Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survey of western Canadian beef producers regarding calf-hood diseases, management practices, and veterinary service usage.
- Journal:
- The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne
- Year:
- 2013
- Authors:
- Waldner, Cheryl et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences · Canada
Plain-English summary
In a survey conducted in June 2010, cow-calf producers in western Canada shared their experiences with calf-hood diseases and how often they use veterinary services. A total of 310 producers participated, and the results showed that larger herds tended to use more veterinary services, especially for herd health. Giving clostridial vaccines (which help prevent certain infections) to pregnant cows before they give birth seemed to lower the need for treatments related to neonatal diarrhea (diarrhea in young calves), but using vaccines specifically for neonatal diarrhea did not show the same benefit. Additionally, producers with more than 220 breeding females were more likely to seek veterinary help for sick calves and have their animals checked for various health issues compared to those with smaller herds. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of veterinary care in managing calf health, especially in larger operations.
Abstract
Cow-calf producers in western Canada were surveyed in June 2010 regarding calf-hood diseases and veterinary service usage; 310 producers responded. Use of veterinary services, particularly herd-health related services, increased with herd size as did neonatal diarrhea and clostridial vaccine usage. Administration of clostridial vaccines to pregnant dams before calving was associated with a reduction in neonatal diarrhea treatments; however, there was no association between neonatal diarrhea vaccine usage and a reduction in diarrhea treatments. Producers with > 220 breeding females were more likely than those with < 85 breeding females to seek veterinary advice regarding treating sick calves, have a veterinarian necropsy dead calves, have a veterinarian pregnancy check their bred females, and evaluate their herd bulls for breeding soundness.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24155446/