The exact definition of longevity varies among studies, with productive life often discussed as the time a cow remains in the herd from first calving until culling or death (Brickell and Wathes, 2011;...
Infected animals excrete high quantities of virus during primary infection. BoHV-1 is mainly spread directly by close contact between animals (Figure 1). It can also be shed from the reproductive...
Getting the housing right is important for any herd, but it becomes increasingly so the longer the housing period. Just as there is an increase in numbers of seasonally block-calving herds in the UK,...
The liver fluke life cycle takes around 20 weeks to complete and requires a snail intermediate host (Figure 1). Mature flukes (Figure 2) reside in the liver of the definitive host. Fluke eggs are...
Where lungworm is a known problem, there is no easy way to predict when it will hit and waiting until coughing starts is less than ideal. Using a preventative vaccine on farms with a known lungworm...
Dairy cattle are metabolic athletes. Energy requirements for the average dairy cow double from a week before calving to just after calving. It is important to emphasise just how great the energy...
The studies summarised here reported variable and even contradictory associations between postpartum blood calcium concentrations and milk production. These associations, as well as some of the...
Cost alone is often not sufficient to create a meaningful change in attitude, so consideration of behavioural insight models, such as EAST (Easy, Attractive, Social, Timely), can be useful in...
All measures should be taken to ensure that the sample seen down the microscope is a representative biopsy of what would be ejaculated during natural service. Cold shock is the most common and...
BVD virus is in the Flaviviridae family. There are two genotypes, BVD 1 and 2. BVD 1 occurs in the UK, and there are two biotypes: cytopathic and non-cytopathic. Most persistently infected calves have...
The principal benefit of carrying out selective treatment of clinical mastitis is in supporting the One Health approach to the responsible use of antibiotics through the reduction of antibiotic use...
The mucosa is the largest component of the immune system, providing a first line of defence against encountered pathogens. The gastrointestinal mucosa is highly specialised and, uniquely, needs to...