Analyzing lameness in beef cattle

Analyzing lameness in beef cattle

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

Cattle get lame for a lot of reasons, including injury, poor conformation, grain overload, mycotoxins (e.g. ergot) and bacterial infection. Different types of lameness need to be treated differently. Antibiotic treatment only helps if a bacterial infection is involved.  Lameness is the second leading reason (behind bovine respiratory disease) that feedlot cattle are pulled and given […] Read more

NSAIDs should be used for major procedures such as C-sections at the time of delivery or at the beginning of surgery.

Pain medication at calving and in the feedlot

Pain control is simply the right thing to do in some situations

Pain medication may come with adjunct treatment such as antibiotics but sometimes this is unnecessary. When veterinarians prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain, they may choose based on label claim, past experience in the field, price per treatment or per 100 lbs., duration of activity, ease of administration, advice of associates or slaughter withdrawal. […] Read more


A drug initially developed to help treat BRD has been shown to reduce pain from foot rot.

New drug targets pain from foot rot in cattle

Health: News Roundup from the May 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen

A new topical drug promising pain relief from a specific ailment affecting cattle is now available in Canada. Banamine transdermal, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) produced by Merck Animal Health, was released at the end of January. This pour-on product, with flunixin meglumine as the active ingredient, is used to reduce fever related to bovine […] Read more



Not all lameness is foot rot

Not all lameness is foot rot

Animal Health: Two things need to be present for foot rot to occur

Foot rot is an infectious disease that causes swelling, pain, heat and inflammation in the foot, resulting in severe lameness that appears suddenly. The opportunistic pathogens require a break in the skin, however, to enter the foot. The main bacterium we deal with is Fusobacterium necrophorum. Importance of diagnosis Lameness may be from a nail […] Read more

cow leaving a livestock trailer

Toe tip necrosis syndrome in cattle

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

Lameness is the second most costly feedlot health issue after bovine respiratory disease. Aside from treatment and death losses, lame cattle eat less, grow less, convert feed to gain less efficiently, and are more prone to transport injuries. Lameness is also a significant animal welfare concern and has been incorporated into some on-farm welfare audit […] Read more


cattle in a feedlot

What can we do about mycoplasma?

When talking to feedlot owners and backgrounders across this country one question almost always comes up. “Is there anything new out there to combat mycoplasma?” While there are things being worked on it is not an easy fix. What we have found is there are procedures, vaccines combined with minimizing stress (often easier said than […] Read more

foot rot in cattle

Lameness in feedlot cattle

The problem can be easy enough to see, but tough to diagnose

A recent review of health records from 24 Alberta feedlots covering approximately 445,000 head revealed that lameness affected 6.1 per cent of the animals, but accounted for 28 per cent of all treated animals and 49 per cent of euthanized animals, while incurable respiratory disease accounted for 10 per cent. The finding, which was part […] Read more


Study: Zilmax shows no harmful effect on cattle

Key findings released by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and USDA Agricultural Research Service

University of Nebraska-Lincoln – The cattle feed additive Zilmax has no noticeable detrimental effect on cattle health or well-being, according to research by scientists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. The study was undertaken after Zilmax’s maker, Merck Animal Health, temporarily suspended sales of the additive last year when […] Read more