-gatherers to agrarian societies favoured the spread of infectious diseases in the human population. Expanded trade between communities increased interactions between humans and animals and facilitated the transmission of zoonotic pathogens. Increased travel and a growing […] Read more
Drought can heighten lungworm risk in summer and fall
The effect of lungworms depends on an animal’s immune system and how many larvae it has ingested, but the worst infections tend to occur in young animals
Luke Smith’s east quarter section on the edge of the Blue Hills southwest of Avonlea consisted mainly of slough grass and willow with patches of fescue and brome where prairie sat above a large spring-fed slough. The area provided abundant grazing for 20 replacement heifers and a bull. He called after checking the group with […] Read more
Being contrary is not caring
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
The Canadian Veterinary Oath states the following: As a member of the veterinary medical profession, I solemnly swear that I will use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society. I will strive to: Promote animal health and welfare, Prevent and relieve animal suffering, Protect the health of the public and the environment, […] Read more
Managing bulls after breeding season
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Breeding bulls serve two primary purposes they enhance overall reproductive traits of the breeding herd and transmit long-term desirable herd genetics via offspring. Bull purchasing and management decisions before, during and after breeding season have an impact on both calf crop and herd genetics. Bull management can be divided into the following seasons: pre-breeding or […] Read more
Contact tracing: Trying to get it right
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Epidemiologic contact tracing is an arduous and time-consuming process, yet very important. Timely interventions reduce the size and scale of infectious disease epidemics. Methods that are more efficient at identifying contacts allow more effective controls to be implemented sooner, reducing the epidemic’s magnitude. Ebola epidemics in West Africa and a two-year COVID-19 pandemic that infected […] Read more
This cow’s coming apart: Photosensitivity linked to dry conditions
Veterinary Case Study: A dry summer likely encouraged Rosie the milk cow to graze plants she’d normally avoid, and the results were nearly disastrous
Kirby’s ranch incorporated a section of short grass prairie and bush southeast of Regina. Kirby’s family lived comfortably on what 30 commercial cows, two sows, a milk cow, 20 chickens and a full-time job at the lumberyard provided. Kirby could have been a stand-up comedian because he had more one-liners than most could imagine and […] Read more
Vet Advice: Evolution gone wrong
Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke
Despite new antimicrobials, antiparasiticides and growth promotants, many feedlot owners claim overall mortalities have changed very little.
Vet Advice: Pain control in cattle
It’s that time of year again. Calving for many producers is nearing completion, especially for those trying to dodge the impact of bad weather and the last of winter’s snows. April and May are busy times on the calving grounds. Thoughts shift to processing this year’s calf crop. Branding dates are normally communicated to neighbours […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
