Scientist analyzing bacterial colonies

Ending antimicrobial resistance with a SNAPP

Straight from the Hip with Brenda Schoepp

The United Nations has declared antimicrobial resistance a global fundamental threat. It is interesting that the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has really taken a short time in our human history to become a near epidemic. Today antibiotic use is considered suboptimal and in many cases unnecessary because of the widespread use without the confirmation […] Read more

Practical ways to reduce our use of antibiotics

Practical ways to reduce our use of antibiotics

The livestock industry has made great strides in addressing the topic of antimicrobial usage and indirectly lessening the opportunity for the formation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. From veterinarians setting treatment protocols to cow-calf and feedlot producers implementing effective coping strategies, progress is being made in minimizing the incidence of disease and thus reducing the need for […] Read more


Angus Herd

Atypical interstitial pneumonia in cattle

Vet Advice with Dr. Ron Clarke

Atypical Interstitial Pneumonia (AIP) continues to plague the beef industry in unpredictable ways. Also known as acute bovine pulmonary emphysema and edema, AIP is a common cause of sudden respiratory distress in cattle, particularly adult beef cattle grazing lush pastures through late summer and fall and in feedlot cattle through the finishing period. Sudden onset […] Read more



Intranasal vaccines get around maternal antibodies

Intranasal vaccines get around maternal antibodies

Animal Health: Maternal antibodies unpredictable


Calves are born without fully functioning immune systems, making them reliant on passive immunity from maternal antibodies for disease protection. As a result, we assumed for a long time that vaccinating calves at an early age was a complete waste of time and money as the maternal antibodies would attack any pathogens introduced in the […] Read more

The only approved placement for hormone implants is the vertical middle third of the ear.

Calf implants done right

Slow-release growth-promoting hormone implants for beef calves have been in use since the mid-1960s in Canada. With that many years of research and approval from Health Canada behind these products you’d be hard-pressed to argue that they don’t safely do what the manufacturers say they do — improve average daily gain and feed efficiency. The […] 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

Dr. Edouard Timsit, University of Calgary faculty of veterinary medicine.

Pneumonia: the disease that won’t go away

The three categories of pneumonia and how to tell them apart

Environment, germs and immunity are top of mind when thinking of all the risk factors that could set the stage for pneumonia in cattle. The forgotten factor is one beyond producers’ control and the reason why pneumonia will always be a problem — anatomy. Bovine lungs are very small relative to the animal’s oxygen requirements, […] Read more


Deadly cattle condition called fog fever returns to the Prairies

Deadly cattle condition called fog fever returns to the Prairies

Cases of fog fever, a type of pneumonia that causes severe cattle mortality, 
have been recently diagnosed in Alberta

Fog fever — a condition that causes cattle to suddenly drop dead — has returned to Alberta and Saskatchewan. “Fog fever isn’t extremely common” said Nathan Erickson, a veterinarian and assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan. “Some of these old diseases, we start forgetting about them because we’ve managed our way out of them. […] Read more

vaccinating a calf

Criteria for selecting the right antibiotic

There are a lot of factors at play and all of them need to be 
considered in every case where antibiotics are an option

Although a few very effective antibiotics have been removed from the marketplace over the years, the choice has never been greater. The challenge is there are so many factors hinging on the outcome, so deciding which antibiotic to use — or if one is necessary at all — can be a very difficult decision. Also […] Read more