Peter Plate

The Royal Veterinary College, Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College

Cattle

A brief review of bovine dystocia: risk factors, causes, approach and outcomes

For the sake of this article, short-term risk factors of dystocia are those that occur from the point of conception. The author will discuss these chronologically, starting with the breeding of the...

Cattle

Iron-deficiency anaemia in calves and lambs

Most of the iron in the body is stored in haemoglobin (60–70%), while iron can also be found in haemosiderin (spleen, liver) and myoglobin. Some is transported in blood, bound to transferrin. Apart...

Figure 1. Petrifilm inoculation and reading. Inoculating the film with a defined amount of colostrum or milk allows an estimation of the hygiene status by counting the colonies after incubation
Cattle

Metabolic programming and monitoring tools in pre-weaned dairy calves

Epigenetics describes influences on and effects of differences in gene expression. DNA contains a code made out of genes which encode proteins/enzymes. Proteins are produced in the processes of...

Figure 1. Shortening the length of the dry period is just one approach to improving energy balance.
Cattle

The dry period in dairy cows: Effective dry cow management

Effective dry cow management is a crucial part of maximising dairy cow welfare and productivity. It has an impact on calving problems, early lactation metabolic disease, fertility, overall lactation...