Health Column
Say "no" to magic potions
The dairy industry must do everything it can to always deliver consistent high-quality products to consumers.
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Eight dollars and fifty-seven cents
Low prices require producers and their veterinarians to examine the operation's veterinary and medical expenses.
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Call a Staph meeting
Mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus remains a significant problem in dairy herds. Since the introduction of control programs two decades ago, the disease occurs in less than 5 percent of cows nationally. However, more than 80 percent of dairy farms have Staph aureus-infected animals.
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The bovine athlete
You probably don’t use the term “athletic” when describing your cows, but perhaps you should. The tremendous amount of metabolic work done by dairy cows rivals that of the toughest, strongest athletes.
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Don't underfeed calves
An article in this month's issue looks at accelerated calf feeding programs. And, while we've seen good success with high growth rates of 2 to 3 pounds per day, I commonly see situations where calves appear to be just maintaining or actually losing weight prior to weaning.
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Osteoporosis in cows
In recent years, doctors and television advertisements have made older women aware of the risks of osteoporosis, a disease resulting from chronic, excessive bone resorption.
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Evaluate this year's lameness cases
Studies indicate that lameness is one of the top three reasons why cows get culled from a dairy. However, lameness can be caused by a variety of different factors -- diet, disease, injury, and poorly-designed cows areas.
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Caring for a natural-service sire
Use the following checklist -- compiled from dairy producers and veterinarians -- to ensure safety and profitability when using a natural-service sire:
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