Are We Pushing Dairy Cows Too Far?
At the recent British Cattle Veterinary Association winter meeting, Karen Lancaster, Dairy Co Extension Officer discussed dairy cow welfare and asked whether we had pushed the modern UK dairy cow too far. Charlotte Johnston, TheCattleSite junior editor...

Tail Docking: A Welfare Issue?
With the recent publicity in the US regarding the tail docking of dairy cows, Charlotte Johnston, TheCattleSite junior editor speaks with industry representatives to find more about the practice.

Predicting And Preventing FMD
Combining technology and animal health, a group of Kansas State University researchers are developing a more effective way to predict the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and the impact of preventative measures.

Controlling Mastitis In The Herd
The UK dairy herd has been seeing increasing incidence of environmental mastitis, while incidents of contagious mastitis have been decreasing, writes TheCattleSite senior editor Chris Harris.

Understanding Bovine Respiratory Disease
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a complex infectious disease and one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in stocker and feedlot operations. Daniel Scruggs, veterinarian with Pfizer Animal Health, looks at what contributes to BRD and...

Liver Fluke: The Facts
With the recent rise in cases of liver fluke, Charlotte Johnston, TheCattleSite junior editor, speaks with Dr Phil Hadley, South-West regional manager for EBLEX.

Do Swedish Dairy Cows Need To Sleep More?
Are Swedish dairy cows getting sufficient sleep? The exact duration of sleep a dairy cow needs is unknown today. However, new research at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) aims at studying how much sleep a dairy cow needs and if there...

Bleeding Calf Syndrome: The Facts
Also known as idiopathic haemorrhagic diathesis of calves, or blood sweating disease, the cause of this newly identified disease is unknown. The Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) is working with other organisations to investigate this disease.

Variation In Costs For Animal Disease Prevention
A new report Cost of National Prevention Systems for Animal Diseases and Zoonoses in Developing and Transition Countries commissioned by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has been published recently. The main conclusions are summarised...

Opinion on the Welfare of the Dairy Cow
A report by the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) entitled, 'Opinion on the Welfare of the Dairy Cow' has said that improvements to the welfare of dairy cows have been made - but more could be done.

Predicting Changes for Parasite and Vector Induced Animal Diseases
Climate change could have a major influence on animal health, both directly and indirectly, by affecting the parasites and vectors that spread diseases, according to Eric Hoberg, an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) zoologist at the Agricultural Research...

Risks of Excess Nitrates
Excess nitrates in the rumen can lead to severe poisoning resulting in abortion, weight loss, greater susceptibility to infections and in severe conditions, death. Barry Yaremico, beef and forage specialist for the Government of Alberta looks at the causes...

Cow Comfort Improves Yields
The Dairy Extension research team at the University of Minnesota look at optimising cow comfort and health to improve yields through reduced lameness and minimising heat stress.

External Parasites of Dairy Cattle
One of the most challenging characteristics of flies is their behaviour of being in contact with livestock for only short periods of time. Adequate control can sometimes be difficult because measures must be applied at precisely the right time, P.E. Kaufman,...

Aureomycin and Zinc Reduce Incidence of Foot Rot in Grass Cattle
Despite an occasional respiratory problem, the major health-related cost that stocker producers will experience with grazing calves are performance losses and treatment costs associated with foot rot, writes Dale A. Blasi, beef specialist, K-State...