Cattle

Figure 4. Extension to dry cow yard (herd F).

Dry cow environment management and mastitis control in dairy herds

For many veterinary surgeons and advisors, a herd health approach can be difficult for those clients that run spring calving systems, particularly as mastitis control is often perceived to be very...

Figure 3. Example of additional outside space for dairy cattle.

Understanding the social behaviour of dairy cattle can benefit welfare and productivity

SNA is being utilised with increasing prevalence to untangle patterns of social behaviour. Originally, this approach was used to aid the understanding of human relationships, but it has recently been...

Figure 4. Measuring the internal pelvic width with the Rice pelvimeter, with the measurement taken from the level of the poas tubercles to measure the widest point of the pelvis.

Pre-breeding heifer examination and selection in UK beef herds

The RTS system (Anderson et al, 1991) ranges from score 1–5, indicating prepubescent to pubescent reproductive tracts, respectively. The reproductive tracts are palpated per rectum, and a score...

Cattle Review: September–October 2020

The aim of a study undertaken by Becker et al (2020) (Preventive Veterinary Medicine doi. org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.104907) was to evaluate a novel concept for calf fattening aimed at reducing...

Figure 1. The characteristic oily appearance of Mycoplasma bovis on selective growth media.

Mycoplasma spp. mastitis — approach to diagnosis

Mycoplasma spp. mastitis outbreaks are rare, but when they occur they tend to be characterised by recurrent mastitis that is non-responsive to treatment, and a high rate of subclinical infections.

Figure 1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be a standard part of the pain management in calves undergoing disbudding.

An introduction to NSAIDs for cattle: recommendations for the veterinary surgeon

The literature on the use of NSAIDs in cattle is growing — a quick search using Scopus with search terms ‘NSAID’ and ‘cattle’ identified 228 documents of which half had been published in the last 9...

Cattle Review: July–August 2020

Evidence of the effectiveness of interventions designed to enhance antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is essential. A review by Gozdzielewska et al (2020) (Preventive Veterinary...

Figure 2. M4 lesion before and after removal of the overlying hyperkeratotic scab, showing ulcerated tissue where invasion of pathogens has caused severe damage to the epidermis.

Infection reservoirs and transmission of digital dermatitis in the dairy herd

The most recently calculated reproduction ratio (R0) for DD is 2.36, meaning that in the absence of control measures it is expected that each case will give rise to 2.36 further cases (Biemans et al,...

Figure 1. The potassium (K) of grass silage (left) is higher than cereal silages (middle) and is very difficult to predict. Mineral analysis (right) of grass silages intended for dry cows is very worthwhile.

An update on hypocalcaemia control

The use of Ca salt containing drenches around calving is popular and is reasonably effective at controlling clinical hypocalcaemia. The most soluble salts are the most effective; calcium chloride is...

Figure 3. Good design covered open ridge with upstands; creates negative pressure at ridge >90% time.

Youngstock housing design

Apart from the question of using the correct cleaning products at the correct dilution for the correct period of application, the ability to satisfactorily clean surfaces competently is a system...

Cattle Review: May–June 2020

Antimicrobial residues in milk have been discussed as a possible selector for Enterobacteriaceae that produce extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) in dairy herds. Such residues are found in waste...

Figure 1. Three buckets of freshly harvested colostrum.

Youngstock health: Effective disease prevention today ensuring tomorrow's profitable herd

The feeding of an adequate volume of good quality, clean colostrum as soon as possible after birth is arguably the most significant effect a farmer can have on the life of a cow. Providing simple...