Resources
Controlling Parasites in Calves
Spring turnout is a good time to think about parasite control. This time of year, both internal and external parasites are important as flies are getting well established and intestinal worms are blooming on new spring grass. Parasites,...
Grass Tetany: How can green grass possibly be bad?
Each year, we pray for the rainfall needed to produce the green grass we hope for every spring. If you’ve owned livestock for more than about 15 minutes, however, you know that with nearly every good thing that comes along, there’s...
On-Ranch Decision Making for Calf Scours
Calf scours are a challenging problem with young calves on the ground. High stocking density, moisture, and rearing younger calves in the same areas as older calves all contribute to the problem. Prior to about 3 days of age, calf illness...
Insides on the Outside: Management of Prolapses
With spring calving season approaching many ranchers will have to deal with the dreaded uterine and vaginal prolapse. Both prolapses are closely associated with calving, but each have very distinct causes and occur at different times....
Retained Placenta in Heifers and Cows: How and when do I intervene?
As we enter into spring calving season, we plan for the events of calving and make sure everything is in place, but we sometimes forget to have plans for the complications that occur before and after calving, like prolapses and retained...
Watch for Lumps and Bumps on the Heads of Cattle This Winter
From time to time, lumps and bumps will show up on cattle, often occurring on the head. Some of these have little significance, while others indicate a more serious problem needing attention. There are four main causes of discrete...
Bull Quality Assurance
While many folks have a favorite cow, it would be difficult to argue against the idea that the bull is the single most important animal on an operation. His fertility impacts conception rates, he can transmit diseases to multiple animals...
It’s Calving Season: How do I know when to intervene?
Calving season is one of the busiest times of year for a cow-calf producer. It’s a high-stakes time, where you realize the results of work and decisions made all year—bull selection, heifer selection, nutrition planning, and vaccination...
The Top 10 Things You Need to Know about Goat Pneumonia
Respiratory disease is a common problem with goats. As a practicing veterinarian, I see many of these animals after treatment has already been attempted and sometimes I see them when it’s already too late. I recently surveyed a large...
Rabies: Just because we’ve forgotten it doesn’t mean it’s gone
A colleague of mine recently said that she had submitted a series of skunks that she killed in her horse barn to the lab and every single one of them tested positive for rabies. In fact, she says, she’s never submitted a skunk that didn’t...