Colorado River Veterinary Services, LLC

Transcription

1 Volume I, Issue 2 Fall 2010 Colorado River Veterinary Services, LLC MOBILE LARGE ANIMAL VETERINARY SERVICES P r a c t i c e U p d a t e It has been a very busy spring and summer. We would like to thank all of you who have given us the opportunity to work for you. We are proud of the practice that we are continuing to build and look forward to providing you and your animals with quality veterinary service for years to come. We are available for both preventative medicine and emergency services. Thank you to all our wonderful clients! The following is a list of some of our services: Equine Bovine Preventative medicine Power dentistry Mare reproduction and foal care Lameness evaluation Surgical procedures Pre-purchase examination Laboratory services Equine Medicine Update..2-3 Bovine Medicine Update 4-5 CRVS, LLC Contact Information 6 Routine herd work including pregnancy evaluation and vaccinations Trich (Trichomoniasis) testing Brucellosis vaccination (Bang s) Bull breeding soundness exams Herd health consulting Calving emergencies and calf care BVD screening Additionally, we have added computed radiography abilities to better serve our clients. Digital images can be developed on site and transferred electronically. Inside This issue During a busy spring and summer season I have had the opportunity to meet many of you and your animals. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the valley and am looking forward to continuing to build my practice and serving the livestock producers and equine enthusiasts of the Western Slope for years to come. During the busy summer, I was lucky enough to find the time to squeeze in three continuing education courses to keep up on the latest veterinary technology and research to better serve my clients. In August, I attended the American Association of Bovine Practitioners in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I also attended the Pfizer Dr. Morgan McCarty (970) Hours/Day U p d a t e F r o m D r. M o r g a n Grand Valley Veterinary Retreat in Palisade, Colorado and a wonderful podiatry/farrier clinic hosted by the veterinarians and staff of Glenwood Veterinary Clinic. As the leaves change and the cattle begin to move down from the high country I am gearing up for a busy fall season. I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks. Our website is currently being developed. Visit us at and check back frequently for updates. Also follow our updates on Facebook. Dr. Morgan

2 P a g e 2 Equine Medicine Update F a l l V a c c i n a t i o n R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s A sound vaccination program is an essential part of horse ownership and a vital part of maintaining horse health and performance. While many vaccines are considered spring shots, it s important to remember that some horses are more at risk than others for disease. A blanket vaccination program, while protective, may not be necessary for every horse. Specific vaccinations should be tailored to each horse depending on environment, use, exposure to disease, location, management, vaccination history and age. That being said, fall is a great time to add Rabies to your vaccination protocol. CRVS considers Rabies an essential vaccine. Rabies virus is transmittable to humans and is 100% fatal to animals infected. The vaccine is administered and then a booster is given four weeks later with annual re-vaccination. Flu/Rhino is another common fall vaccine given to horses. Not sure if your horse should be vaccinated in the fall for Influenza and/or Rhino? Call today and we will discuss the risk factors associated with your individual situation. Lastly, on the subject of vaccines, pregnant mares should be vaccinated at 5, 7 & 9 months of gestation with an inactivated Rhino vaccine. Remember, it s also time to vaccinate foals! Please call if we can be of any assistance designing a vaccination program for your horses. L e a r n t o R e c o g n i z e y o u r H o r s e s D e n t a l P r o b l e m s Horses with dental problems may show obvious signs, such as pain or irritation, or they may show no noticeable signs at all. This is because some horses simply adapt to their discomfort. For this reason, periodic dental examinations are essential to your horse s health. It is important to catch dental problems early. If a horse starts behaving abnormally, dental problems should be considered as a potential cause. Waiting too long may increase the difficulty of remedying certain conditions or may even make remedy impossible. Look for the following indicators of dental problems from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) to know when to seek veterinary attention for your horse: 1. Loss of feed from mouth while eating, difficulty with chewing, or excessive salivation. 2. Loss of body condition. 3. Large or undigested feed particles (long stems or whole grain) in manure. 4. Head tilting or tossing, bit chewing, tongue lolling, fighting the bit, or resisting bridling. 5. Poor performance, such as lugging on the bridle, failing to turn or stop, even bucking. 6. Foul odor from mouth or nostrils, or traces of blood from the mouth. 7. Nasal discharge or swelling of the face, jaw or mouth tissues. Oral exams should be an essential part of an annual physical examination by a veterinarian. Every dental exam provides the opportunity to perform routine preventative dental maintenance (floating). Mature horses should get a thorough dental exam at least once a year, and horses 2 5 years old should be examined twice yearly. Additional information is available on the AAEP s horse health Web site, Reprinted with permission from the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

3 P a g e 3 Equine Medicine Update F o u n d e r Founder, the layman s term for laminitis is an excruciatingly painful disease that affects the feet of horses. Laminitis is associated with disruption of the blood vessels that supply the laminae, which are the structures that secure the coffin bone to the hoof wall. While laminitis occurs in the feet, it is most often the result of disruption elsewhere in the horses body. Laminitis is often referred to as acute or chronic and it is important to be able to differentiate between the two. Signs of acute laminitis include: Lameness, especially in circles Shifting weight from limb to limb Reluctance to walk, walking on eggshells Saw horse stance - front feet stretched out, and camped out, where back feet are set farther back than normal Laying down more often than normal If you notice any of these signs, consider it an emergency and notify your veterinarian immediately. The sooner treatment begins, the better chance there will be for a positive outcome. Acute signs your veterinarian will check for include: Increased digital pulses in the feet Pain in the toe region when hoof testers are applied Heart rate to help assess pain Signs of chronic laminitis can be more vague. They include: Rings in the hoof wall Stone bruises White line widening, seedy toe with abscesses Dished hooves Flat feet Horses with acute or chronic laminitis may suffer from other physical changes in the body including abnormal hair coat, thick cresty neck, obesity and abnormal fat deposits. Unfortunately, there is no known exact mechanism for why the feet are so severely affected when other portions of the body are dealt an insult. Possible causal factors include (very abbreviated list): Carbohydrate overload (too much grain or lush pasture) Check out for an Obesity (draft breeds are more prone to laminitis) abundance of information on laminitis. Click GI problems on Health Articles, Search by Topic, and click on Founder. Also, please feel free to call anytime if you have questions regarding lamini- Endocrine disturbances including: Cushings Disease tis, risk factors for laminitis or treatment Insulin resistance/equine metabolic syndrome options. Hypothyroidism Administration of certain steroid drugs Renal, respiratory or immune disorders Treatment options depend on the severity of the case. Often times radiographs are taken of the feet to help guide treatment. It is also important to remember that the earlier treatment is started, the better chance for a favorable outcome. In case of UPCOMING an equine emergency EVENTS contact: The Colorado Horseman s Convention Colorado River Veterinary Services, LLC October 29-30, 2010 Morgan McCarty, DVM National Western Complex - Denver, CO (970) The Colorado Horse Development Authority (CHDA) is developing an educational and networking venue that will bring together industry experts in a two-day event that will be beneficial to all those involved in the horse industry. This Convention will feature speakers on topics that concern the horseman s involvement, ownership and participation in the horse industry. Check for more information about the Colorado Horseman s Convention. Source: Colorado Horse Council, Inc.

4 Beef Cattle Update P a g e 4 T h e V a l u e o f H e r d H e a l t h P r o g r a m s Ten-year trends at Superior Livestock Auction: Calves in value-added health programs consistently receive higher prices During the 10-year period, the premium paid for VAC 45 calves averages $4.37 per hundredweight (cwt) and ranged from a low of $2.47/cwt to a high of $7.91/cwt. During the same period, the premium paid for VAC 34 calves averaged $1.91/cwt and ranged from $0.99 to $3.47/cwt. results provide evidence that cattle buyers continue to see added value in beef calves that have received one of the value added programs designed by Superior Livestock Auction. These buyers routinely pay the highest prices for calves that have been vaccinated near weaning and that have been weaned. Source: Michael E. King, MS & Jon T. Steeger, DVM The more information the better. How they re fed, how they re bred and what shots they ve had - those things mean something to buyers and they impact what they re willing to pay for your cattle. The basic determinants of a calf s value are: Mark Winter, Winter Livestock Auction in The Profit Picture Sale Barn Operators Share Feeder Calf Insights Healthy and stay that way Can convert feed to gain efficiently Are able to quality grade at least High Select with Yield Grade no worse then 3 Carcass weight in tolerance ( lbs.) Marketing for Added Value Glenn Smith AgInfoLink USA 2007 Range Beef Cow Symposium University of Nebraska - Lincoln The Importance of Animal Health Relating to Ranch Profitability Progressive beef producers have learned that disease prevention moves them a long way toward profitability. The cow-calf operations we work with aim to develop quality beef from a healthy herd. An active herd health program yields healthy calves, fewer train wrecks, and helps ensure the producer s future in the business Dr. Arn Anderson Bowie, TX Source: Priorities First, American Angus Association Colorado Beef Facts 2.6 million head of cattle 13,000 beef producers $497 million of beef exports in 2008 $2.5 billion of cash receipts from the sale of cattle and calves 33% of counties are classified as being economically dependent on the cattle industry Sources: Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado Beef Council

5 P a g e 5 F a l l C a t t l e W o r k High Tech Cowboys - Pregnancy Checking with Ultrasound There are advantages over traditional palpation There is no doubt, reproductive performance in a cow/calf operation is the number one factor affecting profitability. Traditionally, cows are pregnancy tested after breeding season to determine which cows to keep and which to sell. Pregnancy checking cows can also be a valuable tool in determining reproductive disease problems in a herd. Having a defined breeding season is extremely helpful when diagnosing pregnancy in cows as it eliminates some of the guess work when trying to age the fetus. Additionally, it will increase the uniformity of your calf crop which should increase value at marketing time. So what are the advantages of ultrasound? Ultrasound is an extremely accurate method for determining age of the fetus, especially in early pregnancies. Pregnancy can be detected as early as 25 days and accuracy at days is 100%. It is important to remember that aging the fetus, whether using ultrasound or traditional palpation can be off as much as 2 to 3 weeks in estimation after the 100 to 110 day range. The reason being is the uterus drops below the pelvic rim and the entire uterus cannot be palpated. Additionally, viability of early pregnancies, incidence of twins and fetal sex (60-80 days gestation) can all be determined with ultrasound. Plus, differentiating cows with uterine infections vs. cows with pregnancies is an important tool. Ultimately, ultrasounding your cows may result in a higher rate of cows that are determined pregnant which can increase your bottom line when they are sold as late bred vs. open, or kept in the herd to calve. Embracing changing technology may just put a few extra dollars in your pocket! Dr. McCarty believes in ultrasound technology for pregnancy evaluation and utilizes it when pregnancy testing cattle. CRVS Recommended Fall Cattle Vaccination Schedule CRVS trusts and recommends Pfizer products. Each herd situation is different. Consult your veterinarian before starting a vaccination program. Cattle Type 6-9 weeks prior to calving Pre-Weaning (2-6 weeks) Weaning Booster Preg Check Post-Weaning CALVES Bovi-Shield Gold 5 One Shot Bovi-Shield Gold 5 Bangs Vaccination for heifer calves Ultrabac 7/Somnus Ultrabac 7/Somnus Dectomax INJ BRED HEIFERS ScourGuard 4K/C 9 weeks pre-calving Booster 6 weeks precalving CattleMaster Gold FP5L5 Ultrabac 7/8 Dectomax Pour On COWS ScourGuard 4 K/C 6 wks pre-calving CattleMaster Gold FP5L5 Ultrabac 7/8 Dectomax Pour On BULLS Dectomax Pour On Some Points to Consider A vaccination program is only as good as the whole herd health program Nutrition is equally important to herd health as vaccinations (this includes choosing the proper mineral program) Call Colorado River Veterinary Services today for competitive vaccine pricing

6 Colorado River Veterinary Services, LLC PO Box 1212 Rifle, CO FALL 2010 NEWSLETTER (970) Follow us on Facebook Colorado River Veterinary Services, LLC Morgan McCarty, DVM Mobile Large Animal Veterinary Services (970) Serving the large animal veterinary needs of Western Colorado