May 4, 2021 | Vol. 14 : No. 4
Diphtheria is an infection and inflammation of vocal folds of the larynx (voice box) at the back of the throat, making it hard for a calf to breathe. The technical term for this disease is necrotic laryngitis. Swelling can be life-threatening if it shuts off the airway.
In this video, Kansas State University veterinary entomologist Cassandra Olds explains the importance of insecticidal ear tags for fly control in cattle herds. She notes two common pests for cattle: horn flies and face flies.
Fluctuating weather. Muddy, wet conditions. Long days and short nights. Sound like your calving season? You’re already handling a lot, so when surprises hit and your calves need extra care, you want to be prepared. Eubiotics provide the means to deliver rapid support to calves after birth and during times of environmental stress.
The cause of cattle abortions in foothill regions of coastal and central California, southern Oregon and Nevada, and parts of Arizona baffled ranchers and veterinarians for many years. The unique pathogen that causes death of the fetus is transmitted by the bite of a soft-bodied tick, Ornithodoros coriaceus, that inhabits these regions.
The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service has announced that a vaccine used in combination with safer pesticides has eradicated a multipesticide-resistant population of cattle ticks from a dairy and beef production farm in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.
As we are calving during the early spring with lush pastures, we can often find mature cows that are in otherwise good condition and health with unusual behaviors, unsteady gait or inability to rise. These are early signs of both grass tetany and milk fever. Both of these metabolic diseases are common in adult cows that have recently calved.
By now, you’ve opened up your new crop silage. This is a good time to assess both the silage — and the management decisions that got it there. Deciding what went right and what went wrong is helpful to ensuring an even better 2021 silage season.
