Veterinary Medicine

Are We Treating the Wrong Cows for Metritis?

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:11:43 GMT

One in four dairy cows develops metritis. It’s one of the most common and costly diseases in the postpartum period.

But Caio Figueiredo, assistant professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Washington State University, raises the following uncomfortable question:

What if we’re not actually defining metritis correctly in the first place?

Because if the definition is off, everything downstream — diagnosis, treatment, antimicrobial use — follows it.

The Cracks Start at Diagnosis

In practice, metritis is diagnosed visually, using vaginal discharge scoring. It’s simple, fast and scalable across herds. Cows are generally scored on a scale of 1 to 5. The issue lies not within how to score cows, but in which scores define metritis.

“There isn’t a clear consensus of what discharge, on the clinical level, distinguishes a cow with metritis or not,” Figueiredo explains.

That lack of agreement directly shapes which cows get treated. So before we even talk about treatment protocols, we’re already dealing with a moving target.

Most scoring systems eventually funnel into two categories that matter clinically:

VD4: Purulent discharge
VD5: Fetid, watery, red-brown discharge

Both are commonly labeled “metritis” and both are commonly treated.

But they don’t look the same — and the data suggests they don’t behave the same either.

“Are these two conditions metritis? Should we treat both, or just one?” Figueiredo asks.

Despite the uncertainty, most dairies don’t differentiate, treating both VD4 and VD5 cows with antibiotics.

“Only a very selected group treat exclusively VD5 cows. The remaining dairies treat both conditions,” Figueiredo explains, referencing a survey of 45 dairies in California .

(Photos: Merck)

VD5 Looks Like a Different Disease

When you step back and look across studies, a consistent signal starts to emerge:

“There is some evidence that those groups are not necessarily the same,” Figueiredo states.

That difference becomes much harder to ignore once you look beyond the discharge itself.

Start with inflammation, which isn’t just a uterine issue.

“VD5 cows have greater levels of inflammation compared to those with purulent discharge (VD4),” Figueiredo says. “Those VD5 cows have greater systemic inflammation as well.”

At the microbial level, the pattern holds. A 2024 study looked at the uterine microbiome to investigate the differences between VD5 cows and all others.

“Only cows with vaginal discharge score 5 have greater bacterial count compared to the other discharges,” Figueiredo explains.

These animals had greater overall bacterial counts, as well as increased Fusobacterium, Porphyromonas and Bacteroides counts compared to lower-scoring cows. And when you zoom out to the whole animal, the separation becomes even clearer.

In unpublished data from Figueiredo’s lab, VD5 cows show:

Higher acute phase proteins (e.g., haptoglobin) postpartum
Worse liver function indicators (↓ albumin, ↑ bilirubin, ↓ cholesterol)
Altered metabolic profiles at diagnosis
Reduced rumination and activity during peak risk windows

These results suggest this is not just a discharge difference, but a systemic disease state.

Performance Consequences

The biological differences translate directly into outcomes.

In large multi-herd datasets VD5 cows had noticeably impaired performance:

Milk production: Up to 1,000 kg less milk over 300 DIM
Reproduction:
- Lower likelihood of resuming cyclicity
- Reduced probability of receiving first AI
- Lower pregnancy rates by 300 DIM
Survival:
- Higher risk of culling
- Faster removal from the herd

By contrast, VD4 cows were indistinguishable from lower score cows across many of these same parameters.

What Is VD4?

According to Figueiredo, if VD5 represents a true systemic disease, VD4 may represent something else — perhaps a milder, localized or even transient condition.

Across multiple datasets, VD4 cows perform similarly to their lower-scored herd mates.

Which raises a critical question: Are we treating cows that don’t actually need treatment?

The Economic Reality of Treating VD4 Cows

In the U.S. alone there are ~9.5 million dairy cows and a ~25% VD4 and ~25% VD5 incidence. That puts millions of cows into each category annually.

If both groups are treated:

Total antimicrobial treatment costs can exceed $500 million annually

If VD4 cows are excluded from treatment:

Potential savings approach $270 million per year

This difference in cost doesn’t account for labor, any effects of handling stress or the downstream impacts of antimicrobial use.

Why This Matters More Than It Seems

This isn’t just a classification issue. It touches multiple pressure points:

Antimicrobial Stewardship
Metritis is a leading driver of antibiotic use. Refining treatment criteria is one of the fastest ways to reduce unnecessary exposure.

Economic Efficiency
Treating cows that don’t benefit is pure inefficiency at scale.

Public Trust
Consumer concern around antimicrobial use continues to grow. Precision matters.

From Visual Diagnosis to Biological Precision

The takeaway isn’t to stop treating metritis, but to start treating it more precisely.

Right now, decisions are largely driven by what we can see. But the evidence suggests what we see doesn’t always reflect what’s happening biologically.

A more practical, data-aligned framework could look like:

VD5 → clear systemic disease → treat
VD4 → uncertain or mild → monitor, refine or selectively treat

This shift moves us away from a purely visual diagnosis model.

“We’re going to have to look deeper into the biology and then come back to the real-life problem,” Figueiredo says.

That means integrating:

Immune and inflammatory markers
Microbiome makeup
Metabolic and behavioral signals

The goal is straightforward: Align diagnosis with biology, not just appearance.

Ultimately, VD4 and VD5 cows don’t share the same biology, the same risk or the same consequences. One behaves like a mild or localized condition while the other is a true systemic disease with measurable impacts on performance and survival.

Treating them the same way is inefficient and outdated.

The future of metritis management isn’t about treating more cows, it’s about treating the right ones.

10 Practical Tips for Milk Fever Prevention and Treatment

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:55:19 GMT

Milk fever is still one of the most costly transition cow problems. While down cows get the attention, it’s often the subclinical cases quietly eroding performance that matter most.

To help producers navigate these challenges, we’ve gathered insights from a panel of experts featured on “ The Bovine Vet Podcast ”:

Heather Chandler, a practicing field veterinarian.
Burim Ametaj, an immunometabolism researcher at the University of Alberta.
Megan Connelly, a transition cow specialist with Protekta.

Identify the Invisible

1. Monitor the herd, not just the emergencies

Subclinical hypocalcemia is often invisible, yet it drives secondary diseases and lost milk.

“Blood calcium is an easy thing to look at if we want to be proactive,” Connelly says.

The Action: Pull blood samples from 10 to 12 fresh cows (0-72 hours post-calving) and track the percentage of the group falling below normal calcium thresholds.

2. Watch the cow, not just the spreadsheet

Data is vital, but the eye of a trained herdsman is irreplaceable. Connelly notes many subclinical cases simply show up as cows that “don’t come in and thrive.”

The Action: Train your team to flag cows with reduced intake, lower rumination or generally “off” behavior. Performance dips often precede clinical disease.

Choose and Lock in a Strategy

3. Pick one strategy and execute it flawlessly

Consistency beats complexity every time. Whether you choose a negative DCAD diet or a Zeolite program, the success of the program depends on execution rather than the choice itself.

The Action: If using DCAD, monitor urine pH religiously. If using Zeolite, focus on the feeding rate and dietary phosphorus levels.

4. Respect the 21-day close-up window

A transition diet only works if the cow actually eats it for the required duration. Chandler emphasizes both DCAD and Zeolite programs need to be fed 20 to 25 days before calving.

The Action: Separate close-up cows into their own group 21 days before their due date and ensure they have daily access to the specific transition ration.

Immediate Calving Intervention

5. Time your calcium boluses for maximum impact

Calcium demand spikes the moment the calf hits the ground. Timing is everything.

“You can even give boluses before she calves,” Chandler suggests.

The Action: For high-risk cows, provide one bolus at the onset of labor (or immediately at calving) and a second bolus 12 to 24 hours later.

6. Treat down cows as true emergencies

A cow that cannot stand is a race against time.

“The pure weight of a down cow leads to muscle necrosis quickly,” Chandler warns.

The Action: Respond immediately. While waiting for the vet, roll the cow side-to-side to maintain circulation and ensure she is on deep, supportive bedding. When administering IV calcium, do it slowly and monitor the heart rate.

7. Address the full mineral picture

If a cow isn’t responding to calcium, it may not be a simple case of milk fever. Chandler notes low phosphorus or magnesium are often at play.

The Action: If a cow’s response to treatment is poor, work with your vet to supplement phosphorus or magnesium and review your overall mineral protocols.

Long-Term Stability

8. Prioritize rumen health to support calcium

Rumen stress and inflammation can directly disrupt a cow’s ability to regulate calcium. Ametaj points out many transition cows exist in a chronic inflammatory state.

The Action: Protect the rumen by avoiding sudden starch increases. Push up feed frequently to prevent sorting and ensure the ration contains adequate effective fiber.

9. Avoid over-acidification

While DCAD is effective, more is not always better. Over-acidifying the diet can lead to a drop in dry matter intake, creating a new set of problems.

The Action: Regularly check urine pH. For Holsteins, aim for a target of 5.5 to 6.5. If you see intake drop, reassess the diet immediately.

10. Commit to a monthly program review

“Collaboration is the key to success,” Connelly says. A program that worked six months ago may need a tune-up today.

The Action: Meet monthly with your veterinarian and nutritionist to review fresh cow disease data, milk fever cases and blood calcium trends. Small, data-driven adjustments prevent major wrecks.

Watch the latest episode of The Bovine Vet Podcast focusing on milk fever here:

Your Vet Recommended RT-PCR for Mastitis — Now What?

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:03:58 GMT

If your veterinarian is recommending RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction), it’s usually tied to a specific frustration point on the dairy. That might be repeated “no growth” culture results, ongoing contagious mastitis challenges or a high number of clinical cases without clear answers.

As Dr. Jim Rhoades, veterinarian with IDEXX, put it:

“PCR is not new, but it may be new to some of our producers. It’s a tool that is really applicable to diagnosing mastitis on commercial dairy farms now. Getting good, timely information to make management decisions is probably undervalued in many cases.”

At its core, this isn’t about adding another test. It’s about getting clearer, more actionable information to guide management decisions. RT-PCR is one key in the advancement of technology for mastitis detection and prevention .

What RT-PCR Actually Does

RT-PCR works by detecting the genetic fingerprint of bacteria rather than trying to grow them in the lab.

Here’s the simple version:

Every pathogen has unique DNA. RT-PCR takes a milk sample mixed with fluorescence-tagged pathogen-specific DNA primers and runs it through repeated heating and cooling cycles that facilitate the amplification of the target pathogen DNA. As that DNA builds up through the cycles, a fluorescent signal increases, and once that signal crosses a defined threshold, the test reads as positive.

This amplification process is what allows PCR to detect even very small amounts of bacteria that culture might miss.

“PCR is grounded in specific genetic sequences that make the bacteria the bacteria. It is very specific to a single target. We’re not casting a wide net to see what grows. We’re looking for specific pathogens or groups of pathogens,” Rhoades explains.

How to Interpret a PCR Result

Instead of colony counts, PCR reports a cycle threshold, or Ct value. This reflects how many amplification cycles, the repeated heating and cooling cycles, were needed before bacterial DNA was detected via fluorescence.

The key takeaway is straightforward:

Low Ct = more bacteria present
High Ct = less bacterial DNA present

That’s the opposite of what most people are used to with culture, but once understood, it becomes a reliable way to gauge how significant a result may be.

Why PCR Can Still Be Positive When Culture Isn’t

In practical terms, culture depends on live bacteria being able to grow, while PCR detects DNA whether or not those organisms are still viable, which is why it can pick up infections that culture misses.

“With PCR we can have positive results that may have been negative with culture. It can give us information we may not have gotten from culture,” Dr. Pamela Adkins, associate professor of food animal medicine at the University of Missouri, says. “About 30% of clinical mastitis cases will come back culture-negative. When we use PCR, we find only 8% of those cases are actually negative.”

In practice, PCR is especially useful when:

Bacterial levels are too low to grow in culture
The cow has already started clearing the infection
Sample handling reduces bacterial viability

One of the most important things to understand is that PCR detects DNA, not necessarily live bacteria.

“The immune system may clear the pathogen, which is great. If that happens too quickly, we may not get an answer from culture, but the PCR will still be positive,” Adkins explains.

This is where interpretation is important. A PCR-positive result doesn’t always mean an active infection that needs treatment; it may reflect a recent infection that has already resolved.

Where PCR Fits and What to Do With It

PCR is best thought of as part of a broader diagnostic approach rather than a replacement for existing tools. Rather than replacing culture, it complements it by adding speed and sensitivity, particularly in situations where traditional methods fall short.

“These are all tools and we need to use all the tools in our toolbox,” Rhoades says.

In practice, PCR adds the most value when it helps you step back and understand what is happening at the herd level. It can identify infections that would otherwise be missed, clarify what pathogens are driving mastitis on your farm and point toward more effective prevention strategies.

For producers, that translates into a few key advantages:

A clearer picture of what’s actually in the herd
Better ability to reduce spread of contagious pathogens
More confidence in targeted, cost-effective decisions

When used correctly, RT-PCR can give you the information needed to make better decisions with fewer surprises, fewer missed infections and more control over the problem.

To learn more about how mastitis detection, prevention and treatment are changing, check out the following episode of “ The Bovine Vet Podcast ”.

Serum Total Protein as a Benchmark for Calf Program Performance

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:34:30 GMT

Serum total protein (STP) testing has a relatively straightforward purpose in calf medicine: determining whether newborn calves successfully absorbed antibodies from colostrum.

But according to Bethany Dado-Senn, calf and heifer technical specialist with Vita Plus Corp, the metric is increasingly being used in a broader way. Rather than evaluating passive transfer in individual calves alone, many dairies now track STP results across groups of calves to assess how well their maternity and colostrum programs are working.

Few management decisions influence calf health more than what happens in the first hours after birth. Because STP reflects those early management decisions, it can provide rapid feedback about how well a calf program is functioning.

Why Serum Total Protein Matters

Serum total protein provides a practical proxy for immunoglobulin absorption after colostrum feeding. If calves receive adequate high-quality colostrum shortly after birth, STP values typically fall into higher ranges. If colostrum management is inconsistent or delayed, STP levels tend to drop.

The test is inexpensive and easy to perform using a refractometer, which has made it one of the most widely used field tools for evaluating passive transfer.

Research shows STP and passive transfer status is closely linked to calf health. In a large cohort study of over 4,000 calves, passive transfer status was associated with differences in disease incidence, mortality risk and early growth performance.

Calves with higher STP concentrations experienced fewer health events during the preweaning period compared with calves in lower passive transfer categories. These findings suggest STP reflects more than antibody transfer alone. It may also capture the combined effects of colostrum quality, feeding timing and early calf care.

These relationships have led veterinarians to view STP as an early indicator of overall calf program success.

Understanding STP Benchmarks

Modern passive transfer benchmarks are largely based on research evaluating thousands of dairy calves. The Dairy Calf and Heifer Association classification system divides calves into four categories based on serum total protein levels.

Passive Transfer Category	Serum Total Protein
Poor	<5.1 g/dL
Fair	5.1–5.7 g/dL
Good	5.8–6.1 g/dL
Excellent	≥6.2 g/dL

Strong colostrum programs typically achieve:

At least 40% of calves in the “excellent” category
Fewer than 10% in the “poor” category

“Calves in that poor category have a four times increase in mortality risk and about a one and a half times increased risk of bovine respiratory disease and scours,” Dado-Senn says.

Tracking these proportions over time helps farms monitor the consistency of colostrum management.

Serum protein concentrations gradually decline as calves age. For that reason, sample calves between 2 and 4 days of age whenever possible. Maintaining a consistent sampling protocol is especially important when STP is used as a herd-level benchmark.

From Diagnostic Test to Management Benchmark

Rather than focusing only on individual calves, many dairy operations now track herd-level STP results over time. Some farms monitor average STP values by month or quarter, while others track the percentage of calves falling into different passive transfer categories.

In some cases, the metric is even used as a management tool to encourage employee performance.

“There are a number of dairies that I work with that utilize things like serum total proteins or average daily gains of their calves as kind of a performance benchmark for their staff. There might be a list on the door saying, ‘Hey, here’s our serum total protein goal. Here’s where everybody is relative to that,’” Dado-Senn says.

Using STP this way creates a direct feedback loop between colostrum management and measurable outcomes. When calf-care teams can see how their practices translate into herd metrics, it becomes easier to identify where protocols are working and where adjustments may be needed.

Tracking STP Trends Over Time

Evaluating STP results as trends rather than isolated measurements can be helpful for evaluating broader systems. Monitoring herd averages and passive transfer categories over time can reveal subtle changes in colostrum management before clinical problems appear.

In herds with strong maternity protocols, STP trends can remain consistently high. Dado-Senn describes one dairy client who tracks STP trends on a quarterly basis.

“Looking at serum total protein trends over quarters, they do an absolutely fantastic job. Their averages are well-above the excellent range and they typically don’t have much more than 1% or 2% in the poor category,” Dado-Senn says.

Tracking results this way gives farms a broader evaluation of calf program performance, allowing them to make system-wide improvements.

Detect Management Problems Early

Because STP reflects events that occur immediately after birth, shifts in herd averages can reveal management issues before disease outbreaks occur.

Declining STP values may signal:

delayed colostrum feeding
lower colostrum quality
changes in maternity staffing
inconsistent colostrum handling protocols

Spot testing calves periodically can identify these problems quickly.

A Simple Test with Growing Influence

Calf programs involve many moving parts, from maternity management to housing and nutrition. Yet the earliest decisions in a calf’s life often have the greatest impact. Serum total protein testing provides a simple way to measure the success of those decisions.

What began as a diagnostic test for passive transfer is increasingly becoming something more: a practical performance indicator for the entire calf system.

Compounded Drugs in Livestock: Regulations, Uses and Benefits

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 14:25:23 GMT

“Compounding pharmaceuticals are drugs that we start with an approved drug in livestock and poultry,” says Dr. Brian Payne, veterinarian and director of research and development and technical services for Veterinary Pharmaceutical Solutions on a recent episode of DocTalk . “We change the format of it so that it’s more applicable to the livestock species.”

In livestock medicine, you may face situations where no labeled drug exists for a specific species, condition or route of administration. In those cases, compounded drugs may provide an alternative by adapting approved medications into formulations better suited for food animal production systems.

Why Compounded Drugs Are Used in Livestock Medicine

One reason compounding plays a role in food animal medicine is the limited number of pharmaceuticals developed specifically for livestock species.

“There’s a limited amount of resources being spent on livestock today on new pharmaceuticals,” Payne says. “But there’s a lot of really good pharmaceuticals out there that veterinarians want to use for livestock. If we can take those active ingredients from FDA-approved products and get them into the right format, you have a whole other tool for your producers.”

Rather than creating entirely new drugs, compounding allows veterinarians and pharmacists to modify existing FDA-approved medications into formats better suited for livestock production.

How Compounded Drugs Improve Drug Delivery

One advantage of compounding is the ability to create alternative delivery methods that may better fit livestock production systems.

Many treatments traditionally require injections or running cattle through a chute, which can increase labor and stress for animals and handlers. Compounded formulations may allow treatments to be delivered through oral suspensions or drinking water systems when appropriate.

“If you’re putting it through the water, it can minimize handling, which is always a positive,” Payne says. “And also if you need to choose a drug that’s different, now you have the ability to administer it that way.”

Alternative delivery routes may also allow veterinarians to select drugs with different pharmacologic profiles when needed.

“It gives you the ability to choose a drug that’s different and administer it in a way that works for the operation,” Payne says.

Veterinary Regulations for Compounded Drugs

Despite some misconceptions, compounded drugs used in livestock are subject to regulatory oversight.

“We always have to start with an FDA-approved product,” Payne says. “Once we start manipulating or compounding those drugs, we have to follow procedures to make sure that’s cleanly done.”

Compounding itself can be performed either by a veterinarian or a pharmacist.

“Once a veterinarian gets their license, they have the full ability to compound themselves or a pharmacist can compound,” Payne explains. “A producer can’t compound on their own.”

A decision framework from the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act and FDA guidance that prioritizes approved treatments before considering compounded options should be followed:

Use an FDA-approved drug for the species, condition and route of administration when available.
Consider extra-label use of an approved product when appropriate.
Use compounded formulations when no approved option meets the clinical need.
Ensure the compounded drug begins with an FDA-approved product.
Establish appropriate withdrawal intervals to prevent residues.

Withdrawal Times and Quality Control

Residue avoidance remains a critical responsibility when using compounded drugs in food animals.

“There’s zero tolerance for any residues in compounded products, and we have to keep that in mind,” Payne says. “It’s the responsibility of the veterinarian to prescribe that with a withdrawal period.”

Withdrawal intervals may be determined using pharmacokinetic information, including drug half-life and available research data, to estimate when residues are no longer present in the animal.

Quality control is another important component of pharmaceutical compounding. Compounding pharmacies may test compounded batches to ensure the drug concentration matches the intended formulation.

“We want to check to understand if the potency we say is in there is actually in there,” Payne says.

Compounded Drugs as an Additional Tool for Livestock Veterinarians

Compounded drugs are not intended to replace approved pharmaceuticals. Instead, they provide another option when labeled products are unavailable or impractical for a particular situation.

For veterinarians managing herd health across diverse livestock systems, that flexibility can be valuable.

“It gives you another set of tools to utilize,” Payne says.

Why We Need Technology and Human Expertise to Close The Mastitis Detection Gap

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 19:51:55 GMT

Mastitis detection remains constrained by parlor realities. Modern dairies are designed to maximize throughput, leaving little margin for detailed milk inspection on every cow at every milking. Even highly trained milkers can overlook subtle milk changes or early signs of disease when operating under fatigue, time pressure and competing demands.

“With how fast parlors are being pushed, workers are asked to milk more cows in shorter amounts of time. To look at and examine milk thoroughly for 8- or 12-hour shifts, it doesn’t always happen on every single cow,” says Dr. Justin Hess of Clinton Veterinary Services. “You’d be amazed at how much you can actually miss.”

Subclinical mastitis is particularly vulnerable to underdetection because it requires intentional testing that is accompanied by labor, cost and workflow implications.

Improving mastitis outcomes depends less on detection itself and more on what happens afterward. Farms today are generating more information than ever, but that information does not automatically translate into better decisions. Sound mastitis protocols need to be in place and understood by all on a dairy.

“If you try to develop a protocol, and the management team isn’t on board and you don’t have the right people in place, you’re going to struggle and probably make things more difficult,” Hess explains. “We like to keep things simple but effective.”

These protocols largely include management choices surrounding animal density, mastitis detection methods and even the choice of bedding in the stalls.

Concerning mastitis detection methods, on-farm culturing demonstrates the tension between simple and complex protocols well.

(Rose Memories Photography LLC)

“Culturing on-farm can be a struggle because of the increase in labor and having a dedicated person to do it. You also need the knowledge and desire to do it and do it correctly,” Hess says.

When farms have dedicated personnel, clear interpretation guidelines and confidence in how results will be used, culturing can reduce unnecessary antibiotic use and improve outcomes. When those conditions are absent, culturing may delay treatment without changing behavior, prompting farms to revert to broad-spectrum approaches for the sake of speed.

The challenge isn’t just the size of the farm, but the speed at which data must be converted into a treatment decision.

As the limitations of manual culturing and visual inspection become more apparent, the industry is shifting toward passive detection — systems that monitor the cow without requiring extra labor hours.

To address the complexity of dairy systems, Dr. Alon Arazi, chief veterinarian at Afimilk, hopes consolidating data generated by monitoring animals in existing protocols will help refine management and improve animal health.

“All this data is being gathered into one piece of software in which we do the analysis to detect mastitis,” Arazi says.

Sensor systems can also be used to detect mastitis based on deviations from the norm at a cow level. This baseline varies for each cow, meaning you need historical data for comparison.

“The main way to detect mastitis is based on what’s normal [for that animal]. Increased conductivity of a cow or dropped lactose to a lower level than is expected. This is mainly happening with clinical mastitis,” Arazi says. “One of the problems with subclinical mastitis is that the changes sometimes are very, very low and very hard to detect. In that case, we are looking for more and more sophisticated modeling algorithms that combine more and more things together to see things that are just starting to change.”

Mastitis Indicators Used in Automated Monitoring Systems

Automated monitoring systems identify cows suspected of mastitis by analyzing multiple milk and cow-level parameters simultaneously, rather than relying on a single signal. Key indicators include:

Milk conductivity
- Increased electrical conductivity associated with changes in ion flow during mastitis
- One of the primary and earliest milk signals used
Milk yield
- Sudden or unexpected drops in production relative to the cow’s baseline
Lactose concentration
- Decreases in lactose production when udder function is impaired
- Possible lactose leakage from milk or utilization by bacteria
Milk flow / milking dynamics
- Changes in milk flow rate that may reflect udder discomfort or inflammation
Rumination patterns
- Decreases in rumination associated with illness or discomfort
Eating behavior / dry matter intake
- Reduced intake relative to expected performance
Activity and behavior changes
- Deviations from individual cow behavioral baselines

This collected data is then compared and put into context on the individual, group and herd levels. Mastitis alerts are generated by combining multiple indicators, rather than any single threshold.

These disparate data points, along with the sheer volume of data, are where machine learning thrives.

“AI or machine learning will allow you to detect things that, even for us, are hard to see now. This for sure will improve subclinical detection,” Arazi predicts.

These systems aim to provide directional insight that shortens the time between detection and action by reducing the workload and finding changes in cow performance before they would be noticed by a worker. Catching a case 24 hours earlier could be the difference between a quick recovery and a culled cow.

“You don’t have to check every cow because the system has checked every cow two or three times in a day depending on how many milkings there are,” Arazi says. “You get the information, and you get the option to catch things earlier than people can see with their eyes.”

The Human Filter: Why Detection Requires Interpretation

Alerts without context quickly become noise. High alert frequency, poor specificity or unclear next steps can erode trust in the system. This is where veterinary intervention can help a dairy understand what they’re seeing and how best to act.

Hess stressed the questions he poses to dairies implementing updated mastitis detection protocols: “When you have that information, what are you going to do with that information? Are you going to actually change your protocols?”

Having more data is only useful for improving animal management if accompanied by a plan to act on what that data is telling you.

(Afimilk)

Technologies offering continuous observation and reduced reliance on human detection can introduce risks related to accuracy, workflow fit and trust. There is also the worry of false alerts.

“We can still improve accuracy, reduce false alerts and get more sensitivity,” Arazi says, speaking on the Afimilk system for mastitis detection.

These systems are, of course, not infallible. As with all hardware, there are uncontrollable hiccups that need to be considered when looking at the data generated.

“There are some critical parts of measuring conductivity,” Hess says. “If milk is moving or if air gets into the system, it can affect the sensitivity or the reading on it.”

At their core, these tools are designed to flag abnormal patterns, not to dictate diagnoses or management decisions. Alerts of deviations are only meaningful after interpretation by people who understand the cows, the parlor and the operation of the farm. Without the human layer, accurate detection risks becoming background noise.

“The only thing worse than no data is having wrong or misleading data,” Hess says.

The limitation is not simply technological, but decisional. This becomes most apparent when detection systems skew too far toward sensitivity at the expense of specificity. Highly sensitive tools identify earlier or more subtle changes, but they also generate more false positives. Each unnecessary alert pulls time and attention away from other priorities.

At the other end of the spectrum, overly specific systems may miss early disease signals, limiting their preventative value. Effective mastitis detection depends on deliberate trade-offs, favoring actionable accuracy over alert volume. The future of the dairy isn’t just in the data collecting sensors, but in how the person in the office uses that data to provide better care for the cow.

How Technology is Changing the Game in Mastitis Prevention and Detection

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 22:24:02 GMT

Mastitis is commonly described as an infectious disease, but in real-world dairy systems, it behaves far more like a systems problem. Case rates and economic impact are shaped by the barn environment, milking routines, labor capacity and cow flow long before a pathogen is identified. Mastitis persists not because veterinarians and producers lack knowledge, but because it emerges from the interaction of multiple, interconnected management decisions.

From a practice perspective, mastitis is never truly absent on a dairy.

The Ever-Present Risk of Mastitis

“Mastitis is always something you’re managing. It’s ever-present on a dairy and something you try to manage, control, keep in check and improve upon,” says Dr. Justin Hess, veterinarian at Clinton Veterinary Services in Michigan. “It’s always at the forefront to some degree. You hope to have control measures in place and treatment protocols well developed to make it easy and fairly straightforward for a dairy, but it’s ever-present.”

(Rose Memories Photography LLC)

Even well-managed herds maintain a baseline level of mastitis that fluctuates with the season, staffing changes and parlor consistency. Therefore, the practical objective is control rather than eradication. Success is measured by manageable case rates, quick identification of infection, limited impact on bulk tank somatic cell counts and culling pressure.

“Management choices such as bedding type used in stalls, overcrowding and detection methods for mastitis can all influence the case rate,” Hess says.

This reality contrasts with the tendency to treat mastitis as an isolated event. In practice, spikes in mastitis often follow subtle changes in the environment or management system. Instead of just identifying a pathogen, the vet’s value lies in identifying the systemic failure that allowed the pathogen to thrive.

(Afimilk)

Integrating Data Into Clinical Insight

Dr. Alon Arazi, chief veterinarian at Afimilk, shares the perspective that mastitis is not just one thing, but one signal inside a much bigger system of animal health, welfare and performance. That’s where technology comes in, specifically animal health monitoring systems where signals from multiple biological inputs are combined to paint a bigger picture of cow health leading to diagnosis. Technology, such as the Afimilk system, allows for the collection of large data sets from both activity and milk monitoring hardware to help with mastitis prevention and detection. Patterns, or deviations from these patterns, can signal when a cow needs a closer look.

“Twenty years ago, a very small percentage of farms used this technology. Now they are using it much more; more farms on a larger scale,” Arazi says. “In the past it was only milk matter and milk production. Now we have much more information. Information about the behavior of the cow and also more information about the milk, such as components … which led us to improving the accuracy of [mastitis] detection.”

(Photo: Rose Memories Photography LLC)

These ideas converge on a critical point: There is not one single component of herd health management that dictates mastitis prevalence; it is the sum of the whole. New technologies improve our monitoring capabilities, but they must be applied with strong fundamentals, management and prevention practices.

Solving the Root Cause of Mastitis

“If you cull the top 5% or the top few highest cows as far as somatic cell count, you’ll remove those cows and that’s easy, right? But it doesn’t actually tell you what’s causing those cows to get to that place,” Hess says. “If you’re not changing something upstream, you’re always going to deal with an issue downstream.”

Ultimately, the shift from reactive treatment to proactive system management is what defines a modern, resilient dairy. As Dr. Hess and Dr. Arazi highlight, data and technology are powerful allies, but they function best when they empower the people on the ground to make better “upstream” decisions. By treating mastitis as a symptom of the system rather than a standalone event, dairies can move away from constant firefighting to a more predictable, profitable future.

Having spent their careers at the intersection of veterinary medicine and dairy technology, Dr. Hess and Dr. Arazi share a common passion for evolving how we look at herd health. On the first episode of The Bovine Vet Podcast , they join host Andrea Bedford to discuss why mastitis is much more than a simple infection. Together, they explore the “systems” approach to dairy management and share insights on how veterinarians and producers can use data and environment to stay ahead of the curve.

The Hardest Call in Cattle Health: When to Treat Disease

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 19:55:55 GMT

“Are we better off treating disease early or treating disease precisely?” Veterinarians of Kansas State University posed this question a recent episode of BCI Cattle Chat .

Deciding when to initiate treatment is one of the most consequential judgment calls in cattle health management. The tension between acting early and waiting for diagnostic certainty persists because there is no single correct approach. Each decision carries both biological and management consequences.

“To me, I’m looking at this and framing the question as should I be sensitive or specific in my diagnostic approach,” says Dr. Todd Gunderson, clinical assistant professor in beef production medicine at K-State.

A sensitive approach prioritizes catching disease early, accepting that some animals will receive treatment they might not truly need. A specific approach limits treatment to animals that clearly meet disease thresholds, reducing unnecessary intervention but increasing the risk of missing cases that would have benefited from earlier action. The trade-off is unavoidable.

Gunderson puts forth different clinical scenarios where either approach could be beneficial or detrimental.

“Treating scouring calves and, as a result, creating more scouring calves because I’m contaminating equipment, I’m contaminating my clothes … I’m overly aggressive at going into the calving pen,” he says.

On the other hand, waiting too long could negate any help treatment might offer.

“[If] I wait until the animal is at a pathological state where they have consolidation, they already have fibrinous pleuritis of the chest cavity or adhesion and fibrous attachments,” he says. “That animal has enough pathology that even if I kill every microbe in that animal’s system that’s causing disease, it would still not recover.”

Disease Treatment as a Dynamic Process

Rather than viewing treatment as a one-time, irreversible decision, a more effective framework treats intervention as a dynamic process. Choosing not to treat immediately does not mean choosing inaction; it means committing to close monitoring and reassessment over defined time intervals.

“I don’t get trapped into thinking that I have to make the decisions that I’m going to stick with,” says Dr. Bob Larson, professor in production medicine at K-State. “Let me make a decision today and act on it and then reassess it in 12 hours and reassess it in another 12 hours, and be flexible because I’m not good enough today to predict the next 12, 24, 72 hours and be right all the time.”

Repeated evaluations allow decisions to evolve as new information emerges, improving accuracy over time.

“Just because I acted doesn’t mean that now all my thinking is over,” Larson says. “If I act, I need to maintain vigilance, observations, reassess, be willing to change my mind.”

Make Decisions Based on the Herd

Treatment decisions should also be considered in the context of the group not in isolation. Individual animal signs can be ambiguous, but herd-level trends provide valuable context. During times of disease pressure, subtle changes might warrant treatment, while the same signs in an otherwise healthy group could justify continued observation.

“We sometimes take these decisions and try to make them in a vacuum, and you can’t do that,” says Dr. Brad White, Professor and Production Medicine Director of the Beef Cattle Institute at K-State. “Often, that individual animal is a part of a group. My expectations for that group today should impact my decision.”

This includes the recent health of the herd and the number of animals presenting as ill.

In addition, environmental and situational factors should further shape treatment thresholds. Weather conditions and recent stressors both impact disease risk and recovery potential. Incorporating these variables into treatment decisions expands diagnostic accuracy beyond the animal itself.

nixiFLOR Injection Approved by the FDA for Bovine Respiratory Disease Treatment

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:37:11 GMT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved nixiFLOR injectable solution by Parnell Technologies, marking the first FDA-approved generic version of Resflor GOLD by Merck Animal Health. This product is indicated for the treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) associated with Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni and Mycoplasma bovis, and for control of BRD-associated fever in beef and non-lactating dairy cattle.

nixiFLOR contains the same active ingredients as Resflor GOLD:

Florfenicol, a broad spectrum antibiotic effective against key bacterial pathogens involved in BRD
Flunixin meglumine, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that helps reduce fever and inflammation associated with respiratory infection

The FDA determined nixiFLOR is bioequivalent to the brand name product and that, when used according to the label, residues in edible tissues do not pose a public health concern. A withdrawal phase of 38 days must be observed before cattle treated with nixiFLOR enter the food supply.

Administered via subcutaneous injection in the neck, nixiFLOR is prescribed at 40 mg florfenicol/kg body weight and 2.2 mg flunixin/kg body weight (approximately 6 mL per 100lb. of body weight), with no more than 10 mL per injection site. This product is available by prescription only from licensed veterinarians, ensuring accurate diagnosis and responsible use.

Have You Considered Acupuncture for Your Cows?

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 14:55:21 GMT

With limited tools available for pain and restoring function in food animals, acupuncture, long viewed by many as alternative or fringe, may deserve a second look as a practical, low-risk adjunct for cattle veterinarians.

“It’s another option, but there’s no reason to throw all the Western [medicine] out,” says Dr. Anne Murphy, speaking on Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM). “You don’t use it instead of Western veterinary medicine, you use it in addition to.”

One argument for acupuncture in food animals is practicality. It requires no DEA license, carries no residue concerns and does not introduce withdrawal times. Getting trained in acupuncture could arm you with an additional tool to offer your clients for cattle health care.

How Acupuncture Works

Although acupuncture originates from TCVM, Murphy points out that it is directly related to physiology. Acupuncture points are associated with:

high densities of free nerve endings
blood vessels
lymphatics
mast cells

These sites, located along energy pathways termed “meridians” in TCVM, typically demonstrate altered electrical conductivity. Acupuncture procedures along these pathways have had measurable neurologic and analgesic responses.

“Stimulation of acupuncture points can result in pain relief due to the release of beta-endorphins,” Murphy says. “Also, stimulating these points can increase endogenous opioids in the cerebrospinal fluid.”

Beyond this, stimulating acupuncture points can influence both immune and reproductive system regulation.

Practical Entry Point for Acupuncture in Cattle

Murphy advises taking a simplified approach based on determining the clinical problem then finding the acupuncture back-shu points associated with that problem, rather than a full TCVM diagnosis. These points can be manually palpated using the ribs as guidance.

This approach is particularly well suited to cattle practice where ease of access is important. Points along the topline and hindquarters are reachable and generally well tolerated.

“On dairy cows, it’s great because they’re so skinny,” Murphy says. “There’s usually a depression, sometimes a prominence, and you use the anatomical landmarks described to figure it out.”

Acupuncture Techniques and Safety

There are a variety of acupuncture techniques that may fit the situation:

Dry needling — Likely the most commonly thought of acupuncture technique, it involves simply inserting a needle.
Electroacupuncture — This couples needle insertion with a TENS unit to pass an electric current between pairs of needles.
Aquapuncture — This involves injecting a liquid, commonly vitamin B12, into acupuncture points for longer-lasting stimulation.
Hemo-acupuncture — This involves releasing blood from injecting the patient’s own blood into acupuncture points.

Murphy also points out a number of cautions when considering acupuncture.

“[Acupuncture point] bladder 60 is between the lateral malleolus of the tibia and the calcaneian tuber,” Murphy explains. “It’s known as the aspirin point, but it also promotes parturition. So, don’t use it in pregnant cows unless you want to induce parturition.”

She also cautioned against needling near tumors due to increased blood flow and being conscious of animal tolerance to avoid needle breakage or loss.

Why Acupuncture May Be Worth Considering

Murphy acknowledges that acupuncture might not always be the answer.

“Sometimes, acupuncture is like magic, which is super exciting. It’s not always like magic, and sometimes it doesn’t work at all, but it’s definitely worth trying in certain situations,” Murphy says.

However, the same could be said for Western medicine.

When analgesic tools are scarce and animal comfort matters, acupuncture may offer a meaningful benefit at relatively low risk.

“Acupuncture is a great tool for pain management and treatment of nerve damage in food animals,” Murphy says in closing. “But hopefully, success with a few acupuncture points will inspire you to investigate TCVM further.”

Managing Heifer Mastitis: Targeting Risk Before Freshening

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 20:44:54 GMT

Heifer mastitis is often underestimated because it occurs before an animal has even entered the milking string, but the impacts are long-lasting. Subclinical infections at calving are linked to reduced production across the entire first lactation and often throughout the cow’s lifetime. For a class of animals that has yet to return any of their rearing investment, those losses are magnified.

“It’s been identified that an animal with an increased somatic cell count in the early parts of their first lactation, those animals produce less milk throughout that first lactation and many times have decreased milk production throughout their lifetime,” says Dr. Pamela Adkins of the University of Missouri. “So we are starting out of the gate not performing as well as we could, which obviously can be quite expensive.”

Based on data presented by Adkins, what’s becoming increasingly clear from recent research is heifer mastitis is not simply early-lactation mastitis in small cows. The timing, pathogen profile and management leverage points are all distinct. Because most new infections occur before the heifer ever enters the parlor, this disease demands a prevention strategy tailored to prepartum animals.

How is mastitis in heifers different from mastitis in older cows?

Across multiple studies, higher incidences of clinical mastitis have been observed in heifers during the first few days of lactation compared to older cows.

“It’s likely that those heifers acquire those infections prior to the onset of lactation,” Adkins explains. “Therefore, a lot of our focus potentially needs to be before lactation.”

This represents a shift from how we think about lactating cows.

Culture studies of heifers reinforce this: 29% to 75% of quarters can be culture-positive before calving and over 80% may be positive at first calving and in early lactation. In older cows, early lactation infection rates tend to be around 30%.

What kinds of bacteria are causing heifer mastitis?

The types of pathogens causing infection in heifers differs from those of adult cows. Heifers show a high prevalence of infection with non-aureus staphylococci (NAS), a lower prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus, and a higher prevalence of Streptococcus spp. compared to multiparous cows.

NAS are the most common isolates in heifers, especially Staphylococcus chromogenes. These are generally considered minor mastitis pathogens as they cause only a minor inflammatory response, but Adkins advises not ignoring these bacteria because they are highly prevalent.

Interestingly, NAS infection has been linked with lower incidence of clinical mastitis, and NAS inhibit the growth of pathogen bacteria in lab settings. These results suggest NAS could have a protective effect, but Adkins acknowledges there is a lot more in vitro and in vivo work to be done on this topic.

While not the largest contributor to heifer mastitis, S. aureus infection is still common. However, without the usual parlor-based transmission pathways, the question becomes how these heifers are becoming infected.

“In older cows, we consider the parlor the major concern of where the pathogen is coming from. We know [S. aureus] can be contagious, spread from cow to cow, and we think about that happening during milking time,” Adkins says. “Obviously that’s not happening yet in heifers. Therefore, we need to think of other factors that are important in heifers.”

Some older work looked into where S. aureus was found across seven dairies. Looking beyond milk and colostrum, isolates were found on the udder skin, muzzle, rectum and vagina. Adkins proposes these body sites were an important source of S. aureus infection for heifers. These infections also vary with geography and environment. The risk factors associated with an individual farm’s management and location need to be taken into consideration.

When are heifers most at risk of getting intramammary infections?

“In order to be able to prevent it, we need to know where we should focus so that we can implement prevention strategies at the right time points to help reduce infections,” Adkins says.

Work from her own lab sampled 304 quarters from 152 Holstein heifers. In comparing primigravid and nulligravid heifers, they found pregnant heifers had a higher incidence of positive quarters than non-pregnant heifers.

“Gestation and development of the [mammary] gland associated with pregnancy seem to be risk factors for increased prevalence of intramammary infections,” Adkins says.

These infections, in both pregnant and non-pregnant heifers, are significant because that animal is still growing and developing. Any infection could interrupt that process.

How do we diagnose heifer mastitis?

Without the usual diagnostic pathway of milk culture available, defining an intramammary infection in a heifer can be a bit tricky. In most young and early gestation heifers, there isn’t enough secretion present in the mammary gland to collect a meaningful sample. Collecting swabs from the teat or teat canal might be the best option at the moment, but it might not tell the whole story either.

“A lot of bacteria hang out just in the teat canal or the teat sphincter. They don’t necessarily go up into the gland,” Adkins explains. “If we just culture the end of the teat we can find bacteria that maybe aren’t causing a problem, which complicates our definitions [of infection].”

In research, needle based methods are used to bypass the teat end and go directly to the glandular tissue. However, these methods have not been validated in the field, and Adkins heavily advises against their use on farms.

Herd level factors you should review during your visit:

Overall herd udder health: Herds with lower overall somatic cell counts tend to have less heifer mastitis. Good management practices for lactating cows influence heifer health.
Early-life management: Heifers from farms with strong colostrum SOPs show lower mastitis rates, likely due to both enhanced immunity and overall better heifer oversight. Cross-suckling remains a concern due to teat end damage.
Fly control: It has been well documented that flies can carry mastitis pathogens and move directly between teat ends.
Contact with mature cows: Some research has linked prepartum commingling with increased mastitis risk, possibly due to both pathogen exposure and stress.
Time in calving area: Longer stays in heavily contaminated maternity environments significantly increase exposure risk.

Luckily, a lot of these factors come down to management decisions.

“Heifer mastitis is a major concern in many herds. Management is always a consideration for mastitis and a major consideration in heifers as well,” Adkins says. “Mammary health is related to herd level mammary health. So taking care of mastitis at all fronts is important, and considering environmental management strategies for your heifers is vital to try to reduce infections in these animals.”

Clinical Takeaways for Vets: Managing Heifer Mastitis

Think prepartum, not parlor. Most intramammary infections in heifers are acquired before calving; prevention efforts must target the rearing and prefresh periods.

Expect a different pathogen profile. NAS (especially S. chromogenes) and Streptococci dominate. S. aureus is present but less tied to parlors and more to skin, mucosal and environmental sources.

Use herd somatic cell count as a proxy. Herds with low bulk-tank and lactating-cow SCC typically have fewer heifer infections; poor overall udder health is a red flag to investigate replacements.

Audit early-life management. Verify colostrum SOPs, prevent cross-suckling, evaluate fly burden and assess cleanliness/turnover of prefresh and calving areas. These are high-yield levers.

Beware diagnostic pitfalls. Teat-end swabs overcall “infection”; needle sampling is research-only and not appropriate on-farm. Focus on first-test-day SCC and targeted cultures from clinical quarters postcalving.

Targeted protocols over blanket therapy. Emphasize environmental and management changes first. Use selective culture-based treatment strategies in fresh heifers rather than routine prepartum intramammary therapy.

Emergency FDA Approval Sought for Tick-Borne Cattle Disease Treatment

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 19:00:04 GMT

The Ranchers Cattleman Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) has submitted a request to USDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine requesting emergency approval for the medication buparvaquone to treat cattle infected with theileriosis, the disease transmitted by the Asian longhorned tick (ALHT).

The letter , penned by R. M Thornsberry, chairman of the R-CALF USA Animal Health Committee, asks the FDA to take action to combat the disease, which has been spreading in the United States since 2017 when its carrier was introduced. Since then, the ALHT has been identified in 21 states, most recently as far west as Kansas .

“As a food animal veterinarian, I can prescribe appropriate treatment protocols for tick control, but I must watch my client’s cattle die because I have no approved therapeutic protocols to treat a properly diagnosed case of theileriosis,” Thornsberry writes.

Buparvaquone has a history of use for the treatment of theileriosis in other regions including Asia, Africa, Pacific Island nations and the Middle East. R-CALF USA proposes extended withdrawal times to ensure food safety.

Signs of theileriosis infection in cattle include:

Weakness
Fever
Loss of appetite
Difficulty breathing
Reduced milk production
Foamy nasal discharge

Pregnant cows and calves are most susceptible to infection, and once infected, cattle can be lifetime carriers.

As the ALHT continues to expand its range, the approval of this medicine could be very important for nationwide cattle health.

For more information:
Theileria and the Asian Longhorned Tick: What Beef Producers Need to Know

Turn Milk Data Into An Early Diagnosis

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 14:23:58 GMT

Modern dairy operations generate an extraordinary amount of information from every milking, yet some of the most valuable health indicators are hiding in plain sight inside the milk meter. For veterinarians, these data streams offer one of the earliest, most reliable windows into emerging disease, often days before clinical signs appear.

“Most people forget about milk production,” says Dr. Aurora Villarroel of Athyr Vet, a dairy herd health consulting company. “The milking machine is actually your best biosensor. It’s your most important one and most people ignore it.”

While different monitoring systems may present data in different ways, interpreting milk yield, component and conductivity data can allow for clinicians to detect subclinical disorders with greater precision than traditional observation alone. As technology becomes more integrated into routine dairy management, the veterinarian’s role increasingly centers on interpreting these numbers, guiding producers toward timely responses and translating these metrics into practical on-farm outcomes.

Milk Yield Deviations

Milk yield is often the first and most sensitive indicator that something is wrong. A cow that deviates from her expected production curve, given lactation history, or a fresh cow whose production isn’t increasing as it should needs to be looked at.

Villarroel advises putting together the milk yield data from a given cow’s lactation history to assist in spotting any irregularities.

“Some of the software will allow you to superimpose all of the lactations of the same cow,” Villarroel says. “What you’re going to see is that the lactations have the same shape. It’s genetic, but it’s a different shape in each cow.”

By comparing the life lactation history of an animal, you can determine whether any observed shifts in milk yield are expected or out of the norm. Villarroel emphasizes the importance of zooming out to get the big picture. When you’re looking closely at two to three days of milking data, small changes in yield may seem insignificant; however, when you put these two to three days into context with a greater portion of the lactation, it may tell a different story.

Component Changes: Fat & Protein

Milk components add critical context to yield changes and help pinpoint specific metabolic disorders. Fat percentage often rises when a cow is metabolizing excessive body fat, making it one of the most consistent indicators of negative energy balance or subclinical ketosis. Conversely, milk protein tends to drop with decreased feed intake, rumen dysfunction or systemic illness. The fat-to-protein ratio (FPR) is particularly useful in transition cow monitoring: an elevated FPR may indicate an energy deficit.

If you’re evaluating whether a new nutrition program is working for your herd, consider using butter fat content and animal activity as indicators.

“The milk yield takes a while still to change, but butter fat and resting time are the first two things that change almost immediately,” Vilarroel says.

Milk Conductivity

Changes in milk conductivity are also useful as an indicator of udder health and useful for the diagnosis of mastitis. Conductivity measures the salt content of the milk, which is dependent on the permeability of blood vessels, or damage to the blood-milk barrier. Because this shift can occur before visible changes in milk or the udder, conductivity is one of the earliest warning signs of mastitis at the quarter level.

“When the conductivity goes up, there’s inflammation in the udder. Something is going on in the udder so that there’s more salt in the milk,” Villarroel explains. “Conductivity changes are a precursor to somatic cell count changes.”

Somatic cell count patterns offer a complementary perspective, highlighting cows that are experiencing subclinical infections. Reviewing somatic cell count trends on a per-cow and per-lactation basis can help identify management decisions that may be affecting udder health.

Put Milk Measurements Together

While each milk metric offers useful information on its own, their real power emerges when they are interpreted together. No single measurement is diagnostic, but patterns across multiple indicators can be used to identify cattle who need to be checked on.

“How do you check every single thing in a cow every single day?” Villarroel says. “Guess what? You can. You just need to know how to interpret it.”

A cow showing modest yield drop may simply be responding to heat stress or social disruption; however, a yield drop paired with an elevated FPR suggests negative energy balance or early ketosis. Similarly, a spike conductivity alone may reflect milking irregularities, but when it appears alongside a somatic cell increase, the probability of mastitis increases.

Transforming milk data into meaningful herd health outcomes requires consistent workflows that integrate monitoring, diagnosis and communication. This may start with a focus on high-risk groups (transition cows, fresh cows, high-somatic cell count repeat offenders) and building structured review protocols around them. At the herd level, data driven insights can shape broader management decisions. Rising conductivity across a pen may indicate bedding or hygiene issues, while recurrent FPR spikes may indicate ration inconsistencies. By combining milk measurements into a cohesive health signal, you can move from reactive case management to proactive herd surveillance — catching problems early when they are the most treatable.

Vesicular Stomatitis Outbreak in Arizona

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 16:34:09 GMT

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has released a situation report on vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) after the virus was identified on two Arizona farms this month.

While both reported cases were in horses, VSV also affects cattle, swine and other ruminants. The farms on which the virus was identified both also house cattle, though none have been found to be clinically affected.

In response to this outbreak, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced temporary import restrictions on horses, ruminants and swine from the U.S. until further notice. The import of horses, swine and ruminants from VSV-affected states for all purposes is prohibited. Animals from other states that have been in a VSV-affected state at any point in the three weeks prior to import will be denied entry to Canada. Special accommodations have been made in collaboration with USDA regarding animal import for major Canadian livestock competitions and exhibitions.

What is Vesicular Stomatitis?

Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is a viral disease primarily spread by biting midges and flies, but can also be spread via animal-to-animal contact or exposure to saliva or fluid from ruptured vesicles. It is also important to protect yourself if working with infected animals as it is transmissible to humans causing an acute influenza-like illness.

VS is named for its characteristic vesicular lesions that form around the mouth, nose, udders and hooves. Along with these lesions, clinical signs of VS include:

excessive salivation (often accompanied by raised blisters on the lips, gums and tongue)
fever
feed withdrawal leading to weight loss

In cattle and horses, lesions around the hooves can lead to lameness, while teat lesions in dairy cattle can lead to mastitis and a severe drop in milk production. Affected swine usually first show signs of lameness caused by foot lesions.

Controlling Vesicular Stomatitis

While VS does not usually cause the death of an animal, it can lead to economic losses due to prevented animal movement and impacts on international trace. Farms with VSV positive animals must quarantine for 14 days after lesions appear on the last case at the location.

The last VS outbreak occurred from May 2023 through January 2024 affecting 319 locations across California, Nevada and Texas. VSV circulates annually between livestock and insect vectors in southern Mexico, only entering the U.S. when environmental factors support the northern movement of vectors.

If you suspect an animal might be infected with VSV, you should immediately contact local state and federal animal health authorities.

Europe's Outbreaks Raise Alarms: Is Lumpy Skin Disease Headed Here?

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 13:43:17 GMT

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is making its way through Western Europe. There is a current outbreak in France with recent cases being reported along the Spanish border. First seen in Zambia in 1929, the disease has since spread north through Africa with outbreaks in Israel in 1989, the Middle East in the 2000s, and in 2013 it was detected in Turkey and the Balkans. Since then, LSD has been reported in Georgia, Russia, Bangladesh and China. LSD has never been detected in the Western hemisphere or Australia.

LSD is an infectious disease of cattle and water buffalo. It is characterized by firm, round nodules on the skin, mucous membranes and internal organs that can ulcerate, fever, emaciation, enlarged lymph nodes, skin edema, decreased fertility and can result in death. Cattle affected by LSD have exhibited physical weakness, reduced milk production, poor growth, infertility and increased abortion rates.

LSD is transmitted primarily through blood-feeding insect bites (flies, mosquitoes, ticks), but it can also be spread by direct contact between animals. Control relies on prompt detection, control of animal movement and vaccination.

While this virus is not a threat to humans, its production impacts on cattle can be severe. LSD morbidity can vary widely between herds depending on vaccination status. Mortality is usually low, but production losses result in an economic hit for producers due to decreased performance, costs of care and the potential for trade bans. In addition, secondary bacterial infections of the skin lesions can increase morbidity and extend recovery times. Because biting insects are the main transmission route, LSD risk is seasonal, increasing during warm, wet periods.

The Current LSD Situation

In 2025, several western and southern European countries that had been free of LSD reported their first confirmed outbreaks. Italy and France recorded initial cases in June, while Spain reported its first case this month. Last week, France banned cattle exports and bullfighting, while Spain announced a cull of affected animals and export limitations as LSD continues to spread.

La dermatosis nodular llega a España y frena el millonario negocio de vacuno con Marruecoshttps://t.co/WetPY0WLTI
— Efeagro (@Efeagro) October 15, 2025

Authorities in affected countries have implemented vaccination campaigns, movement controls and heightened surveillance. Regional and international bodies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health, have convened experts to coordinate a response and have put together information sheets to aid in the development of LSD Contigency Plans and to answer any LSD vaccination questions .

What the U.S. Needs to Know

To date, the U.S. has not reported endemic LSD in domestic cattle, but USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has developed standard operating procedures for the disease. This document is meant to bolster the preparedness of the U.S. for LSD occurrence and outlines the ecology of LSD, as well as information on vaccination and disease control. The FAO has also created an accredited veterinary LSD preparedness course .

The sudden appearance of characteristic skin nodules, concurrent fever or unexplained drops in milk yield should be treated as suspicious and warrant immediate reporting to state animal health officials.

The following are some practical points for producers and vets surrounding LSD:

Know the signs: Multiple round, firm skin nodules (sometimes with ulceration), fever, swollen lymph nodes and sharp milk production drops.
Report quickly: Early notification to a veterinarian and a state health official triggers tracing, testing and control measures that limit spread.
Vector reduction: Reduce insect breeding sites, use physical barriers (screens and fans), and consider using insecticides to lower transmission.
Movement control and biosecurity: Quarantine suspect animals, disinfect equipment and limit personnel traffic to reduce mechanical spread.
Vaccination planning: Where outbreaks have occurred, mass vaccination has been a key tool to control spread. No specific LSD vaccine is currently approved for use in the U.S. as it has not been prevalent here.

LSD is primarily an animal health and economic threat rather than a public health threat, but its expanding geographic reach over the past decade should put previously unaffected regions on alert.

Could Strategic Hoof Trimming Suit Your Herd?

Fri, 03 Oct 2025 13:57:28 GMT

Lameness remains one of the most significant welfare and economic challenges in modern dairy herds. Hoof trimming in dairy cattle is often performed as routine maintenance, but leading lameness researcher Dr. Gerard Cramer of the University of Minnesota argues it should be thought of differently.

“I like to think of hoof trimming as an intervention. And there are two goals, right? The goal is either to prevent lameness or to treat lameness,” said Cramer on “ The Dairy Health Blackbelt Podcast .” “When I think of trimming programs, I want to make sure that we base them on data, but also that we’re doing something that’s good from a preventative perspective (good for animal health), and from an economic and welfare perspective.”

While routine hoof trimming is a proven tool to reduce incidence of lameness, it is not without risk. Over-trimming can lead to soft tissue damage and under-trimming fails to correct imbalances. Understanding the right time and correct procedures to trim cows are important factors in maintaining healthy hooves.

The basic aims of hoof trimming are to:

Remove overgrowth to restore proper weight bearing and reduce pressure points
Promote a more even hoof load distribution
Prevent or manage lesions
Facilitate early detection of hoof issues

“When we design a trimming program … we want to make sure that the benefits outweigh the costs,” Cramer says. “When we bring a cow to the hoof trimming chute, there’s an economic cost associated but also a stress cost to the cow.”

Cramer outlines the math behind preventative programs, and how it might not make the most sense for every herd.

“Let’s say I trim 100 cows as a preventative trim,” he explains. “How many lameness cases do I have to prevent to make that 100 cow trimming pay [off]?”

If trimming costs roughly $20 per cow, then trimming 100 healthy cows represents a $2,000 investment. At an average cost of $300 per lameness case, the farm would need to prevent six to seven new cases to break even.

Research suggests the payoff might be limited. In first-lactation animals, trimming might reduce new lameness by only 1%, or a single case per 100 cows. For older cows, the effect might be somewhat higher, but rarely approaches the six to seven cases needed to cover costs outright.

Strategic Hoof Trimming

Instead of routine trims for all cows, Cramer encourages producers and veterinarians to think in terms of trim slots — how many opportunities exist to put a cow in the chute? The question then becomes: Which cows deliver the greatest return when trimmed?

“I want to make sure I put the right cows in [the trim slot],” he explains. “I’m not using a trim slot for a preventative trim that really should have a lame cow in it.”

This shift requires producers to balance routine programs with targeted interventions. Cramer still supports trimming at dryoff and for chronic cases, but stresses that blanket preventative trimming might consume labor and chute time that could be better allocated to at-risk animals.

Finding the Right Cows

For this strategy to work, farms must have reliable systems to detect lameness early.

“This only works on farms that are going to dedicate the resources to finding lame cows,” Cramer admits. “We can either use technology, which isn’t 100% at this stage, or we can use labor.”

Cramer recommends building routines for observation. Consider cycling through your pens for lameness observation on a weekly basis. This creates a structured routine and prevents anyone from having to take an eight-hour shift on observation. Cows can be observed while walking in return alleys from the parlor, making it easier to spot changes in gait or posture.

Balancing Welfare, Labor and Economics

Beyond the math, there are practical and ethical considerations surrounding hoof trimming. Handling cows for trimming adds to their stress, while trimming when not needed can remove too much and predispose cows to problems. By being selective, farms can also use labor more efficiently.

“It takes a different level of management to pull that off,” Cramer says. “Then we have something that’s both better for the animal and better for the farm from an economic perspective.”

Cramer’s message is simple: Trimming should be targeted, not automatic. By allocating trim slots where they matter most, farms can improve animal welfare, reduce the duration of lameness and make better use of time and resources.

How Nebraska is Tackling the Critical Rural Veterinarian Shortage in a New, Unique Way

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:32:20 GMT

A critical shortage of food-animal veterinarians is unfolding across rural America. A 2023 Farm Journal Foundation study found more than 500 counties across the U.S. lack enough veterinarians to care for livestock. The pipeline of new graduates simply isn’t keeping up; only 3% to 4% of today’s veterinary students choose to practice food-animal medicine, compared to about 40% four decades ago.

Experts warn the shortage poses risks beyond farm gates. Veterinarians are a front-line defense for animal health, and without them, food production and U.S. food security could be at risk.

And even though USDA announced plans to address the shortage by announcing their own Rural Veterinary Action Plan in August , Nebraska was ahead of the curve, launching their own program last year.

Nebraska’s Homegrown Solution

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), in partnership with Gov. Jim Pillen and state leaders, is working to reverse that trend through the Nebraska Elite 11 Veterinary Program .

“Through the governor and a lot of our state leaders who recognize the need for production animal health DVMs out in rural Nebraska … they partnered with us to identify and develop a scholarship program for these students,” says Deb VanOverbeke, head of UNL’s department of animal science.

The program specifically targets Nebraska students who aspire to practice large-animal veterinary medicine in rural communities.

Scholarships That Start Freshman Year

Unlike most programs that support students late in their training, Elite 11 identifies and supports them as soon as they step on campus.

“These cohorts start as freshmen in college … They’ve identified that they want to go down the path of practicing veterinary medicine in rural Nebraska with production animals,” VanOverbeke explains.

Each year, up to 20 incoming animal science or veterinary science students are accepted into the program. During their first two years, they receive scholarships covering 50% of tuition. After that, 11 students and two alternates are selected for full tuition scholarships during their junior and senior years.

Those selected also earn automatic admission into UNL’s preprofessional veterinary medicine program, run in partnership with Iowa State University.

A Long-Term Commitment

Financial barriers are one of the biggest deterrents for veterinary students. By providing tuition support early and guaranteeing a pathway forward, UNL hopes to ease that pressure.

“It’s going to take us eight years to get these students to be practicing veterinarians in rural Nebraska,” VanOverbeke says. “But so much of the student burden is financial. This scholarship gives them a way to see a path forward.”

The program also includes a major incentive after graduation. Students who practice in a rural Nebraska community for at least eight years in food-animal medicine become eligible for 100% loan forgiveness.

Students Already Seeing the Impact

For students like Sydney Hutchinson of West Point, Neb., the scholarship program has already changed her trajectory.

“I always knew I was interested in doing something with an agricultural background,” Hutchinson says. “I’ve showed livestock, helped with routine stuff on the farm, like vaccinations, pulled a few calves. Those things got me interested in veterinary medicine.”

Originally, Hutchinson planned to attend Kansas State University, but when she learned about UNL’s program, she changed course.

“Nebraska is home to me. That’s where I’ve always seen myself coming back to,” she says. “Having this program show up at just the right time worked out great.”

Now in her second year at UNL, Hutchinson says she knows her calling isn’t in small animal clinics, but in rural, large-animal work.

“Finding large-animal veterinarians is a struggle in the state, especially those that want to come back and work in rural areas,” she says. “Addressing that problem first and foremost is great. It’s going to have a great long-term impact on Nebraska and its ag industry.”

Building a Future for Rural Veterinary Medicine

By investing early in students, providing financial support and creating a clear career pipeline, Nebraska hopes to strengthen its veterinary workforce for years to come.

For Hutchinson, the investment feels personal.

“To have them investing in the next generation — it’s huge,” she says.

If successful, the program could provide a model for other states facing the same critical shortage of rural food-animal veterinarians.

Generic vs. Pioneer Drugs for Cattle: Should You Care?

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 13:58:12 GMT

Medication use is an essential part of maintaining health, productivity and welfare in dairy and beef cattle. From treating mastitis on a dairy to managing respiratory disease in a feedlot, veterinarians and producers rely on a range of pharmaceuticals to keep herds healthy. However, with many drugs available in both pioneer and generic forms, the question arises: Is there a meaningful difference between the two?

For veterinarians and producers, the decision involves more than just the label. Understanding the approval process, economics and practical considerations behind generic and pioneer drugs can help guide responsible choices that support animal health, food safety and economic sustainability.

What are Pioneer and Generic drugs?

Pioneer drugs are the original products developed by a pharmaceutical company that have an approved new animal drug application (NADA). They are protected by patents, which give the company exclusive marketing rights for a period of time. This exclusivity allowed the manufacturer to recoup the significant investment made in research, development and regulatory approval.

Generic drugs enter the market once those patents expire and have an approved abbreviated NADA (ANADA). A generic contains the same active ingredient, in the same dosage form and strength, and is administered through the same route as its brand name counterpart. In other words, a generic drug must deliver the same therapeutic effect as the brand name drug.

The key differences often lie in the inactive ingredients, such as stabilizers, preservatives or carriers, that can vary between products. These differences generally do not affect stability or efficacy, but may influence characteristics such as palatability or ease of administration.

Approval and Regulatory Oversight

Both pioneer and generic veterinary drugs are regulated by the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. However, the approval pathways differ:

Pioneer drug approval requires a company to submit an NADA. This includes extensive studies to prove the product’s safety for the target species, its effectiveness against the labeled condition, tolerance in the animal, food safety data (residue studies for milk and meat) and environmental impact. These studies often involve large clinical trials and can take years to complete.
Generic approval follows the ANADA process. Instead of repeating all of the brand name drug’s trials, the generic manufacturer must prove bioequivalence — that the drug behaves the same way in the animal’s body as the original product. Generics must also demonstrate consistent manufacturing practices and establish withdrawal times for milk and meat.

The result is that generics are held to rigorous standards of safety and efficacy. They are not weaker or inferior, they simply follow a more streamlined approval process as the groundwork has already been laid by the pioneer product.

Economics

One of the most notable differences between pioneer and generic drugs is cost. For producers, generic options can significantly reduce the cost of herd-level treatment, which is an important factor when treating dozens or hundreds of animals. For veterinarians, cost can influence prescribing practices and client satisfaction. Offering effective but more affordable treatment options might improve compliance and strengthen the veterinarian-producer relationship. In the long term, the availability of generics supports more sustainable herd health programs, particularly for common or recurring conditions.

Clinical and Practical Considerations

Does it work? vs. Did it work here?

When speaking on generic drugs, one of the key distinctions Dr. Nora Schrag, from Kansas State University, pointed out was the difference between whether a drug works and whether a drug worked in a specific production environment.

“‘Does the thing in the bottle work’ is a fundamentally very different question than ‘did it work,’ Schrag says. “‘Did it work’ includes the stuff in the bottle, but it also includes the people that are getting the stuff in the bottle into the critter, it includes the critters, it includes the weather, it includes everything else.”

Outcomes are influenced not just by the drug but also by management. Measuring whether a drug worked in a particular production setting requires keeping good records, monitoring success rates and comparing farm outcomes to peer benchmarks.

While generics and pioneer drugs are equivalent in active ingredient and expected efficacy, a few practical points deserve attention:

Perception: Some producers might be skeptical, perceiving pioneer products as more trustworthy. Veterinarians play a critical role in reassuring clients with evidence-based guidance.
Formulation differences: Rarely, a difference in inactive ingredients might influence animal tolerance or ease of use.
Compliance and stewardship: Regardless of whether pioneer or generic, observing label directions, withdrawal periods and judicious antimicrobial use principles remains essential.

Guidance for Decision-Making

The choice of what drug to use should be a collaborative effort between veterinarians and producers.

Veterinarians should evaluate both clinical needs and economic considerations. Recommending a generic is often appropriate, but being prepared to explain the science behind equivalency helps build producer confidence.
Producers should recognize withdrawal times and responsible use requirements apply equally to both drug types. Partnering with veterinarians ensures choices align with herd health goals and regulatory compliance.
Both parties must consider not only cost, but also judicious antimicrobial use, animal welfare and food safety when selecting products.

Both brand name and pioneer drugs are indispensable tools for managing cattle health. FDA’s rigorous approval process ensures generics are just as safe and effective as their pioneer counterparts. Generics offer producers significant cost savings that support sustainable operations. Working with their clients, veterinarians can help guide drug choices to ensure effective treatment while promoting stewardship and trust.

In the end, the decision is not about brand loyalty but using evidence-based judgment to balance animal health, food safety and economics. Together, these values benefit both the beef and dairy industry.

A Unique, Hands-On Approach to Training Tomorrow’s Dairy Veterinarians

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 19:34:28 GMT

Large animal veterinarians specializing in dairy have almost become the unicorns of the industry. In a space that is nearly dominated by small animal vets, finding young professionals interested in pursuing a dairy-focused practice has become increasingly rare. That’s why hands-on programs like the University of Vermont’s CREAM Program (Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management), are playing a vital role in developing the next generation of dairy veterinarians.

Stephen Wadsworth, the current director of CREAM, brings more than four decades of dairy veterinary experience to the role. As a teacher for the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, his background in private practice offers students a direct link between academic concepts and real-world applications in dairy herd management.

“The CREAM program was started in 1988 by an animal geneticist on faculty,” Wadsworth explains. “It’s a 60-cow tiestall, high-producing registered Holstein herd, currently averaging about 100 lb. per day, and it’s run almost exclusively by undergraduate animal science students, most of whom are pre-vet and have never even handled a dairy cow before.”

What began as a temporary teaching position in 2018 quickly became a full-time role that Wadsworth calls more rewarding than he ever expected. After four decades in a busy, six-person dairy practice in northwestern Vermont, he welcomed the opportunity to pass on his knowledge to those just entering the profession.

“Though I should be retired, it’s too much fun,” he says. “It’s been far more gratifying than I imagined.”

Beyond the Books: Learning by Doing
According to Wadsworth, the CREAM program offers more than just basic classroom learning. Students participate in every aspect of managing the university’s dairy herd, from milking and feeding to reproductive protocols and record-keeping. The immersive experience prepares them for future roles in veterinary school and beyond.

Currently, the program is divided into three core areas: academic instruction, work skill development, and community and personal growth.

“First, there’s lecture, about two and a half hours per week where I cover livestock medicine, herd health and management principles,” Wadsworth says. “Second is work skill development. Many of these students have never held jobs requiring punctuality or responsibility. So, they learn that when we say you have to be here at 3:30 a.m. for morning milking, it really means 3:20 a.m., or preferably 3:15 a.m. to set up the parlor.”

He adds that the third area, community and personal development, might be the most impactful.

“We talk about what it means to be a person of good character and how to work together in a group,” Wadsworth says, noting how the first few days learning how to operate a dairy is challenging for the students.

“You’ve got 20 students working together to milk 60 cows in a double-six parlor. Some days it’s like herding cats,” he laughs. “The first milking during the summer took seven hours, but now they’re down to an hour and a half. But in a few weeks, there’s this tight community and new friendships formed, and students leave the program saying it was the most transformative thing they’ve ever done in their life.”

While the program serves as a steppingstone for students applying to veterinary school, it often leads to a deeper transformation.

“Some students come in thinking this is just a box to check for their application,” Wadsworth says. “But many convert to being interested in a dairy practice. When they are accepted into vet school, many decide to pursue a career in dairy medicine as a result of their time here, which is gratifying beyond words.”

As the veterinary profession continues to evolve, programs like CREAM offer an essential on-ramp for students with little or no agricultural background.

“We know there isn’t necessarily a shortage of food animal veterinarians, but we do have geographic placement challenges,” Wadsworth says. “And fewer young people are growing up on farms. So, it’s vital to provide this kind of exposure to what dairy farming really looks like.”

That exposure includes full responsibility for the daily care of the UVM CREAM herd. Students handle all aspects of herd management, including milking three times per day as well as cleaning, feeding calves and administering medical treatments under guidance. Each student completes three to four chores weekly, one of which always includes the early morning milking. They’re also involved in calving, fresh cow and calf care, vaccinations and reproductive synchronization. Additionally, every student is assigned a specialty area and expected to keep the group informed on that topic throughout the program.

Wadsworth is careful to emphasize the skills students gain are universally applicable across herd sizes and management systems.

“If you understand the biology of a cow — the physiology of ketosis, reproduction and mastitis — those fundamentals apply whether you’re on a 60-cow tiestall or a 6,000-cow commercial dairy,” he says. “It may look different, but the principles are the same.”

To add to this experience, Wadsworth is currently organizing a six-farm tour for his students to further broaden their exposure to different dairy operations across northern Vermont.

“It gives them the opportunity to see firsthand how those principles scale and adapt,” he says. “The goal is to provide a strong foundation so they can walk into any herd and understand what’s happening.”

For students without previous large-animal experience, the smaller scale of the CREAM herd offers an ideal environment to build confidence and competence.

“You could argue that animal handling and husbandry are easier to learn in a 60-cow herd than a larger operation,” Wadsworth notes. “But here, they have more direct contact with the animals and more opportunities to take ownership of daily tasks. That kind of engagement really accelerates learning.”

For Wadsworth, transitioning from private practice to academia has brought a new and refreshing challenge.

“I feel privileged to be here,” he says. “Watching these students grow over the course of the program is something special.”

As the veterinary industry looks to the future, programs like CREAM are helping ensure the next generation of dairy veterinarians are equipped with knowledge, hands-on experience and respect for the work ahead.

To learn more about UVM’s CREAM Program, watch here:

Success From The Start: Calf Health Starts Before Birth

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 13:11:35 GMT

If a calf struggles during its first 60 days of life, it’s going to carry that through all phases of production. Starting a calf, whether in a traditional beef or beef-on-dairy scenario, the right way is paramount to the lifetime health of that animal.

This is the message stressed by Dr. Taylor Engle, Four Star Veterinary Services, during episode eight of “ The Future of Beef Show ” podcast. He says success starts before a calf is born.

“There are a lot of really good genetics in the beef industry we can use. However, if you put that calf in an environment to fail, genetics does not play a factor,” he says. “We have to do everything right from an environmental piece to maximize the genetic potential.”

Check out the podcast to learn more about these five key messages discussed by Engle and the podcast’s hosts:

Environment matters more than genetics. Engle emphasizes if you put a calf in an environment to fail, genetics won’t save it. Management and early life conditions are critical to an animal’s success.
Calf health starts before birth. Proper care of the cow before calving, quality colostrum and a clean birthing environment are crucial for a calf’s lifetime health.

Engle encourages producers to think about the cow’s condition before, during and after breeding.

“Everyone gets really fired up — and rightfully so — about colostrum. Not all colostrum is created equal,” he says. “It’s what we are doing to set that cow up to have the best colostrum for that calf. Whether it’s beef-on-dairy or native, the right vaccines for the right diseases at the right time matters.”
Communication is key across the production chain. Sharing information about calf health, vaccination history and management practices between different stages of production can significantly improve overall animal performance.

Engle encourages producers to record vaccination and treatment information and then share it. Communicating with the feedyard is important to help the feeder decide on how to treat cattle.
Don’t be quick to treat — understand the root cause. Instead of immediately administering antibiotics, veterinarians should first investigate the underlying management or environmental issues causing health problems.

“We were trained to think it’s a disease, and more often times than not, there is a disease present. But there’s been something along the process where we have stressed that animal and caused disease,” he explains. “We’re always looking at it from an environmental standpoint and a management standpoint — the calf isn’t the culprit. What’s going on? Why did that calf break with respiratory disease? They don’t spontaneously get sick. Something happened. Was it a weather, feed or stressful event?”

He adds management strategies and mentality can be keys to determining the cause of a sickness.

“It’s a hard thing — whether you’re a nutritionist or vet — to have that hard conversation with a producer, be upfront with them and say, ‘It’s something we’ve done,’” he says. “A lot of times, there’s management practices that messed up along the way, and the result is a disease.”

In his practice, he works with the producer to help them understand and recognize the management strategies to improve the outcomes.

“In the beef industry, a lot of the mentality is, ‘We’ve never done it this way,’” he says.
“In comparison, in the poultry and pig industries, producers will say, ‘If it increases my production, I’ll do it.’ They have the mentality of being willing to give something a try to see if it increases health.”

Engle adds, “I always tell producers if you want A results, you got to give A effort,” he explains. “You can’t have a C -plus effort and expect A results.”
Stress management is more important than treatment protocols. Focus on reducing stress and creating optimal conditions for calves, rather than relying solely on medical interventions.

“The calves don’t lie,” Engle says.

He emphasizes the importance of careful observation, advising producers to “read calves every day” and make real-time adjustments.

Beef-on-Dairy Calf Health
Engle also has extensive experience with beef-on-dairy calf management and production and discussed how those animals compare to traditional beef calves, highlighting how multiple touch points and movements bring beef-on-dairy calves unique challenges — including different feeding systems and varied vaccine and management protocols at each location.

As a positive, he says, “In the beef-on-dairy space, we have all the data points, or we have the opportunity to collect all the data points. Then you can start making decisions.”

With this complex — but data-rich — production model, there is significant potential for improving calf health and performance.

Engle challenges producers to think holistically about animal health, management and production.

“It’s not the animal that’s usually causing the problems,” he says in summary. “It’s usually producer’s management or oversight. As farms have gotten bigger, the skill gap as we go higher actually closes. Everybody who has 10,000-head of cattle on feed, or more, probably knows a lot about feeding cattle. But what are you going to do for a competitive advantage that the next feedyard isn’t? I think a lot of that’s looking internally at your management strategies and your consulting team. It’s a team effort to get to where you want to be. Set those goals and look at what you need to do better to be where you want to be in the next five to 10 years.”

An Incredible Bird's-Eye Look at the State of the Dairy Industry

Mon, 19 May 2025 13:19:06 GMT

Editor’s Note: This is one article in a series that is included in the 2025 Farm Journal’s State of the Dairy Industry report. The full 16-page report will appear in the May/June issues of Dairy Herd Management and Milk Business Quarterly and will be published in this space over the next several weeks. To download the full report for free click here.
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The dairy industry is undergoing rapid transformation and innovation at an unprecedented pace. As part of its ongoing efforts to understand these shifts, Farm Journal recently conducted a comprehensive survey involving 400 dairy producers across the U.S.

These producers, representing herds ranging from 100 to 20,000 cows, provided valuable insights into their current operations and future outlooks.

Technology Integration

In an era where technology permeates nearly every aspect of life, the dairy industry stands at the forefront of this transformative wave. The integration of technology is no longer just an option; it has become a crucial step toward creating a more efficient and sustainable dairy industry. From feeding systems to health monitoring devices, technology helps dairy farmers optimize operations and ensure animal welfare.

A recent survey highlights a significant shift in the adoption of technology within the dairy sector. Remarkably, two-thirds of dairies now use at least one form of feeding technology. These innovations are designed to streamline the feeding process, providing precise nutrient delivery to livestock and reducing waste. The result is a noticeable improvement in both efficiency and sustainability.

Diversifying Revenue Streams

In today’s changing economic landscape, many dairy producers are finding innovative ways to sustain and grow their businesses. The key to survival during these turbulent times seems to be diversification.

Farm Journal’s recent survey reveals approximately one-quarter of dairy producers have embraced alternative land or dairy add-on revenue streams. This shift underscores the industry’s agility and adaptability as producers look for various avenues to boost profitability.

One strategy gaining traction is the beef-on-dairy operation. An impressive three-quarters of operators are now involved in at least one beef-on-dairy practice, with breeding and raising being the most common methods. Though there has been a decline in the number of producers raising animals under their beef-on-dairy operations over the past year, there is a notable increase in the sale of branded beef products. This shift highlights the evolving dynamics within the industry as producers adapt to market demands.

Next-Gen Transfers

A significant concern facing the industry today is the impending wave of retirements among dairy operators, many of whom have not established formal succession plans. This situation is becoming increasingly urgent, with surveys indicating that a quarter of these operators intend to retire within the next five years.

Contrary to the retirement trend, there is also a strong movement toward growth and expansion within the industry. Almost half of the operators express a desire to expand their operations in the near future. Such ambition suggests confidence in the industry’s potential and reflects a proactive approach to ensuring a sustainable future. At the same time, an equivalent number of operators are planning to maintain their current herd sizes, indicating a focus on maximizing efficiency and resource management.

Sustainability Program Awareness

Farm Journal’s recent survey reveals an array of insights regarding current sustainability practices and the prevailing awareness surrounding them. While the inclination toward adopting sustainable practices is reassuring, a deficiency in program awareness raises concerns that need to be addressed.

Encouragingly, over half of survey respondents (63%) reported participating in at least one sustainable practice. This trend is indicative of a growing societal shift toward environmental responsibility. Interestingly, larger operations, particularly those with substantial herd sizes and extensive acreage, tend to embrace sustainability more comprehensively. This trend is most pronounced in the Western region.

Reality of Workforce Shortages

A recent survey highlights the growing dependency of the dairy industry on non-family labor. For many respondents, non-family members consist of at least 50% of their workforce. This shift is indicative of broader changes within the industry as traditional family-run farms adapt to meet growing demands. However, hiring and retaining workers continues to be significant challenges. With evolving labor-related aspects indicating enduring challenges, the industry must explore viable solutions to continue thriving.

Despite the adoption of new technologies, the challenges of hiring and retaining a reliable workforce remain. Farmers must continue to balance the integration of technology with human labor, ensuring that both aspects work in harmony to drive growth and productivity. These changes suggest a long-term shift in how labor is approached, maintaining traditional farming values while embracing modern advancements.

Optimistic Horizon

The dairy sector is witnessing renewed confidence, energized by innovative strategies and fueled by a younger generation of forward-thinking dairy operators ready to embrace change. Their willingness to adopt advanced technologies and improved herd management techniques is reshaping the landscape of dairy farming. By integrating strategic solutions, these operators are setting a new standard that promises to uplift the entire industry.

According to surveys, 44% of producers plan to expand their operations in the next five years. This drive to scale indicates a strong belief in the trajectory of the dairy industry and its ability to thrive amid changing global dynamics.

The 2025 Farm Journal State of the Dairy Industry Report is available for download here .

Your Veterinarian: A Critical Partner for Success

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 21:24:17 GMT

When it comes to livestock production — whether beef, dairy or swine — a knowledgeable large-animal veterinarian is a critical resource for producers.

The veterinarian’s duties have grown through the years from emergency calls and service to now include consultation and planning to improve cattle and dairy herds as well as swine operations.

Craig Bieber of Bieber Red Angus in Leola, S.D., says working with a vet is essential to his herd’s success.

“I don’t know how people do it without a relationship with their vet,” Bieber says. “A good working relationship is so important. As producers, we can’t be on top of every animal disease or problem there is.”

Bieber says he is lucky to have a comprehensive clinic with five veterinarians near his ranch. He meets with his team of veterinarians three or four times per year to discuss health strategies.

“Our diversified livestock operation uses a team of veterinarians for the health and well-being of our cattle, swine and sheep plus our livestock guardian dogs and family pets,” says Sarah Jones of Red Hill Farms in Lafayette, Tenn.

The Jones family works with its primary veterinarian, Roger Thomas of Thomas & England Veterinary Services in Smiths Grove, Ky.

“Dr. Thomas is essential to our operation,” Jones says. “Without our team of veterinarians, we couldn’t provide the very best care for our livestock. Dr. Thomas is our first call for issues we are not comfortable treating without consultation. Our operation also uses additional veterinarians for pregnancy ultrasound, cattle embryo transfer, sheep artificial insemination, sheep embryo transfer and swine consulting.”

In an unscientific survey, Drovers asked its Facebook followers, “How important is your veterinarian to the success of your operation?”

One follower wrote, “Essential. Having our veterinarian of a little over 40 years, we have created herd health programs for pre-breeding and pre-calving, as well as vaccination programs for calves at birth and weaning. We review these programs every year.”

Another said, “Our vet from Vale Veterinary Clinic is key to the success of our program through integrated research and herd health management our vet is priceless!”

Unfortunately, a few respondents noted they don’t have a close large-animal veterinarian near them or that they must take individual animals to an equine veterinarian for consultation, affirming the need for more large animal vets.

(Farm Journal)

The evolving role of dairy veterinarians

Traditionally seen as the guardians of animal health, focused primarily on treating sick individual animals, today’s dairy veterinarians are expanding their roles.

Scott Bohnert of Bohnert Jerseys in East Moline, Ill., exemplifies the modern dairy farmer’s reliance on veterinary expertise. At his dairy, home to 700 Jersey cows and an equal number of replacements, Bohnert leans heavily on his long-time veterinarian, Ryan Schaefer of Blue Grass, Iowa. Their working partnership of more than 15 years highlights the evolving importance of veterinarians in dairy.

Schaefer collaborates closely with Bohnert, conducting routine herd health and pregnancy checks twice a month — but their relationship goes far beyond basic animal care.

With a deep understanding of the dairy industry’s challenges, Schaefer consults closely with Bohnert on various critical topics. This trusted advice plays a pivotal role in helping Bohnert and his team drive their dairy operation forward.

“Ryan and I work very well together,” Bohnert says, acknowledging how Schaefer’s insights into disease prevention, vaccine management and industry trends keep his farm thriving in a competitive market.

This collaboration reflects a broader trend in agriculture where veterinarians serve as essential consultants instead of just animal doctors. Their role extends to strategic decision-making, helping farms navigate through diverse challenges like disease outbreaks, regulatory changes and economic pressures.

Swine veterinarian’s critical role

The swine producer and veterinarian relationship is critical in managing health issues in the swine herd.

“I can’t overstate how important our farm’s relationship is with our veterinarian,” says Mike Paustian, a swine producer from Wolcott, Iowa. “We treat that relationship as one of the key parts of our team that we’ve assembled to help advise our farm.”

Paustian, who is contact with his veterinarian every week, challenges the misconception that veterinary involvement is costly.

“I don’t see how you’re going to get a bigger bang for your buck than getting a veterinarian who knows your herd, to provide input into issues you’re having,” he says.

Paustian says he also appreciates a veterinarian who approaches work with a sense of curiosity and a desire to understand things better, which aligns with his own approach to constantly seek improvement.

Ben Barcovtch, a pig farmer from Berwick, Pa., says a strong veterinarian relationship is essential to the success of his pork operation.

“They support proactive herd health, help improve productivity, strengthen biosecurity and provide expert guidance during health challenges,” Barcovtch says. “The vet practice I work with is a key partner in maintaining animal well-being and our overall profitability.”

The veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) is the basis for interaction among veterinarians, their clients and their patients, and it is critical to the health of animals.

“Our VCPR is a partnership that allows more proactive and long-term strategies instead of just responding to needs as they arise,” says Rob Brenneman, owner of Brenneman Pork in Washington, Iowa. “This allows both parties to focus on preventative care, optimized service offerings focused on system health and stability.”

Thank you

April 26 is World Veterinary Day . Observed annually on the last Saturday of April, the day aims to celebrate the contributions of veterinarians to the health of animals, people and the environment. “Animal health takes a team,” is this year’s theme and summarizes the collaboration between veterinarians and beef, dairy and swine producers.

“I believe that sincerely communicating appreciation is one of the most important things farmers and ranchers can do for their veterinarians,” says Jones of Red Hill Farms.

Veterinarians are considered trusted advisers with an integral role in the livestock industry. A recent survey released by Boehringer Ingelheim shows 94% of animal owners appreciate the work of veterinarians, compared to only 49% of veterinary professionals feeling who think the profession is appreciated.

The survey is part of Boehringer Ingelheim’s “Going Beyond” campaign, which seeks to spotlight aspects of veterinary work that too often remain unseen and underrecognized.

In support of World Veterinary Day, the “Going Beyond” campaign also released a video asking animal owners to guess what type of professional meets the description of a range of compelling job responsibilities and characteristics.

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Staph. aureus is being Confirmed More Frequently as the Culprit Contributing to Subclinical Mastitis

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 20:39:38 GMT

If you look hard enough, you can find Staphylococcus aureus (Staph aureus) in at least one cow on every dairy, according to Dr. Justine Britten a PhD animal scientist working at Udder Health Systems Inc .

Despite that bold statement, Britten is not implying every dairy has a mastitis problem or is gearing up for an outbreak. Rather, she is pointing out how common the pathogen is on the farm and that it often flies under the radar, contributing most frequently to subclinical disease.

“One thing I’m still surprised about, is I think that most producers, veterinarians, and consultants know that, and they don’t necessarily,” she tells Dr. Fred Gingrich, Executive Director for the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, during a recent “Have You Herd” podcast: Managing Staph aureus Mastitis in Dairy Cows

Britten says that the prevalence of Staph aureus is increasing, based on the 7,800 bulk milk samples her company tests, on average, each year. From 2017 to 2021, the prevalence stayed relatively flat at about 20%. Today, the prevalence is more than double that.

“We’re seeing it now at around 44% to 45% of all bulk tank samples we do are positive for Staph aureus,” she says.

Consider The Heifer Population

Something Britten says has surprised her is that heifers may calve into a subclinical infection, resulting from Staph aureus, even in a closed herd.

“Being a closed herd will help reduce the chances that’s going to happen, but it’s still possible,” she says.

In evaluating literature, Britten says between 2% and 15% of heifers are going to calve in with it, and they may have a clinical episode. However, cell counts in the infected heifers tend to be low which lessens detection.

“That’s one of the most frustrating things, is that positive heifers may stay around 100,000 or less with their cell count for quite a while before it begins to climb, and that makes it really difficult for producers to get their minds around the fact that this animal is permanently infected with a contagious pathogen. It also makes the disease that much more difficult to manage,” she says.

If the dairy is not proactively screening, heifers typically recover from an episode and look fine. At that point, they are usually returned to the herd where they may infect other heifers and cows.

“My takeaway is if Staph aureus was easier to see, more like a mycoplasma, I suspect producers would be a lot less tolerant of it than they currently are,” she says.

Screen All Cows And Heifers

Britten considers a monthly bulk tank culture as the bare minimum that a dairy can do towards monitoring pathogens in the bulk tank, and she calls it an incredibly helpful tool.

“You’re really operating in a vacuum otherwise,” she says. “Even by monitoring at the bulk tank level, we’re monitoring at the 10,000-foot view. But if [the dairy] is not doing any other culturing, it’s still better than nothing.”

Britten says she is a strong advocate for screening all cows and heifers as that’s the most proactive approach to prevention.

“It works, I know that it works, but it is very important to have some kind of audit system in place, so that you get them all, not 50% of them, not 70% of them, all of them, and that you have a management plan in place for what to do with them,” she says.

On the dairies she works with that have a very low staff positivity rate, they often sell the cows.

“They’re not going to tolerate them, while for others it’s too expensive to do that,” she says. “They’re going to go into a staff pen, or with the heifers, they try and treat them and see if we can get them cleared up. But yeah, screening, culturing of all fresh cows and heifers is the best way to find those animals early and to manage them.”

Take-Home Messages

In the podcast, Gingrich and Britten discuss that in outbreak situations it is important to evaluate why cows are getting infected and remember that cows typically get infected in the parlor and focus efforts there. This includes evaluating teat condition, parlor procedures and equipment function.

Aggressive culturing programs, segregation and culling are important to minimize risk.

Britten provides these three additional take-home points, per the AABP discussion:

Take-home point #1 – Not all Staph aureus colonies exhibit beta-hemolysis, therefore, it is important that all Staph colonies undergo coagulase testing to identify Staph aureus.

Take-home point #2 – Monthly bulk tank cultures are a bare minimum monitoring program for dairy farms.

Take-home point #3 – Somatic cell count is a lagging indicator and cultures will detect infections earlier. Britten emphasized that the difference lies in management practices. Proactive monitoring, culturing, and implementing strict control measures can prevent Staph aureus from becoming a major issue, even though the pathogen is present.

For more information and recommendations, be sure to check out the podcast: Managing Staph aureus Mastitis in Dairy Cows

More Funding Going to Tackle HPAI H5N1, Egg Imports are Now Underway to Stabilize Supply

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 20:35:10 GMT

On Thursday morning, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins gave an update on progress the Trump administration is making on the five-prong strategy it unveiled Feb. 26 to combat avian influenza virus type A (H5N1).

Speaking to industry stakeholders, media and offices of elected officials, Rollins focused on the administration’s work to lower egg prices and improve supply, while also emphasizing the importance of biosecurity in protecting U.S. poultry flocks from the virus.

Regarding egg prices, she said wholesale prices are down nearly 50% from their peak in late February from $8.53 then to $4.08 currently.

However, Rollins said she realizes that wholesale prices don’t automatically show up as reductions in retail prices.

“I know for some of us who are shopping that we’ve seen egg prices drop immediately, which has been true for me. But then we’ll hear from people in other parts of the country where they have yet to see that reduction on their grocery store shelf.”

With Easter just a few weeks away, she acknowledged that egg demand is always “unusually high during the season,” and that egg prices could potentially move back up.

To help address the egg shortage, Rollins noted that shell egg exports have declined by 8%, “keeping more eggs in the U.S. and lowering prices.”

In addition, the Trump administration is allowing egg imports as a temporary measure to stabilize prices and supply. Rollins’ chief of staff Kailee Buller said this measure would likely be discontinued once those measures were achieved.

USDA Focuses On Biosecurity For Poultry Operations
Rollins said biosecurity in poultry flocks will continue to be a major part of the Trump administration’s plan to address H5N1, moving forward.

“Our pilot programs have proven that biosecurity is the most important thing our farmers can do to protect our flocks against the disease, at least right now,” she said.

The USDA is working closely, she said, with its federal partners including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “combat avian flu as a unified federal family.”

On Wednesday, USDA announced it is expanding the availability of its biosecurity assessments to commercial poultry producers.

“These assessments, which were previously available on a limited basis have been extremely successful in improving biosecurity on individual premises and preventing the introduction or spread of avian influenza,” Rollins said.

While USDA is exploring the viability of vaccinating poultry for H5N1, she said the use of any vaccine for poultry or any animal species has not been authorized at this time.

“I know there has been some misreporting on that,” Rollins said. “The day we rolled out the plan, I actually talked about the fact that we’re not ready to vaccinate. We need to do some more research, and so that has not changed, but I do look forward to this next process of learning more about getting more research done and perhaps seeing what makes sense for the country moving forward, once that is concluded.”

Dairy Is Not Part Of USDA’s Primary H5N1 Focus
No information was offered during the conference call to address the issue of H5N1 in dairy cattle or other livestock or animal species.

Mike Watson, administrator of USDA-APHIS, said right now USDA is focused on the poultry vaccine.

“We’re looking for a vaccine that has sterilizing immunity but also an opportunity for us to have different introduction methods for the vaccine right now, as injections are the only possibility,” he said. “We need new tools, whether it’s water based, aerosol based, those kind of things. We’re looking for manufacturers to really look at what those options might be, to really provide us with a vaccine that matches the current strain but also is highly effective. And again, this is really focused on poultry.”

Buller said there is already quite a bit of research at USDA on the topic in dairy.

“Please rest assured, we are thinking of you all (in dairy). We know you all are impacted. But for this particular strategy, we have been hyper-focused on the poultry side. USDA has separate work streams as we’re working through this on the cattle and dairy side.”

One of the media asked whether Sec. Rollins had talked further with HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding his idea of letting H5N1 burn through poultry flocks to identify birds that might have immunity or show resistance to the virus.

Buller answered the question, as Rollins had stepped away from the call. “I have not been engaged specifically with those conversations with the Secretary and Secretary Kennedy,” she said. “They are talking very regularly and you are aligned on the approach, but in terms of that specific topic, there’s no further light I can shed on that at this time.”

Assessments Available To Poultry Operations
USDA is offering two different, free, voluntary biosecurity assessments for poultry operations not currently affected by HPAI.

The first is a wildlife biosecurity assessment. The second is a general biosecurity assessment. Poultry producers can request one or both of these free assessments.

Per the wildlife biosecurity assessment, Rollins said USDA will conduct on-farm assessments at poultry facilities and provide recommendations to producers for facility repairs and wildlife management techniques. The assessments include a series of regular engagements, including wildlife hazard identification surveys, wildlife abundance surveys and wildlife management on the premises.

“USDA has assessed approximately 130 facilities to date (in 2025), and plans on doing significantly more moving forward and expanding that program,” she said.

For the general biosecurity assessment, USDA will work with poultry producers to review biosecurity plans and physical measures.

“This is a proactive resource for premises that are outside of avian flu control areas to identify and mitigate potential biosecurity gaps,” she said.

Funding Is Ramped Up To Address HPAI In Poultry
The USDA announced on Thursday that up to $100 million in funding will be available to support projects on avian influenza, prevention, therapeutics, vaccines and research.

“USDA will invest up to $100 million in these projects, which will identify and foster innovative solutions to fight avian flu and directly support American producers,” Rollins said during the conference call.

Funding is available through a competitive process to for-profit organizations, including manufacturers of vaccines, biologics and therapeutics, as well as states, universities, livestock producer organizations and other eligible entities, she noted.

USDA will prioritize one or more of the following. First, it will support the development of novel therapeutics to address HPAI in poultry. Second, it will support research to further understand the risk pathways of avian influenza for producers and to inform improved biosecurity and response strategies.

“Let me just say, as a quick aside, I’ve had multiples and multiples and multiples of conversations with some of our chicken farmers across the country —many of them have been highly successful at not having the bird flu infect their populations,” Rollins said. “Better understanding of risk pathways and realizing what best practices are is a big part of (this work).”

The third focus is on the development of novel vaccines to protect poultry from H5N1 while promoting biosecurity.

“That will all be part of the research funding opportunity that we announced about an hour and a half ago,” Rollins said.

USDA will test the efficacy of therapeutic interventions to prevent the virus and treat infected flocks.

“USDA, in consultation with HHS, has already had multiple conversations with Secretary Kennedy and leaders in the NIH and CDC, but will also be exploring prevention strategies to promote biosecurity in agriculture and in humans, to ensure limited impact on American farmers,” Rollins noted.

USDA is offering a webinar to assist interested applicants in learning more about the funding opportunity and how to submit a proposal on Tuesday, April 1 at 12 p.m. Eastern. No details on how to participate in the webinar have been communicated yet.

“As we try to do everything under this president and here at USDA, we will be as fast and efficient and effective as we can possibly be, working around the clock,” Rollins said.

Buller added that Sec. Rollins and her staff will continue to host update calls regularly.

“It’s very important to Sec. Rollins that we are showing progress on this five-prong plan and being honest and open with the public about what we’re up to and the progress and potential challenges that we have ahead,” Buller said. “We have an open door here, and we remain open to having conversations and hearing from stakeholders.”

Calf Milk Poses H5N1 Risk, Too

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 17:11:23 GMT

Soon after the discovery of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain H5N1 in dairy cattle, scientists learned that milk was a primary vector in spreading the disease from cow to cow.

But what happens when waste milk from the sick cows is fed to other animals? Early in the disease outbreak, domestic cats consuming raw milk from infected cows began dying. This prompted researchers at the USDA National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa to conduct a study on the potential of passing H5N1 to preweaned calves via unpasteurized waste milk.

Four Holstein calves ranging from 7-11 weeks of age were fed approximately 1 quart of unpasteurized waste milk from experimentally inoculated cows twice a day for 4 days. One additional calf served as a control, and was fed milk from HPAI-free cows in the same experiment period.

Calves fed infected milk showed signs of illness that included nasal discharge, mild fever, mild lethargy, loose stools, and slightly increased respiratory effort for 5-6 days. The researchers noted that all symptoms were mild and may not be readily recognized in an on-farm setting with other environmental or health stressors.

Transmission of the H5N1 virus to the 4 calves fed infected milk was confirmed via nasal swabs collected 2-4 days after the feedings. Within 2 weeks after the experimental feeding trial, all calves in the study were humanely euthanized. Presence of the virus was further confirmed via tissue samples from lung lesions, lymph nodes, and tonsils from the 4 calves receiving infected milk.

The USDA researchers said the study underscored the importance of pasteurizing waste milk fed to calves, as pasteurization has been proven to kill the virus. This is especially crucial because research on infected herds has shown that cows begin shedding the virus in their milk up to 2 weeks before they start to show clinical signs of illness.

Meanwhile, researchers at the University of California-Davis have investigated a practical alternative to pasteurization of waste milk: acidification. In a study recently published in the Journal of Dairy Science , they noted that fewer than 50% of large dairy farms routinely pasteurize waste milk fed to calves.

They found that in a laboratory setting, acidification of waste milk with citric acid to a pH of 4.1-4.2 effectively deactivated the H5N1 virus. The acidification process takes only 6 hours and does not require refrigeration.

The UC-Davis researchers posed that acidification can be a practical, affordable, accessible method of preventing the spread of H5N1 to calves in operations that do not have pasteurization systems for waste milk.

Calves will be a critical control point in navigating H5N1 in the U.S. dairy industry. The USDA researchers noted that 1 out of every 10 dairy operations in the country raise their heifers off site, and most veal and beef-cross calves are transported to another facility for raising.

Protecting those calves from H5N1 will be a crucial element in preventing spread of the disease.

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Elanco Launches Pradalex for Treatment of Livestock Respiratory Diseases

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 03:35:58 GMT

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated announced the availability of Pradalex (pradofloxacin injection) for the treatment of swine respiratory disease (SRD) and bovine respiratory disease (BRD).

The first new molecule and injectable antibiotic treatment to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat BRD and SRD in roughly two decades, Pradalex offers livestock producers a new tool in the toolbox.

“SRD is the most prevalent cause of nursery and grow-finish pig deaths in the U.S. creating substantial production and economic losses for producers and accounting for additional annual costs of up to $5 per pig,” the company said in a release. “In the cattle industry, BRD — or ‘shipping fever’ — is one of the most frequent and costly stocker and feedlot diseases, affecting the health and wellbeing of animals and potentially costing producers $1 billion annually.”

Available in 100 mL and 250 mL volumes, Pradalex is indicated for the treatment of BRD and SRD and kills major BRD and SRD bacteria, including Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Histophilus somni and Mycoplasma bovis in cattle and Bordetella bronchiseptica, Pasteurella multocida, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Glaesserella (Haemophilus) parasuis and Streptococcus suis in pigs.

“The launch of Pradalex further demonstrates Elanco’s commitment to bring new tools and innovations that help address some of our customers’ biggest challenges,” José Manuel Correia de Simas, executive vice president, U.S. farm animal at Elanco, said in a release. “Pradalex is a new molecule with a novel mode of action that treats respiratory diseases in beef and swine, strengthening our portfolio of solutions and providing veterinarians and producers with multiple choices to prevent and control respiratory challenges.”

The treatment is a convenient single-dose, low-volume antibiotic with “excellent syringeability and an industry-leading withdrawal period,” the company said in a release. Pradalex’s structural differences result in a dual targeting effect that yields improved potency compared to similar antibiotics, Elanco added.

Because Pradalex is rapidly absorbed and distributed at the injection site, it can reach a high and effective therapeutic concentration in plasma within 45 minutes of administration to cattle and a high maximum therapeutic concentration in cattle lung pulmonary epithelial lining fluid within six hours. The company explained this aids in the fast in-vitro elimination of bacteria and limits lung damage in both cattle and swine. Its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile reduces the time needed to select resistant bacteria, contributing to judicious antibiotic use , Elanco said.

“Pradalex combines a high plasma peak concentration reached very quickly with a unique mode of action, resulting in comprehensive coverage of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens,” Pat Hoffmann, Elanco swine technical consultant, said in a release. “It makes an exceptional option for a spot treatment injectable intervention.”

Pradalex is indicated for the treatment of:

SRD in weaned swine intended for harvest
BRD in beef cattle (calves two months of age and over, steers, heifers and bulls intended for slaughter and replacement heifers and bulls intended for breeding and less than one year of age)
BRD in dairy cattle (replacement heifers and bulls less than one year of age)

Pradalex should not be used in swine intended for breeding (boars intended for breeding, replacement gilts and sows intended for breeding) and in nursing piglets. Pradalex should also not be used in male and female cattle intended for breeding that are over one year of age, in calves under two months of age, or in veal calves.

“At Elanco, we focus on bringing producers a broad portfolio of solutions to support their disease prevention efforts, starting with vaccines and feed additives that optimize the health outcomes of calves,” Ronald Tessman, Elanco beef technical consultant, said in a release. “When antibiotics are necessary, Elanco has a full range to fit producers’ needs. Pradalex is our newest antibiotic and is truly different from any other product on the market, giving producers another valuable tool that can be used in an integrated approach to reducing losses due to BRD.”

Learn more at farmanimal.elanco.com/us/swine/product/pradalex and pradalexforcattle.com .

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Some California Veterinarians Say Virus-Hit Dairies See More Abortions in First-Calf Heifers and Dry Cows

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 20:11:12 GMT

Triple-digit temperatures lasting for days and then weeks helped fuel a firestorm of highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus (HPAI A H5N1) cases on California dairy farms last summer.

“August wasn’t too bad, September was kind of rough, and then early October was severe,” recalls Dr. Maxwell Beal. “I think part of the problem was the cows had little relief from the heat even at night.”

But even with the onset of winter, Beal, with Mill Creek Veterinary Services, Visalia, Calif., adds that, “Cooler temperatures haven’t slowed the spread.”

Indeed, cases of the virus continue to trend upward in California. The state, the single largest producer of milk in the U.S., with 1,300 commercial herds and 1.7 million milk cows, holds the dubious distinction of being the current epicenter for HPAI H5N1.

As of Dec. 19, 2024, the California Department of Food and Agriculture had confirmed 650 dairy cowherds – roughly half of the commercial herds in the state – had been infected with the virus (see AHFSS - AHB - H5N1 Bird Flu Virus in Livestock - CDFA).

Bovine Veterinarian talked with several veterinarians in the Golden State and elsewhere about what their herds, producers and farmworkers have experienced and how they are addressing the virus. This is a summary of what practitioners shared.

Younger Dairy Animals Are Being Affected, As Well As Lactating Cows.

Among production animals on the dairy farm, lactating cows have taken the brunt of the virus infections so far, but that doesn’t mean other segments in cowherds aren’t or can’t be affected.

“I’m hearing reports from California veterinarians of sick young calves and challenges with cows resuming production and reports of dry cows aborting,” says Dr. Barb Petersen, owner and operator of Sunrise Veterinary Service, Amarillo, Texas. Petersen helped confirm the first case of HPAI H5N1 identified in U.S. dairy cattle last spring.

One of those reports came to her from Beal in California.

“I tell people, ‘Don’t sleep on your heifers, calves or your bulls, because there could be issues that we don’t know about yet simply because that’s not been our focus,’” says Beal, who reports that his virus-hit dairies have all experienced an uptick of abortions in first-calf heifers.

“One thing that happens at every affected dairy is we lose more calves, that were already called pregnant, and they’ll be all over the map as far as gestational age,” he says.

“It happens to dry cows, it happens to big calves, and these heifer abortions were all at 180- to 220-days (DCC), somewhere in there,” he adds. “Whether that’s directly caused by the bird flu or it’s caused by the clinical symptoms of the flu, I don’t know. And it’s the same for other veterinarians in our practice to the point that we will go back and reconfirm pregnant animals that we had already reconfirmed.”

Dr. Blaine Melody has had similar experiences: “We’ve consistently seen more early embryonic death and fetal loss at various days of gestation. We have recommended clients switch from long-acting dry cow tubes to lactating if we’re given the heads up before clinical outbreak, via early non-negative bulk tanks,” says Melody, a partner at Lander Veterinary Clinic, Turlock, Calif.

The Virus Amplifies Existing Health And Management Issues.

While HPAI H5N1 is associated with high morbidity and mortality in birds, this hasn’t been the case for dairy cattle in most regions of the country. Most affected animals reportedly recover with supportive treatment, and the mortality/culling rate has been low at 2% or less, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

That percentage fits with Beal’s experience in California, but dairy producers in some parts of the state have reported higher mortality levels. Some have experienced cow mortality rates as high as 15% or 20%, according to a Reuters article published in October. See Cows dead from bird flu rot in California

“Cows that get H5N1 are compromised, so any other health issues that are present in the dairy increase,” Beal explains. “Staph aureus, mastitis, mycoplasma, all of them go up.”

“The virus takes the problems that are already on your dairy that you’ve either figured out how to cope with or they’re just sitting at a low level, and it exacerbates them for probably a month,” he adds.

Melody says management quality plays a huge role in what producers and their employees must deal with when the virus hits.

“If you have overcrowded pens, bad cow comfort, poor nutrition management, poor transition cow management or any other underlying risk factors, you will have a worse outcome with a clinical HPAI outbreak. That’s a given,” he says.

In mid-December, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency to address the virus in California dairy cattle, ramping up monitoring, quarantine efforts, and resource deployment. See California Issues State of Emergency Warning in Response to More Bird Flu Found on Dairies

The number of farmworkers infected with the virus is likely higher than what’s being reported.

Officially, there have been 66 confirmations of human being infected by the virus in the U.S. See H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation

Melody, Beal and other veterinarians told Bovine Veterinarian they have seen presumed infected employees on farms working with cows.

“Some of these workers are at potential risk, because we don’t know all the ways this virus is spreading yet,” Melody says.

“They just put their heads down and work, so they can keep their paycheck,” Beal adds.

Drenching Cows Can Help, But Rest Can Do As Much Good In Some Scenarios.

Both Beal and Melody say drenching can help clinical HPAI cows, but veterinarians and their producers need a good plan for the treatment to work well.

Beal says there is a significant learning curve for people who have never or seldom drenched a cow. Employees on some of the infected dairies he works with went from never using the practice to suddenly treating hundreds and even thousands of cows a day.

In that intense scenario, Beal says it’s nearly impossible for employees to succeed.

“When you run a drench hose through 1,000 cows, you will not do as good a job with that last cow as you did with the first one,” he explains.

There is real potential to cause more harm than good to the animal physically, Melody adds.

“Drenching can help, but if you’re locking cows up too long or drowning cows because you’re drenching lots of cows and you’re exhausted, that undoes any good you’re trying to accomplish,” he says.

Beal says after working with a couple of outbreaks, he decided to try a different approach.

“We started to use a let-the-cows-rest approach, and I felt like we were still doing just as much good for the animals and not exhausting our staff in the process,” he says.

However, he continued to encourage workers to drench the ones that were clinically dehydrated or exhibiting signs of duress.

“I would say the ones that showed clinical signs to the degree that they warranted treatment has averaged around 30% in a herd,” Beal says. “The ones that are obviously clinically affected we need to treat, but not necessarily the ‘she’s got a runny nose,’ cows.”

What Is Your Definition Of Disease?

Melody says one of the challenges is how veterinarians and producers define disease as well as their definition of severity. With regard to HPAI H5N1, he has observed inconsistent practices and varied approaches to reporting, because people don’t have a consistent benchmark for reference.

“When you get HPAI on dairies, every cow that gets sick is then called a flu cow, but you can’t conflate that it’s all influenza,” he says.

Melody also encourages practitioners to keep a tight rein on their treatment protocols and to maintain consistent practices with regard to regulations.

“If you make things gray, when it comes to regulatory standards, we can quickly start to spiral, because you start going, ‘Well, we made this exception for this, so why not here too?’” Melody says. “Stay with your established playbook, and don’t deviate from it.”

Melody and Beal both say they have been frustrated at times by slow turnarounds by state laboratories responsible for providing test results. Their advice: Be a squeaky wheel with regard to getting virus test results.

“Many testing labs are overrun with samples, and the process gets bogged down, or the results don’t get to the veterinarian because of confidentiality rules,” Melody says.

“Some people are shipping animals that are infected but don’t know it because they didn’t get the information back in a timely fashion from the bulk tank tests,” Beal adds. “There needs to be a reworking of the testing protocols.”

Nutrition And Cow Comfort Practices Can Help Affected Animals Return To Good Production Levels.

Melody and Beal say most of their clients’ cows return to a good level of production post infection.

“Now, do they all come back 100%? No, I haven’t seen that on any of my dairies,” Beal says. “If people compare production now to last December, there’s likely a deficit. Some of the cows are ending up 5 lb. to 6 lb. under where they were this same time last year. That’s not unusual.”

Beal adds that veterinarians who can talk with their clients about what ramifications to expect from the disease, before it ever reaches their herd, can probably save a significant number of cows from being culled in the future.

What can improve that scenario for virus-impacted cows in the future is investing dollars in nutrition and facilities as farm resources permit, Melody adds.

“Renovate your dry cow barn, put some shade over those animals, put a little extra metabolizable protein into the fresh cows right now to make sure they’re getting off to a good start,” Melody advises. “Do good management, the things that you know are going to make your cows strong. Those things will pay for themselves whether you’re in the midst of a virus outbreak or wanting to help cows in the long-term.”

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‘No Established Gold Standard’

Dr. Blaine Melody, a partner at Lander Veterinary Clinic in Turlock, Calif., says somatic cell counts (SCC) are not a gold standard for defining parameters of the HPAI A H5N1 virus. He says SCCs can be wildly different for each farm because of management differences — whether dumping not dumping milk, sturdy versus frail cows, good or bad preexisting milk quality practices.

“My goal is trying to get as close to an apples-to-apples comparison between farms, and you can only decipher that by knowing the farms and asking more questions when people start throwing numbers around,” he says.

Melody offers one real-life example from his experience:

“Two dairies get HPAI at the same time,” Melody says. “One farm gets hammered with a 15% cow clinical mastitis case rate for the duration of the epidemic. The other farm may say it never had any HPAI clinical mastitis cows and only treated a handful of febrile cows with no milk, respiratory or GI disease. You look at their records and can confirm that to be ‘true.’ You ask more questions and also learn that the primary method of identifying mastitis is different between those two farms: the first farm strips and visually screens each quarter for abnormal milk, while the second does not and relies solely on milk conductivity sensors.”

“The vast majority of these clinical cows in our area are mild cases of mastitis with no effect on the udder or cow,” he adds. “This thick, clinical HPAI milk did not get flagged with conductivity sensors. Even within the same brand there can be modified settings farm to farm. The truth in this example ‘lied’ in the salable milk quality when their SCC more than doubled.

“The importance is understanding the farm management differences and knowing what further questions to ask rather than jumping at naked numbers that are often without clear denominators,” Melody says.
____________________________________________________________________________

200-Plus Mammal Species Infected

While researchers have learned a lot about HPAI A H5N1 since its confirmation in a Texas dairy herd in March 2024, much is still unknown, including the various ways the disease might spread and which animals it infects.

According to USDA’s APHIS, in addition to dairy cows, more than 200 other mammal species in the U.S. have been infected by the virus since 2022. One of the hardest hit animal populations on farms are barn cats, which often consume colostrum and raw milk, not to mention potentially infected birds and vermin.

Other U.S. mammals infected with the virus include a bottlenose dolphin, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, skunks, harbor and grey seals, opossums, squirrels, minks, otters, black bears, brown bears, polar bears, and a single pig on a backyard farm in Oregon, confirmed in late October.

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