Animal Health
Parasite resistant genes will boost profits
Breeding for parasite resistant genetics will strengthen flocks and save time and money on-farm, according to a group of leading sheep breeders. Growing concerns from farmers around increasing levels of drench resistance, rising farming input costs, and issues getting farm labour have prompted the ten breeder so form WormFEC. The breeders’ group brings together more than […]
Polio-type disease often undiagnosed
Both calves and lambs can suffer from polioencephalomalacia and easily go undiagnosed and die as a result. The disease effects the brain and is basically a thiamin (B1) deficiency. Often an older lamb or calf will be found lying flat, head flung back, flinging its legs about but more-or-less stuck on its side. Sometimes they will […]
Befriending calves works well
Calves that are stroked by people early in their life gain weight more quickly than animals that are not stroked.
Beware the droopy eyelid!
A new inherited disease that causes ptosis has been discovered in Finland.
More production and more health problems
As we push for more production and more dollars our animals seem to be more likely to suffer from a variety of diseases.
Pneumonia can frustrate
Unfortunately Pneumonia outbreaks are rarely simple, especially in a group of lambs. The actual
infecting agent could be one of a number of bacteria, a mycoplasma or a virus.
Vaccine against Neospora a step closer
An effective vaccine against a parasite-borne disease called neosporosis may be a few steps closer to development, thanks to US scientists and cooperator.Neosporosis, caused by the parasite Neospora caninum, affects cattle worldwide. Infected animals often abort their calves and develop other debilitating complications that can cost producers millions of dollars every year. Animal scientist Wenbin […]
Birth control shot shows potential
Colorado State University researchers are working to perfect two short-term birth control methods that may eventually be injected by dart into wild animals such as elk, providing options for managing wildlife overpopulation in protected areas across the country. Wildlife overpopulation plagues state and national parks across the nation and world, with overcrowding from bison, deer, […]