by Carrie Bargren, DVM
A good description of a cow is a furnace on four legs. While it works to her favor during the winter, it means she has a very poor tolerance to hot weather. The ideal air temperature for a dairy cow is between 40-60°F, and 39-75°F for beef; anything above this, her core body temperature rises and she needs to use energy to cool off. If her core body temperature rises above 102.5°F, she’s experiencing heat stress. Continue reading
by Carrie Bargren, DVM
A quarter to a third of cows with mastitis don’t actually need intramammary treatment! The best way to determine which ones need treatment is through a milk culture. Continue reading
by Carrie Bargren, DVM
Ketosis has become the most significant metabolic disease of dairy cattle in the US, surpassing ruminal acidosis and milk fever in the 1990s. While incidence in a given herd is difficult to estimate without regular surveillance and testing, some 30% of all dairy cows are affected at some point in their early lactation. Yet only 3% of cows show any clinical signs, are diagnosed and treated. It is a disease that begins in dry cows and shows up in fresh cows when they suddenly require and use lots of energy. Continue reading
by Carrie Bargren, DVM
Name six things that come to mind for the months of March and April: rain, March Madness, rain, spring flowers, rain and baby sheep and goats!! While it’s not exactly warm outside yet, we’re in the heat of the spring lambing and kidding season. Having a small herd of sheep or goats is becoming more popular, so it’s a good time to review the basics of newborn lamb and kid care along with the most common newborn health problems. Continue reading
by Carrie Bargren, DVM
As we know, cows can be both extremely picky eaters and undiscerning at the same time: they’ll spend a long time trying to sort through TMR to find the best bits to eat, but end up eating a nail or piece of wire, too, and risk hardware disease. Continue reading
by Carrie Bargren, DVM
At a price of $200 per cow per year, mastitis is the most costly infectious disease among dairy herds. Control strategies, good case identification and treatment protocols like those discussed last month have greatly reduced the prevalence of contagious pathogens during lactation. But it is easy to forget how critical the dry period is in treating chronic infections and preventing new ones. Continue reading
by Carrie Bargren, DVM
When a cow’s milk changes consistency, we know its mastitis, but what’s the best way to treat it? Continue reading
