HERD HEALTH

Many years ago, when I was a “baby” vet, I was working with an old bachelor who milked 30 cows. During pregnancy checks, I asked how his calves were doing. “If I ever get a sick calf, I go to the liquor store and buy a bottle of whiskey.

Feeding a prepartum ration with a negative dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) minimizes the risk of both clinical and subclinical hypocalcemia.

Methionine (Met) has been recognized as the limiting or co-limiting amino acid for milk production for many years. More recently, there has been a lot of interest in the benefits of supplementing methionine to transition cows as well.

We often take vaccination for granted and think it’s just something we have to do, but we don’t necessarily stop to think about what we are trying to achieve. By vaccinating your cows, you want to keep your herd healthy by preventing some infectious diseases, as well as ensuring productivity and profitability.

Dr. Karin Orsel leads the Calgary focused lameness research team, which also includes Dr. Herman Barkema, Dr. Ed Pajor and an active group of graduate students.

Depending on the cause of lameness, there are different signs to watch for to help determine the issue and treatment course of action.