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Show A8 The Emery County Review, Tuesday, May 8, 2008 ANIMAL LIFE Pet & Livestock Health, Training Tips and Information Disease major obstacle in cow-calf operations Glen L. Jensen, DVM Disease represents a major obstacle to the profitability of many cow-calf operations. Animal death, failure or decreased efficiency in reproduction, and decreases in growth and productivity may all be the result of disease. Losses may also never be observed, these problems come about as “subclinical disease” and may quietly rob the cow-calf operator of profits. Healthy cattle may also have a higher value at the time of sale, and be more uniform in size. Treatment of many cattle diseases can be quite expensive and very unrewarding. Production losses may often occur before disease is able to be diagnosed and treated. Herd health programs should be designed to provide routine, planned procedures which will prevent or minimize disease. Herd health programs may fail if there is too much reliance put on vaccinations and other treatments. Vaccinations are an important tool, but not a cureall. Effective programs integrate medicine and management to prevent disease. A producer may want to consider three important areas in a herd health program. 1- Prevent Exposure to Disease. Do not bring disease to your herd through replacements. This may be a baby calf, replacement heifer, or a bull that is to be used for breeding. Purchasing and quarantine procedures should be used to decrease the likelihood of disease introduction. Operations with increase concentration of livestock may need more intensive preventive programs. 2- Keep Disease Resistance High. Nutrition, management, and housing programs should be designed to help decrease stress and keep resistance to disease high at all times. In Emery and Carbon counties there are many areas where due to high sulfur and alkali, our cattle become copper deficient. These elements bind and “tie up” copper so that it is not available to the animal. Low copper levels can lead to decreased immune status and decreased reproductive performance. Resistance to specific diseases can sometimes be accomplished by vaccination. 3- If Disease Occurs, Prevent its Spread. Segregate affected animals immediately. Have a diagnosis made, and take recommended action as soon as possible. Herd health programs must be tailored to each individual production situation. Handling cattle is stressful, time consuming, and may be expensive, therefore the benefits gained must outweigh the costs. Veterinarians are trained in herd health management and keep up to date on current deseases, treatments and prevention measures. If is important to have a veterinarian involved with tailoring heard health programs. Herd health programs and other cattle management procedures work best with calving is confined to a 60 – 90 day period. Short calving periods will also help control diseases like trichomoniasis which has been prevalent in our area for far too long; it also adds value to calves because they are more uniform. Most programs will be based on handling cows and calves twice a year and calves at birth. There are times when cattle may need to be handled more often. Pre-breeding management of cows includes reproductive vaccines Leptospirosis, Vibriosis, IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV; parasite control, checking identification, eyes, teeth , feet , legs and udders. Bulls should receive the same vaccines and have a thorough Breeding Soundness Examination. Pre-weaning cows are diagnosed for pregnancy, eyes, teeth, feet, legs, and udders checked, treated for parasites, check identification and scours vaccines may be appropriate. Newborn calf (24 hours old): disinfect navel, identify, vitamin A&D injection, and in some cases 7 or 8 way clostridial vaccine. Bull calves may be castrated and dehorning may be done. Mid-nursing (2 – 6 months old calves): Vaccination with 7 or 8-way clostridial vaccine, respiratory vaccinations, implant growth promotant (replacement heifers less than 400 lbs can be given a single implant.) Deworm and dehorn if needed. Preweaning calves: These procedures should be done 3-4 weeks prior to weaning to allow time for immunity to develop before weaning. Vaccines: 7 or 8way clostridial, respiratory viruses and Pasteurella, and Brucellosis for replacement heifers. Parasite control, implant growth promotant, dehorn if needed. Nutrition is important during all stages of cow-calf production but is especially important around weaning, calving, and breeding. Nutrition is much more than good looking hay and an occasional mineral block. Our area has some unique aspects that makes certain minerals like copper very important. (Jensen is a doctor of veterinarian medicine at Emery Animal Health.) Take caution as you let your pets enjoy the great outdoors Sharon Gilbert, DVM In the spring and summer we all enjoying being outside. Often we have our pets with us. Here are some ideas to help keep us and our pets safe during activities outside. Picture “Buddy,” a very large Mastiff, riding in the back of the truck, perched on the wheel well, face to the wind, ears and saliva flying. He is really enjoying the ride. Most dogs enjoy riding in the back of the truck. I wonder if they imagine that they are running really fast? The problem is, it is not safe. We see many injured dogs that have jumped out of the back of a moving truck, or fallen out in an accident or in a quick stop. If your dog is allowed to ride in the back, he should be cross tied in or be in a crate that is tied into the back of the truck. Make sure he is not on a rope that will allow him to jump out and be drug. This will help keep him safe in the back of the truck. Inside the car, you may consider a pet seatbelt. This will help protect your pet in the event of an accident and will protect you from your pet colliding with another person inside the car in an accident. The seat belt will also keep your pet away from you while you are driving. Let’s keep our pets safely inside vehicles. Before we were married, my husband had some sheep. Over several days some dogs that were running loose came and killed a number of his sheep. The animal control officer was called and two of the three dogs were caught and taken in. The third could not be caught and was shot. One dog was a loving golden retriever, a family pet. When the family came to the dog pound they were overjoyed to find their lost pet, and then dismayed to find that they owed a large fine, to pay for several sheep the Animal Hospital they will not keep another animal out of your yard. It is not only safe, but also responsible to keep your dog contained in your yard or on a leash. Although cats are much healthier indoors, many people have outside cats to help with rodent control. They have to be allowed to roam to do their job. If a cat needs to be outside, owners can help protect them by spaying and neutering. Cats are territorial and often fight for territory and during mating. Neutered and spayed cats fight much less and tend to stay home more. If they stay home better, they will hunt more around your house. Obviously this will also help reduce the number of feral cats. It is an old wives’ tale that a cat with kittens will hunt better than a spayed cat. Cats naturally hunt, litter of kittens or not. Indoor cats avoid exposure to diseases such as Feline Leukemia and Feline immunodeficiency virus. They also avoid bite wounds and injuries. Indoor cats do need things to do inside. Because they are natural hunters they need toys and play that helps fill that need and give them exercise. Some owners even build large outside cages that attach to a window so cats can safely go outdoors and play. Enjoy the spring and summer, enjoy your pet and help keep them safe. (Gilbert is a doctor of veterinarian medicine with Emery Animal Health.) POINTS ON PETS Large & Small Animals R.G. Elmore, D.V.M. Copley News Service Q (435) 637-5797 or 1-800-718-5797 We Carry Science Diet Pet Food A MeMBer of The AMericAn AniMAl hospiTAl AssociATion dog had killed. We enjoy the thought of our dogs running free, no restraint, to be able to run and play and have all the fun they want. The trouble is, they get into trouble. Besides damaging other people’s property or people, dogs running loose can get hit by cars, get in dog fights, or eat toxins and garbage. Remember, they can get hurt themselves and they are our property. We are responsible for what they do. Even though we live in a rural area, we have leash laws. Having your dog in a fenced in area while it is outside protects you, your neighbors and your dog. Invisible fences can work well to keep your dog in your yard, but remember, J. Boyd Thayn, D.V.M. 1989 Airport Road Price, UT : Our daughter will be showing her pony at our county fair this summer. While we do not want to discourage her, we are worried about her pony getting strangles. What can we do to prevent this? : Strangles, also commonly called A distemper, is a very serious, contagious disease in horses. Many horses with strangles refuse to eat and drink, are depressed, have high fevers and have a white discharge from the nose. By the third or fourth day of the disease, the lymph nodes under the jaw begin to swell, become sensitive to touch, and eventually break open and discharge The normal duration of strangles is about two weeks. Your daughter can protect her pony from getting strangles by being very careful by not using equipment contaminated by other horses and by having her vaccinated. Your veterinarian can give you additional advice about how your daughter can minimize the risk of her contracting any diseases while at the fair. Sequoya Boarding & Grooming 435-381-2539 490 West Hwy 29 Castle Dale ASSA Member “We carry A Full Line of Top Quality Fort Dodge Equine Vaccines, Including West Nile Vaccine. We also have a Wide Variety of Horse De-Wormers, in Pastes, Liquids and Powders.” Cheryl Sorensen Alisha Roberts Hand Scissoring & Shaping 28 Years (435) 384-2665 100 East Rock Canyon Road, Clawson 7 miles South of Castle Dale Quarter Horses and Arena, LLC Castle Dale, UT Specializing in training, handling and exhibiting of AQHA horses in Halter and Western Performance. Hal & April Schiffner Glen Jensen, DVM Sharmon Gilbert, DVM (435)381-5708 www.risingsunqh.com |
