Download Aspen Veterinary Service February 2009 Newsletter Welcome to the

Aspen Veterinary
Service
February 2009 Newsletter
Welcome to the second edition
Newsletter brought to you by Aspen
Veterinary Service!
Unless stated otherwise, all
Newsletters will be authored by Dr.
Annie Bowes.
The days are getting longer and soon we
shall see calves, foals, lambs, kids, and
green grass!
Unfortunately, before it gets beautiful, it
will get ugly with mud and a winter’s
accumulation of manure. Be sure that
your livestock have a dry place to bed
down and preferably to eat and drink.
Hoof rot tends to occur in the early
autumn and late spring when the weather
gets a little warmer and the ground is still
very wet. Once you have an outbreak,
your herd and/or flock will always be
susceptible. Daily cleaning is ideal, but
for those impossible pens and areas, a
good straw pile works well, too. Aspen
Veterinary Service’s sister company,
Bluebird Farm & Horse Ranch, has straw
for sale in small square and large round
bales. Please visit:
www.bluebirdfarm.net or call (208) 6596825 for details. A good straw matt is an
ideal environment for livestock to birth
in; and can help prevent some neonatal
diarrheas and illnesses.
February’s Disease Discussion is
Scours.
Scours are the bane of spring. The fickle
weather in February, March, and early
April makes calves susceptible to scours
by vexing their immune systems. Scours
is a broad term used to describe calf
diarrhea caused by parasites, feed
changes, viruses, and bacterial
infections. It is usually a combination of
exposure, lack of adequate colostrums, a
weakened immune system due to
weather, inadequate housing, or a
combination of disease exposures at the
same time. The usual culprits are E. coli
(K99 enterotoxigenic strain in calves
only a few days old), Rota and Corona
virus, Bovine Virus Diarrhea (BVD),
Cryptosporidium parvum, Clostridium
perfreinges Types C & D, Salmonella
(serotypes typhimurium and dublin),
Coccidia, and occasionally Giardia.
When an outbreak occurs, it is sometimes
prudent to determine the infectious agent
so that preventative vaccines can be used
(if available), or improvements to the
environment or management can be made
to reduce the risk of repeat exposure.
Many agents are hardy and will be back
next year to infect each subsequent calf
crop if left in the environment or endemic
in the herd.
Regardless of the cause of scours, the
treatment is the same: recognize the
problem early, separate sick pairs from
the herd, replace electrolytes and fluid
losses in the calf, and keep the calf warm,
dry, and clean. Repeat exposure to
infectious agents can overwhelm a new
calf and may even kill him in less than 12
hours. Therefore, know when to get
professional help. When the calf is no
longer suckling, cold, or lethargic, it is
time to call the vet! Intravenous fluids
will be necessary at that time, and may
not save the calf.
If you would like to hatch a clutch from
your individual flock, there are many good
quality incubators available to do the trick.
Just remember to keep the genetics diverse
and don’t use eggs from a single rooster or
drake if at all possible. Aspen Veterinary
Service offers incubation of chicken,
turkey, duck, and goose eggs. Feel free to
call and ask for a quote based on your
individual flock and production goals.
Got Ideas? Aspen Veterinary Service is
always looking for new topics and great
ideas. If there is something you would like
to know more about, please don’t hesitate to
ask. Dr. Bowes can be reached at
[email protected] or (208) 6596825. And feel free to share some jokes that
can be published in the next issue!
As always, your animal’s health is very
important to Aspen Veterinary Service and
routine care is a major component of
husbandry. It is the hope that this Newsletter
was helpful and informative; and in keeping
with the mission statement of this company:
Aspen Veterinary Service is dedicated to
preserving a country way of life, and
promoting general farm animal health and
production.
Together, we keep American farms and
ranches going strong.
For additional information about Aspen
Veterinary Service, please visit:
www.aspenvetservice.com
Happy Trails!
Copyright 2009 ©
Aspen Veterinary Service. PLLC Post Falls, Idaho
Aspen Veterinary Service
Poultry may begin to pair up at this time
of year, and chickens may be gradually
weaned from their artificial lighting. This
may get some farms to begin thinking
about replacement pullets.
Quote of the month:
Life is simpler when you plow around the
stump.
3521 North Greensferry Road
Post Falls, Idaho 83854
It is probably best to start working with
your veterinarian at the first sign of
trouble so losses can be minimized.
Remember, most of these infectious
organisms have been around for a while
and have acquired remarkable antibiotic
resistance. Don’t waste your money on
over the counter antibiotics – get the
good stuff from your veterinarian. It may
save your calf’s life!