Health & Production

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger: If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide: If you need support, but don’t know where to go: 211 Alberta / 211 Canada Counselling Alberta More Mental Health Resources 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline Alberta Addiction Health Line Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence…

In recognition of National Tick Awareness Month, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and Merck Animal Health are advising Canadians to stay vigilant because tick control may be needed when you least expect it. Dr. Trevor Lawson, CVMA president says that it is their responsibility and privilege as veterinary professionals to spread this knowledge to…

This article was originally posted on the Beef Cattle Research Council’s website on February 28, 2024. Beef producers will soon be making grazing plans for turning their herds out to spring pastures. While drought planning should be a routine part of the development of short- and long-term grazing plans, many beef cattle herds have withstood successive years…

The Government of Canada has announced funding of up to $1,697,850 to Animal Health Canada to support their role in foreign animal disease prevention and preparedness efforts in Canada, including for African swine fever (ASF) and Food and Mouth Disease (FMD). Animal Health Canada brings together the agriculture industry, and federal, provincial, and territorial partners…

Worldwide, it is estimated that approximately 60 per cent of infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they can be transmitted between animals and people. There are a number of different ways zoonoses can be spread between humans and animals, including direct and indirect contact, foodborne, inhalation, and vector borne. You may be familiar with some of…

All living creatures and plants contain protein. Plants take in nitrogen to produce protein. Some animals, including cattle, consume plant material. During digestion of the forage, the plant protein is broken down into amino acids. Rumen bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses rebuild the amino acids into proteins that are required by the animal. Microbes that…

Do you have water well monitoring conditions attached to your confined feeding operation (CFO) permit? The Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) has just published a new fact sheet outlining sampling methods and best practices for collecting water samples. You can find it here on the NRCB website: Sampling for Water Well Monitoring Fact Sheet. For…

Every day, thousands of cattle travel by trailer. Most of these animals are fit for the journey and experience no negative outcomes. However, there are instances where we must ask, “is this animal fit to load and be transported?” Updates to the Health of Animals Regulations Part XII, Humane Transport took effect in 2020. Now,…

“Whenever I’m speaking about dystocia, I always begin by mentioning the numbers 15 and 3,” says Mark Hilton, DVM and Midwest Beef Cattle Consultant. “If we have to assist more than 15 percent of our heifers and 3 percent of our mature cows, we have a problem needing attention, and it’s most likely our genetics.”…

New castration bands containing slow-release local anesthetic provide pain relief for cattle during castration. Large animal veterinarians in Alberta will soon be providing producers with anesthetic-infused castrationbands made in Canada. While producers currently inject pain relief or give it topically, a new process, developed by Solvet and Alberta Veterinary Laboratories (AVL), impregnates existing latex elastration…