The Beef Cattle Health and Nutrition Podcast

Deworming yearling cattle with Dr. Murray Jelinski

This week Dr. Murray Jelinski returns to the podcast for a 2nd week in a row, to discuss a completely different topic.  He will summarize some of his recent research on the value of deworming yearling cattle in Western Canadian pastures.  We discuss the basics of the life cycle of the internal roundworms of cattle and the impact they can have on productivity.00:00 - 00:45 Intro00:45 - 02:51  Why the interest in internal parasites?02:51 - 06:00  Types of internal parasites of cattle06:01 - 10:27  Life cycle of roundworms10:28 - 15:54 Difference in species of roundworms and changes in distribution of species15:55 - 17:50 How do the roundworms impact performance?17:51 - 22:05  Limitations of the fecal egg count test22:06 - 27:11 Factors that affect the level of parasite load27:12 - 34:15  Summary of clinical trial on yearling cattle in Saskatchewan34:16 -  35:50 Emergence of Haemonchus roundworms in Western Canada35:51 -  38:31  Risk factors for higher parasite loads38:32 -  44:23  Recommendations for when to decide if deworming is necessary44:24 -   45:00 Wrap up

Abomasal ulcers in Calves with Dr. Murray Jelinski

Dr. Murray Jelinski joins the podcast to discuss the syndrome of abomasal ulcers in calves.   Dr. Jelinski holds the Alberta Beef Chair at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and is involved in a wide range of research projects from lameness to parasites and antibiotic resistance.  Although abomasal ulcers are not an exceptionally common problem, it is one of those syndromes that seems to affect the best calves in the group and can be frustrating for those herds that occasionally see it crop up.  Dr. Jelinski will describe his original research findings on this syndrome and helps to sort out the fact from the fiction in what factors may be involved.00:00 - 8:00  Introductions8:01 -  17:19  Description of the syndrome of abomasal ulcers17:20 -  24: 12 Does it cluster by herd, what are the risk factors?24:13 - 30:33  Hairballs aren't really associated with ulcers30:34 -  36:09 The theories on the cause of ulcers36:10 - 38:13 What to do if you suspect abomasal ulcers in your calves?38:14 - 39:00  Wrap up

Ergot Toxicity with Dr. Gabriel Ribeiro

Dr. Gabriel Ribeiro from the Dept. of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan is my guest this week.  He has been researching the impacts of ergot in feed sources on cattle performance and he will discuss the levels of ergot that are safe for cattle, their impacts on cattle health, welfare and performance as well as how to test for and deal with feeds that might be high in ergot.00:00 - 01:50  Introduction01:51 - 02:54  What is ergot?02:55 - 04:55  How to identify ergot in feed sources04:56 - 07:30  Ergot and climatic conditions07:31 - 08:39  Clinical effects of ergot alkaloids08:40 - 09:36  Fescue toxicity vs Ergot toxicity09:37 - 11:04  Effects of ergot on rumen function?11:05 - 15:20  A clinical trial on the effects of ergot on cattle15:21 - 17:51  Effects on the animals in the trial17:52 - 21:06  The heat stress effect21:07 - 22:44  Effects on performance22:45 - 23:56  What levels of ergot are safe?23:57 - 29:22  Recommendations for dealing with ergot contaminated feeds29:33 - 30:52  Wrap up and conclusions

Water quality for cattle with Dr. Bart Lardner

Dr. Bart Lardner is my return guest this week.  He joins the podcast to discuss the implications of water quality on beef cattle.00:00 – 01:45   Introductions01:46 – 2:53   Why is water considered one of the most important nutrients?02:54 - 04:35   How do we assess water quality?04:36 - 07:11 Sulphates in water07:12 – 10:20 Total Dissolved Solids10:21 – 12:45   High Bacteria counts12:46 - 13:50 Cattle preference for water sources13:51 – 15:56   Impact of water quality on weight gains15:57 – 17:12 What should producers consider doing if water quality may be an issue?17:13 – 18:00 Wrap up 

An infertility case from the disease investigation files

This week I'm presenting a quick mini episode with a case from our disease investigation files.  This particular cow-calf herd had a disappointing pregnancy rate and we suspected a bacteria called Ureaplasma may have been responsible for the infertility.  Ureaplasma is a bit of a tricky organism as we can find this bacteria in completely normal animals and so it is difficult to determine when it is truly responsible for infertility issues.  Have a listen to learn what we do know about Ureaplasma diversum as a cause of reproductive failure.

Abnormal Maternal Behavior in Beef Cows with Dr. Joe Stookey

Dr. Joe Stookey, professor emeritus from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast this week.  Joe has spent his career researching various aspects of animal behavior with a focus on beef cattle.  He joins me to discuss the problem of mis-mothering in calving cows.  It can be a frustrating situation and Joe gives some practical tips on how to deal with these situations.  Just a quick heads up, there were some technical difficulties in recording this episode and there are a couple of segments in the podcast where the sound quality is not great for my microphone.  Hopefully you can get the gist of the conversation, but apologies for the segments where the sound isn't great.00:00 – 02:32 Introduction02:33 – 3:37 How common is mis-mothering in cows and heifers?03:38 – 06:28 How does the maternal bond form?06:29 - 10:22 Risk Factors for mis-mothering10:23 – 13:40 How does calf behavior contribute to maternal behavior?13:41 – 15:32 Dealing with cows that claim calves from other cows15:33 – 17:07 Genetic inheritance of maternal behavior17:36 – 21:25 Cross-fostering calves21:26 – 23:05 Minimizing mis-mothering behavior23:06 – 24:00 Closing comments

Digital Dermatitis with Dr. Karin Orsel

Dr. Karin Orsel from the University of Calgary School of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast to discuss an emerging cause of lameness in beef cattle herds and feedlots known as digital dermatitis.  She explains the importance of this disease as a cause of lameness in cattle, how to recognize it, and the challenges with treatment and prevention.00:00 – 01:46   Introduction01:47 – 3:45 Digital dermatitis – what are all the different names for this condition?3:46 - 5:37 Prevalence of digital dermatitis in dairy cattle05:37 – 09:50 Prevalence of digital dermatitis as a cause of lameness in beef cattle09:51 – 12:34 What bacteria are involved in digital dermatitis lesions?12:35 – 14:41 How does digital dermatitis get into a herd?14:42 – 17:35 Risk factors for DD17:36 – 19:19 Recognizing DD lesions in a lame cow19:20 – 20:53 Welfare and production consequences of DD20:54 – 25:16 How is DD treated?25:17 – 27:20 Challenges with foot baths as a treatment option27:21 – 28:42 Potential for vaccines for DD28:43 – 31:36 Keeping DD out of your herd31:37 – 32:30  Resources for learning more about DD32:31 – 33:20  Closing comments

Pre-weaning respiratory disease in calves with Dr. Emily Snyder

Dr. Emily Snyder is a veterinary clinician and professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.  She has expertise in bovine respiratory disease, preventive medicine and antimicrobial resistance.  This week, she joins the show to discuss the risk factors of pre-weaning respiratory disease in calves and some tips on how to prevent it from occurring in your herd.00:00 – 01:41   Introduction01:42– 03:47 How commonly do we see BRD in pre-weaned calves03:48 - 05:29 When does preweaning BRD occur and explanations for two peaks in disease incidence?05:30 – 6:24 How host, pathogen and environment factors interact to cause disease06:25 – 8:43 Calf factors that impact BRD8:44 – 10:19 Environmental factors that impact BRD10:20 – 11:52 Bacteria and viruses involved in pre-weaning BRD11:53 – 12:33 Clinical signs of pre-weaning BRD12:34 – 13:26 Treating calves with pre-weaning BRD13:27 – 16:57   Risk factors associated with herds that have outbreaks of pre-weaning BRD16:58 – 18:28 Prevention of pre-weaning BRD18:29 – 19:50 Summary thoughts19:51 – 20:34 Closing comments

Breeding Soundness Evaluations of Bulls with Dr. Roy Lewis

Dr. Roy Lewis joins the podcast to discuss breeding soundness evaluations of bulls.  Dr. Lewis is an experienced bovine practitioner who has practiced for many years in the Westlock, Alberta area.  He has also worked as a technical service veterinarian for the pharmaceutical industry and he writes extensively for many producer publications.  Roy has a special interest in bovine preventive medicine and reproductive fertility of cow-calf herds.  He chats with me about how the breeding soundness evaluation of bulls has become more commonplace and what the various components of the evaluation can tell us about bull fertility.00:00 – 01:51   Introduction01:52– 04:07 How breeding soundness examinations have evolved over the years04:08 – 05:31 Good facilities for bull testing05:32 – 08:22 Seminal vesiculitis in bulls08:33– 10:38 Measuring scrotal circumference in bulls10:39 – 11:57 Testicular degeneration in bulls11:58 – 13:28 Equipment improvements for obtaining semen samples13:29 – 15:12 Penile frenulums, warts, and hair rings15:13 – 16:37 Bulls that don’t protrude during collection16:38 – 18:12 Evaluating the semen18:13 – 20:06 Pass, Failure and Decision Deferred Categories20:07 - 21:50 Testing pubertal bulls21:51 – 24:29 Other factors that may impact fertility of the bull24:30 – 25:24  Closing comments

Dealing with Foot Rot with Dr. Chris Clark

Dr. Chris Clark joins the podcast to discuss foot rot and sole abscesses.  Dr. Clark is a faculty member and large animal medicine clinician at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.  He has a special interest in lameness and discusses two of the common causes of lameness in cattle:  foot rot and sole abscesses.  We'll discuss the differences in how they develop and how they have to be treated in a very different fashion.00:00 – 02:45   Introduction02:46– 05:20 Costs and productivity losses associated with lameness05:21 – 07:12 Importance of lameness in cow-calf industry07:13– 09:33 General lameness categories09:34– 11:02 The 90:90:90 rule11:03 – 14:32 How foot rot cases develop17:18 – 18:55 How to identify a case of foot rot18:56 – 20:46 How to identify a sole abscess20:47 – 29:30 Treatment differences between these conditions29:30 – 31:09 Concluding thoughts31:10 – 31:58 Closing comments