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Herd Health

A still from a Beef Cattle Research Council video on managing colostrum.
Beef Cattle, Calving, Cow-Calf, News Roundup, Scours

Calf 911: Managing colostrum so newborn calves thrive

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 Ensuring newborn calves consume colostrum is one of the most important management strategies cow-calf operations can implement to promote healthy calves. Colostrum provides essential antibodies (such as immunoglobulin G or IgG) to a calf with virtually no immune system. Colostrum also contains fats, vitamins, proteins and other immune cells essential to provide the calf energy, […] Read more
The veterinary term for feedlot dust pneumonia is acute interstitial pneumonia.
Animal Health, Bovine Respiratory Disease, Livestock, Vet advice

Dust a risk factor in calf pneumonia

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

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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
A tale of two calving systems
Cow-Calf, Features, Livestock, Scours

A tale of two calving systems

Confined and pasture methods each have risks and benefits

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For beef producers, calving season can be both stressful and enjoyable. Witnessing new life can be refreshing, but calving time is the most critical period in the cow-calf production cycle. Whether or not calving season is a success will set the tone for an operations’ entire year or longer, having an impact on animal health, […] Read more
Cattle need nearly three times as much oxygen as a similar-sized horse just to stay awake and lie around.
Bovine Respiratory Disease, Livestock, Research

Everything old is new again – treating chronic mycoplasma

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

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Cattle were ideally created (or evolved) to consume and digest high fibre diets. Whoever (or whatever) was responsible for designing the rumen so elegantly probably should have paid more attention to the respiratory tract. The design of the bovine respiratory tract makes it easy for BRD bacteria such as Mannheimia, Pasteurella, Histophilus and Mycoplasma to […] Read more
A case of acute BVD in a calf. BVD can cause symptoms ranging from nasal discharge to birth defects, as well as diarrhea. Photo: Supplied by Dr. John Campbell
Beef Cattle, Features, Livestock, Reproductive Diseases

BVD still a threat to Canadian cattle herds

Even closed herds can be at risk for BVD, making vaccination key to preventing this disease

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Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) can affect cattle in many ways, causing abortion, birth defects, stillborn calves, immune deficiencies in persistently infected animals, and other acute or chronic illness. BVD is also an indirect cause of many other diseases because it has adverse effects on the immune system. An estimate a few years ago suggested that […] Read more
Use a cooler with ice or heat packs to keep vaccines at the right temperature.
Features, Livestock, Vaccine Management

Make vaccinations work for your cattle herd

When giving a shot, make sure it isn’t a shot in the dark

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As ranchers begin another calving season and vets stock their shelves with vaccines and supplies, now is the time to review vaccination protocols and management practices to make sure the herd is protected. Dr. Glen Griffin of South West Animal Health Centre in Swift Current, Sask., has been serving the southwest since 2004, when he […] Read more
Once a calf is lying flat and has a very weak or absent suckle reflex, it needs IV fluid.
Cow-Calf, Livestock, Scours

Scours in calves

Scours is a common illness in young calves. Understand the causes and effects of this disease to treat and prevent it

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Scours can be caused by certain kinds of bacteria, viruses or protozoa, but other factors come into play as well. “It’s often the interaction between the immune system, the environment and the pathogen load. The old saying is that the solution to pollution is dilution (or) minimizing the pathogen load,” says Dr. Paul Hardes, a […] Read more
Testing for trichomoniasis.
Features, Livestock, Reproductive Diseases

Keeping trichomoniasis out of cattle herds

Prevention and early detection are vital to managing this disease

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Trichomoniasis is a disease that can sneak into a herd without any obvious signs. This sexually transmitted disease is caused by protozoa that inhabit the cow’s reproductive tract and the bull’s sheath. It doesn’t affect a bull’s fertility rate, but a bull can spread the disease to many cows during breeding. An infected cow can […] Read more
It’s important to keep in mind that animals don’t have to be completely parasite-free to be healthy and productive.
Animal Health, Features, Livestock, Parasites

Managing resistance to internal parasites in cattle

Producers need to tailor parasite control to align with their herds and management systems

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Managing internal parasite resistance starts with asking the right questions and understanding the principles of antiparasitic resistance and the range of control products. From there, a producer needs to develop a deworming strategy and pin it to the spring and summer grazing calendar. A veterinarian can help. Antiparasitic resistance is typically defined as the genetic […] Read more

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