a cow with Johne's disease

Disease transmission in livestock is not uniform

The unprecedented increase of emerging infectious diseases in wild and domestic animals and humans does not follow predictable patterns. Disease outbreaks like influenza H5N2 in birds — especially recent incursions of the virus affecting turkeys in Central Canada and Midwestern U.S.; human Ebola in West Africa; equine herpes virus (EHV1) in North America, and five […] Read more

horn flies on livestock

Fly control methods for spring grazing cattle

An important component of planning for spring grazing is fly control. What products to use, steps to monitor fly populations and timing of treatments are elements contributing to the control of pests that cost the North American industry nearly a billion dollars every year. Flies of economic importance on western Canadian range are horn flies […] Read more


Taking stock of your vaccines

For some, calving season has already started. Others find themselves on final approach to one of the busiest times of year: calving, preparation for breeding season and spring processing of calves and cows before going to pasture. This is an important time to plan herd health programs for the year, make final adjustments to nutrition […] Read more

Antimicrobial resistance tug of war stands in the way of progress

The tug of war between government’s discounted ability to mount a meaningful defence against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), recent accusations that pull the ethical and professional conduct of food animal veterinarians offside, and the reality that we may be losing the battle against antibacterial resistance hinders the progress toward resolution. Three recent events highlight the tug […] Read more



mosquito and flies on an animal

Vectors and emerging disease: a growing dilemma

Vectors — mosquitoes, ticks, midges, flies — have always been a major reason for the spread of disease among animals and people. Their importance has been magnified in recent years, confounded by things like new pathogens, climate change, global travel, antibiotic and pesticide resistance and the decline of public sector investment in disease surveillance. The […] Read more


BVD vaccination strategies and common-sense biosecurity are critical to any efforts to eradicate BVDV.

BVDV eradication still a North American pipe dream

On October 13 the scientific community clustered in Kansas City, Missouri, to tackle what has become a tired veterinary euphemism: “Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Eradication: Reality or Myth?” Infections with bovine virus diarrhea virus (BVDV) are widespread throughout the world. Although the prevalence varies among surveys, BVDV infection is endemic in many populations, with a […] Read more

calf with bovine respiratory disease

Back to basics with BRD

Despite advancements in knowledge and technology associated with BRD there has been no significant reduction in its incidence

Complacency is always an enemy. And nowhere in the beef business does complacency sit more steely and imperfectly than when managing calves as they move from pasture to market. With 2014 witnessing weaned calves topping $1,800, production shortcuts will abound in the rush to get them sold. Producers will be tempted to sidestep good management […] Read more


virus under a microscope

Out of the ebola virus tragedy, are there lessons to be learned?

The West African outbreak should be a wake-up call for the livestock industry

Global health authorities watch with uncertainty as the human ebolavirus tragedy in West Africa unfolds. First recognized in the summer and fall of 1976, the ongoing Zaire ebolavirus outbreak is the largest since its discovery — nearly 9,300 cases and over 4,500 deaths. It continues to spread through the Democratic Republic of the Congo (or […] Read more