One key to efficient dairy herd management is understanding the concept of invisible cows — cows that don’t get sick, get pregnant again easily, and require little attention. These cows quietly contribute to the success of the herd without causing...

Have you taken a look at your EMR lately? If you’ve recently visited your physician or doctor, you may have heard the term “EMR” or electronic medical record, mentioned during your visit. An EMR is a collection of your personal health data stored in...

As our understanding of antibiotic resistance deepens, new practices are being implemented to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use on dairy farms. One such practice is Selective Dry Cow Therapy (SDCT), a strategic shift from the traditional approach of...

Mastitis in dairy cows can take a toll on both production and cow health, but understanding the root causes allows you to manage it more effectively and reduce its overall impact. In this post, I’ll continue the discussion on the cost of mastitis by...

Testing for disease in cows is essential for maintaining cow health and preventing the spread of illness within the herd. Even when a test comes back negative, could the cow still be sick? And if a test is positive, is it always accurate?

When analyzing mastitis infections in dairy milk production, it’s important to understand how mastitis impacts a milking cow and overall herd health management. After taking the time to analyze mastitis in a herd, I like to ask the questions, "What...

Working at the help desk, I often get into conversations with dairy producers and managers about cow health data. Recently I was having a conversation with a dairyman about mastitis in cows treatment and asked him this question: "Do you know the...

I am a big believer in not housing hospital and fresh cows together. I also like separating lame cows into a designated lame cow pen whenever possible because the pen walking surface and water trough should differ for these groups.

I have a problem at my farm. One of my herdspeople has an incredibly tender heart and truly loves animals. The upside of this is that we’ve saved a lot of calves by putting them on IV treatments and nursing them back to health. The downside,...

Every time a cow leaves the hospital pen, it’s a chance to reflect. What does a successful treatment really mean in the dairy industry? How should we evaluate the cure rate in cows?

Vaccination plays a key role in maintaining herd health and protecting cattle from disease. In the dairy industry, we deal with high-risk groups every day—cows that have just calved and newborn calves less than 75 days of age. While vaccines can be...

I had a discussion with a fellow veterinarian the other day, during which he shared an interesting experience. While doing a herd health analysis at a local dairy the dairyman mentioned that his family was quarantined because his daughter had been...