Veterinarians play a key role in assisting producers in managing resistance to parasites through effective treatment and diagnostic programs. Some strategies that have historically been used contribute to parasite resistance. Veterinarians can ask key questions to clients to mitigate this resistance pressure and provide guidance on effectively using the products not only to minimize resistance patterns, but also to ensure that cattle health and productivity are not being negatively impacted by parasites. 

For more information about sustainable parasite management options, visit this link. 

The first question is to ask your clients what are their goals? Veterinarians can assist producers, but having the client outline their goals is a way for the veterinarian to develop the programs to achieve those goals. The next question to ask is “would you like help with that?” Your clients may not be aware of your expertise on a topic which can be delivered in an unbiased manner to help the producer achieve their goals.

When selecting a bull, the veterinarian should also help the producer identify disease risk. Asking the seller if you can discuss the herd with their veterinarian is a good way to identify any disease risks to the purchaser. The veterinarian can also ask specific questions about what they want to accomplish with their bull purchase. This can include identifying if the bull will be used in heifers or cows to identify where you want to rank calving ease of the bull. The bull should also optimize heterosis for the cow herd. Incorporating cross breeding has a potential value of $400 per cow due to increased longevity, increased pregnancy rate and increased weaning weights. The veterinarian should also evaluate if the herd is retaining heifers and ask how they market calves.

Hilton reviews the EPDs and selection indices that he ranks as important for bull selection. When looking at the calving ease differential EPD for bulls used in heifers, this trait is 9 times more accurate than actual birth weight of the bull, which can be influenced by other factors. It is also important to understand the breed differences in EPDs and to review EPDs and selection indices by breed.

Veterinarians can play a key role in working with their clients on achieving their goals and how bull selection plays a part in that process. Hilton also mentions the AABP Cow-Calf Consulting Seminar which will be held in Alberta, Canada July 8-10, 2026. Registration is open and limited to 12 attendees. Bull selection and genetics will be one component of this seminar which will provide practical information on the pillars of beef cow-calf consulting practice. For more information on this seminar and to register, go to this link. The seminar is also held during the Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon Races and is close to the world-renowned Banff National Park for entertainment options while you are in the area. 

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the PYRAMID(R) Line of vaccines, a premier choice to protect calves from BRD. Get relentless protection at PyramidVaccines.com.

Van Saun begins by reviewing the important biologic role of copper for ruminants and why it is a critical mineral for ruminants. We also discuss some clinical diseases or conditions where a veterinarian may be triggered to look at a copper deficiency. This includes bleaching of the haircoat (achromotrichia), anemia, reproductive performance, growth, and disease consequences due to the role copper plays in innate and humoral immunity. Some of these syndromes may be clinically apparent, but a large portion may be subclinical, and the practitioner should evaluate the entirety of the mineral program to evaluate. 

Van Saun discusses the interplay between copper and other minerals and how this interaction can affect copper metabolism. We also discuss general guidelines copper in ruminants and diagnostic procedures for evaluating copper metabolism in a herd. 

Due to the impacts of copper on many production and disease issues in ruminants, veterinarians play a critical role in evaluating herds for copper deficiencies by performing a diagnostic work-up and evaluating potential interventions.

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the PYRAMID(R) line of vaccines, a premier choice to protect calves from BRD. Get relentless protection at PyramidVaccines.com.

According to research studies, approximately 30% of beef calves have failure of passive transfer and are below 10 g/L of IgG. These calves are 8x more likely to have a disease and 19x more likely to experience mortality. There may be some fundamental differences in colostrum for beef calves, and management strategies between the two production systems are vastly different which can present unique challenges for beef producers. Veterinarians are in a unique position to provide consultation to their beef clients to be prepared to intervene with assistance and/or providing a colostrum replacement product.

We discuss a study that examined various feeding protocols of colostrum replacer and its impacts on passive transfer, morbidity, mortality and average daily gains. We also discuss areas for future research on beef calf colostrum management and replacement products. Veterinarians should prepare their clients for the upcoming calving season to ensure that calves receive appropriate passive transfer of immunity by proactively discussing these strategies.

References:

Gamsjäger L, Haines DM, Pajor EA, Lévy M, Windeyer MC. Impact of volume, immunoglobulin G concentration, and feeding method of colostrum product on neonatal nursing behavior and transfer of passive immunity in beef calves. Animal 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100345

Mitman SL, Jenkins H, Chamorro MF, Mzyk DA, Foster DM, Gamsjäger L. Impact of 3 colostrum replacement strategies on immunoglobulin G absorption efficiency, passive immunity, health, and growth in beef calves. J Am Vet Med Assoc. July 2025. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.03.0139

Gamsjäger L, Haines DM, Pajor EA, Lévy M, Campbell J, Windeyer MC. Total and pathogen-specific serum Immunoglobulin G concentrations in neonatal beef calves, Part 1: Risk factors. Prev Vet Med. November 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.106026

Gamsjäger L, Haines DM, Pajor EA, Lévy M, Campbell J, Windeyer MC. Total and pathogen-specific serum Immunoglobulin G concentrations in neonatal beef calves, Part 2: Associations with health and growth. Prev Vet Med. November 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.105993

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the PYRAMID(R) line of vaccines, a premier choice to protect calves from BRD. Get relentless protection at PyramidVaccines.com.

Advances in youngstock management and reproduction programs has provided an opportunity for dairy producers to utilize gender-selected semen to maintain the correct number of replacement heifers while taking advantage of the increased revenue from the sale of beef-on-dairy calves. Producers should develop a strategy with their dairy clients to plan three years in advance for the number of replacement heifers the herd will require. The veterinarian can play a role in not only assisting with implementation of these programs, but also monitoring reproductive performance and semen selection strategy monitoring to ensure success. The value that is added from maximizing beef-on-dairy calves produced can be equivalent to $2-$3 per cwt of milk. Our guests also provide tips for avoiding pitfalls and what to discuss with clients during the implementation and monitoring phase of this program. 

Cornell University has developed a tool to assist veterinarians in consulting with clients on use of gender-selected and beef semen in their herds. You can find Semen Solver 2.0 at this link. 

If you have feedback about the tool, please contact Dr. Julie Adamchick at jms349@cornell.edu. 

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the PYRAMID(R) line of vaccines, a premier choice to protect calves from BRD. Get relentless protection at PyramidVaccines.com.

Krekelberg defines ambiguous loss as a loss that is unclear or lacks closure. Some loss, such as death, is defined both physically (the person is no longer with us) and psychologically (we understand that the person is gone). With ambiguous loss there is an incongruence between physical and psychological loss. Krekelberg provides some examples of ambiguous loss from our everyday lives.

Krekelberg discusses how ambiguous loss might look in a person and offers suggestions for how we can recognize this in our friends, family and clients. Ambiguous loss can be challenging to overcome because we do not know what we are experiencing and grief complicates this process. She also provides some suggestions for coping with ambiguous loss including understanding that conflicting feelings are normal, finding meaning and identifying the loss and discovering hope.

If you are an AABP member interested in this and other mental health topics, consider joining the AABP Mental Health and Well-Being Committee by going to this page. 

Resources:

The Myth of Closure by Pauline Boss. 

University of Minnesota Extension and type ambiguous loss in the search bar.

The Moos Room podcast or find on your favorite podcast platform.

Hilton informs his clients that a cow in labor should make progress every hour, and if not making progress in that time frame, they should call the veterinarian for assistance. The key points for the Utrecht technique include:

1.      Be sure that calf is in a normal presentation. Correct if needed while the cow is standing. If you need to manipulate, use an epidural and administer 10 cc of epinephrine IM to relax the uterus. 

2.      Manually dilate the birth canal. Put both gloved and lubed arms in the vagina, clasp your hands and push your arms laterally to dilate the vagina. You can also ask the producer or caregiver to help you dilate the cow to allow you to rest. 

3.      Put chains on the legs and apply traction. If you can get the carpi past the vulva, or you can feel room around the calf, Hilton says he makes the decision to pull vaginally versus a C-section.

4.      Cast the cow and lay her in lateral recumbency.

5.      Use a calf puller with traction, but only apply traction when the cow pushes and rest when the calf’s shoulders are through the pelvis. The cow will rotate the calf while you are resting, or if not, you can rotate the calf so the pelvis of the calf is turned to go through the largest part of the dam’s pelvis. If the calf is being delivered in posterior presentation, Hilton continues to use traction to quickly deliver the calf after the pelvis is through to prevent the calf from suffocating during delivery. 

For more information:

Midwest Beef Cattle Consultants, LLC. https://www.mwbeefcattle.com/educational-material 

An easier way to deliver calves, Mark Hilton, AABP Annual Conference Proceedings, 2020.

https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20208085

Soybeans and soybean meal products are an important source of protein and fat for dairy cow diets. Soybeans are typically 38-42% crude protein and 15-20% fat. The fat in conventional soybeans is 50-55% linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) which can suppress milk fat production if fed at high levels. Roasting soybeans is common on dairy farms to increase the amount of bypass protein (RUP). 

High oleic fat soybeans have more recently been fed as a soybean source in dairy cattle diets. The primary advantage of these soybeans are that they have the same percentage of fat (20%) but the fatty acid profile is 75-80% oleic acid. Oleic acid does not directly suppress milk fat production since it is a monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA). This allows us to safely feed a higher energy diet to cows. Lock suggests that we can target high producing or early lactation cows with these soybeans to provide more energy. These beans can result in higher production, higher milk fat and may have positive effects on health and immunity. 

Lock provides some general guidelines for incorporating high oleic acid soybeans in dairy cattle diets. They can be included at 8-12% of diet dry matter for roasted ground beans. Cows do not need a step-up period to incorporate these into the diet and an expected response should be seen in 7-10 days. Diets should be reformulated to account for this added fat and Lock states that many times other fat sources are removed, but some palm fats can be utilized with these beans for a better fat profile. Other protein sources, such as blood meal, can be adjusted. 

Effects of increasing dietary inclusion of high oleic acid soybeans on milk production of high-producing dairy cows

A.M. Bales, A.L. Lock

Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 107, Issue 10, 2024,

Pages 7867-7878, ISSN 0022-0302,

https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-2478

Effects of raw and roasted high oleic soybeans on milk production of high-producing dairy cows

A.M. Bales, A.L. Lock

Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 107, Issue 12, 2024,

Pages 10869-10881, ISSN 0022-0302,

https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-25092

Van Saun starts by reviewing why mineral and vitamin transfer are important beyond their biological role in fetal development and reminds us that milk does not have a significant quantity of trace elements and some vitamins. It is important to provide a diet that is adequate in vitamins and minerals to the dam to ensure the developing fetus is not deficient and that the newborn calf is very dependent on what we feed the dam.

Van Saun reviews how minerals and vitamins are regulated in the body and what we know about the placental transfer of minerals and vitamins to the fetus during gestation. He offers suggestions for practicing veterinarians for evaluating the nutritional status of dams. He suggests starting by evaluating the ration that has been formulated to ensure it is consistent with recommendations from NASEUM 2021 (dairy) and NASEM 2016 (beef). The veterinarians can then submit biologic samples for vitamin and mineral analysis which can be done via liver biopsy or blood testing as well as when each test is applicable. In addition, liver samples from stillborn fetuses can be submitted to develop a database for clients mineral and vitamin programs and to determine if stillbirths are due to deficiencies. 

Links:

Hostetler CE, Kincaid RL, Mirando MA. The role of essential trace elements in embryonic and fetal development in livestock. Vet J. 2003;166(2):125-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1090-0233(02)00310-6. PMID: 12902178 

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) 2021. Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle: Eighth Revised Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25806

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle: Eighth Revised Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/19014

The AABP dues year has changed from a mid-year dues renewal to a calendar year dues year. If you have not renewed your dues for the 2026 dues year, please go to this link to renew your dues. AABP is funded by members and our major source of revenue is member dues and conference registration fees. 

AABP has three silos of activity for members which include continuing education, support of the AABP Foundation and advocacy. Gingrich discusses each silo and what AABP does for members in each one. In 2025, there were 26 RACE-approved CE events both live and recorded for our members which is greatly expanded from one annual conference per year. 

In 2026, we will offer even more continuing education with webinars, podcasts and publications but also the Recent Graduate and Annual conferences as well as seminars. Four seminars are planned for 2026 including the Edwin Robertson ET seminar August 3-5 at Virginia Tech; Feedlot Management seminar at Hy-Plains Feedyard in Montezuma, Kan. June 12-13; Advanced Beef Production Medicine seminar at Veterinary Agri-Health Services in Alberta, Canada July 8-10; and Dairy Youngstock Seminar in Ashland, Ohio May 1-2. 

AABP will also have our first virtual conference in 2026. The theme of the virtual conference will be Emerging and Evolving Diseases and providing topics on the dairy cow highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak, New World Screwworm, tuberculosis, foot-and-mouth disease, and lumpy skin disease. We will also have presentations on biosecurity for dairy farms in relation to these diseases. This conference will be live sessions over two afternoons. Registration will open in the first quarter of 2026. 

Gingrich also discusses the activities of the AABP Foundation which provides externship grants, education grants, scholarships and research grants. We encourage you to support the AABP Foundation to continue these initiatives. In 2025, the AABP Foundation provides $115,000 in externship/education grants, $343,000 in scholarships and $65,000 in research grants. Donate to the AABP Foundation at this link. To view the research projects supported by the AABP Foundation, go to this page and view the published research from these projects here.  

AABP also is involved in advocacy for all cattle veterinarians. This activity continues to expand and AABP provides advocacy to protect the VCPR, protect the scope of licensure, maintain access to xylazine and controlled drugs, and input on management of diseases of consequence for cattle veterinarians.

The AABP Board of Directors thanks all of our members for their membership dues, attendance at our CE events, and your work as cattle and mixed animal veterinarians in rural communities. Best wishes to all of our members for a happy and prosperous 2026!

Salmonella Dublin is a host-adapted pathogen that results in high morbidity and mortality due to the systemic nature of the disease in calves and in most cases, the pathogen exhibits multi-drug resistance. This pathogen also has implications for human health as a zoonotic disease. Abuelo discusses the clinical presentation in calves is primarily respiratory disease and the carrier state that can be seen in adult cows that serve as a continuous reservoir to maintain the disease on a farm. Diagnostics should include multiple tissues from deceased calves that are necropsied. The best sample to submit in live calves is not feces, but aseptically collected blood cultures. 

Abuelo discusses the nuances of treatment in affected calves and due to multi-drug resistance, response to therapy can be poor or lead to a carrier state in recovered animals. Although enrofloxacin is labeled for treatment of bovine respiratory disease, it is not specifically labeled for treatment of Salmonella Dublin and extralabel use of fluoroquinolones in food animals is prohibited by the FDA. 

Prevention of the disease is multifactorial and includes all aspects of proper neonatal calf management including adequate and timely pasteurized colostrum, maternity pen management, ventilation, sanitation and nutrition. Abuelo also discusses the use of vaccines in cows and calves to manage the disease on endemically infected farms to prevent outbreaks. Continued research on managing this disease, including the use of vaccines and improved diagnostics, will be important topics for veterinarians and producers who are managing this pathogen.

REFERENCES:

Frye E, Jennings C, Kremer K. Aseptic technique for blood culture collection in the field to diagnose Salmonella Dublin in calves. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2025;263(7):1. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.02.0116. PMID: 40267971. https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/263/7/javma.25.02.0116.xml

Castro-Vargas RE, Cullens-Nobis FM, Mani R, Roberts JN, Abuelo A. Effect of dry period immunization of Salmonella Dublin latent carriers with a commercial live culture vaccine on intrauterine transmission based on the presence of precolostral antibodies in offspring. J Dairy Sci. 2024;107(12):11436-11445. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-24945

The effect of Salmonella vaccination on Salmonella Dublin blood enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results. Bov Pract. 2025;59(2), 53-60. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259266

Abuelo A, Renaud D.  Salmonella Dublin Infection in Cattle. Merck Veterinary Manual. 2024. Winter A, Abuelo A, Allen DG, et al. (Eds). Merck, Rahway, NJ, USA. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/digestive-system/salmonellosis/salmonella-dublin-infection-in-cattle

Salmonella Dublin Risk Management HERD SD app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/herd-sd/id6748356498

Vatta reviews the major classes of anthelmintics available for treating internal parasites in cattle and the importance of ensuring accurate dosing to increase effectiveness as well as decrease the risk of resistance. A major factor in mitigation of resistance to anthelmintics is to utilize refugia in treatment and control programs. Refugia is the proportion of the worm population that is not treated. Utilizing fecal egg counts to determine when cattle need dewormed, as well as performing a fecal egg count reduction test to monitor resistance and efficacy, is an important service for veterinarians to offer beef cattle clients. Vatta walks through some practical tips for performing these tests as well as how to manage the number of animals selected for non-treatment as they enter the chute. 

Vatta also discusses opportunities for future research to improve the practicality and compliance of performing fecal egg counts. Veterinarians have an excellent opportunity to ensure that producers are getting value from the anthelmintic products that they purchase. 

Ray M. Kaplan, Matthew J. Denwood, Martin K. Nielsen, Stig M. Thamsborg, Paul R. Torgerson, John S. Gilleard, Robert J. Dobson, Jozef Vercruysse, Bruno Levecke,

World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (W.A.A.V.P.) guideline for diagnosing anthelmintic resistance using the faecal egg count reduction test in ruminants, horses and swine, Vet Parasitol. 2023;Vol. 318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2023.109936

Fecal Egg Count Reduction homepage https://www.fecrt.com/

The objective of this paper was to study the temporal consumption patterns of chlortetracycline (CTC)-medicated mineral supplement offered free choice to beef cows on pasture and test the effect of cow age on CTC-medicated mineral supplement intake. The study involved an adaptation period to acclimate cows to the SmartFeed units and a trial period to test the study objectives. During the 27-day adaptation period, 76% of cattle consumed any amount of the diet during the day and the average total intake was just under 8 kg per cow or 0.3 kg per day. During the 46-day trial period, 27% of cows across all pasture groups consumed any amount of CTC-medicated mineral with an average amount consumed of just under 41 grams per day. The average dose of CTC consumed was 0.53 mg/kg per day which is less than the labeled dose of 1.1 mg/kg. The authors identified variability between cows in consumption of CTC-medicated mineral. The mean number of consumption days was 12.5, the number of consecutive days the average cow visited the feeder was 1.6 and the average number of days between visits was 6 days.

We discuss the implications for control of anaplasmosis with these results. The authors identified that in this study, feeding CTC-medicated mineral did not ensure that cows on free-choice pasture-based feeding programs did not consume the label dose of CTC. As the age of the cow increased, the frequency of visits decreased, and the total consumption of CTC-medicated mineral declined. 

Veterinarians who are utilizing CTC for control of anaplasmosis should be familiar with FDA regulations on the Veterinary Feed Directive, including dosing, the difference between hand-fed labels and free-choice administration, and the prohibition of extralabel drug use for medically important antimicrobials administered in feed. 

A pilot study investigating consumption patterns of chlortetracycline-medicated mineral supplement offered free choice to beef cows on pasture. (2025). The Bovine Practitioner, 60(1):1-11. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20269277

Questions and Answers: FDA Approved Free-Choice Feeding Options for Anaplasmosis Control in Cattle | FDA

The committee walks through the sessions, beginning with the theme of “Setting the Tone” with Dr. Tera Barnhardt. Barnhardt will present  “Chubacabras in the Corrals”, a talk that will shine a light on the hidden monsters that creep into our early years as a veterinarian including imposter syndrome and self-doubt. Sessions throughout Friday and Saturday include clinical skills, mixed animal, dairy and beef.

Preconference seminars are also offered on Thursday February 12 and include an additional eight hours of continuing education. This includes a dystocia and fetotomy seminar with wetlab, hoof trimming seminar and wetlab, and professional and personal finance seminar. Dr. Dave Smith is also offering a seminar that provides training on using data and is a two-day seminar funded by a USDA grant. Attendees at this seminar will be refunded $325 if they attend both days of the seminar and they will then only pay $50 to attend the two-day seminar and the Saturday sessions at the conference.

Find all information about the conference at this link. Register for the conference here and book your hotel room on this page. The full schedule is on this page and preconference seminar descriptions can be found here. Would you like to connect with other attendees to share rides from the airport or share hotel rooms? If yes, enter your information and connect with others on this page. 

Understanding the pathophysiology of neonatal scours can help veterinarians and producers understand the treatment goals. Calves with scours typically have a metabolic acidosis with hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypoglycemia and dehydration. It is important to replace the sodium to rehydrate the calf. Smith reviews the IV fluid therapy options including lactated ringers, isotonic sodium bicarbonate, hypertonic saline solution, and hypertonic sodium bicarbonate. Calculating the base deficit can be done with bloodwork but can also be estimated with an estimate of 20 mEq/L in a down calf.

Smith also reviews some guidelines for a good oral electrolyte solution which includes 90-130 mEq/L of sodium, glycine for an energy source and to help sodium be absorbed from the gut, an alkalinizing agent such as sodium bicarbonate or sodium acetate, a strong ion difference (sodium plus potassium minus chloride) of at least 60 which is an indication of the fluid’s ability to alkalinize the calf. 

We also review some of the questions asked at the conference. As we prepare for winter and the next calving season, this episode will help veterinarians and your clients prepare for treating calf scours when our prevention efforts fail. 

The election will close on December 11 at 5 pm eastern. AABP provides information for our members to learn about each candidate. This includes a candidate Q&A insert in the November newsletter, biographies, presentations at the annual conference in Omaha, and this podcast. You can find all of this information about the candidates on the ballot page here. 

The candidate with the most votes will be seated as the AABP Vice President after the Annual Business Lunch in Minneapolis on August 29, 2026, and will ascend through all four offices of the Executive Committee. In addition to serving on the AABP Board, the Vice President manages preconference seminars for the 2027 conference, the President-Elect chairs the 2028 AABP Annual Conference, and the President represents the organization and chairs the Board in 2029. In 2030 they will complete their service and chair the Forward Planning Committee as Past President. 

Cast your vote before December 11 at 5 pm eastern by going to this page. 

Reid states that general goals are five-and-a-half parlor turns per hour in side-by-side parlors and depending on the size of the rotary, seven to nine turns per hour. Two factors that influence throughput is the size of the parlor and the amount of labor the farm employees for milking. He states that the most important factor in improving throughput is getting cows to be a willing participant in the milking process and practicing good stockmanship by moving cows in a calm manner. This also results in cows moving slower, so they have less manure splash and are calm when they start the milking process. Reid suggests that veterinarians walk the path that cows walk from the home pen to the parlor to make sure there are not areas that are dirty or create issues for cow handling. Frequency of fresh bedding application is a critical question for veterinarians to review with producers to improve cow cleanliness.

Reid also discusses making sure that the milking routine is consistent from milking-to-milking and milking technician-to-technician. Forestripping every cow at every milking is a critical step that not only allows for detection of abnormal milk but improves milk letdown, milk flow rates and decreases unit on-time which is important for maximizing throughput. We also discuss some of the features in parlor that allow for the machine to strip the cow, but Reid cautions that this does not detect abnormal milk. Other tips Reid suggests for improving throughput are starting to prep the first cow as soon as she enters the first stall, shield field-of-vision areas where cows enter the parlor so they only see the cow ahead of them, and proper use of the crowd gate to train cows to the audible noise, then backing off. 

Veterinarians play a critical role in monitoring milk quality and parlor throughput on their client’s farms. This includes monitoring milk per shift, turns per hour, walking the cow path to detect any issues, and visually inspecting milk filters. 

To find milk quality resources on the AABP website, visit this page and select the Milk Quality and Udder Health Committee. If you are interested in joining the Milk Quality and Udder Health Committee, contact Dr. Fred Gingrich at fred@aabp.org. 

Salmonella Dublin is a host-adapted and zoonotic pathogen affecting many dairy farms. It can be associated with high morbidity and mortality and is often multi-drug resistant which elevates its importance to dairy farmers and veterinarians. Surveillance and diagnostics are an important aspect of managing diseases in our herds. Nogay reviews available diagnostic tests and the advantages and disadvantages of each one. The ELISA test has a sensitivity of 65%, but is used to screen herds for the disease. The objective of this study was to determine if the four U.S. commercially licensed Salmonella vaccines would result in a positive Salmonella Dublin ELISA test result. 

We walk through the results of the paper and discuss some of the findings, including the impact of the vaccines on the serum ELISA results and some potential reasons for the ELISA results after vaccination. Habing discusses future opportunities for research on this disease, including the need for better diagnostic tests, including a PCR test to screen herds. 

AABP’s peer-reviewed journal, The Bovine Practitioner, publishes original research studies, reviews, case series, and case reports intended to provide clinically relevant research to private practicing veterinarians. It is an open access journal and there are no publication fees for submitting authors. Read more about the journal at this link. 

The effect of Salmonella vaccination on Salmonella Dublin blood enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results. Bov Pract. 2025;59(2), 53-60. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259266

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Merck Animal Health as part of their sponsorship package for the opening reception at the 2025 AABP Conference in Omaha, Neb. Merck is also the sponsor of the Merck Bovine Veterinary Student Recognition Award which is the AABP Foundation’s scholarship program providing nine students scholarships of $10,000 each. 

Market influences can impact producers' willingness to provide interventions to manage disease risk. Merck Animal Health partners with Superior Livestock Auction to evaluate the economic impact of providing preconditioning programs for calves including the VAC45 and PrimeVAC programs. The data from 2024 indicates that this preconditioning program added $8.46/cwt compared to non-preconditioned calves. 

We also discuss beef-on-dairy crosses and labor challenges in our industry that can impact disease risk. Good animal handling, management and ensuring adequate colostrum delivery and vaccination can decrease BRD risk. Our guests discuss evaluating the risk of arrival calves by calculating shrink, backtags, other tags and evaluating manure consistency. Sjeklocha has a goal of less than 6% shrink.

Technological advancements have also played a role in disease monitoring and improving calf health while optimizing labor resources. Veterinarians can play a key role in monitoring disease, providing goals, evaluating records, and training producers and caregivers how to manage stress and improve handling and management of calves. 

For more information on the products available for BRD prevention, control and treatment, visit https://MAHCattle.com.

NWS was recently discovered in Nuevo Leon, Mexico which is 70 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. The infected animal was a feedlot steer that was detected with larvae upon arrival at the feedlot. Mexican authorities have restrictions on animal movements both at the point of origin and arrival.

The life cycle of the NWS fly is about 3 weeks. Fertilized eggs are laid in packets of 200-350 eggs that hatch in 12-21 hours with the emergence of larvae within 3 days. Two important aspects of the life cycle are that female flies mate and lay eggs once, then die and they lay eggs in fresh wounds, not decaying tissue like other fly strikes. The larvae burrow deep into wounds and cause significant destruction which can result in the animal dying of septicemia in 1-2 weeks. It is important to inspect for larvae and remove all of them, placing them in alcohol to kill them. 

The USDA continues to work with Mexican authorities to protect the U.S. from this fly. Releasing sterile male flies works based on history of control of this pest, but the current production rate of 110 million per week is not enough to control the areas that have the fly. It is also important to remember that half of the sterile flies are females, although scientists are working to try to produce only male flies to increase production. The U.S. is also constructing a facility in Texas, but the timeline for completion to release of flies is 2-3 years.

The most important thing veterinarians can do is to inspect animals aggressively. Pay special attention to any wounds – superficial wounds or scrapes, foot rot lesions, open umbilical cords, wounds in the vulva from calving, castration wounds or dehorning sites. Veterinarians and producers should remain hypervigilant and report any suspicious wounds or larvae and contact their state animal health official. Treatment involves the use of avermectin products and doramectin has received emergency use authorization for NWS by FDA. Fly control and wound care is also very important for control of this infestation.

AABP members can also view the presentation from Dr. Bud Dinges at the 2025 AABP Annual Conference in Omaha by going to the NWS page on the AABP website (https://aabp.org) as well as other NWS resources. 

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the 360° coverage mastitis portfolio. From prevention to treatment options designed for judicious antibiotic use, the 360° coverage mastitis portfolio has the products you need to defend udders at every angle. Find out more information by visiting this link.  

AABP administers a survey to graduating seniors to collect data on their job, debt, and obstacles they experience in job seeking since 2018 with an average response rate of 152 per year. In 2025, the average starting salary was $91,500 and 40% of respondents reported incomes over $100,000. The average debt reported was $150,431 with 17% reporting no debt. Of those reporting debt, the average debt was $180,000.  

Respondents also report their obstacles or challenges to accepting a job offer with salary/compensation being the number one challenge (45%) 28% reporting poor work environment/human resources issues, 15% hours of work required and 12% gender or other bias. 

AABP also has administered surveys asking what type of community members spent the majority of their childhood, with 630 responses. 70% of members reported growing up in a rural area, 25% suburban and 5% urban. This report is consistent across all graduation years including the 2025 graduating seniors.  

Gingrich also reviews the results of the survey administered by the Mental Health and Well-Being Committee with 493 respondents. Highlights of this survey indicated that 57% identified mental health as important or very important, 40% have sought mental health therapy, 30% have sought  guidance from a religious leader, 85% discuss stressors with family members and 45% discuss with work colleagues.  

Gingrich invites members to consider joining a committee that interests them by going to the committee menu on the AABP website and submitting a brief bio to join. He also discusses other member resources including AABP-L, practice management workshops, online recordings of conference sessions and webinars, webinars and seminars.  The 2026 Recent Graduate conference is also open for registration! Find out more information at this link. Open access to AABP publications is also available from the Publications menu of the AABP website. Specific articles of interest referencing improving recruitment and retention of bovine or mixed animal veterinarians are below:

Factors influencing job and career satisfaction in veterinarians 10 years or fewer from graduation

A mixed-method pilot study investigating challenges experienced by mixed animal veterinarians in practice and their private practice experiences prior to graduation

Factors influencing administrative personnel and veterinarian turnover and compensation packages in rural mixed-animal practices over a 5-year period

Incomes and satisfaction among bovine focused veterinary practitioners in the United States and Canada

Eighty-eight percent of respondents ranked the conference good or great indicating a successful AABP annual conference providing continuing education, a trade show, great beef and dairy products, and networking opportunities. 

Gingrich reminds attendees of the conference that CE certificates are available by logging in to the AABP website, hover over your name in the upper right corner, and select My CE Certificates. You can scroll to the bottom of your certificate to select individual presentations from the session blocks that you attended.

All AABP conference sessions are recorded and available at no charge to AABP members. Go to the continuing education menu on the AABP website or directly at this link to see all conference sessions. The 2025 conference sessions will be uploaded over the next two months as they are edited and posted. You can also listen or view presentations on your mobile device by downloading the free BCI Mobile Conference app for your device. Note that CE certificates for viewed sessions are not available through the app and you must be on a browser to take the quiz and receive a CE certificate.

AABP will continue to adhere to its core mission of providing continuing education for our members. Watch the CE menu on the website for upcoming webinars, non-conference seminars, practice management workshops, and future conferences. 

Arrivals at the Omaha airport can take ride share (Uber/Lyft) or taxis from the airport to the hotel area. The airport, as well as areas around the hotels, are under construction and ride share pickups are in the lower ground level of the parking garage at the airport. The airport is a 10-minute ride from the hotel area.  

Preconference seminar attendees should go directly to their seminar room to get their registration packs and name badges and do not need to go to the registration desk. The lameness seminar is in the convention center and all other seminars are on the second floor of the Hilton hotel. Clinical forum breakfasts and committee meetings on Thursday morning will also be on the second floor of the Hilton hotel. All remaining sessions are in the convention center which is called the CHI Health Center. 

All other attendees should visit the registration desk on the ground floor of the convention center on arrival. Wednesday evening will be the opening dinner reception and scholarship presentations sponsored by Merck Animal Health in the Grand Ballroom on the second floor of the convention center. Thursday morning is the Zoetis Breakfast and presentation from Dr. Mike Overton on using data for decision making. Friday evening is the Zoetis Dinner, Scholarship Presentations, and live auction benefiting the AABP Foundation and Amstutz Scholarship Fund. To build a consortium and bid on an item as a group go to this link. A list of auction items can be found here.  

Make sure to visit the great trade show to network with vendor representatives and learn about their companies to take advantage of any show specials. We also have lounges and an entertainment area in the exhibit hall, as well as our Bovine Bucks lunches. If you purchased a lunch ticket, it will be in your name badge. 

To help you navigate the conference, utilize the printed program guide available at the registration desk or the online schedule to add items to your calendar. Attendees should also download the conference app on their mobile device. Search for Yapp in your device’s store and then click on the plus sign to add a Yapp and enter code AABP2025. The app is sponsored by Beef Quality Assurance and has all conference schedules, descriptions and events. There is also a conference survey on the app that we encourage all attendees to take after the conference and provide needed feedback to AABP. To ask questions and participate in polls, download the Slido app and enter event code AABP2025. 

Thank you to the program committee, our sponsors, volunteers, exhibitors, speakers and each of you, our attendees and members, for coming to the conference! We are here to help you have a great experience and advance your education on all things cattle!

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and their 360°  coverage mastitis portfolio. Every lactation cycle, cows are up against the threat of mastitis. Which really means you’re up against it, too.  Thankfully, Boehringer Ingelheim has you covered with 360° coverage solutions. From prevention to treatment options designed for judicious antibiotic use, the 360° coverage mastitis portfolio has the products you need to defend udders at every angle. What’s in your cattle health toolkit? Experience the power of complete mastitis care at this link. 

Villar provides information on the importance of micromineral nutrition of beef and dairy cattle health. This study looked at submissions to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory (CAHFS) to evaluate the disease processes and pathogens identified along with micromineral analysis. The primary objective of this study was to determine if the correlation patterns of hepatic Cu, Se, and Mn for disease in the CAHFS diagnostic database at different ages would be similar for beef and dairy cattle. 

Villar discusses the results from the study which identified that 33% of beef cattle were deficient in CU, 46% were deficient in Se, and 41% were deficient in both. In dairy cattle, very few animals had deficiencies, indicating appropriate micromineral ration balancing and intakes. The number one disease seen in beef was bovine respiratory disease (BRD) with a median age of 8 months. Of these, 68% were deficient in Cu, Se or both, and most had a history of transportation and commingling. Although BRD was also frequently diagnosed in dairy animals, the median age was 90 days. Salmonella Group D was the next most frequent disease in deficient dairy animals.

This paper identifies the importance of micromineral deficiencies and correlations with diseases. There are significant opportunities for veterinarians, especially involved with beef cattle, to address micromineral nutrition programs and monitoring. 

Diagnostic findings of copper, selenium and manganese deficiency in dairy and beef cattle submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory. (2025). The Bovine Practitioner, 59(2), 61-70. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259267

Our guests start by describing why they chose to join Heritage Vet Partners and the impact it has had on preserving their practice culture. Davidson describes the partnership model and value proposition for practice owners and members of the veterinary team and how it supports the practice. We also discuss some of the benefits these practice owners have seen for their support staff when integrating with Heritage Vet Partners and how it has supported their practices' daily activities and work-life balance.

Kurtz and Duch describe the partnership model and dispel some of the myths about the corporate practice model and the stigmas associated with it. Davidson closes our podcast by sharing some thoughts that students, recent grads and owners might consider regarding Heritage Vet Partners. 

Find Heritage Vet Partners on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HeritageVetPartners or visit their website https://heritagevetpartners.com/.

This podcast is sponsored by Elanco Animal Health, manufacturers of PradalexTM. The development of Pradalex highlights their commitment to improving animal health outcomes, reducing the risk of resistance and minimizing disruption to animals’ normal health biome. Pradalex’s structural differences result in a dual-targeting effect, yielding up to 3x better in vitro potency compared to similar fluoroquinolone antibiotics approved for the treatment of BRD. Elanco, a global leader in animal health, is committed to supporting the success of the beef industry by providing resources to help manage health, enhance economic performance, and promote operational sustainability. For more information visit Elanco.com or contact your local Elanco representative. 

We begin with an explanation of the mechanism of action of this new antibiotic and the reasons for performing this study. The primary study objective was to evaluate the effect of 3-, 6- and 9-day post-treatment intervals on first treatment success and case fatality in naturally occurring bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in stocker calves. Secondary outcomes included days-to-death (DTD) in the same population. The average overall first treatment success was 61.8% with no statistical differences across the three post-treatment intervals. The average case fatality rate was 12.3% with no statistical differences between the treated groups. The authors note that the population studied was stocker cattle which may have explained the higher numbers compared to feedlot cattle reports. We also discuss the inclusion of DTD in this study and the reasons for this outcome variable. 

Veterinarians can utilize this information to guide treatment protocols when using pradofloxacin. Post-treatment intervals are an important component of antimicrobial stewardship as well as decreasing treatment costs without impacting animal health.

The Bovine Practitioner is the peer reviewed journal of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners. It is open access and does not charge authors a publication fee. You can find the journal at this link. 

Evaluation of 3-, 6- and 9-day post-treatment intervals following pradofloxacin for treatment of bovine respiratory disease in stocker cattle. (2025). The Bovine Practitioner, 59(2), 47-52. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259263

Certified Semen Services (CSS) was established in 1976 and is a subsidiary of the National Association Animal Breeders. The primary purpose of the program is to prevent the spread of disease through semen and is considered to be the gold standard certification program for artificial insemination. The main diseases that are screened through the program are Campylobacter, Trichomoniasis, Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, BVD and Leptospirosis. The key benefits to breeders and farmers with CSS is that the semen is from a bull that has met minimum standards. 

Our guests also discuss some of the challenges they experience with receiving potential bull studs into their program. Both IBR and Lepto titers remain a challenge. Our guests encourage veterinarians to work with bull studs on housing and vaccination protocols to ensure that potential studs do not have titers that would eliminate them from the program. They also mention that better tests are needed for some of these diseases to differentiate titers from infection versus vaccination. 

The benefits of the CSS program include improving fertility through extenders, expansion of export markets, ensuring processes and controls are in place for prevention of disease, and establishing a growing relationship with USDA.

To find out more information about Certified Semen Services, visit this website. If you are an AABP member interested in reproduction, consider joining the AABP Reproduction Committee by emailing fred@aabp.org.

This episode of Have You Herd is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Most producers focus on lactation for milk yield and udder health. But as veterinarians, we know that many of the most critical decisions happen around dry-off. This episode will explore dry cow strategies and what veterinarians can do to help clients drive better outcomes during the dry period.

We should approach the dry period as the beginning of lactation, not the end of lactation, to set cows up for a successful milk production period. Dry-off is a critical window for mastitis prevention and use of internal teat sealants and coliform mastitis vaccination are important tools that should be considered by the veterinarian. Veterinarians should also discuss with clients how to prepare for drying off high-producing cows and why it is important to address them proactively. Bovikalc Dry ® is an acidogenic bolus given to cows at dry off to decrease milk production and udder engorgement. It works by causing a transient decrease in dry matter intake and a decrease in glucose transport to the udder which leads to a decrease in milk production. 

The veterinarian of record is also an important resource for developing and monitoring protocols. Monitoring dry-off protocols and conducting audits of the dry-off procedures and dry pen are important services that veterinarians can provide to clients. Ensuring that protocol drift is not occurring, dry pens are clean and not overstocked, ventilation and cow cooling are appropriate, and access to feed and water is adequate are important areas to audit to ensure a successful dry cow program. 

For more information about mastitis prevention programs from Boehringer Ingelheim, visit this website. A summary of the Bovikalc Dry product can be found here. 

Publications on Bovikalc Dry:

Randomized clinical trial evaluating the effects of administering acidogenic boluses at dry-off on udder health, milk yield, and herd removal

J Dairy Sci

https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2023-23757

A randomized clinical trial evaluating the effects of administration of acidogenic boluses at dry-off on rumination and activity behavior in the 14 subsequent days

J Dairy Sci Comm

https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2022-0366

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the Choose360Coverage mastitis portfolio. Bacteria can strike udders from any angle. The dairy health portfolio that rises to the challenge is Mastitis 360 by Boehringer Ingelheim. It offers powerful solutions for lactation through dry-off. Manage udder health with the ultimate to tools at your disposal. Find out more information by visiting the Choose360coverage.com today. 

Diagnosis of the type of fly is an important first step in managing treatment and control programs. The three main flies affecting cattle are horn flies, face flies and stable flies. Horn flies spend the majority of their life on the animal, typically along the withers, are blood feeders, and lay eggs in fresh manure. Face flies feed on eye secretions, damage the cornea, are not found in the hot southern regions of the U.S., and lay eggs in fresh manure. They do not spend most of their time on the animal. Stable flies are biting flies and a nuisance pest that lays eggs in decaying organic matter such as spoiled feed. 

Tarpoff walks through the basic treatment and control methods for flies which include insecticidal ear tags, pour-ons or sprays, dusters/oilers, and feed through products that are insect growth regulators. We discuss best management practices to improve effectiveness of these products as well as mitigating resistance to ensure efficacy. 

It is also important for veterinarians and producers to be aware of the threat of New World Screwworm which is a fly that is threatening introduction into the U.S. If you suspect a case, Tarpoff recommends immediately contacting your state animal health official and to collect the larvae for identification.

AABP will host a webinar on August 14 on New World Screwworm and members can access upcoming webinar information on this page. The Have You Herd? episode on New World Screwworm can be found here. You can also access New World Screwworm resources on this page of the AABP website. 

Veterinarians play a key role in working with their clients on a variety of labor issues. Helping clients prepare for a potential ICE raid is a conversation that veterinarians may consider having as they work with the caregivers on these operations. The intent of this podcast is for general advice and discussion purposes and not be construed as legal advice which should come from a licensed attorney specific to your needs and circumstances. Veterinarians should encourage clients to reach out to an attorney who specializes in immigration law and review the links provided for further resources and contact information.

Immigrants are not only important on farms, but also constitute a significant portion of the labor force in meat processing facilities. Labor shortages in any part of the supply chain could have negative impacts on beef and milk prices for our clients. Naerebout discusses that the majority of the volume of fluid milk in the country is harvested by immigrant labor and it is estimated that at least 50% of the workforce does not have legal status. The utilization of immigrant labor is also regionally influenced in the U.S. and therefore in some areas of the country, these figures will be higher. 

Naerebout discusses some of the challenges immigrants face in securing legal documentation to work on beef and dairy operations or meat packing facilities. H2A visas are for seasonal work and TN visas require a degreed position, neither of which may qualify for many of the employment opportunities on our clients' farms. 

Preparing your clients is important. Discussing with employees and managers what they should do in the event of an ICE raid is an important part of preparation, along with securing legal counsel. Naerebout also recommends signage at the entrance to the facility as well as signage that delineates public vs. private areas is critical. An administrative warrant does not authorize agents to enter private areas and therefore signage should be visible identifying such areas. 

For more information, visit these links:

National Immigration Law Center

American Immigration Council

American Immigration Lawyers Association

The keynote speaker is Natasha Nicholes from “We Sow, We Grow”, an urban garden collective on the south side of Chicago. Nicholes will present “Bridging Fields: Aligning the Values of Urban Agriculture and Bovine Practice”. After the presentation, the candidates for the 2026 AABP Vice-President Election, Dr. Eric Behlke and Dr. Daryl Nydam, will introduce themselves to the attendees and the ballot will open at the conclusion of their talks.

Continuing education sessions at the conference will include small ruminants, mental health topics, beef cow-calf and feedlot, dairy, joint beef/dairy, clinical skills, practice management, hot topics and students/new grads sessions. The research summaries presentations will include 10 student case presentations and 12 grad student presentations for the annual competition with cash prizes awarded to the top presenters. 

Willingham also invites attendees to register for a clinical forum breakfast on Thursday morning from 7 am to 9 am which will provide 2 additional hours of continuing education plus a breakfast. These sessions are small-group discussions based sessions led by an expert facilitator. 

Gingrich also discusses the meals and social events available to attendees, as well as thanking the sponsors of the conference. In addition, the conference will host a trade show with vendors from across the veterinary and cattle industries. 

Early bird registration closes on July 31. Register for the conference at this link and book your hotel from this page which includes a description of each hotel in the AABP block. View the session descriptions from this link and the full conference schedule here. 

Preconference seminars are small group sessions with a focused continuing education topic. Each seminar is approved for eight hours of continuing education per day. The advantages of seminars include additional continuing education for attendees, teaching a specific set of skills on topics relevant to bovine practitioners, and networking and engaging with faculty and attendees who are interested in the same subject. Seminars are in-depth and can elevate your practice to teach a new skill or advance a skill for your clients. The goal of seminars is to teach practitioners skills to add services that help the practice, the client and their cows. Preconference seminars will be held on Tuesday, September 9 and Wednesday, September 10 prior to the conference in Omaha, Neb. All seminars will be held at the Hilton headquarters hotel.

Registration for the 2025 AABP 58th Conference is open. Earlybird registration closes on July 31. Any seminar with an inadequate number of registrations is subject to cancellation and your fee will be refunded or can be applied to another seminar registration. Seminars can be added to your registration if you are an AABP member veterinarian, veterinary technician or veterinary student.

Register for the conference at this link. View the schedule and description of the preconference seminars on this page. Clicking on the links for each seminar will provide a description, faculty list and schedule of presentations. Book your hotel at the following link. 

 This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Bacteria can strike udders from any angle. The dairy health portfolio that rises to the challenge is Mastitis 360 by Boehringer Ingelheim. It offers powerful solutions for lactation through dry-off. So, manage udder health with the ultimate tools at your disposal. Because you’re more than a veterinarian. You’re... a hero of the herd. For more information, visit this link. 

The objectives of this study were to find out what bovine veterinarians earn, what factors affect incomes, and what factors affect job satisfaction. Out of 900 respondents, 600 were private practitioners and this paper provides the results from the private practitioner responses working 40 or more hours per week. The overall mean income reported was $150,000 per year and the median income was $120,000 per year with a range of $40,000 to $1,000,000. Sixty-two percent of respondents were compensated via salary only, 25% were a mix of salary and production, and 6% were production only. Factors that are positively associated with increased income include years since graduation, prac­tice ownership, type-exclusive practice (beef or dairy only), and a production-based compensation structure.

 Wagner discusses the gender disparity in salary with women reporting lower earnings than men for all graduation year decades. We also discuss the interaction between practice ownership, gender and pay structure. The only situation where women earned the same as men were when they were compensated on a production basis vs. straight salary basis. 

 Wagner also reports drivers of job satisfaction. Income transparency is positively associated with job satisfaction, while being on call and working increased hours are nega­tively associated with job satisfaction.  It has been reported that only 17% of private sector jobs (vs. 80% of public sector) have income transparency. In this study, 55% of respondents were aware of how much other veterinarians at their workplace were paid. Only 10% of respondents reported leaving a job primarily due to income. 

 To find out more information about the AABP Veterinary Practice Sustainability Committee, visit this page. AABP members can view the presentation from Dr. Wagner at the 2023 AABP Conference in Milwaukee by going to the online CE portal found here. 

 Incomes and satisfaction among bovine focused veterinary practitioners in the United States and Canada. (2025). The Bovine Practitioner, 59(2), 17-25. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259256

The committee has sponsored two presentations at the 58th AABP Annual Conference. The presentations will be delivered by Andi Davis, a registered veterinary technician from Flourish Veterinary Consulting. Find out more information about the conference schedule at this link. Registration is now open for the conference and can be found on this page. Reminder that all AABP conference sessions are recorded and available for members at no charge.

It is important for veterinarians to understand what challenges students and recent graduates face so that we can provide them with resources and opportunities. Mentorship is an important part of training veterinary students, but also for ensuring a successful transition as a recent graduate. Our guests discuss how to provide that mentorship and support, which will have positive impacts on mental health. This includes offering regular feedback, providing counseling resources, allowing them ample training opportunities in their areas of interest, and being proactive with reaching out to associates. 

AABP has a mentorship program to connect recent graduates to other AABP members. We encourage AABP members to sign up to be a mentor and recent graduates to request a mentor. Information about the mentorship program with links to sign up for the program can be found here. 

The Mental Health and Well-Being also has support group meetings every other week. All are welcome to attend the discussion. The AABP Virtual Discussion Group meets every other Wednesday night at 8:00 pm Eastern time. Upcoming dates are June 18; July 2, 16, 30; August 6, 20 and              September 3, 17.

Join the conversation by using the new link at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85054147503?pwd=qCCY826nOiUmDYaXm51oa4sK3iNehl.1

Do you want to support the initiatives of the AABP Mental Health and Well-Being Committee? Consider a donation to the AABP Foundation mental health fund at this link. 

For years, common mastitis treatment decisions have focused on resolving visible inflammation rather than targeting only the infection which often leads to overtreatment. This episode explores the evolution of mastitis treatment, the latest research on protocol trends and producer decision making and the benefits of short-duration treatment.

The average case of clinical mastitis lasts 4-6 days, which is beyond the labeled duration of therapy for mastitis intramammary tubes. Utilizing a protocol with a specified duration of therapy and based on pathogen profiles and culture data from the farm, can significantly decrease antibiotic use, decrease milk discard times, prevent violative residues, and be economically advantageous to the producer. Our guests also discuss steps for success in implementing short-duration therapy on farms. This includes appropriate case selection, identifying expectations, review of culture data and records, taking small steps with a culture-based treatment protocol, and ensuring compliance with the written protocol. 

For more information, visit https://bi-animalhealth.com/cattle/. Further information about mastitis management can be found at https://bi-animalhealth.com/cattle/dairy/mastitis-management. Learn about the Mastitis 3600 initiative from Boehringer Ingelheim at https://bi-animalhealth.com/cattle/dairy/mastitis-portfolio.

 Links to papers discussed in this episode:

Clinical outcome comparison of immediate blanket treatment versus a delayed pathogen-based treatment protocol for clinical mastitis in a New York dairy herd https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-11614

Understanding the effect of producers’ attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control on intentions to use antimicrobials prudently on New York dairy farms https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222442

Perceived barriers of dairy producers to the adoption of selective antimicrobial therapies for non-severe clinical mastitis and at dry-off in dairy cattle: A focus group study in Ontario, Canada https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2025-26491

Randomized noninferiority trial comparing 2 commercial intramammary antibiotics for the treatment of nonsevere clinical mastitis in dairy cows https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-11258

This seminar will include didactic lectures to introduce concepts of embryo transfer including scheduling donors, physiology of superovulation and synchronization, non-surgical embryo collection, cryopreservation, recipient synchronization, non-surgical transfer and principles of in vitro fertilization (IVF). The group will then be provided with a demonstration of embryo collection, searching and evaluation, embryo washing, handling and freezing. This will set up participants to perform embryo collection, searching and transfer and freezing embryos on their own with donor cows. 

This course will prepare the novice practitioner to be able to go home and immediately incorporate embryo transfer into their practice. This will provide a new service to their clients or enable practitioners who are performing embryo transfer to brush up on these skills with an expert faculty. Each participant will perform the procedures from start to finish with the faculty providing assistance, feedback and instruction.

AABP member veterinarians are welcome to register for this seminar. Participants are provided with a one-year complimentary membership in the American Embryo Transfer Association (AETA) and one free registration to the AETA annual conference as part of their registration fee. 

To find out more and register for the course, visit this page. To donate to the Edwin Robertson Memorial Scholarship Fund to provide financial assistance to AABP students seeking advanced reproductive training, visit this donation page. 

We start by reviewing the three main methods of humane euthanasia for cattle which include gunshot, penetrating captive bolt and chemical. Chemical euthanasia does not just include pentobarbital, but can also include general anesthesia followed by the administration of a cardiotoxic agent such as saturated potassium chloride. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The poll shot method has been approved for a secondary step after a frontal shot; however this study evaluated the poll shot method as a single-step method of euthanasia.

The authors discuss the methods of the study, including sagittal section evaluation of the brain postmortem which demonstrated destruction of the medulla in the majority of the animals. The time to cardiac death was within 12 minutes with a median of eight minutes. We discuss the importance of ensuring confirmation of cardiac death as a necessary step in euthanasia protocols. The authors also describe why cardiac death is longer than respiratory arrest due to the continual beating of the heart via the sinus-atrial node until the body exhausts its supply of ATP. Monitoring for muscle fasciculations is one way to determine when the ATP supply has been exhausted in a euthanized animal, and to then check for a heartbeat via auscultation. Younger animals may have a longer time for cessation of heartbeat. 

Veterinarians should make sure that farms are implementing approved euthanasia protocols, that a written protocol is provided, training for authorized staff is completed with the veterinarians, and monitoring for compliance is performed.

Clinical and electrocardiographic evidence of death following use of a poll shot with a penetrating captive bolt as a single-step method for euthanasia of cattle. (2025). The Bovine Practitioner, 59(1), 9-16. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259048

AABP Humane Euthanasia of Cattle Guidelines

Feeder cattle populations managed on stocker/backgrounding operations represent a critical segment of the cattle industry. The stocker segment of the industry has evolved into many diverse and specialized business models in recent decades, and practicing veterinarians often find it challenging to serve stocker cattle operations. The seminar will dive into topics that are important to this segment of the cattle industry including transportation and arrival management, host immune response and altered immune function, arrival vaccination, arrival antimicrobials and ancillary products, epidemiologic principles, nutritional management and parasite control. The second day will focus on bovine respiratory disease (BRD) management, diagnostics, surveillance, case definitions and treatment protocols both parenteral and feed grade products, The group will also discuss non-BRD disease in stocker operations such as enteric, neurologic, toxic and nutritional disease. The discussion will also include break-out sessions to discuss cases and present to the group. A systems perspective on BRD and antimicrobial resistance in stocker operations will also be included.

The primary mission of AABP is to provide relevant continuing education for cattle veterinarians. AABP recognizes that some veterinarians are unable to devote time attending seminars at the AABP conference. In response to this need, AABP is offering two-day seminar courses outside of the annual and recent graduate conferences. These courses are held in Ashland, Ohio at the AABP office to provide a lower cost option in a small-town atmosphere. All AABP members are invited to register for the seminar. For questions, contact Dr. Fred Gingrich at fred@aabp.org. 

BRD is the most significant disease in beef cattle and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Developing prognostic tools may be valuable for managing individual cases. cTnI is a protein that is released into the circulatory system after myocardial damage and may be useful as a biomarker for prognostication of BRD cases.

Mancke walks through the results of the paper which demonstrated that 8/318 samples had high cTnI levels and animals with high cTn1 concentrations had a significantly greater probability of not finishing the 60-day post-enrollment period. Cattle with high cardiac troponin concentrations at initial BRD treatment were more likely to have negative clinical outcomes but, in this study, very few animals had high cTnI levels. Mancke provides information about potential future research opportunities to better manage BRD cases in the feedyard. 

The Bovine Practitioner is the peer-reviewed journal published by AABP. The journal publishes original research, case studies, review articles and case studies that are intended to provide information to the practicing cattle veterinarian. The journal is available open-access online and print volumes are available for purchase. There are no publication fees for authors and the peer review and submission process is managed online. Find the journal at this link. 

Evaluation of cardiac troponin I as a predictor of clinical outcomes in cattle treated for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in commercial feedyards. Bov Pract. 2025;59(1), 24-28. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259053

Adjuvants are a critical component of vaccines, but they can be an overlooked factor when putting together a vaccine program. The three roles of adjuvants serve in vaccines are creating a danger signal for the host, help the immune system recognize the antigen and to protect the antigen. 

Historically, there has been some skepticism around vaccinating young calves early due to the presence of maternal antibodies. Our guests discuss what role vaccines serve in a calf program while recognizing the importance of colostral immunity and the purpose it serves. Adjuvants can serve an important role in young calves to help with a vaccine-induced immune response. Our guests discuss the METASTIM adjuvant, how it differs from other adjuvants, and the role it plays in boosting immunity even in the face of maternal antibodies. 

Veterinarians play a critical role in developing vaccine programs for their clients' herds. This not only includes ensuring that the appropriate vaccines are selected for the herd, but also making sure that nutrition, specifically vitamin and mineral nutrition, is appropriate, stress is minimized, and vaccine storage and administration is correct. We close the podcast by discussing the future of vaccine and adjuvant technologies that veterinarians should be aware of and how these potential uses can improve cattle health.

Veterinarians can go to https://bi-animalhealth.com/cattle/ or talk to their Boehringer Professional Services Veterinarian for more information.

The current AABP dues year is July 1 to June 30. This dues year was established by the AABP Board of Directors in 1983 to reflect the timing of the Annual Conference in the fall. Much has changed at AABP since 1983 which has resulted in CE offerings year-round. This includes the Recent Graduate Conference, webinars, podcasts, free online CE, online publications, and AABP seminars outside of our conferences. The board developed a task force to develop recommendations for changing the dues year to the calendar year. The reason for the change will be to align the dues year to our fiscal year, distribute staff workload more evenly throughout the year, and allow the organization to have a more consistent cash flow based on current expense cycles. The change in our dues year to the calendar year will take effect this year.

Veterinarian members, graduate students and registered veterinary technicians will have two options when renewing their dues which includes either a 6-month renewal at 50% of the annual dues rate, or an 18-month renewal at 150% of the annual dues rate. Members who select a 6-month renewal will be invoiced for the 2026 dues year in the fall/winter. Members who select an 18-month renewal will not be invoiced again until the fall of 2026. 

Gingrich discusses the three buckets of activity for AABP which includes continuing education, advocacy for cattle veterinarians, and support for the initiatives of the AABP Foundation. All buckets have increased greatly over the past several years with expanded CE options, increased advocacy on a state and federal level, and increased grants and scholarships administered by the AABP Foundation. 

Gingrich encourages all cattle veterinarians, graduate student veterinarian members and credentialed veterinary technicians to join our organization to support our efforts and take advantage of our resources. He also welcomes veterinary student members to join AABP to ensure they are eligible for student member benefits through AABP and the AABP Foundation.

Links:

Join or pay dues

Donate to the AABP Foundation

View online CE

AABP peer reviewed journal The Bovine Practitioner

Find your district director

Our guests discuss the importance of externships for exposing students to cattle practice, providing experiences for them, making connections for future employment opportunities, and is a way for veterinarians to give back to the future generation of cattle veterinarians. We discuss the differences between an externship, which is intended to be a shorter experience, and an internship, which at Waupun Veterinary Services is a longer summer program that provides a stipend for the student. 

Students often face obstacles in gaining these experiences. This can include lack of a network to identify opportunities, financial barriers to participate, and locating housing. Practices that are interested in hosting students should recognize these barriers and work to address them. Our guests also discuss identifying a person in your practice to manage the externship and internship program. Waupun Veterinary Services also provides a pay incentive to veterinarians in the practice when they have students with them to encourage them to take the time to teach the student. It is also advantageous to introduce students to other veterinary opportunities in their community, such as industry and government-employed veterinarians that work with the practice. It is also suggested to have an intern at the practice develop a project, and Belding describes her project that she completed on her internship. 

The AABP Foundation provides funding for students to attend externships. The AABP Foundation also provides externship grants for students enrolled in Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCU) through a grant from the Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation. Students interested in attending practices in Wisconsin and are current or potentially future residents of Wisconsin can apply for the Wisconsin Rural Opportunities Fund (WROF) grant. Find all externship grant funding opportunities under the Students menu of the AABP website at https://aabp.org. 

Faeh updates us on the current AVMA membership, which includes over 108,000 veterinarians and represents at 2.9% increase in membership over the past year. One very important aspect of AVMA activities to bovine veterinarians is advocacy. We discuss how AVMA identifies advocacy priorities and uses AVMA entities and policy to develop this advocacy. 

There are a number of issues that AVMA is currently providing advocacy for that are important to bovine veterinarians including access to critical drugs such as xylazine, access to antimicrobials for food animals, boosting the sustainability of rural veterinary practice, support of the Rural Veterinary Practice Enhancement Act, advocacy for the FARM bill, ensuring DEA regulations are compatible with ambulatory bovine practice, advocating against a mid-level practitioner position, and supporting the requirement for establishing a VCPR with an in-person visit and using telemedicine to support that existing VCPR. 

Golab also provides information about the work of AVMA on the recent influenza outbreak in dairy cattle and poultry. AVMA plays a key role in collaboration with all stakeholders and convened a meeting last year with stakeholders across federal and state agencies as well as veterinary and producer groups representing bovine, swine and poultry groups. The result of this meeting was the development of the National Milk Testing Strategy to support nationwide surveillance of dairy farms. 

AVMA guidelines are also important for veterinary medicine. Golab provides an update on the humane endings and depopulation guidelines, how they are developed and where we are in the new revisions for these guidelines. AVMA also recognizes that veterinary medicine, and food animal commodities, are globally influenced, and AVMA provides international advocacy to support not only bovine practice but also beef and dairy issues on the global market. 

Our guests encourage bovine veterinarians to help AVMA in these advocacy efforts. This includes maintaining membership in AVMA, volunteering for committee and council membership, enrolling in the Congressional Advocacy Network, enrolling in the AVMA ambassador program, participating in the annual AVMA legislative fly-in, and donating to the AVMA Political Action Committee (AVMA PAC). 

Links:

Advocacy resources

Political Action Committee (PAC)

AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network

Volunteer with the AVMA

It is important for veterinarians to understand the rule to work with their clients to ensure they are in compliance with the regulations. The main change to the 2013 rule is that the type of identification must be both visually and electronically readable. Other aspects of the 2013 rule remain largely unchanged. Specifically, this affects cattle moving interstate and are either dairy breed animals, sexually intact cattle over 18 months of age, and animals that are used for rodeo, recreational events, shows or exhibitions. All other classes of cattle, including those moving interstate direct to slaughter, are not impacted by this rule.

Johannes estimates that this rule affects 10-12% of the U.S. cattle herd and she also provides information about how producers and veterinarians can obtain free tags. We also discuss the importance of confidentiality and the information that is stored on tags. The information on the tag includes the EID number, and other information from producer records is not subject to freedom of information act (FOIA) requests. Producer confidentiality remains a high priority and is secure with this regulation.

Johannes also mentions the importance of a robust disease traceability system to protect cattle health as well as maintaining export markets and global competitive trade. This is important not only for producers, but also the sustainability of the cattle veterinary industry. 

Veterinarians should familiarize themselves with the rule by visiting this link. General information from USDA APHIS can be found on this page. NCBA has also developed a backgrounder document for producers that veterinarians can use to assist their clients. 

Veterinarians performing bull breeding soundness exams are often asked when they can vaccinate bulls, and much of the available research focuses on type and timing of vaccination on females. The objective of this study was to determine if and how multivalent vaccines (modified-live and killed) affect spermatogenesis in bulls, measured by the percentage of normal sperm morphology and progressively motile sperm over a complete spermatogenesis cycle in bulls. 

Our guests walk through the results of the study which demonstrated no detrimental effect associated with the use of multivalent modified-live or killed viral vaccines on the sperm morphology of mature bulls over a 61-day period. This suggests that vaccination of mature bulls following a routine bull BSE or at the time of turnout could be performed with limited risk. Our guests emphasize the importance of the veterinarian performing a full BSE 30-60 days before the breeding season starts. Armstrong re-iterates the Society for Theriogenology (SFT) standards for the appropriate evaluation of bulls for breeding soundness. Koziol and Armstrong are the authors of the SFT Manual for Bull BSEs and you can find information at this link. We also review how stress, nutrition and lameness also affect bull fertility and the importance of the veterinarian performing this complete evaluation to identify satisfactory breeders for cow herds.

Finally, we discuss the new AABP Bull Breeding Soundness Examination Position Statement (find it at this link). This statement was developed by the AABP Reproduction Committee which ultimately states that this procedure is the practice of veterinary medicine and requires the expertise and knowledge of the veterinarian to perform. Our guests reiterate that this position statement is advocacy for the practicing veterinarian by AABP. If you are interested in reproduction, Armstrong and Koziol encourage you to join the committee by going to this link to email the committee chair. The email should include your name, veterinary school, grad year and your interest in the committee. 

Assessing bull breeding soundness exam parameters following vaccination with modified-live or killed vaccine. (2024). The Bovine Practitioner, 59(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259038

Mastitis is the number one disease affecting dairy cows and it is important for dairy veterinarians to understand how to develop comprehensive milk quality programs for their clients. Treichler emphasizes that veterinarians are uniquely positioned to help their clients be successful and milk quality is an important part of that success. Although somatic cell counts in U.S. and Canadian herds have been on the decline, but clinical mastitis rates can be problematic on dairies. Britten will be leading the diagnostic portions of the seminar including correct plating, reading plates and discussing other mastitis diagnostics which will be clinically relevant and practical. We also discuss the farm visit portion of the seminar where we will participate in parlor observation, equipment evaluation, employee monitoring and training, environmental evaluation and stall evaluation. 

This seminar will be useful to the novice milk quality consultant, and will also provide information for those wanting to advance their current skill set. This seminar is limited to 25 attendees, and you must be an AABP member to attend. Veterinary technicians who are AABP members are also welcome to attend and practices can send technicians to learn these skills to support the veterinary team. To find out more information and to register, visit this page. Find all AABP CE opportunities under the “Continuing Education” menu of the AABP website. All upcoming non-conference seminars are on this page. 

Veterinarians are uniquely positioned to provide consultations for the transition cow program for their dairy clients. This can include everything from balancing the rations to trouble shooting when problems occur. Starting fresh cows off right is important to prevent disease, but also important for production and reproductive success. Jardon explains that there are many areas to explore in the transition pen through observation that does not involve balancing the ration. This seminar will include a consultation at a local dairy to teach these skills to attendees so they can go home and immediately incorporate these consulting skills into their practice or improve their current level of understanding.

Faculty includes Jardon and Drs. Jonathon Townsend, Jesse Goff and Jim Drackley. Jardon discusses the topics from each faculty member. Goff will provide presentations on macro and micro mineral nutrition and vitamin nutrition impacts on immunity, and DCAD discussions. Drackley will present on grouping strategies and transition cow ration strategies for balancing energy, fiber and protein levels to ensure success of the transition cow program and fresh cow health and productivity. 

This seminar is limited to 25 attendees, and you must be an AABP member to attend. To find out more information and to register, visit this page. Find all AABP CE opportunities under the “Continuing Education” menu of the AABP website. All upcoming non-conference seminars are on this page. 

Schack delivered the keynote presentation “Enhancing Sustainability through Animal and Human Well-Being”, and this presentation will be available to AABP members to view on our CE portal which is accessible under the Continuing Education menu of the AABP website. 

Schack discusses the impact of everyone on the team providing care that affects animal well-being on every farm. She provides some tips for how to approach team members, managers and owners for addressing animal handling and promoting well-being. Approaching the conversation as a helper for the caregiver and the animal can be a good way to be non-confrontational. Providing training programs not only impacts the care for the cows and calves, but also improves employee satisfaction and retention. Schack is a co-founder of DairyKind, an online resource for caregiver training that can then be followed up with in-person training sessions. This creates an environment where cattle are cared for in an appropriate manner, caregivers are properly trained, and veterinarians are involved in the program to create billable hours.

Veterinarians are an important part of promoting well-being on farms for both employees and cattle. Start having conversations today with your clients to provide these resources and training sessions for well-being just as you do for other production medicine consultations.

For more information, visit the DairyKind website at this link. 

Mosley walks through a general overview of BVDV including diagnostic testing and clinical syndromes that may result when cattle are infected with BVDV, including the development of a persistently infected animal (PI). She emphasizes that vaccination alone is not an effective control program for most herds and that testing for BVDV in purchased animals and biosecurity practices are important. Mosley stresses that if a producer is introducing pregnant animals, it is critical to not only test the dam, but also the fetus when it is born.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of BVDV in Georgia and Florida dairy farms and determine the circulating BVDV subtype in this region. The study involved 37 farms with a total of 57,000 cows and evaluated 90 samples. The study identified 10% of farms having a positive bulk tank sample. The type of BVDV found was Type 1b. Mosley discusses the significance of this compared to available BVBV vaccines. Mosley also discusses the findings of the survey that was administered to producers participating in the study. 

Finally, we discuss how veterinarians can use the information from this study to screen bulk tank milk samples for BVDV. A bulk tank milk sample is a useful screening test and is accurate for up to 1,200 cows to detect a positive. Veterinarians should review their clients' BVDV control programs to evaluate potential risks and implement a comprehensive prevention program.

Links:

A follow-up investigation of the reported high herd prevalence of bovine viral diarrhea in dairy farms in Georgia and Florida. (2025). The Bovine Practitioner, 59(1), 17-23. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259049

Jones A, Ilha M, Berghaus R, et al. Surveillance of bovine viral diarrhea virus antigen in Florida & Georgia dairy herds using bulk tank milk samples. In: 2016 National Institute for Animal Agriculture Annual Conference. 2016.

New World Screwworm strikes live tissue in all mammals and can be a serious risk to newborn calves as well as adult animals. Flies are attracted to fresh wounds where they lay eggs and the larvae feed on this living tissue. The pest has been eradicated in the mainland U.S. since 1966 with a few sporadic outbreaks. The USDA has had a collaborative relationship with Panama to prevent the pest from migrating north; however, it was discovered in an adult cow in Chiapas, Mexico in late 2024. This resulted in a shutdown of all cattle and bison from Mexico to the United States. Each year the U.S. fed cattle industry imports 3-5% of our cattle inventory from Mexico.  

Treatment for infected cattle includes ivermectins and organophosphate dips. If the pest gets into wildlife, it will be very difficult to manage; therefore, control outside of the U.S. remains critical to the cattle industry. Control revolves around the release of male sterile flies into the infected areas so that females will not lay viable eggs. It is critical for all veterinarians to be vigilant, even if you are only treating small animals, because the risk of the pest coming in on a companion animal is also considerable.

Find out more information from the USDA at this link. Resources from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association can be found here. 

 We review the meaning of violative drug residues and the most common medications used in cattle that have historically been associated with violative drug residues. Gorden also reviews both how animals are selected for testing and how withdrawal intervals are determined by drug sponsors when going through the drug approval process. Of particular importance is the effect of disease on the clearance of drugs from the animal since the residue studies are performed on healthy animals for FDA submission.

 Gorden reviews basic pharmacologic mechanisms for drugs and how disease state may impact drug clearance. He also reviews a study he performed that looked at severe clinical mastitis cows and the impact on the pharmacokinetics of ceftiofur in these animals. Veterinarians should utilize FARAD for withdrawal determinations and consider disease state on drug clearance. 

 Finally, Gorden offers suggestions for practicing veterinarians to review with farm managers and employees, including observations in the hospital pen or when treatments are administered. Ensuring correct protocol compliance, applying correct therapy, estimating the correct weight, extending the withdrawal interval on sick animals, ensuring the correct dose, route and volume of injection, and fully mixing suspensions prior to filling the syringe are all important items to check. Veterinarians are tasked with ensuring appropriate oversight on drug use on farms and regularly reviewing these steps is an important aspect of this stewardship principle as well as creating billable hours that are valued by the client.

P.J. Gorden, M.D. Kleinhenz, L.W. Wulf, B. KuKanich, C.J. Lee, C. Wang, J.F. Coetzee, Altered plasma pharmacokinetics of ceftiofur hydrochloride in cows affected with severe clinical mastitis, J Dairy Sci. Volume 99, Issue 1, 2016, Pages 505-514, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2015-10239.

Gorden PJ, Ydstie JA, Kleinhenz MD, et al. Comparative plasma and interstitial fluid pharmacokinetics and tissue residues of ceftiofur crystalline-free acid in cattle with induced coliform mastitis. J Vet Pharmacol Therap. 2018; 41: 848–860. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvp.12688.

Restraint is not only about chemical immobilization and the veterinarian should also consider how to handle the patient in a low-stress manner utilizing available facilities, but also other methods of physical restraint. Miesner provides information about the importance of understanding what each drug provides in terms of sedation, analgesia and anesthesia and the differences in each term. In addition, individual patient circumstances should be considered by the veterinarian before administering drugs.  

Miesner walks through the most common drugs used in bovine and mixed animal practice that the veterinarian can consider. This includes some common dosages and advantages and disadvantages of each drug, potential side effects and common uses. We also discuss an update on xylazine access and potential legislation. Gingrich suggests that veterinarians support the AVMA efforts in ensuring we can still use xylazine in bovine practice by donating to the AVMA PAC.  Veterinarians are advised to develop scientifically validated withdrawal intervals when using these drugs by contacting FARAD. 

Miesner also advises us on uses of epidurals and IV regional anesthesia as other practical methods of analgesia and immobilization. We close by discussing the importance of post-procedural pain control to ensure we are providing the best care to our patients and return them to health and productivity.  

Links:

Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank - http://www.farad.org/ 

Bovine Field Restraint: Physical and Chemical Techniques for Balanced Restraint, Proceedings of the 2010 AABP Annual Conference, Matt Miesner, https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20104075 

Injectable Anesthesia for Cattle Field Procedures, Proceedings of the 2023 AABP Recent Graduate Conference, Andrea Lear, https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20238737 

Donate to the AVMA PAC to support our efforts in maintaining access to xylazine by visiting this link.  

AABP Resource Approaching Pain in Cattle https://aabp.org/committees/view_pdf.asp?page=Pain_Brochure_8-15.pdf

Lameness is a significant welfare concern on dairy farms and Cook states that up to 22% of cows in the U.S. dairy herd walk with a noticeable limp. It is also often under-reported on dairy farms with producers underestimating the prevalence of lameness on their farms and missing cows that are mildly lame. This is important because lameness changes the structure of the hoof and can increase the risk of further lameness incidents in the future.  

Lying time is a major factor in preventing lameness, improving cow comfort and returning lame cows to soundness. Cook notes that lying time is impacted by stall surface, providing the opportunity to rest by keeping the time out of pen less than 3.5 hours, minimizing overstocking and mitigating heat stress. Cook provides some tips for maximizing the stall surface comfort, with deep bedding that stays in the stall critical to stall comfort. He also discusses stall dimensions, but mentions that stall surface remains the most critical factor in comfort of the bed. Cook notes that deep bedded sand results in a 40% reduction in lameness.  

Veterinarians should be involved in lameness prevention and improving cow comfort on their client’s farms. Performing a lameness audit and reviewing hoof trim records can provide insights into the impact lameness is having on the herd. Monitoring cow behavior and lying time by utilizing time lapse cameras can provide meaningful information for the veterinarian and producer. Cook mentions the resources available on the Dairyland Initiative website which includes housing modules for all classes of cattle and lameness modules. He also mentions that they perform consults for producers and veterinarians as well as publish a podcast for veterinarians to learn about these resources during their windshield time. 

If you are an AABP member interested in lameness in beef or dairy cattle, consider volunteering to serve on the AABP Lameness Committee. You can find resources from the committee on this page. Go to the committee landing page for more information or to email the committee to join.  

Links:
The Dairyland Initiative
Dairyland Initiative Podcast and other resources can be found here.

Staph aureus is a contagious mastitis pathogen and Britten states that every dairy is affected to some degree by Staph aureus with a huge range in severity and prevalence between herds. Veterinarians play a key role in developing monitoring and prevention programs. Culturing remains a key point in identifying animals that are affected with Staph aureus so they can be evaluated for culling, segregation or treatment. Cultures should focus not only on clinical animals because Staph aureus is commonly a subclinical infection. It is estimated that 2-15% of heifers will freshen with the infection and their somatic cell count may be low for some time before it begins to climb. Treatment should be reserved for heifers and it is critical to identify it early in the course of infection to increase chance of treatment success. 

Britten states that in most circumstances, there is no need to do sensitivity testing on milk cultures unless there is an outbreak situation with apparent treatment failures. Bulk tank cultures are important and a minimum for routine herd mastitis monitoring. The sensitivity of bulk tank cultures is low but serial positive silos from a dairy indicate a higher prevalence of the infection up to 5-10% of the cows.  

We also discuss that in outbreak situations it is important to evaluate why cows are getting infected and remember that cows typically get infected in the parlor and focus efforts there. This includes evaluating teat condition, parlor procedures and equipment function. Aggressive culturing programs, segregation and culling are important to minimize risk.  

Britten provides these three take-home points for veterinarians:

Take-home point #1 – Not all Staph aureus colonies exhibit beta-hemolysis, therefore, it is important that all Staph colonies undergo coagulase testing to identify Staph aureus.

Take-home point #2 – Monthly bulk tank cultures are a bare minimum monitoring program for dairy farms.

Take-home point #3 – Somatic cell count is a lagging indicator and cultures will detect infections earlier.

Mastitis is the number one disease of dairy cattle and should be involved in milk quality and mastitis prevention programs. The Milk Quality and Udder Health Committee has developed guidelines for milk quality service providers. Find this document under the Committee Resources page, click on the Milk Quality and Udder Health page, then the Committee Resources tab to find these documents. 

December 27 is the deadline for casting your vote for the 2025 AABP Vice President election. Candidates are Dr. Jen Roberts and Dr. Elizabeth Quesnell Kohtz. Find the ballot and information about each candidate on this page. The AABP Nominations Committee is also accepting applications to be considered for the 2026 Vice President election. Self nominations are accepted and Gingrich suggests that members can contact anyone to encourage them to submit their name for consideration. Interested AABP members should send a letter of interest and CV/resume to fred@aabp.org by January 31.  

The AABP Foundation also announces a call for research grant proposals by December 27 at 5 pm eastern. Funding is available for both beef and dairy research projects associated with cattle health, welfare and production. Up to $25,000 in financial support will be provided for up to two grants in 2025. For more information or to submit your proposal, visit this page.  

AABP also reminds listeners that applications to attend the USDA grant-funded Building Excellence in Rural Veterinary Practice workshops closes on December 20 at 5 pm Eastern. Attendance is free for those who qualify for the grant, and additional seats are available for purchase by AABP members by emailing fred@aabp.org. Visit this link for more information. 

The 8th Recent Graduate Conference will be held in Norman, Oklahoma February 13-15, 2025m including preconference seminars. Registration closes January 31 and the hotel block will close on January 23. Find out more information and register here.  

If you are an AABP member who needs your CE certificate, membership dues receipt or your donation receipts, simply hover over your name after logging in to the AABP website to access these documents. During this season of giving, we encourage you to consider the AABP Foundation or one of its scholarship funds through this link.

Reminder to all members that in 2025, AABP will change its dues year to match the calendar year and give members the option of a 6-month or 18-month renewal to transition to the calendar year dues cycle. The AABP board has devoted significant resources to improving access to continuing education opportunities including webinars, online CE, publications and seminars held outside the annual conference. We welcome everyone to join AABP and renew your dues to support our advocacy of helping cattle veterinarians.  

Happy holidays and best wishes to each of you in the new year. 

Our guests define what One Health means to them and how it applies to a practicing veterinarian as well as educating physicians on the meaning of One Health. There are sometimes challenges from clients on exploring One Health, and our guests dive into its implications with the current HPAI disease outbreak in dairy cattle and poultry. Gray discusses his work with zoonotic diseases and working with coronaviruses and influenza viruses throughout his career. Groves and Cummings discuss a collaborative surveillance project that will be presented as an abstract at the upcoming Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CWRAD) in Chicago, Ill., January 18-21, 2025. Find information about this conference at this link. 

One Health remains an important topic for both veterinarians and physicians. Working collaboratively to protect human and animal health by sharing knowledge is important for both communities. 

We discuss some of the challenges and opportunities for wintering beef cows and determining how to supplement cows over the winter. Linneen also discusses how drought affects forage quality and the impacts that has not only on dry matter intake, but intake of energy and protein which are critical nutrients for the cow and gestating fetus. The veterinarian is often the technical resource for the cow-calf ranch, and over 30% of the time, a call from a producer to the veterinarian is related to the nutrition program. Veterinarians have an opportunity to impact cow health, productivity, calf health and farm economics by becoming involved in the nutrition program. 

Linneen points out that body condition score at calving is the greatest predictor of reproductive success in the next year. It is also important to remember that we are feeding the cow, the gestating calf and the rumen micro-organisms with our nutrition program. Fetal programming, weaning weights, lactation performance and reproductive performance are influenced by how we feed cows over the winter and manage pastures in the spring and summer.  

Finally, Linneen offers some suggestions for improving forage efficiency in the cow by feeding monensin. Many cow-calf producers overlook this opportunity to improve forage efficiency which will decrease the amount of hay needing to be fed to cows over the winter which is a net economic return to the farm. 

Gingrich reminds listeners of the opportunity to learn beef cow nutrition from AABP.  We will host an eight-hour beef cow nutrition seminar at the 8th Recent Graduate Conference in Norman, Okla. On February 13. Find out information here. We will also have a beef cow nutrition seminar at the 58th AABP Conference in Omaha, Neb.; conference registration will open in May. 

This podcast is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim 3600 coverage. Every lactation cycle, cows are up against the threat of mastitis. Which really means you’re up against it, too. 

Thankfully, Boehringer Ingelheim has you covered with 360° coverage solutions. From prevention to treatment options designed for judicious antibiotic use, the 360° coverage mastitis portfolio has the products you need to defend udders at every angle. What’s in your cattle health toolkit? For more information, visit this link. 

We discuss a wide range of topics, including how this virus jumped from birds to cows and has since spread to over 500 dairy farms in the U.S. via cow-to-cow transmission and fomite spread from dairy-to-dairy and dairy to poultry. Our guests discuss the importance of biosecurity, national surveillance and vaccination to eliminate this virus from the U.S. dairy herd. We discuss diagnostic surveillance and the importance of getting all farms to participate in surveillance to identify positive herds and prevent further transmission. The bulk tank PCR test will be positive two weeks before the herd shows clinical signs, providing an opportunity for dairy farmers and veterinarian prepare as well as implement biosecurity practices to protect other premises in their area. 

Our guests also discuss the work of AABP, in collaboration with other stakeholder groups, to provide advocacy, guidance and resources to our members. Organized veterinary medicine plays a critical role in a disease outbreak and we encourage all cattle veterinarians to join AABP to help us in our efforts.

Links:

Join AABP or pay dues at this link. 

AABP H5N1 resources page.

USDA confirmed cases dashboard page.  

AABP provides several opportunities to get to know your candidates during the election period. This includes an introductory speech at the AABP Annual Conference, a question-and-answer document in the November newsletter, and a podcast with questions for each candidate.  

The candidate with the most votes will be seated at the 2025 AABP Annual Conference in Omaha, Neb. They will then ascend through the four offices of the Executive Committee where they will plan preconference seminars for 2026, the annual conference for 2027, serve as president in 2028 and then past president for 2029. This office is the only nationally elected seat for the organization.  

Current AABP veterinarian members are encouraged to cast their vote by visiting the ballot page found here. The ballot page includes candidate biographies, links to the video presentation from the 2024 Columbus Annual Conference, and the candidate interviews published in the November newsletter. 

The ballot will close on December 27, 2024 at 5 pm Eastern time. 

The conference is open to AABP members who graduated between 2017-2024. All AABP members will have access to the recordings from the conference presentations by going to the Continuing Education menu of the AABP website and click on Online CE (recorded sessions). This is a free member benefit and allows you to access virtual CE that is RACE approved for no charge! AABP also welcomes all registered/credentialed veterinary technicians of any graduation year to attend the recent graduate conference as well. Make sure your dues are paid before registering and note it can take up to three business days to process dues payments. Go here to pay your dues so that you can register for the conference. 

The theme of the conference is “Be the Beginning” with the intent to empower recent graduates to be the source of change and opportunity in their practices. The conference keynote presentation will be delivered by Dr. Michelle Schack and is titled “Enhancing Sustainability through Animal and Human Well-Being”. General sessions will follow that focus on health – physical health, financial health, and emotional and mental health. The conference will also offer sessions on mixed animal, clinical skills, practice management, beef, dairy, and practice tips from the program committee. 

Registration is limited so we encourage members to register now. View the conference schedule on this page. Register for the conference at this link. Make sure you are logged in to the website before registering! All attendees are required to book reservations at this link to attend the conference. Make sure to come a day early for the great preconference seminars that are offered for additional hands-on CE. Find seminar descriptions here. 

We start our conversation by discussing AABP Guidelines and Position Statements. These documents are publicly available under the ‘About’ menu of the AABP website. The president reviews these guidelines and opens them for a formal scientific review every 3-5 years. Sjeklocha has opened the Dehorning Guideline, Transportation of Cattle Guideline, and the Antimicrobial Resistance Position Statement. The first step in the review process is to open each document for a member comment period. AABP members can go to the guidelines page here to submit comments. AABP committees will review the comments and the document for any revisions before submitting their recommendations to the AABP Board of Directors. The comment period closes on November 15.  

Sjeklocha also talks about volunteer opportunities. We discuss that committees are a great way to get involved in AABP. Sjeklocha emphasizes that you do not need to be an expert on a topic to serve on a committee but just an interest in the topic. Review the committee descriptions under the committee page of the AABP website and if interested, click the send an email to this committee button and include your name, veterinary school, graduation year, professional employment and your interest in the committee to be approved by the board. We welcome all volunteers! 

Sjeklocha updates AABP members on the decision by the board to change the AABP dues year from July 1-June 30 to the calendar year. This will be implemented in 2025. When AABP members receive their dues invoice in the spring of 2025, they will have the option to renew for the next 6 months at 50% of the annual dues rate, or for 18 months, at 150% of the annual dues rate. This will shift everyone to the calendar year for their dues expiration date and allow members to choose which option works best for them. Sjeklocha reminds members that owners can pay for associate veterinary dues when they renew as well as pay for the dues for credentialed veterinary technicians. 

We also discuss several upcoming events from AABP including registration for the 8th AABP recent graduate conference, USDA grant funded practice management workshops, AABP vice president election, and upcoming webinars from AABP. We also discuss our new process for preconference seminars and will offer a limited number of seminars for the 2025 annual conference in Omaha as well as seminar opportunities for members outside of the annual conference. We close by inviting all cattle veterinarians to join AABP to take advantage of the many new continuing education resources for members as well as supporting the advocacy efforts of the organization that help all cattle veterinarians. 

LINKS: 

8th Annual AABP Recent Graduate Conference 

Vote for the 2025 AABP Vice President 

Apply for the practice management workshops 

Podcast describing the workshops

Veterinarians should make sure they full understand the federal Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act of 1994 (AMDUCA) which outlines to criteria that must be met to incorporate ELDU in their drug treatment protocols. Vander Plaats explains that veterinarians must first utilize labeled drugs that are approved for a specific indication in that class of animals and also understand that AMDUCA allows for the ELDU of approved animal or human drugs. Aspirin is not an approved drug and does not have a New Animal Drug Approval (NADA) number, therefore it has always been illegal to use. FDA has previously stated that aspirin was of low regulatory concern, however that is no longer the position of the agency. Other unapproved drugs utilized in bovine practice, such as lidocaine, calcium solutions, and epinephrine, are not of regulatory concern due to their critical need and no alternatives that are approved. Such is not the case with aspirin and therefore veterinarians should not use aspirin in treatment protocols. 

If you are an AABP member and would like to get involved with CPBI, or another committee, please go to the committee menu on the AABP website and review the committee that is of interest. On the individual committee page, you can click the email button to send an email to the committee chair and vice-chair to express your interest. Committee appointments are approved by the board and interested applicants should submit a brief biography with name, veterinary or veterinary technician school and graduation year, professional employment and your interest in the committee. AABP welcomes all volunteers to serve and guide our organization.

 AABP is changing preconference seminar offerings to reflect the changing needs of members. AABP Vice President Dr. Mark Hilton will work with the program committee and existing AABP committees to develop the seminars that will be offered in Omaha at the 2025 AABP 58th Annual Conference. Members who have suggestions for seminar or program content should email fred@aabp.org prior to October 5th. AABP will expand the number of seminars offered outside of the annual conference to offer more CE for our members. This will include one beef and one dairy seminar at the AABP office in Ashland, Ohio, as well as one beef and one dairy seminar in a regional location within AABP districts.

 Gingrich also reminds our members that all conference sessions and webinar recordings are available as a free member benefit. Members can download the free “BCI Mobile Conference” app from their device’s store or view online at this link. Draft proceedings from the conference will be published after copyediting. You can view draft proceedings prior to publication at this link. 

 AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich welcomes you to Columbus, Ohio, for the 57th AABP Annual Conference. Special thanks to the program committee, led by Dr. Dave Sjeklocha and seminar chair Dr. Callie Willingham for planning the scientific CE for this conference. The theme of the conference is “Challenging the Norm”. Gingrich walks through some of the sessions and events from the conference, including thanking our sponsors for their support of our meals and events:

Boehringer Ingelheim for sponsoring the Wednesday welcome reception and the 5K Stampede Fun Run.

Diamond V for sponsoring the Thursday breakfast presentation.

Zoetis for sponsoring the Friday breakfast presentation and Friday dinner and scholarship presentations and auction.

Vaxxinova for sponsoring the Quiz Bowl

Endovac for sponsoring the student reception.

We would also like to thank our other sponsors for their support of the conference which includes Hoard’s Dairyman, Elanco, Merck Animal Health and Udder Tech. Thanks also to all of the companies that exhibit in our trade show and make sure to check out the fun things to do in the trade show while visiting the booths and products available to you!

Make sure to pick up your registration pack near room A110 at the bottom of the escalators in the convention center when you arrive. After the conference, make sure to fill out our conference feedback survey in Slido and get your CE certificate by hovering over you name and select “My CE Certificates”. 

Other useful links:

Slido – this can be downloaded as an app or use your browser to participate in polls and submit questions to speakers.

Ride Share – submit your travel information to connect with other attendees.

Conference website – find all the information you need for the conference in one location.

Auction items – browse the live and silent auction items to prepare your bids.

Rural veterinary practice can be isolating, especially for recent graduates who have built a community network of colleagues while in school. Providing opportunities for networking with other veterinarians can overcome the challenges of isolation for rural veterinarians. Cummings discusses a paper published in the Bovine Practitioner which was a qualitative analysis of experiences of recent graduates and how Heritage Veterinary Partners has used these assessments to build a community across their practice groups.

We also discussed the HPAI H5N1 disease outbreak in dairy cattle. Barnhardt and Strehle discuss how they worked within their practice group as well as how they managed this disease for their clients. Gingrich reminds our listeners that there is a dedicated webpage for AABP members with links and information on this outbreak. 

Visit Heritage Veterinary Partners in the exhibit hall at the 57th AABP Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio, September 12-14!

The investigators found the overall first treatment success for BRD to be 67.8% with all-cause mortality of 10% and BRD related mortality of 6.3%. White discusses associations found with each post-treatment outcome evaluated which can be useful information as veterinarians evaluate the success of their BRD treatment, prevention and control protocols for their customers, and define expectations with clients.  

Neal, K. B., White, B. J., Amrine, D. E., Lubbers, B. V., Tessman, R. K., & Larson, R. L. (2024). Risk factors Associated with Case Fatality and Treatment Success following Initial Bovine Respiratory Disease Treatment in Feedyard Cattle. The Bovine Practitioner, 58(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol58no2p1-8

This podcast is sponsored by Norbrook. Having the right antibiotics is critical to successfully treating seasonal diseases. Norbrook offers a variety of effective and value driven solutions such as Noromycin 300 LA, Norfenicol Injectable Solution, Tulieve Injectable Solution, Enroflox 100 Injectable Solution, and Cefenil RTU. To learn more, contact your Norbrook sales representative, your animal health distributor, or visit the Norbrook website.  

Sharpe discusses the seasonal variation of disease patterns he sees in his bovine practice and how these patterns influence antibiotic use as well as the producer’s bottom line. He also shares his experiences with the implementation of GFI #263 which transitioned the remaining medically important over-the-counter antimicrobials to prescription status with veterinary oversight. We also discuss how he, as a veterinarian, walks through his decision-making processes for selecting an antimicrobial to treat an animal, herd or in protocol development. Moore provides some background on the frustration producers face when they experience treatment failure, how prevention is the most important part of a stewardship program, and what antibiotics do not do so that producers can understand how to use them properly and promote animal health.  

Listen to the previous podcast with Dr. Eric Moore on implementation of GFI #263 here. 

Make sure to visit the Norbrook booth at the AABP tradeshow at the upcoming 57th AABP Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio, September 12-14, 2024. 

This episode is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and their 360 mastitis portfolio. Find out more information at this link. Join us in Columbus, Ohio at the 57th AABP Annual Conference and visit the BI booth in the trade show and attend the opening reception on Wednesday, September 11 sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim.  

The resource document we discuss provides guidelines for both the novice and experienced veterinarian. Find all committee resources on this page. These guidelines will assist veterinarians in a total milk quality program and include resources for monitoring udder health, mastitis detection and diagnosis, treatment of mastitis, and prevention of mastitis. Each topic discusses the body of knowledge needed by the practitioner and the capabilities needed to provide this service. 

If you are interested in assisting the Milk Quality and Udder Health Committee, or any AABP committee, please go to the committee menu on the AABP website and select a committee to contact. 

Our conversation begins as a review of the major pathogens associated with IBK which includes Moraxella bovis and Mycoplasma bovoculi  which are associated with the majority of cases submitted to diagnostic labs. Our guests also review the various risk factors associated with IBK including flies, mechanical trauma and viral infections. There are nine commercially available bacterin products, two conditionally licensed products, and autogenous vaccines to aid in the prevention of IBK in cattle. Our guests review some best practices for incorporating vaccination into herd health protocols as well as other prevention measures veterinarians may recommend to beef and dairy producers such as clipping pastures, fly control, mineral supplementation and managing viral risk factors.

When prevention fails, treatment protocols are important for veterinarians to develop for producers during both individual animal cases and herd outbreaks. Oxytetracycline and tulathromycin are two antimicrobials currently labeled in the U.S. for treatment of IBK in cattle. There are no Veterinary Feed Directive products labeled for IBK treatment, prevention or control and veterinarians should be aware that it is prohibited to write a VFD for an extra-label use of in-feed antimicrobials. 

Veterinarians are an ideal resource to develop prevention and treatment protocols for managing IBK on beef and dairy operations. Continuing to monitor cases and risk factors can aid in managing this important disease.

The theme of the conference is “Challenge the Norm” and Sjeklocha states he picked this theme to encourage members to challenge themselves with what they are doing for their clients and continue to improve and advance their practice. The keynote speaker, Dr. Shawn Baker, will challenge the norm on assumptions about eating an animal-sourced diet and help our members advocate for the products that our clients produce. We will also hear from the AABP vice president candidates for 2025, Dr. Elizabeth Quesnell Kohtz and Dr. Jennifer Roberts, after the keynote address. 

We walk through some of the highlights from the sessions including presentations on small ruminants, beef, dairy, clinical skills, practice management, student sessions and case competition, and research summaries. Sjeklocha also developed a cattle welfare track this year at the conference. This session will be for beef and dairy veterinarians and provide an opportunity for advancement in the field of animal welfare, an important part of our oath in caring for cattle.  

The conference is typically planned 10 months in advance, but we leave two time slots open for hot topics. This year, we will hear a presentation on the draft updated AVMA Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals, focusing on the cattle portion of the document. We will also have a panel presentation on Influenza A H5N1, providing attendees with experiences from a diagnostic lab, practicing veterinarian, and a producer who is a veterinarian and went through the disease. There will be ample time for question and answer during this panel presentation. Sjeklocha also describes the clinical forum breakfast presentations which are an additional two hours of CE facilitated by an expert and is discussion-based in a small-group format.  

The AABP conference is not only about CE sessions, but networking and socializing opportunities as well. We have an opening reception sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, breakfast presentations from Diamond V and Zoetis, the scholarship presentation and Amstutz Scholarship Auction sponsored by Zoetis, Stampede 5K sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the Saturday Awards and Business Lunch sponsored by AABP. We also will have a student reception sponsored by Endovac and the student Quiz Bowl sponsored by Vaxxinova/Newport Laboratories.  

Reminder that the  early-bird registration discount ends August 1, and online registration and hotel block closes August 22. We encourage all attendees to book in the AABP hotel block and only use the online AABP housing link to ensure your room confirmation. You can reserve your hotel and read the guide to hotels on this page.  

Detailed session descriptions can be found at this link. Find the full schedule of events here. Register for the AABP conference on this page. 

We discuss how seminars that we have taken have advanced our practice skill set, provided opportunities for new or expanded services for clients, created billable hours, and allowed networking with colleagues and faculty with similar professional interests. This year there are eight seminars offered prior to the conference at the headquarters hotel, three seminars offered off-site with wet lab instructional opportunities, and three seminars during the conference. Each seminar is limited to 30 attendees which offers low attendee-to-faculty ratio for interactive learning.  

Students are welcome to attend the seminars, as well as sign up for the Student Lameness seminar to learn proper hoof trimming and surgical techniques from members of the AABP Lameness Committee.  

Seminars that have an inadequate number of registrations by August 1 are subject to cancellation. We encourage you to register for the conference and a seminar prior to that date. If you are registered for a seminar that cancels, your registration fee can be applied to an alternative seminar or is 100% refundable. Seminars are an AABP member benefit and therefore limited to AABP members who are registered for the conference. If you are taking a seminar that occurs prior to the conference and not attending the conference itself, there is a reduced seminar-only registration fee. 

Find information about the seminars offered this year at this link. When you go to that link, you can click on the seminar title to view the faculty list, seminar fee and a detailed agenda of topics that will be discussed. Register for the AABP conference on this page. 

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and their 360 coverage mastitis portfolio. For more information, visit this link. 

Doak begins the discussion by explaining why it is important to have a national dairy farm audit program to demonstrate continual improvement to milk buyers and consumers. Doak has a unique perspective because he is a private practice veterinarian, provides third party audits, trains evaluators and serves on the task force for NMPF that is charged with reviewing and updating the standards which are ultimately approved by the NMPF board of directors. Version 5.0 of the FARM program begins on July 1, 2024 and it is important for veterinarians to review with producers the updated standards so they are prepared for their next audit. There are not a lot of significant changes in this version but there have been updates to the standards on lameness, colostrum feeding and humane euthanasia.  

We discuss training and the importance of training. Doak mentions that training occurs every day on dairy farms and veterinarians are an important part of training to protect the safety of people and animals, prevent residues, and improve animal health. Although training occurs all the time, it must be documented for the FARM program. The five focus areas for training occur when the animals are most vulnerable and include newborn calf care, down cow management, humane euthanasia, fitness to transport and stockmanship. This training can mitigate risk for dairy farms and is another reason to provide and document the training.  

AABP members who are interested in preparing their clients for FARM Version 5.0 can attend a seminar during the conference. More information about this seminar can be found here and the registration page for the conference can be found on this page.  

Find NMPF FARM information on this page. Click on the Resources menu to find resources mentioned in this podcast. Be sure to review the AABP Humane Euthanasia of Cattle Guidelines to ensure your euthanasia protocols are compliant with the guidelines. 

The objective of this study was to determine if management practices, such as feeding chlortetracycline (CTC), are associated with illness or death from bovine anaplasmosis in Mississippi cow-calf herds. We discuss some of the epidemiologic terms used in the paper and the results of the study. This study found that providing CTC was associated with case herd status and Jumper provides some possible explanations for this finding. Veterinarians should routinely review protocols, especially antimicrobial protocols for treatment, prevention and control of disease, to optimize antimicrobial stewardship and animal health. 

Jumper, W. I., Huston, C. L., & Smith, D. R. (2024). Case-control study to identify management practices associated with morbidity or mortality due to bovine anaplasmosis in Mississippi cow-calf herds. The Bovine Practitioner, 58(2), 16–22. 

Klabnik reviews penile deviation syndrome in bulls which can include spiral, ventral or sigmoid deviations due to an abnormality in the dorsal apical ligament. Surgical correction or culling are the only management considerations for these bulls; however, there is a lack of peer-reviewed data on the outcomes from surgical correction. Klabnik discusses some of the challenges with collecting data from these 25 cases with 10 cases meeting the inclusion criteria for the study. 

The surgery does not have a high risk of complications and was deemed successful in seven out of the ten bulls evaluated. Of these seven, six bulls achieved intromission and five sired progeny. Although this study represents a small number of cases, the surgery appears to have a 50:50 success rate, but due to the low risk of complications, bulls that do not successfully return to herd sire capabilities can still be culled for salvage value. 

This case series report can help to guide veterinarians performing bull breeding soundness exams when they observe a penile deviation, and also help veterinarians in private practice or referral institutions when evaluating bulls as surgical candidates.

Mossallam, A. F., Schumaker, O. J., Mulon, P.-Y., Dohlman, T. M., Meisner, M. D., Jarrin-Yepez, P., Anderson, D. E., Rush, J. B., Prado, T. M., Armstrong, C. L., & Klabnik, J. L. (2024). Case series: Surgical success and reproductive performance after correction of penile deviations in 10 bulls. The Bovine Practitioner, 58(2), 9–15

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Addison Biological Laboratories, manufacturers of MAXI/GUARD Pinkeye Bacterin and Moraxella bovoculi bacterin to protect your herd before pinkeye season. For more information, visit https://addisonlabs.com/.  

We start our conversation by reviewing the characteristics of the hematogenous mycoplasmas and clinical signs that may be attributable to infection. Diagnosis of the disease is done via PCR and a presumptive diagnosis can be made via a blood smear to look for the organism on red blood cells. Krahn worked with university partners to do a study on his client’s herds as well as a prevalence study in Michigan and Wisconsin which found that 100% of farms were positive for one or both of the organisms. The within herd prevalence for hematogenous mycoplasmas was 75%. 

Krahn has implemented protocols for use of pasteurized colostrum for feeding calves and individual needle use for all injections to control the spread of the disease. He reports that herds show a resolution of clinical signs within 4-6 months after implementation of control measures. 

Schambow RA, Poulsen K, Bolin S, Krahn D, Norby B, Sockett D, Ruegg PL. Apparent prevalence of Mycoplasma wenyonii, Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos, and bovine leukemia virus in Wisconsin and Michigan dairy cattle herds. JDS Commun. 2021 Jan 22;2(2):61-66. https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2020-0033

This study evaluated if a water-based foam could be used to depopulate cattle in a specially designed trailer. Kieffer mentions that a small pilot study was first performed with the animals under general anesthesia to validate their methods before moving to the large study in un-anesthetized animals. This study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at Ohio State. Biologgers were used to track activity and electrocardiograms. Average time to fill the trailer with foam was 90 seconds, cessation of movement was 2.5 minutes and time to cardiac death was 8.5 minutes which is similar to euthanasia methods such as gunshot or penetrating captive bolt. 

Kieffer reviews some of the advantages identified with this method as well as considerations for what method of depopulation may be employed on a farm. Consideration should be given to the effect on human mental health during these events. He also mentions some the importance of research in this area to ensure that in the event a mass depopulation event occurs, we have the tools needed to perform the procedure. 

Vittoria M Capria, Andréia G Arruda, Ting-Yu Cheng, Magnus R Campler, Brad L Youngblood, Steven J Moeller, Andrew S Bowman, Justin D Kieffer, Water-based medium-expansion foam depopulation of adult cattle, Translational Animal Science, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2023, txad065, https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txad065 

AVMA Guidelines for the Depopulation of Animals (2019) 

AABP Humane Euthanasia of Cattle Guideline

We walk through the topics that will be taught during this seminar and their importance to veterinarians. Hall describes how veterinarians can get involved with the vitamin and mineral nutrition program for the beef cow producer clients and make an impact on health, productivity, economics and immune function. This seminar is also being taught by Dr. Chris Chase, who will review the impacts of nutrition on immunology. Dr. Dave Rethorst will discuss cow-calf nutrition and impacts on fetal programming as well as some ration balancing skills for veterinarians. Attendees will also learn about feeding cows and evaluating feedstuff opportunities during drought situations. 

This seminar was conducted at the 2023 AABP Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wis., and has been expanded to a two-day course based on feedback from participants. Additional topics included in this seminar will cover fly control and coccidiosis control for cow-calf ranches. Hall also discusses the wet-lab portion of this seminar where attendees will learn how to perform a liver biopsy on live beef cows. Attendees will be able to go home and implement this service to their cow-calf clients as well as interpret and make management recommendations to their clients. 

This seminar will be held at The Ohio State University Marysville Large Animal Ambulatory Clinic June 27-28, 2024. This facility recently underwent a remodel with an excellent handling system to perform the wet-lab. The seminar has been approved for 15 hours of continuing education in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval. A hotel block has been reserved for attendees to secure rooms. The cost of the seminar is $450 and includes lunch each day.  

Attendance is limited to 20 attendees and we encourage interested AABP members to register today. For more information and to register for this seminar and book your hotel room, visit this link. 

LINKS:

Stonecipher, C. A., Gardner, D. R., Webb, B. T., Laegreid, W., Welch, K. D., Stegelmeier, B. >, & Cook, D. (2024). Case Report: Salvia reflexa-contaminated hay poisoning in cattle. The Bovine Practitioner, 58(1), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol58no1p63-68

Bryan L. Stegelmeier, T. Zane Davis, Michael J. Clayton, Dale R. Gardner, Identifying Plant Poisoning in Livestock in North America, Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, Volume 36, Issue 3, 2020, Pages 661-671,
 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2020.08.001 

Poisonous Plant Research Laboratory webpage

Aly explains the incidence of BRD in calves and how it has failed to improve despite improvements in tools for detection and prevention. We review the risk of various areas on BRD including colostrum management, housing, season, environment and nutrition. He also discusses the role of on-farm diagnostics and the California and Wisconsin scoring systems that veterinarians can use with producers to manage BRD risk in dairy calves, including the BRD scoring system developed into an app for on-farm use. 

Links:

CA BRD Risk Assessment Brochure (English)

CA BRD Risk Assessment Brochure (Spanish)

UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center website

 Epidemiology of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in preweaned calves on California dairies: The BRD 10K study
S.A. Dubrovsky, A.L. Van Eenennaam, B.M. Karle, P.V. Rossitto, T.W. Lehenbauer, S.S. Aly
J Dairy Sci https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2018-14774

A novel risk assessment tool for bovine respiratory disease in preweaned dairy calves
G.U. Maier, W.J. Love, B.M. Karle, T.W. Lehenbauer, A.L. Van Eenennaam, S.S. Aly
J Dairy Sci https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17650

Our guests review the use of internal teat sealants and some of the challenges with producer use of internal teat sealants. We also review the importance of equivalence studies for practicing veterinarians, who are the target audience for papers in the Bovine Practitioner. The first study discussed was an equivalence study comparing two different internal teat sealants. The take-home message from this study for practicing veterinarians is that both products studies demonstrated equivalent results when comparing the outcome variables studied. 

The second paper evaluated the persistence of the internal teat sealant in the mammary gland during the dry period. This paper was from one herd and looked at migration of the teat sealant from the teat into the cistern of the mammary gland using radiographs as well as strip yields after freshening. The authors also investigated if location of the internal teat sealant impacted risk for new intramammary infection during the first 120 days in milk.  

Both of these studies are relevant to the practicing dairy veterinarian as they work with clients to implement dry-off protocols to decrease the risk of mastitis and improvements in milk quality. 

Links to publications: 

Buckley, M. P., Bayne, J., Tomazi, T., Miller, B. E., Godden, S. M., Silva, G. S., & Gorden, P. J. (2023). A randomized equivalence study evaluating the efficacy of two commercially available teat sealants in dairy cows. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 36–50. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p36-50

Buckley, M. P., Bayne, J., Tomazi, T., Miller, B. E., Silva, G. S., & Gorden, P. J. (2023). Evaluation of internal teat sealant persistence in the mammary gland during the dry period. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p51-59

The topic of the discussion is to walk through a research project that was funded by the AABP Foundation to investigate a model for inducing sole ulcers in dairy cattle. Sole ulcers are one of the major causes of lameness in dairy cattle and yet we still have much to learn about the pathogenesis of this disease to improve prevention and treatment strategies. Cramer discusses the importance of proof-of-concept studies to benefit future research and how they approached the welfare implications of this study. Three induction model challenges were implemented in this study included lying time restriction, dry matter intake restriction and a lipopolysaccharide challenge. Cramer reviews the results of the study and the difficulties in successfully inducing sole ulcers in this group of cows.  

We also discuss some of the limitations of this study and future research opportunities to improve our ability to prevent and treat sole ulcers in dairy cows which can improve the welfare of cows. The AABP Foundation supports advancements in the health, well-being and productivity of cattle through scholarship programs, educational opportunities, and applied clinical research that benefits present and future cattle veterinarians. Research projects that are funded by the AABP Foundation must be applicable to practicing cattle veterinarians, have limited opportunity for funding elsewhere, and can serve as seed money for future larger-scale projects. The AABP Foundation research projects are supported entirely by member donations. Please support this type of research by donating today at this link.  

Publication: 

G. Cramer, E. Shepley, W. Knauer, B.A. Crooker, S. Wagner, L.S. Caixeta, An iterative approach to the development of a sole ulcer induction model in Holstein cows, Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 106, Issue 7,2023, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-22726.

Our guests discuss the scholarship application process, how scholarships are reviewed, and offer tips for filling out the application. Students who qualify for a scholarship should consider applying using the links on the Students menu of the AABP website. We discuss the requirement for a CV/resume for some scholarships, and what to consider including in that document. Questions are also asked for all of the scholarships and answering these questions is part of the review process. 

Letters of recommendation are also considered by reviewers. Tips for asking for a reference as well as how to provide a good letter of reference for a student are great pointers for those applying. Finally, we remind students to make sure to not wait until the deadline date and time to finalize your application. This includes making sure your dues are renewed well in advance of the deadline and checking the scholarship/grant portal to make sure your letters of reference are submitted by the deadline. Incomplete applications are not reviewed. 

A special thank you to all of the donors to scholarship funds and AABP member volunteers from committees who review the scholarship applications. If you are interested in joining a committee, please contact fred@aabp.org. Donate to the AABP Foundation scholarship funds at this link.  

Links:

Join AABP and pay dues at this link. It can take 3 business days to renew your dues, so if you are applying for scholarships this year, please renews your dues in advance of the deadline! Students, make sure to have your application complete, including reference letters submitted online, by the deadline of May 31 at 5 pm Eastern. Check the status of your application at this link.  

Scholarship opportunities: 

Amstutz Scholarship – AABP Foundation premier scholarship for AABP student members graduating in 2025 or 2026. 

Zoetis Foundation Scholarship – Funded by the Zoetis Foundation this $7,500 scholarship is for AABP student members graduating in 2025. 

Merck Bovine Student Recognition Award – Funded by Merck Animal health, this $10,000 scholarship is for AABP student members graduating in 2025 and 2026. 

Francis Welcome Future Dairy Practitioner Scholarship – Funded by the Welcome Family and AABP member donations, this $2,000 scholarship is for a 3rd year veterinary student with an interest in dairy medicine after graduation. 

Edwin Robertson Memorial Scholarship – Funded by the Robertson Family and AABP member donations, this $1,000 scholarship is for students at Auburn and Lincoln Memorial University to fund an advanced reproduction experience. 

James H. Bias Scholarship – This $5,000 scholarship is funded by AABP members and is awarded to 3rd year veterinary student with a graduation year of 2025 from an underrepresented ethnic and or racial background. The scholarship also provides travel and lodging to the 2024 AABP conference and a free registration to an AABP Recent Graduate conference within the first three years of graduation. 

Gingrich reviews three major buckets of activity from the organization:

1.      Continuing Education. This is our major member resource. Historically, AABP has hosted an annual conference. In recent years, we have greatly expanded our CE offerings to include a recent graduate conference, webinars, podcasts, online recordings of all conference sessions and webinars, seminars outside of the annual conference, and online publications. In 2024, AABP will add even more CE for our members by hosting an additional virtual conference, one for beef veterinarians and one for dairy veterinarians. All AABP CE sessions, seminars and webinars are submitted for RACE approval which is an additional member benefit added recently. 

2.      Advocacy. In 2023, AABP was very involved in several important issues for cattle veterinarians. This includes supporting the establishment of a VCPR through in-person means and advocating against allowing a virtual VCPR to be established. AABP also has advocated against a mid-level practitioner that could provide services that are currently under the domain of veterinarians. In addition, we have worked with the AVMA to ensure we still have access to xylazine and the ability to use it in our normal course of practice.

3.      Support of the AABP Foundation. The AABP Foundation provides support to students through scholarships, externship grants and research grants. The AABP Foundation also supports clinically relevant research projects. In 2024, the AABP Foundation will award over $425,000 in funding with support from our members and industry partners. Visit http://aabp.org/foundation/ to learn more about the AABP Foundation and make a donation. 

AABP members are from private practice, academia, government, industry, farm staff veterinarians, retired veterinarians, technicians and students. Our members are beef veterinarians, dairy veterinarians and mixed animal veterinarians, but the one thing we have in common is our passion for cattle and the producers and caregivers we work for every day. Please continue to support our mission by renewing your dues or joining us today!

There are many factors that we should consider when evaluating parlor efficiency. These include loading speed, pulsation rate and ratio, teat end vacuum, mouth piece vacuum and automatic take off settings. Pedraza explains that although specialized testing equipment is needed for some of these assessments, observing parlor procedures, timing and milk flow at the end of milking can be a first step in assisting producers with parlor efficiency. 

Pedraza also points out how veterinarians can work with employees in the milking parlor to improve procedures, emphasizing the importance of explaining why we are implementing procedures and delivering messaging appropriately. Veterinarians can play a valuable role in parlor procedures and fine-tuning milking equipment to improve parlor efficiency and milk quality.  

Find AABP resources from the Milk Quality and Udder Health committee resources page. A previous podcast on the importance of pre-milking stimulation that is reference in this podcast can be found here.  

Erskine RJ, Norby B, Neuder LM, Thomson RS. Decreased milk yield is associated with delayed milk ejection. J Dairy Sci. 2019 Jul;102(7):6477-6484. doi: 10.3168/jds.2018-16219. Epub 2019 Apr 25. PMID: 31030923.

Shine defines functional fitness and the importance of having both cardiovascular exercise and strength training as part of your total physical health program. Physical fitness can also be an important aspect of mental health and well-being. Shine also describes how she manages her nutrition program and suggests that ambulatory veterinarians plan their meals to prevent the traps of eating unhealthy snacks or lunches during the day. As a coach, Shine describes how she welcomes members to her gym and provides tips on how to take that first step in your fitness journey and prioritize daily exercise in our busy lives.

The first objective of this study was to identify bedding characteristics associated with bedding bacterial count (BBC) in ready-to-use (RTU) recycled manure solids (RMS). The second objective was to explore the association between processing method and bedding characteristics in RTU solids. A third objective was to investigate factors associated with BBC in used solids (after placed in stalls). The study found that increased dry matter, decreased organic matter and processing method were all associated with reduced BBC in RTU RMS. Veterinarians should evaluate bedding as part of a total milk quality program to promote good udder health practices on their client’s farms. 

Peña Mosca, F., Godden, S., Royster, E., Crooker, B. A., & Timmerman, J. (2024). Methods of processing recycled manure solids bedding on Midwest dairy farms II: Relationships between bedding characteristics and bedding bacterial count. The Bovine Practitioner, 58(1), 8–18. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol58no1p8-18

Ilha, M. R., Hawkins, I. K., & Jones, A. L. (2023). Case report: Systemic granulomatous disease with vasculitis in a bull due to hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) toxicosis. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 60–66. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p60-66 

Washburn, K., Norman, T., Osterstock, J., & Respondek, T. (2007). Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) toxicosis in a purebred Angus herd. The Bovine Practitioner, 41(1), 60–64. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol41no1p60-64

Electronic nose technology has been used in human medicine for disease diagnosis, but little research has been done in veterinary medicine. The technology “sniffs” samples that has a variety of sensors that detects a variety of volatile compounds in the space above the sample. The paper discusses how the tool is trained and calibrated for this experiment to create a fingerprint to match that fingerprint to different samples. 

The objective of this study was to compare the eNose technology to the urine ketone test strips and blood BHBA  cow-side diagnostic tools and to evaluate the applicability to clinical practice in a production setting. The eNose technology had lower sensitivity and specificity vs. the Precision Xtra and urine ketone tests. Conrad also discusses the positive and negative predictive value of each test based on the estimated prevalence of the disease. Conrad also discusses some potential future applications of the eNose device in booth beef and dairy practice. Emerging technologies and research to validate these technologies in the field is an important area of new research in cattle practice to improve cattle health, welfare and productivity.  

Schelkopf, C. S., Apley, M. D., & Lubbers, B. V. (2023). Comparison of electronic nose and conventional cow-side diagnostic tools for detection of ketosis in early lactation dairy cows. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p5-16

We start our podcast by explaining the differences between colostrum recommendation for dairy vs. beef calves. Windeyer reports that research shows that up to 33% of beef calves demonstrate failure of passive transfer (FPT) and it can be challenging to identify calves that need assistance before the window of opportunity closes to ensure calves receive adequate colostrum. Calves that have FPT have an 8x higher odds of treatment for any disease and an 18x higher risk of all-cause mortality. If calves have greater than 24 g/L of IgG, they have a 10x lower risk of dying preweaning and about 0.2 pounds increased average dairy gain. From a financial perspective, each case of FPT costs on average $80.

Windeyer discusses how to identify calves that are at risk so that we do not interrupt maternal bonding. This can include calves born to heifers, twins, assisted pulls, and those with lack of suckle reflex. We also discuss how to properly train producers to tube feed calves colostrum if they will not drink from the bottle as well as what type of colostrum to feed the calf. 

Veterinarians have tremendous opportunity to work with cow-calf producers to ensure calves receive adequate colostrum and develop programs to train producers how to assist and monitoring the success of those programs. 

LINKS:

Beef Cattle Research Council YouTube video link on how to properly use an esophageal tube feeder.

Beef Calf Vigor Assessment Podcast with Dr Elizabeth Homerosky

Publications mentioned in the podcast by Gamsjäger, Lisa, et al.:

Impact of volume, immunoglobulin G concentration, and feeding method of colostrum product on neonatal nursing behavior and transfer of passive immunity in beef calves https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100345

Total and pathogen-specific serum Immunoglobulin G concentrations in neonatal beef calves, Part 2: Associations with health and growth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.105993

Total and pathogen-specific serum Immunoglobulin G concentrations in neonatal beef calves, Part 1: Risk factor https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.106026

Assessment of Brix refractometry to estimate immunoglobulin G concentration in beef cow colostrum https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15805

Evaluation of 3 refractometers to determine transfer of passive immunity in neonatal beef calves. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16016

Bringhenti, L., Colombo, E., Rodrigues, M. X., & Cooke, R. F. (2023). Effect of maternal bovine appeasing substance on health and performance of preweaned dairy calves. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p1-4

Kelsey M Schubach, Reinaldo F Cooke, Courtney L Daigle, Alice P Brandão, Bruna Rett, Vitor S M Ferreira, Giovanna N Scatolin, Eduardo A Colombo, Genevieve M D’Souza, Ky G Pohler, Bruno I Cappellozza, Administering an appeasing substance to beef calves at weaning to optimize productive and health responses during a 42-d preconditioning program, Journal of Animal Science, Volume 98, Issue 9, September 2020, skaa269, https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaa269

Cappellozza, B.I.; Cooke, R.F. Administering an Appeasing Substance to Improve Performance, Neuroendocrine Stress Response, and Health of Ruminants. Animals 2022, 12, 2432. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182432

Vieira, D.G.; Vedovatto, M.; Fernandes, H.J.; Lima, E.d.A.; D’Oliveira, M.C.; Curcio, U.d.A.; Ranches, J.; Ferreira, M.F.; Sousa, O.A.d.; Cappellozza, B.I.; et al. Effects of an Appeasing Substance Application at Weaning on Growth, Stress, Behavior, and Response to Vaccination of Bos indicus Calves. Animals 2023, 13, 3033. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13193033

Our guests also discuss the resources available to AABP members on the Lameness Committee resource page. This includes a review of treatments available to treat digital dermatitis and the available scientific evidence to support their claims found here. Other resources can be found at this link,  then click on the Lameness Committee tab or Resources from another AABP committee.  

If you are interested in joining the Lameness Committee, or another AABP committee, please send an email to fred@aabp.org.  

Genetic parameters for hoof lesions and their relationship with feet and leg traits in Canadian Holstein cows.
N. Chapinal, A. Koeck, A. Sewalem, D.F. Kelton, S. Mason, G. Cramer, F. Miglior
Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 96, Issue 4, 2013.
https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2012-6071

Theurer discusses the reasons that a large clinical trial comparing a generic product to the pioneer product in a field setting can assist veterinarians in making treatment decisions when recommending animal health products to their clients. Theurer walks us through the objectives and methods of the paper. Results of this paper did not find any significant differences in health outcomes evaluated for first treatment of BRD with the two products. He also discusses some of the differences identified between traditional beef breeds enrolled in the study and dairy-beef crosses which is an opportunity for future research. 

Theurer discusses his role as an associate editor for The Bovine Practitioner and encourages researchers to submit clinically relevant research to the journal. The journal is intended to provide research relevant to the practicing cattle veterinarian and is available open-access with no publication fees. The submission and review process is managed online. Find the journal at this link.

Theurer, M. E., Fox, T., Newberry, J. R., & Payot, F. (2023). Evaluation of the treatment efficacy of generic enrofloxacin compared to pioneer enrofloxacin for first treatment of naturally occurring bovine respiratory disease in a commercial feedlot. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 29–35. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p29-35

Product label and safety information for Tenotryl located on this page. 

CATTLE IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Tenotryl™ (enrofloxacin) 100 mg/ml Antimicrobial Injectable Solution: Animals intended for human consumption must not be slaughtered within 28 days from the last treatment. This product is not approved for use in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older, including dry dairy cows.  Use in these cattle may cause drug residues in milk and/or in the calves born to these cows.  A withdrawal period has not been established for this product in pre-ruminating calves.  Do not exceed a 20 mL dose per injection site.  Federal (USA) law prohibits the extra-label use of this drug in food producing animals.

Karreman provides some information on the regulatory aspects of botanical medicines and how they do not fit into the AMDUCA algorithm and pathways for possible approvals. He provides some references for efficacy studies of botanicals and suggests that there is opportunity for more research on their use in cattle.  

Karreman developed a resource guide with links for veterinarians interested in botanical medicine which can be found here.

Our guests review maternal antibody protection for the calf and how it protects calves versus how vaccination protects calves. Vaccinating calves early in life for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is important, but it is important to understand the challenges with maternal antibody interference. Chase reviews the types of vaccines and the advantages and disadvantages of each type (intranasal, modified live and killed) as well as reviewing some new information about the efficacy of injectable modified live virus vaccines in calves. Gillespie also reviews the importance of adjuvants and why they make a difference for calf vaccine programs. Gillespie also discusses the importance of the herd veterinarian in working with farms to develop vaccine protocols for prevention of disease. 

Links:

https://aabp.org/resources/2023_Pyramid_Dual_Challenge_Research_Brief.pdf

https://aabp.org/resources/BRD_Battle_Plan.pdf

https://aabp.org/resources/Protecting_Calves_from_BRD.pdf

AABP members can comment on guidelines and position statements which are now open by going to the "About" menu of the AABP website. These documents are developed by volunteer experts on AABP committees and task forces, then ultimately approved by the AABP Board of Directors. Submit your comments by going to this page by January 31 at 5 pm Eastern. 

Gingrich also encourages AABP members to cast their vote for the 2024 AABP Vice President Election. Candidates are Dr. Brandon Triechler and Dr. Mark Hilton. Candidate information including biographies, video presentations, question and answer document and a link to a podcast with the candidates can be found on the ballot page. The deadline to cast your vote is December 29 at 5 pm Eastern. 

AABP Vice President Dr. Callie Willingham serves as the Preconference Seminar coordinator for the 2024 AABP Conference in Columbus, Ohio. We are currently accepting proposals for preconference seminars and the portal will close on January 31 at 5 pm Eastern. To submit your proposal, please visit this link.  

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners Foundation announces the call for proposals for research grants for funding in 2024. Each grant will be funded for up to $25,000 and the AABP Foundation will fund up to two grants for 2024. Proposals may address clinically relevant research topics in beef cattle, dairy cattle or both, and can include topics such as disease treatment or prevention, production medicine or cattle welfare. For more information and to submit your proposal, go to this page. The deadline to submit your proposal is December 29 at 5 pm Eastern. 

Gingrich discusses the many CE opportunities for AABP members. The board has authorized funding many more CE opportunities for members. Historically, AABP has conducted an annual conference as its main CE event. AABP now offers the annual conference, recent graduate conference, practice management workshops, online CE of all webinars and conferences, and RACE approval for all CE, webinars and seminars outside of conferences. If you are not an AABP member, we encourage you to join us so that you can take advantage of the CE opportunities this organization has to offer. 

Gingrich closes by addressing some of the advocacy work from 2023, including xylazine legislation and protecting the VCPR from changes that may negatively impact cattle veterinarians. He encourages veterinarians who are AABP members to donate to the AVMA PAC to support this work. 

This project evaluated whether the side of the chute and right or left handedness influenced the sensitivity of detecting Tritrichomonas foetus. We discuss the importance of this venereal pathogen in the beef industry and the challenges for controlling its spread. Koziol walks us through the appropriate way to collect these samples and the new methods of detection that increase the sensitivity of the test versus previous diagnostic testing methods. She discusses the objectives and designs of the study. The results of the study indicate that the side of the chute and collector’s handedness do not influence the sensitivity of detecting the organism. This can have implications on ergonomics and long-term physical health of veterinarians. Physical health and injury prevention were identified as important aspects of retention of recent graduates in bovine practice, based on a study Koziol co-authored. These results can be utilized by cattle veterinarians performing this diagnostic test to allow them to appropriately implement control measures for their clients.

To view all the projects funded by the AABP Foundation, visit this page. 

Koziol, J. H., Gibbons, P. M., Fritzler, J. M., & Boggan, S. (2023). Side of chute and handedness does not affect the sensitivity of Tritrichomonas foetus sample collection in bulls. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 25–28. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p25-28

Gibbons, P. M. S., Koziol, J. H., Schmidt, M., Cummings, D. B., Sacquitne, C., & Hake, M. (2023). Should I stay or should I go – a qualitative assessment of experiences of recent veterinary graduates in bovine practice. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(1), 35–40. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol57no1p35-40

This investigation found no significant differences in time to loss of consciousness or death (defined as lack of rhythmic respirations and no auscultable heartbeat) between the frontal-frontal group and the frontal-poll group. The average time to death was 7-8 minutes with a range of 2-12 minutes for all cattle enrolled in the study. 

The authors recommend that veterinarians develop a checklist for ensuring appropriate euthanasia using a PCB is being performed on your client’s farms. This includes correct landmarks, training, checking for consciousness, maintaining proper functioning of equipment, and confirming death. The authors remind listeners that it can take up to 12 minutes for unconscious animals to lack a heartbeat after appropriate PCB euthanasia and caregivers should monitor animals until confirmation of death as part of a humane euthanasia protocol.

Links:

Robbins, J. A., Sanchez, H., Spangler, C., Vazquez, S., Spatz, N., & Boyum, B. (2023). Assessment of time to death, brain tissue damage and clinical signs of consciousness in mature Jersey x Holstein cattle receiving a secondary penetrating captive bolt gunshot at the poll or frontal sinus locations. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 67–73. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p67-73

Robbins, J. A. ., Williams, R., Derscheid, R. J. ., Boyum, B., & Spangler, C. (2021). Comparison of frontal-sinus and poll shot locations as secondary methods for euthanizing dairy cattle with a penetrating captive bolt gun. The Bovine Practitioner, 55(2), 115–119. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol55no2p115-119

AABP Guidelines for the Humane Euthanasia of Cattle

This conference includes a keynote presentation titled “Good Husbandry of the Cow Vet” by Dr. Marissa Hake, plus clinical skills sessions, practice management, beef and dairy sessions. Sessions will also include talks about non-bovine species such as camelids and pigs since many rural veterinarians are mixed animal veterinarians providing services to a variety of animals in their communities. The conference will close with a talk about handling disasters with Dr. Tera Barnhardt, practice tips presentations from the program committee, and a closing talk from Dr. Blaine Melody about “What is on Dr. Melody’s Mind?”

Conference registration is limited to current AABP member veterinarians and credentialed veterinary technicians who graduated from 2016-2023. All AABP conferences are recorded and the recordings are available at no charge to all AABP members. 

Early bird discounted registration closes at 5 pm Eastern time on January 17. Online registration closes on January 31. Register at this link before the conference sells out! View the schedule  here , and preconference seminar descriptions on this page. To book your hotel reservation at the AABP discounted rate, go to this page. 

#2024RG

Find the ballot and other information at this link. 

Reed discusses the modules that will be taught by the faculty of Reed, David McCormick, Dr. Richard Stup and Dr. Lesley Moser. The workshops will include two virtual sessions before the in-person meeting, followed by four additional virtual sessions. The in-person meeting will be a three-day course taught at the AABP office in Ashland, Ohio. Attendees will also have the opportunity to develop a project with one of the faculty members for additional one-on-one mentoring. Attendees will also receive resources to reach out to young people in their communities to provide information and encourage them to pursue a career in rural food animal or mixed animal practice.  

The workshops will provide training on business management principles, financial management, marketing, practice valuation, practice transition, human resources management, and many other topics to help early career veterinarians develop the skills to successfully manage a veterinary business. 

 The deadline to apply to attend the workshops is December 22, 2023 at 5 pm Eastern. To find out more information and apply for the workshop, visit this link. For questions, email fred@aabp.org. 

 Cottman presented at the 56th AABP Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wis. in the Veterinary Practice Sustainability session, chaired by Dr. Lauren Mack. AABP members can view presentations from all AABP conferences by clicking on the purple cow head logo at the bottom of any AABP webpage or downloading the free “BCI Mobile Conference” app from your device’s store. Cottman discusses his experiences at the conference, including his surprise at the amount of milk AABP members drink!

We discuss culture and cultural competency and how it relates to bovine practice, both in understanding caregivers who work on beef and dairy farms as well as associates and staff in veterinary practices. Cottman discusses initiatives at universities to increase diversity, as well as recognizing barriers that some students have in applying for and attending veterinary school. He offers some advice for having difficult conversations about identity and how to not be adversarial or hostile when a mistake is made so that we can improve understanding between all of us. He also asks each of us to give our fellow humans grace when it comes to these conversations so we can continue to understand and accept our differences. Finally, he shares some of the adversity he has faced in his new position and how he faced those challenges.

Books that discuss these issues:

White Fragility – Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin Diangelo

White Like Me – Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son by Tim Wise

How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi

Say the Right Thing – How to talk about Identity, Diversity and Justice by Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow

Coetzee reviews why pain and fever management are important in cattle and the challenges associated with managing pain in cattle. He reviews the NSAID options that are available and the process for achieving FDA approval for a pain indication. We also discuss labor and human considerations for pain management and use of flunixin transdermal solution. 

Midla discusses the recent FDA approval of Banamine Transdermal for a claim that gives dairy veterinarians a new NSAID option for lactating cows and the reasons Merck Animal Health brought this product to market. We discuss that routes of administration for flunixin products that are not on the label can cause severe tissue damage as well as lead to violative meat and milk residues. Banamine Transdermal received the claim for control of fever associated with acute mastitis in lactating dairy cattle with a 48-hour milk discard and eight-day preslaughter withdrawal period. Midla reviews the evidence for the rapid effectiveness and duration of the transdermal route of administration compared to the IV route. He also discusses reasons for not administering the product in periparturient cows and encourages veterinarians to thoroughly review product label information. Finally, he reviews some of the research demonstrating a reduction in fever in cows with acute mastitis compared to controls. 

 IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR BANAMINE® TRANSDERMAL. NOT FOR HUMAN USE. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. Milk that has been taken during treatment and for 48 hours after treatment must not be used for human consumption. Cattle must not be slaughtered for human consumption within 8 days of the last treatment. Not for use in replacement dairy heifers 20 months of age or older or dry dairy cows; use in these cattle may cause drug residues in milk and/or calves born to these cows or heifers. Not for use in beef and dairy bulls intended for breeding over 1 year of age, beef calves less than 2 months of age, dairy calves, and veal calves. Do not use within 48 hours of expected parturition. Approved only as a single topical dose in cattle. For complete information on Banamine® Transdermal, see accompanying product package insert.

 LINKS:

BANAMINE® TRANSDERMAL | Merck Animal Health USA (merck-animal-health-usa.com) (click "View Product Label" when on this page)

Effects of a single transdermal administration of flunixin meglumine in early postpartum Holstein Friesian dairy cows: Part 1. Inflammatory and metabolic markers, uterine health, and indicators of pain

Schmitt et al JDS 2023

 Effects of a single transdermal administration of flunixin meglumine in early postpartum Holstein Friesian dairy cows: Part 2. Milk yield, culling risk, and reproductive performance

Schmitt et al JDS 2023

The effects of periparturient administration of flunixin meglumine on the health and production of dairy cattle.

Newby et al JDS 2017

 Smith discusses the key pathophysiologic changes that occurs in calves with diarrhea which can help veterinarians explain to producers what needs addressed with therapy. Calves with diarrhea lose electrolytes, especially sodium, and have an increased amount of D-lactate leading to acidemia. Most cases of neonatal diarrhea are not due to bacterial pathogens and therefore electrolyte therapy to correct dehydration, hyponatremia and acidosis is warranted more often than antimicrobials. 

Smith suggests an oral electrolyte solution that contains sodium (90-130 mEq/L), an alkalinizing agent (sodium bicarb, acetate or proprionate 50-60mEq/L), glycine which can help sodium absorption in the intestine, and correct osmolality (avoid products with high osmolality in the 700 or higher mOsm/L range). Smith also suggests evaluating the strong ion difference in the products to determine how well it can correct acidosis in the calf by adding the positive ions and subtracting the negative ions for a goal of 50-60 strong ion difference.
 

 One common question from producers is if electrolytes can be added to milk. Smith cautions that sodium bicarbonate interferes with milk absorption and the osmolality of the final product can increase the risk for abomasitis if total solids are greater than 14-16. Separating electrolyte therapy from milk feeding by at least 2 hours and continuing electrolyte feeding once a day until the diarrhea is resolved. Smith also discusses the indications for IV fluid therapy to rapidly correct acidosis, dehydration and hyponatremia. This can be done with 4 mL/kg of hypertonic saline solution over 2-3 minutes followed by oral electrolyte therapy. If the calf is unable to suckle or stand, rapid correction of acidosis is most important and can be achieved by IV administration of hypertonic sodium bicarbonate (8.4% of 84 g/L) at a rate of 5-10 mL/kg over 5 minutes. 

 Smith wraps up our conversation by discussing the key points for prevention of calf scours by ensuring a clean environment, proper nutrition, proper vaccination, and an adequate amount of clean, high-quality colostrum immediately after birth. Oral electrolytes can also be fed during the high-risk period for calf diarrhea for a particular farm based on history working with the veterinarian of record. One recommendation is to use the electrolytes that are diluted 1:3 to 1:4 from the treatment dose.

 AABP members can see previous presentations from Smith on calf diarrhea and fluid therapy by accessing the AABP Online CE portal through the Kansas State Beef Cattle Institute or by downloading the free BCI Mobile Conference App from your device’s store. 

If you attended the conference, you can access your CE certificate by logging in to the AABP website, hover over your name in the upper right corner and select "My CE Certificates" where you can review, edit, print or save your certificate as a PDF document for your files.  

All conference sessions are recorded and available at no charge to AABP members. Access recordings of all annual conferences, recent graduate conferences and webinars by clicking on the purple cow-head logo at the bottom of any AABP webpage after logging in or download the free "BCI Mobile Conference App".  

Gingrich reviews some of the feedback from the conference including the rating from respondents for quality of the conference. 91% of attendees rated the conference 4 or 5 stars. He also thanks our sponsors of the conference, including the sponsors of our major meal and social events which includes Boehringer-Ingelheim, Diamond V, Zoetis, Vaxxinova-Newport Labs, and Endovac.  

Nearly $100,000 was raised for the Foundation at the conference and we encourage members who still would like to give to the AABP Foundation and select one of the funds, please do so by visiting the donation link or contact the AABP office.  

Gingrich also reviews some of the major board activities from the AABP Board of Directors meeting at the conference. The AVMA shared that over 50% of their PAC funds have been spent this year advocating for passage of legislation to maintain access to xylazine. Please support the AVMA PAC with a donation to ensure that AVMA has the resources to advocate for bovine veterinarians. If you are an AVMA member, visit the PAC site today and donate, send a letter to your Congressional representatives, or sign-up for advocacy updates.  

The AABP board also provided advocacy for the establishment of a VCPR through in-person means only and supplemented though virtual or electronic methods and the support of utilizing credentialed veterinary technicians in bovine practice instead of the creation of an unknown mid-level practitioner. AABP has created the "Utilization of Credentialed Veterinary Technicians in Bovine Practice" task force to develop a guideline to advocate what veterinary technicians can perform in bovine practice, what skills should only be performed by a veterinarian, and defining direct and indirect supervision as it pertains to bovine practice.  To review the background information for the task force, visit this link. AABP members interested in serving should submit a CV/resume and letter of interest to Dr. Fred Gingrich by emailing fred@aabp.org.

Planning for the 57th AABP Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio. September 12-14, 2024 will be completed on November 4, so if you have ideas and suggestions, please send to Dr. Gingrich or the conference chair, Dr. Dave Sjeklocha at david.sjeklocha@merck.com.

 For more information, please visit the USDA NIFA VMLRP page. 

This episode of Have You Herd? is brought to you by Merck Animal Health. When your clients come to you with a BRD issue, turn to the experts at Merck Animal Health. Merck Animal Health stands behind you, so you can stand behind your clients. With a broad portfolio of vaccines, antibiotic solutions, monitoring technology and a leading technical service team – they’re here to help you tackle BRD with confidence.

Visit this link to discover the Merck Animal Health portfolio of anti-infectives for your cattle health solutions.  

We start our conversation by discussing a typical dehorning protocol on beef and dairy farms as well as methods for providing local anesthesia to the horn bud. The objective of this study was to determine if the duration of analgesia could be extended using additional anesthesia and analgesia protocols in calves that were scoop dehorned. All treatment groups received a cornual nerve block with lidocaine and the four treatment groups included an additional infiltration around the horn bud with ethanol, lidocaine alone, lidocaine with meloxicam, and a bupivacaine liposome suspension. Martin discusses the outcome variables they tested and walks us through how these measurements were performed by the investigators.  

The results indicated that none of the treatments extended the duration of analgesia based on the outcomes measured, however it did emphasize that multimodal analgesic therapy with a local anesthetic and oral meloxicam is the gold standard by working synergistically and providing a longer duration of analgesia. Martin also discusses the opportunities for future research in pain management in cattle, including investigating products and procedures that are practical regimens to extend the duration of analgesia for a variety of painful procedures and conditions. 

This project was funded by the AABP Foundation through the welfare research grant program. The AABP Foundation funds clinically relevant research that may not have the opportunity for funding through other sources. Please consider donating to the AABP Foundation research projects so that future projects that benefit cattle veterinarians, producers and cattle have the opportunity for funding. Please consider a donation to the AABP Foundation to help fund these research projects by visiting this link.  

Comparison of lidocaine alone or in combination with a local nerve block of ethanol, bupivacaine liposome suspension, or oral meloxicam to extend analgesia after scoop dehorning in Holstein calves. Miriam Martin, Michael D. Kleinhenz, Abbie V. Viscardi, Shawnee R. Montgomery, Charley A. Cull, Kelly F. Lechtenberg, and Johann F. Coetzee

JDS Communications May 2022

https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2021-0178 

AABP Foundation Cattle Welfare Grant Funded Projects 

AABP Foundation Competitive Research Grant Funded Projects 

The conference will be held at the Wisconsin Center District which is the convention center located at 555 Wells St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There are parking garages next to the hotels and the downtown area is located 8 miles from the Milwaukee airport. The airport has Uber, Lyft or taxi service to downtown. When you arrive, go to the ground floor of the convention center to pick-up your registration pack and name badge if you have already registered and paid for your attendance. If you are registering on-site, please understand that some meal events may be sold out and it will take some time to process your registration and payment. 

Gingrich advises attendees to review the conference website at https://aabp.org/milwaukee/default.asp to view the schedule, session descriptions, draft proceedings papers, committee meeting locations and agendas, Milwaukee visitors information, Slido links, exhibit hall information and the schedule for exhibit hall presentations called “Chute Side Chats”. 

He offers top ten tips for enjoying the conference as well as how to access your CE certificate or listen to the recorded sessions after the conference. The AABP staff and volunteers on the program committee welcome you to Milwaukee and hope you enjoy all of the sessions and events that AABP has to offer our attendees!

This podcast is supported by Merck Animal Health and the Bovilis Vista Once SQ vaccine. To find out more information, visit this page. 

 Calcutt provides some guidance for veterinarians who are seeking new associates from the perspective of a student and a recent graduate looking for their next job. One thing that she discussed is the desire for millennials to have a job where they can make a difference and that is what she found attractive about food animal medicine. Veterinarians can learn from this and support and encourage students who do not have a farm animal or rural background but want to have a professional career in food animal medicine. 

We discuss the job posting and details about what employers should include in a job posting such as where to post your job, what makes a good job description, providing a salary or salary range, and listing the benefits offered. The top three things Calcutt wants to see in a job posting are the species break-down the associate will see and cases seen, the number of doctors in the clinic and on-call schedule, and the salary and benefits spelled out clearly. She also encourages employers to reply promptly to an applicant and send an offer letter with details prior to the in-person interview so the potential associate can review it prior to arriving. We also discuss that after the job is accepted, employers should provide communication and a defined mentorship plan to improve the success of retention of the associate. Making sure that what was offered in the job is actually what the associate is doing on a day-to-day basis is an important part of job satisfaction. 

 AABP members can post available jobs for free at https://aabp.org/jobs/jobs/default.asp. Listing can be updated to reflect some of the tips available in this podcast!

Dr. Godden was an author on the paper published in the AABP peer-reviewed journal, The Bovine Practitioner. The journal’s target audience is practicing cattle veterinarians, providing research that is clinically relevant, and is available open-access in a searchable format where you can download PDF’s of articles at this link.

We start our conversation by discussing recycled manure solids as a bedding for dairy cows and why producers may find this bedding choice attractive. Godden encourages veterinarians to get involved in the discussion to assist producers with their milk quality programs, including bedding choices and how to best make them work for that farm. This study investigated four different processing methods of recycled manure solids on 29 Midwest dairy farms: green, digested, mechanically drum composted and hot air drum dryers.  Godden discusses the methods of this study and offered practical tips for veterinarians to submit bedding samples for quantitative cultures of pathogens of interest. The number one tip is to be consistent so you can compare your results. 

This study looked at the relationship between recycled manure solids processing methods and bedding bacteria counts, bulk tank bacteria counts, udder health and milk production. This study identifies some of the potential risk factors associated with the various processing methods but Godden reminds us that mastitis is a multi-factorial problem and veterinarians should be familiar with complete investigations on farms to ensure that all factors, including bedding type, are included.

Links:

Godden, S., Royster, E., Crooker, B., Timmerman, J., & Peña Mosca, F. (2023). Methods of processing recycled manure solids bedding on Midwest dairy farms I: Associations with bedding bacteria counts, milk quality, udder health and milk production. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(1), 10–20. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol57no1p10-20

University of Minnesota Laboratory for Udder Health

Bedding culture submission and interpretation guide 

Hardee also provides some tips to help producers understand its use and the value of following protocols provided by the veterinarian of record. We discuss the importance of reviewing preventive herd health plans to prevent diseases such as BRD and decrease its risk although all cases are not preventable. Hardee reviews the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs)and their application for treatment of BRD and its effects on the animal. Florfenicol has other uses as well, such as treatment of foot rot in cattle. Finally, we review some of the research that Hardee has been involved with on antibiotic resistance and the judicious use of antibiotics on cattle operations.

 AABP would like to thank Merck Animal Health for support of the Bovine Veterinary Student Recognition Awards providing 18 veterinary students with a $5,000 scholarship administered by the AABP Foundation at the AABP Annual Conference. 

Links:

Nuflor Injectable Solution

Resflor Gold 

Merck Veterinary Manual Use of Phenicols in Animals

 Our guests discuss the challenges of rural bovine/mixed animal practice and the evolving role of the veterinarian for beef and dairy clients and their experiences in deciding to join Heritage Veterinary Partners which has provide their practice benefits for their veterinarians and staff. We also discuss the initiatives that AABP has undertaken the past several years to provide resources to our members and especially our recent graduate members to improve retention. Cummings discusses a publication from a qualitative analysis of responses from small group meetings with members of the Membership Committee of recent graduates and what they want from bovine practice. Irons and Onan discuss how they have realized improvements in quality of life, business management, inventory management and networking with partners when they made the decision to join this collaboration of veterinarians. 

 Cummings invites attendees at the 56th AABP Annual Conference in Milwaukee, Wis., to visit them in the exhibit hall for more information. 

 Links:

Heritage Vet Partners website

 Heritage Vet Partners Facebook page 

 What is happening in bovine practice and is it fixable – Dr. Fred Gingrich, Bovine Veterinarian, July 2023

 Gibbons, P. M. S., Koziol, J. H., Schmidt, M., Cummings, D. B., Sacquitne, C., & Hake, M. (2023). Should I stay or should I go – a qualitative assessment of experiences of recent veterinary graduates in bovine practice. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(1), 35–40. Retrieved from https://bovine-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/bovine/article/view/8570

 Gibbons, P. M., Wells, J. K., Watson, K. R., Weale, J. J., & Roberson, J. R. (2022). A mixed-method pilot study investigating challenges experienced by mixed animal veterinarians in practice and their private practice experiences prior to graduation. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no1p18-28

 Gilliam, G., White, B. ., & Dodd, C. C. . (2021). Factors influencing administrative personnel and veterinarian turnover and compensation packages in rural mixed-animal practices over a 5-year period . The Bovine Practitioner, 55(2), 108–114. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol55no2p108-114

May begins by discussing some of the changes in the rumen microbial population from fiber digesters to starch digesters and how starter rations can influence the rumen. The history of the calf is important, but unfortunately that can often be missing with some arrival cattle. If the diet the cattle were on is available, it can be much easier to transition those cattle to full feed versus cattle that have an unknown history. Access and availability of water is very important for calf health and growth. May suggests that 1 linear inch of water trough space per head is standard, but could be increased to 2-3 inches in receiving pens. Ensuring regular cleaning, often daily, of water troughs in receiving pens is also important. May also discusses the importance of working with veterinarians on feed additives such as ionophores or antimicrobials to optimize health of the calf and rumen. Nutrition consulting is also not just about the ration ingredients but ensuring feed quality, consistency, delivery and consumption. Finally, we discuss the importance of knowing the goals for the cattle to help to optimize the timing of moving the calf from the starter ration to full feed. Although growth is important, ensuring that cattle transition to the feeding phase successfully even if growth is decreased initially will have a minimal impact on the productivity of the calf if it remains healthy.  

Find out more information about Feedlot Health Management Services by Telus Agriculture on their website.  

To learn more about Lactipro, visit https://msbiotec.com.

This case study demonstrates a novel approach to treating urolithiasis in a non-invasive manner using calcium boluses instead of the traditional treatment with the urinary acidifier ammonium chloride. Urolithiasis is the fifth leading cause of mortality in feedlot steers due to the high concentrate diet and effects on urine pH and calcium:phosphorous ratio. Armstrong recommends that a feed analysis be performed to evaluate the calcium:phosphorous ratio and to perform serial urinalyses to monitor the effect of treatment on crystalluria and urine pH. 

Armstrong, P. M. (2023). Urolithiasis: Review and case description of a Wagyu feeder steer with struvite crystalluria and urolithiasis treated with calcium boluses. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(1), 41–48. Retrieved from https://bovine-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/bovine/article/view/8573

The AABP Genetics and Genomics Committee develops resources for AABP members on the importance of genomics in the beef and dairy industry and developed this podcast. Our producer guests discuss the traits they focus on when selecting cattle, how they incorporate genomics testing and using indexes for bull selection. They discuss how they keep select replacements and give suggestions for what cow-calf producers should focus on when selecting bulls. Both producers believe that genomic testing has benefits their herds and helped them achieve their goals in a more rapid manner stating that the testing is economically advantageous to their operations. Finally, Bieber and Ratzburg offer suggestions for utilizing veterinarians to help make decisions on genetics and genomics within their herds. 

Find out more information about Bieber Red Angus on this page and Bobcat Angus here.  

For more information about the AABP Genetics and Genomics Committee, or to join the committee, visit this link. If you are attending the AABP conference and are interested in genetics and genomics, please join the committee meeting on Thursday, Sept. 21.  

To view a detailed description of all seminars, visit this link and click on the title of each seminar. To register for the conference and add a seminar to your registration, visit the registration page. For questions about seminars, feel free to contact fred@aabp.org for assistance.

The theme of the conference is “Evolving Expectations” and the keynote address will be delivered by Sara Frasca who will discuss the “Journey of Innovation” and how cattle veterinarians can evolve and grow practices to meet client and consumer demands. Capel and Gingrich review the highlights of each session and encourage listeners to review the full schedule at this link. The conference will also offer plenty of opportunities to network and socialize with new and old friends and colleagues, including a trade show in the exhibit hall where members can network with animal health company representatives. The AABP Stampede 5k will return again this year -- the inaugural run was also in Milwaukee in 2013. It will be in the same location near Lake Michigan in Juneau Park.

Registration is open and we encourage listeners to register before the fees increase on August 10. Registration information can be found on this page. AABP encourages all attendees to book their hotel reservation in the AABP hotel block to decrease the financial risk to the organization. Book your hotel by going to this link. 

 We look forward to welcoming you to Milwaukee in September to “Evolve Expectations”.

 #AABP2023

The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation
Nature Review Neuroscience
https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3916

Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators
Behavioral Brain Research
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2018.08.023

Meditation-induced effects on whole-brain structural and effective connectivity
Brain Structure and Function
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-022-02496-9

Books:

10% Happier – How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress without Losing my Edge, and Found Self-Help that Actually Works by Dan Harris

Don't Just Do Something, Sit There: A Mindfulness Retreat by Sylvia Boorstein

 Zen and the Art of Running: The Path to Making Peace with Your Pace by Larry Shapiro

 Szasz JI, Bryant TC, Bryant LK, Streeter MN, Hutcheson JP, & Renter DG (2022). Health and performance outcomes from a randomized clinical trial of post-metaphylactic intervals following tildipirosin metaphylaxis for control of naturally occurring BRD in commingled lightweight yearling steers in a commercial feedlot. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(2), 38–46. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no2p38-46

 Meyer begins our discussion with a refresher on Pasteurella multocida and the role it plays in the bovine respiratory disease complex. He also discusses some of the misconception about P. multocida and how veterinarians can educate producers on this pathogen. Meyer states that P. multocida typically is the number one bacteria isolated in dairy calves and the second most common isolate in beef calves with BRD from diagnostic lab samples. We also discuss some classic signs of a P. multocida problem in a herd and how veterinarians can assist producers with both ante-mortem and post-mortem diagnostics working with their reference laboratories. Myer reviews both husbandry principles and vaccination with Bovilis Vista Once SQ to aid in prevention of this pathogen as part of the BRD complex. He encourages veterinarians to contact their Merck Animal Health technical services veterinarian for further information.

Please visit this link for more information about Bovilis Vista Once SQ.

 Relevant links:

 AABP Guidelines for the Humane Euthanasia of Cattle, March 2023

 Robbins, J. A. ., Williams, R., Derscheid, R. J. ., Boyum, B., & Spangler, C. (2021). Comparison of frontal-sinus and poll shot locations as secondary methods for euthanizing dairy cattle with a penetrating captive bolt gun. The Bovine Practitioner, 55(2), 115–119. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol55no2p115-119

Intrathecal Lidocaine Procedure in Equids and Cattle

Registration for the 56th AABP Annual Conference is now open. Gingrich mentions some of the opportunities at the conference to evaluate herd outbreaks and using data to solve problems in cattle practice. For more information and to register for the conference, visit this page. Preconference seminar information can be found at this link and the full schedule is available on this page. 

Thompson, AC, & Smith, DR (2022). Failed transfer of passive immunity is a component cause of pre-weaning disease in beef and dairy calves: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(2), 47–61. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no2p47-61

A grassroots effort by veterinarians is needed to make sure that representatives here our message on issues important to AABP members. Gingrich encourages members to sign up for the AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network at this link to receive messages about important issues as well as have the ability to send emails to Congressional representatives. Less than 2% of AVMA members donate to the AVMA PAC compared with 13-18% for other professional organization. Gingrich encourages AABP members who are AVMA members to donate to the PAC so that our voice is heard. 

Gingrich walks listeners through the proposed rules to schedule xylazine as a controlled substance. The primary concern with this proposed regulation is loss of access to the drug due to manufacturers and distributors being unwilling to comply with the regulations, especially on a state-by-state level. AVMA and AABP have advocated for passage of the Combatting Illicit Xylazine Act which would impose federal penalties on illicit use, but maintain veterinary use as prescription. Please send an email to your Congressional representatives using the AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network system to support this bill. He also discusses the results on xylazine use survey by AABP members which can be found at this link. 

The other issues discussed in the podcast are protecting the VCPR, utilizing telemedicine in bovine practice for established clients, and mobilization of credentialed veterinary technicians in bovine practice. 

Please support the advocacy efforts of AABP by joining us or renewing your dues today at this link. 

 Relevant publications:

Gibbons, P. M., Wells, J. K., Watson, K. R., Weale, J. J., & Roberson, J. R. (2022). A mixed-method pilot study investigating challenges experienced by mixed animal veterinarians in practice and their private practice experiences prior to graduation. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no1p18-28

 Thomson, D. U., Thomson, J. U., Lubbers, B. V., Apley, M. D., Cull, C. A., Lechtenberg, K. F., McCoy, E. J., & Schwandt, E. F. (2017). A Survey of veterinary student exposure to and performance of clinical skills necessary for success in beef cattle veterinary practice and the relationship to the supply, demand, and value of proper training as beef cattle veterinarians. The Bovine Practitioner, 51(2), 215–228. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol51no2p215-228

Short communication: Effects of transition milk and milk replacer supplemented with colostrum replacer on growth and health of dairy calves
J Dairy Sci https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18361

 Evaluation of the effects of oral colostrum supplementation during the first fourteen days on the health and performance of preweaned calves
J Dairy Sci https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2008-1433

Evaluation of the effects of colostrum replacer supplementation of the milk replacer ration on the occurrence of disease, antibiotic therapy, and performance of pre-weaned dairy calves
J Dairy Sci https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-11652

Feeding colostrum or a 1:1 colostrum:milk mixture for 3 days postnatal increases small intestinal development and minimally influences plasma glucagon-like peptide-2 and serum insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations in Holstein bull calves
J Dairy Sci https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17219

 Relevant links:

FDA Frequently Asked Questions on GFI #263

 GFI #263 Recommendations for Sponsors of Medically Important Antimicrobials

 FDA GFI #263 Text

 AABP Guidelines for Establishing and Maintaining the VCPR in Bovine Practice

 AABP Key Elements for Implementing Antimicrobial Stewardship Plans in Bovine Veterinary Practices Working with Beef and Dairy Operations

 AVMA Resources on GFI #263

 Relevant publication:

Jones, A. L., Berghaus, R. D., Kalatari, A. A., Credille, B., Naikare, H. K., Heins, B., Saliki, J., & Wilkes, R. P. (2022). Seroprevalence and molecular detection of Anaplasma marginale infected beef herds in Georgia, USA. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(2), 70–78. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no2p70-78

We welcome veterinarians, credentialed veterinary technicians and students enrolled in veterinary school to join AABP to support the organization’s efforts to provide continuing education, support the AABP Foundation and advocate for issues important to cattle practice. The 2023-2024 dues season is open. Click here to join AABP or renew your dues today!

Relevant publication:

 Gibbons, P. M., Wells, J. K., Watson, K. R., Weale, J. J., & Roberson, J. R. (2022). A mixed-method pilot study investigating challenges experienced by mixed animal veterinarians in practice and their private practice experiences prior to graduation. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no1p18-28

Foodborne illness outbreaks linked to unpasteurized milk and relationship to changes in state laws - United States, 1998-2018.
Koski L, Kisselburgh H, Landsman L, Hulkower R, Howard-Williams M, Salah Z, Kim S, Bruce BB, Bazaco MC, Batz MB, Parker CC, Leonard CL, Datta AR, Williams EN, Stapleton GS, Penn M, Whitham HK, Nichols M.
Epidemiol Infect. 2022 Oct 25
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268822001649

 CDC Resources on Raw Milk

The introduction of the speaker is Dr. Tommy Ware who served as the chair of the program committee as the AABP Emerging Leader. Also serving on the program committee were Drs. Alex Pop, Michael Rohde and Kendra Wells. AABP is now accepting applications for the next emerging leader from AABP members, who are also AVMA members, who graduated from 2016-2023. Submit your CV and letter of interest to fred@aabp.org or contact him for more information.  

AABP would like to thank all of the attendees of the conference. The recorded sessions are available for AABP members by clicking on the purple cow head logo at the bottom of any AABP webpage or download the free BCI Mobile Conference app. This is a free member benefit for RACE-approved CE! 

Links:
Saskatoon Colostrum Company Ltd.  

Feeding colostrum as therapy for diarrhea in preweaned calves

 Students can apply for funding through the AABP Foundation. Go to this link to find out more information and apply. AABP members can also list their externship opportunities and students can find those opportunities on this page. 

 AABP members can listen to Roman-Muniz’s conference presentation on the BCI CE portal when the recorded sessions are available. We also encourage anyone interested in this topic to review the resources on the AABP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee page. If you are interested in joining the DEI committee, click on the email committee link from that page. AABP members can also advance their Spanish-language skills for communicating with farm workers in a practical setting by taking part in our free Spanish language webinar series. Two webinars are available on the BCI CE portal and more will be offered in the future. Find the AABP webinar schedule under the "Members" menu of the AABP website.

The In Temp data logger used in this study can be found at this link. 

 Fallness, C. A., Rollin, E., Heins, B. D., & Berghaus, R. D. (2022). Maintenance of the last step of the cold chain: on-farm refrigerator storage and performance. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(2), 62–69. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no2p62-69

3-NOP has a very specific mode of action in the rumen to competitively inhibit the last step of methanogenesis. Research has consistently shown that 3-NOP decreases rumen methanogenesis by 30% in dairy cattle and up to 50% in feedlot cattle. 3-NOP has a different mode of action to ionophores such as monensin. We discuss that 6% of the energy fed to dairy cows and 3.5% of the energy fed to beef cows is lost to methane. Research has not demonstrated an increase in milk production or dry matter intake, but it has had some impact on milk components. We also discuss the practical application of 3-NOP in dairy cows, pastoral beef systems, pre-weaned calves and its impact on future lifetime production of methane, and during the finishing phase of beef production. 

We also discuss that 3-NOP is a new concept with proven reductions in methane production but there is opportunity for future research to demonstrate potential benefits to producers, animals and consumers as well as the environment. 

Related publications:

 Summary of scientific papers from DSM on 3-nitrooxypropanoal

 DSM sustainability website

 Use of 3-nitrooxypropanol as feed additive for mitigating enteric methane emissions from ruminants: a meta-analysis

 The effects of feeding 3-nitrooxypropanol on methane emissions and productivity of Holstein cows in mid lactation

A meta-analysis of effects of 3-nitrooxypropanol on methane production, yield, and intensity in dairy cattle

 Use of 3-nitrooxypropanol in a commercial feedlot to decrease enteric methane emissions from cattle fed a corn-based finishing diet

 Links:

Current attitudes of veterinarians and producers regarding the use of local and systemic analgesia in beef and dairy cattle in the United States
Elizabeth C.S. Johnstone, Johann F. Coetzee, Pablo J. Pinedo, Lily Edwards-Callaway
JAVMA, Vol. 258. No. 2
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.258.2.197

Determination of milk concentrations and pharmacokinetics of salicylic acid following acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) administration in postpartum dairy cows
B.R. Fritz, M.D. Kleinhenz, S.R. Montgomery, G. Magnin, M.S. Martin, M. Weeder, A.K. Curtis, J.F. Coetzee
J Dairy Sci, Vol. 105, No. 2
https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2021-21507

AABP Resource Approaching Pain in Cattle

This series of papers was published after Jumper et al. administered a survey to 14,000 cow-calf producers in the U.S. who were members of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association with a 25% response rate. One interesting response to the survey was the question asking what was the producer’s motivation for being in the cow-calf industry. The number one response was that they enjoyed taking care of cattle and number two was that cattle had been in their family for generations. The results of the survey provide multiple opportunities for veterinarians to be involved in their client’s operations to develop consulting on cattle health, production and welfare. The majority of responses (2/3) stated that their veterinarians was influential in management decisions. The survey was used to ask producer’s questions about the use of cattle health and production records (CHPR), what were the odds of using CHPR based on various demographics, how did they use and access technology for CHPR and what is the veterinarian’s involvement in CHPR on their operations.  

The results of this survey can be used by veterinarians to develop questions for their clients, identify the challenges and bottlenecks to CHPR on their client’s operations, and identify opportunities for them to help their clients develop CHPR practices to incorporate consulting services to help the client, their cattle, and the veterinarian. Jumper reminds us that for clients that do not have CHPR, it is best to identify some simple yet important pieces of information to record and build the CHPR from there. Veterinarians are an investment in cow-calf operations and we should work to develop consulting relationships to help these clients enjoy their cattle even more!

Jumper, W. I., Huston, C. L., Willis, R. W., & Smith, D. R. (2022). Survey of U.S. cow-calf producer methods and opinions of cattle health and production record-keeping. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no2p1-15

 Jumper, W. I., Huston, C. L., Willis, R. W., & Smith, D. R. (2022). Survey of U.S. cow-calf producer access to and use of technology for cattle health and production record-keeping purposes. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(2), 16–28. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no2p16-28

 Jumper, W. I., Huston, C. L., Willis, R. L., & Smith, D. R. (2022). Survey of veterinary involvement in cattle health and production record-keeping on U.S. cow-calf operations. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(2), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no2p2-37

 Dr. Madany states that he would not be able to practice without meat and that animal products are his medicine. Cattle veterinarians can advocate for the health benefits of an animal based diet to promote the products our clients produce.

 Interested in more information about low carbohydrate diets or the carnivore diet? Two books discussed in the podcast are listed below for further information:

 Good Calories, Bad Calories – Gary Taubes

 The Carnivore Diet – Shawn Baker

Robini discusses how nutrition can impact animal and we discuss several research projects and publications that support the use of prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics in dairy rations as well as defining these terms. Mastitis and udder health remain a significant disease challenge in the dairy industry and we review some of the financial impacts of mastitis in dairy cows. Currently, the dairy industry spends $70-100 per cow per year on prevention and up to $450 per case of clinical mastitis. Feeding the immune system with key nutrients can decrease the impacts of mastitis in the dairy industry. Robini also unpacks the practical application of feeding these products on the dairy and the financial returns that can be realized from utilizing them in dairy rations.  

The AABP Foundation continues to support veterinary students and we encourage everyone to donate to the Foundation at this link to support scholarships, research and externship programs for veterinary students. AABP members can list their externships to welcome students to bovine practice by going to this page. Are you interested in joining an AABP Committee? Visit the committee page on the AABP website and click on a committee to find information and email the committee chair!

 Register for the conference at this link. View the schedule of events on this page. Make sure to book your hotel room in the AABP block and support your organization to ensure the continued success of this conference by going to this page.

 #RG2023
#competencetoconfidence

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Russ Daly, extension veterinarian from South Dakota State University. Today we discuss bovine virus diarrhea (BVD), an RNA envelope virus that can have devastating effects in beef and dairy herds. BVD can have many effects in cattle and Daly discusses the impacts of the virus on reproduction and immunosuppression. The primary focus of a control program should be in preventing persistently infected (PI) calves. Daly discusses that 2/10-4/10% of animals that arrive in the feedlot are PI animals, but the incidence can vary between and within cow calf herds. Data from the SDSU laboratory shows that of submissions, about 1.5 to 3% of calf samples are PI for BVD.

 When determining which diagnostic test to run, Daly states that we want to detect viral antigen and this is typically done using antigen capture ELISA testing. He discusses pooling ear notch samples to decrease cost but recommends veterinarians contact their laboratory diagnostician for advice on submitting samples. It is also important to not forget purchased heifers, cows and bulls. When testing purchases, it is critical to not forget the gestating fetus to screen for PI and therefore all fetuses born to purchased animals should be tested at birth. Ensuring that PI animals do not enter the breeding pasture is important to mitigate the risk of PI animals being born into the herd. 

 Veterinarians should work with producers to make sure they have a good BVD control program implemented. Outbreaks tend to be much more costly and devastating than preventing the introduction of BVD into the herd. A sound reproduction protocol, biosecurity measures, vaccination and strategic diagnostic testing are ways that veterinarians can implement control programs to prevent BVD in herds.

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by the chair of the AABP Milk Quality and Udder Health Committee, Dr. Pamela Ruegg  to discuss how veterinarians can work with farmers to develop, implement and monitor protocols for treating clinical mastitis. Ruegg discusses that clinical mastitis is the number one disease affecting dairy cows (28%) followed by lameness (12%). Clinical mastitis treatment protocols are very important when evaluating overall antimicrobial stewardship on a dairy farm since 65-85% of all doses of antimicrobials used on dairies is for mastitis. Ruegg reviews the steps for implementing a culture-based treatment protocol on dairy farms such as having a case severity recording system,  somatic cell count data, training employees, and the ability to report culture results within 24 hours. When implementing a culture-based treatment protocol, Ruegg states that about 40% of cases will be culture negative and 20-30% gram negative which helps to decrease antimicrobial treatment of cases by only treating gram positive cases. Severity scoring is important because about 50% of cases will have abnormal milk only, 35-40% will have abnormal milk and moderate signs, and less than 15% should be sick. Training workers to review the cow’s medical history before grabbing a tube to determine if the cow is eligible.  

Ruegg discusses that it is important to communicate with dairy farm owners and employees what they can expect when implementing a clinical mastitis treatment protocol. In cases of clinical mastitis, milk is typically abnormal for 3.5 to 5 days and we can become biased by our interventions when they last 3 to 5 days. A culture-based treatment protocol allows the cow’s immune system to clear the infection without antimicrobial therapy and identifies those cases, using records, history and severity scoring system, to identify the cases that should be treated. 

Top Milk YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/uwmilkquality 

 Top Milk Website: https://topmilk.msu.edu/Resources/Treatment-of-Mastitis/Mastitis-Treatment  

 Pamela L. Ruegg, Making Antibiotic Treatment Decisions for Clinical Mastitis,
Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, Volume 34, Issue 3, 2018, Pages 413-425, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2018.06.002

 L. Oliveira, C. Hulland, P.L. Ruegg,
Characterization of clinical mastitis occurring in cows on 50 large dairy herds in Wisconsin,
Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 96, Issue 12, 2013, Pages 7538-7549,
https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2012-6078

 To learn more about Bovikalc Dry and Boehringer Ingelheim visit https://bi-animalhealth.com/cattle/products/bovikalc-dry/. To see a video on the use of Bovikalc Dry and how to decrease the stress of dry off, visit this link. 

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by AABP Past President Dr. Mike Apley, a clinical pharmacologist from Kansas State University. Apley discusses the FDA Guidance for Industry (GFI) #256 which can be found at this link. We discuss that bulk compounding using active pharmaceutical ingredients (API’s) for use in food animals is prohibited by AMDUCA by FDA. AMDUCA is codified in 21 CFR 530.15 found on this page. GFI #256 provides guidance on products that may be used in food animals which is limited to poison antidotes. FDA will create a list, based on nominations, for bulk compounded products for use in food animals as poison antidotes where they will exercise regulatory discretion. 

 Bulk compounded products have no guarantee of safety, efficacy, purity, potency, bioavailability or stability. Compounding from approved FDA products, such as mixing two products together such as dexamethasone and vitamins into a bottle of IV fluids, is not bulk compounding. Products that are no longer available or on back-order cannot be compounded from bulk products. Veterinarians should always ask their pharmacies if they are using bulk compounding to create products since this would be illegal use in food animals. Apley also reminds us that the veterinarian is responsible for providing all meat and milk withdrawal intervals for all products prescribed for us in cattle and FARAD is an excellent resource to provide assistance in calculating a justification for withdrawal intervals. Submit your cases to FARAD at this link. 

 Apley discusses a document that was produced in collaboration with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians that can be found on the AABP Committee on Pharmaceutical and Biologics Issues resources page at this link. This document discusses the legalities of using compounded products, specifically ponazuril, diclazuril and toltrazuril for the treatment of coccidiosis. Veterinarians can prescribe ponazuril for ELDU as long as all parts of AMDUCA are met and they are using the FDA approved equine product. Diclazuril is a feed pellet and extra-label use of this product in feed is prohibited. Toltrazuril has no approved product in the US and would be prohibited to use. Apley reminds us that veterinarians are the responsible party for ensuring legal and judicious drug use when considering extra-label use and be aware of the prohibition of using bulk compounded products in food animals that are not on the FDA list of poison antidotes. 

Contact Dr. Apley at mapley@vet.k-state.edu

 Links to publications:

Effects of injectable trace minerals on humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to Bovine viral diarrhea virus, Bovine herpes virus 1 and Bovine respiratory syncytial virus following administration of a modified-live virus vaccine in dairy calves

 Effects of injectable trace minerals administered concurrently with a modified live virus vaccine on long-term protection against bovine viral diarrhea virus acute infection in dairy calves

 Immune response and onset of protection from Bovine viral diarrhea virus 2 infection induced by modified-live virus vaccination concurrent with injectable trace minerals administration in newly received beef calves

 Clinical status and endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract of dairy calves infected with Bovine viral diarrhea virus 2 and Bovine herpes virus 1 after vaccination and trace minerals injection

 Trace Minerals Supplementation with Great Impact on Beef Cattle Immunity and Health

 Donate to the AABP Foundation by clicking on this link. 

 Links:

Country Trust First – an organization with a mission to bring food, farming and the countryside alive for disadvantaged children, sharing knowledge, igniting curiosity, and broadening horizons. 

 Oxford Farming Conference 

 Follow Dr. Theeb on Twitter @navaratnampart1

Sample-based pregnancy testing involves the detection of pregnancy-associated glycoprotein (PAG) which are produced by the trophoblast cells in the placenta. The goal of pregnancy testing is to find open cows in the herd to enroll them in a rebreeding program or to make culling decisions for open animals to decrease feed costs. Sample-based pregnancy testing can be incorporated into beef and dairy herd reproduction programs. Goodell explains that there is not a one-size-fits-all program, and the herd veterinarian can determine how to incorporate sample-based pregnancy testing with traditional reproductive ultrasound or palpation. We discuss when PAGs can be detected and how long they last post-calving. The test can be used for initial pregnancy testing or confirmatory testing, and we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of sample-based testing versus ultrasound or palpation. The test can also be used as an initial test with follow-up testing with ultrasound or palpation for confirmation to determine the correct stage or identify twins or non-viable calves. Goodell reports that the test is highly accurate and is very comparable to an experienced veterinarian doing traditional pregnancy testing. Goodell states that although his practice performs fewer manual reproductive exams due to incorporation of sample based pregnancy testing, this has provided opportunities for involvement in several other areas of his client’s operations such as calf management, protocol development, employee training, records analysis, biosecurity, milk quality programs, nutrition consulting and others. He recommends that veterinarians discuss pregnancy detection options with their clients so they are prepared in the event client’s ask them questions about these programs. Developing reproductive programs that are tailored to your client’s needs as well as learning skills to develop consulting services for your clients can ensure your relevance and value to the operations you serve.

Fitness to transport is the ability for an animal to get on a truck and safely make it to its end destination. This is important to the entire supply chain and the decision to transport an animal and assess if it is fit needs to be happening by many different decision makers. It is critical that all decision makers understand when an animal is fit or is not fit for transport. It is also important for those decision makers to be empowered to make that determination based on the best interests of the animal and how it will impact their life. Veterinarians can play an important role in this process to train employees and farm managers to identify the conditions that make an animal unfit for transport. Our guests also review data about the conditions observed in cull cows at livestock markets and slaughter plants that demonstrate our industry has room to improve in this area and not ship animals that are unfit for transport. Decision makers must consider the journey the animal makes and consider that the welfare of the animal is the number one consideration. These decisions have an economic impact on the client, but consideration for the welfare of the animal is the most important factor. We discuss that veterinarians can talk to clients about these processes to improve the welfare and care of the animals in our care, decrease risk to the client, and improve employee morale. Talk to your clients today about identifying animals that are fit for transport and working with your teams to appropriately make decisions for transporting cattle. 

Links:

 AABP Transportation of Cattle Guidelines

 NMPF FARM Program Fitness to Transport Poster

Fitness to Transport Video

 An intercontinental survey of commercial abattoirs: Preliminary data on the prevalence of advanced preslaughter health and welfare conditions in mature cows

Fitness for transport of cull dairy cows at livestock markets

Management of cull dairy cows: Culling decisions, duration of transport, and effect on cow condition

 Culling Decisions and Dairy Cattle Welfare During Transport to Slaughter in the United States

 National Beef Quality Audit–2016: Transportation, mobility, live cattle, and carcass assessments of targeted producer-related characteristics that affect value of market cows and bulls, their carcasses, and associated by-products

Links:

AABP Humane Euthanasia of Cattle Guidelines

 Chasity Bagsby, Anita Saha, Granville Goodin, Sheeba Siddiqi, Mary Farone, Anthony Farone & Paul C. Kline (2018) Stability of pentobarbital in soil, Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B, 53:3, 207-213, DOI: 10.1080/03601234.2017.1406714

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by meat scientist Dr. Ty Lawrence, Professor of Animal Science and Director of the Beef Carcass Research Center at West Texas A&M University. We discuss the top three reasons that livers are condemned at the packer: liver abscesses, flukes and telangiectasis. Lawrence reviews the scoring system for liver abscesses and the issues that liver abscesses can cause to the speed of commerce on the harvest floor. We review the history of liver abscesses as well as risk factors such as number of days on feed, geography, starch source, region, bunk management and breed. Lawrence reviews the effects of liver abscesses on animal performance as well as loss of edible tissue for the various types of abscesses. Telangiectasis has an unknown etiology but is a cause of condemnations in about 1% of beef livers and 0.2% of beef livers. We review the life cycle of the liver fluke, how they are diagnosed at the packer and the impacts on the beef industry. We close the podcast by summarizing the economic impact of these three causes of liver condemnations on the beef industry which total $430 million of economic losses to the beef industry annually. Veterinarians can play an integral role in discussing liver disease prevention in beef cattle to lessen the impact of liver condemnations.

Attendees should also review the Visit Long Beach page to find businesses that will provide discounts to attendees by showing their badge as well as find activities to attend while in this beautiful city. Make sure to download the Slido app or view in your browser to submit questions to speakers, participate in polls and provide feedback by going to the Conference Feedback & Ideas room which greatly assists AABP in planning future events! Attendees can view the schedule of sessions, meetings and events on this page and add your schedule to your calendar for reminders. 

If you need assistance while in Long Beach, please contact any AABP staff member or volunteer so that we can make your conference a wonderful experience! Thank you for attending the 55th AABP Annual Conference!  

#AABP2022

 Evaluation of a trace mineral program is a valuable service veterinarians can provide to their cow calf producers.

 Links:

Common Vitamin and Mineral Abnormalities in Beef Cattle – Jeffery Hall DVM, PhD, DABVT 

List of liver biopsy supplies needed 

AABP Nutrition Committee page

If you are attending the conference in Long Beach, Calif., we encourage you to sign up for Seminar 11, Veterinary Role in Helping Farms to Meet and Excel in Welfare Audits, which will be held Wednesday, September 21 from 8 am to 5 pm. Contact the AABP office to add this seminar to your registration. 

 Links:

 National Milk Producers Federation FARM Program

 FARM Program Standards

 FARM Program Resources

 AABP Guidelines and Position Statements

 AABP Resource Document Pain Management

Consensus recommendations on calf- and herd-level passive immunity in dairy calves in the United States
J Dairy Sci, Vol. 103, Issue 8, August 2020

 Dairy Calf and Heifer Association Gold Standards
Standards for dairy calves developed by the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association

 Calf Notes
Website of calf resources in printable format developed by Dr. Jim Quigley

Calf Facts Resource Library
Website of calf resources in printable format developed by Dr. Sam Leadley at Attica Veterinary Associates P.C.

Genomics is a rapidly expanding area of research and development in the beef and dairy industry. The ability to detect sequence changes as well as how methylation or acetylation impacts gene expression as well as how to detect these changes continues to be developed. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, we encourage you to view the resources on the AABP Genetics and Genomics Committee page. AABP members who are interested in joining the Genetics and Genomics Committee can contact the committee by visiting this page.  

Relevant papers:
Metabolic and antioxidant status during transition is associated with changes in the granulosa cell transcriptome in the preovulatory follicle in high-producing dairy cows at the time of breeding
Waleed F.A. Marei, Jessie De Bie, Inne Xhonneux, Silke Andries, Jack H. Britt, Jo L.M.R. Leroy
J Dairy Sci, Vol 105, Issue 8, August 2022

 If you are interested in lameness and want to volunteer, a great place to start is the AABP lameness committee which can be found on this page. AABP committee resource files can be found at this link. 

 Relevant publications:

Diagnosis and therapy of feedlot lameness
Michael D. Apley
Proceedings of the 2020 AABP Recent Graduate Conference
https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20207968

Incidence of lameness and association of cause and severity of lameness on the outcome for cattle on six commercial beef feedlots
Shane P. Terrell, Christopher D. Reinhardt, Connie K. Larson, Christopher I. Vahl, and Daniel U. Thomson
JAVMA, Vol. 250, No. 4.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.250.4.437

Perception of lameness management, education, and effects on animal welfare of feedlot cattle by consulting nutritionists, veterinarians, and feedlot managers
S.P. Terrell, D.U. Thompson, C.D. Reinhardt, M. D. Apley, C.K. Larson, K.R. Stackhouse-Lawson
The Bovine Practitioner, Vol. 48, No. 1.
https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol48no1p53-60

Mastitis is the most costly disease in the dairy industry with an economic impact estimated at $2 billion annually. Our guests discuss the types of mastitis pathogens and the importance of identifying the pathogens causing mastitis on dairy farms to know if the infections are due to contagious or environmental pathogens. It is also important to obtain diagnostics to the species level for some pathogens. Monitoring pathogens can include bulk tank cultures, individual cow cultures, or string sampling. We discuss how veterinarians can get involved in mastitis diagnostic programs, including setting up and monitoring on-farm culture programs, in-clinic milk quality laboratories or utilizing an outside diagnostic lab. There are several newer technologies that labs now provide including PCR, MALDI-TOF, and chromogenic agars. Veterinarians have the opportunity to assist producers in developing diagnostic programs to manage mastitis on the dairy farm. We also discuss that a diagnostic test should be utilized if the results will alter an intervention, either treatment or prevention.

Antimicrobial sensitivities on mastitis pathogens are not routinely recommended since an antimicrobial sensitivity test is unlikely to change the intervention on the farm due to the limited number of intramammary tubes available and the lack of break points for most intramammary antimicrobials. Finally, it is important for veterinarians to develop quality control programs for both in-house cultures as well as cultures from on-farm programs. One such program is the QMPS program from Cornell University. Veterinarians should discuss with their dairy farmers how they can utilize diagnostic testing as a part of a total milk quality control program.

We start the conversation by discussing considerations for extra-label drug use in cattle, including the different production classes of beef and dairy cattle that should be considered and how this use may affect the determination of a withdrawal interval. The veterinarian of record is the party responsible for ensuring appropriate oversight of drug use and assigning that withdrawal interval, and our guests discuss that veterinarians should take pride in being responsible for extra-label drug use. Dr. Maunsell discusses the FARAD program, where it receives its funding and the fact it is an advisory, not regulatory, program. We discuss how veterinarians can improve the accuracy of information received from FARAD by filling out their online submission entirely and accurately. The group also discusses inadvertent prohibited drug use and how to communicate with FARAD to assign a withdrawal time as well as working with clients to ensure we correct the errors that led to the inadvertent use. 

 LINKS:

 Extra-label drug use regulations:
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-530

Definition of food-producing animals:
https://www.fda.gov/media/70157/download (see p. 29)

Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank:
http://www.farad.org/

AABP VCPR Guidelines:
https://aabp.org/resources/aabp_guidelines/VCPRGuideline_032020.pdf

AABP Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidelines:
https://aabp.org/resources/AABP_Guidelines/AntimicrobialStewardship0322Final.pdf

Resources:

AABP Mental Health Resources page

Mental Health in the Headcatch
Josh Tanguay
Proceedings of the 53rd Annual AABP Conference

 Suicide Prevention Hotline Numbers
US 800-273-8255
Canada 833-456-4566

 Dr. Charlie Gardner
charlesegardner@ptd.net
717-816-4246

 This episode of Have You Herd was brought to our listeners by the AABP Reproduction Committee. Gingrich suggests that AABP members who want to volunteer to seek out a committee to join by going to the committee menu at https://aabp.org. 

 The 2022 Program Committee invites you to attend the conference in Long Beach, Calif. September 22-24, 2022 to gather the herd!

Links:

 Cargill Heat Stress Relief Handbook – Jeff Brose

Elanco Dairy Heat Abatement Manual

 All season hybrid barn video

 Developing systems to minimize heat stress in dairy cattle
John Smith, Mike Brouk, Joe Harner 

Links

 Dynamic Response Indicators of Heat Stress in Shaded and Non-shaded Feedlot Cattle, Part 1: Analyses of Indicators
T.M. Brown-Brandl, R.A. Eigenberg, J.A. Nienaber, G.L. Hahn 

Influence of shade on panting score and behavioural responses of Bos taurus and Bos indicus feedlot cattle to heat load
A.M. Lees, J.C. Lees, V. Sejian, M.L. Sullican, J.B. Gaughan

Iowa State University Managing Heat Stress in Feedlot Cattle Resource

LINKS:

Evaluation of long-acting implant programs for calf-fed Holsteins
M.J. Quinn, C.G. Stamm, A.L. Schreck, S.L. Parr, C.W. Booker, S.J. Hannon, M.J. Corbin, R.D. Rademacher, M.L. May
Applied Animal Science, Vol. 36, Issue 2, August 2020 

Anabolic implant strategies in beef production
S.L. Parr
Proceedings of the 3rd AABP Recent Graduate Conference, February 2020 

FDA Letter to Industry on Beef Cattle Ear Implants
December 2021

 LINKS: 

Texas A&M University Department of Entomology Resource
https://entomology.tamu.edu/extension/cattle-fever-tick-information/

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Resource:
https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/solutions/cattle-fever-tick/

USDA Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/tick/downloads/bro-cft-treatment-options.pdf

Links:

MS BIOTECH – https://msbiotec.com/lactipro

Chen L, Shen Y, Wang C, Ding L, Zhao F, Wang M, Fu J, Wang H. Megasphaera elsdenii Lactate Degradation Pattern Shifts in Rumen Acidosis Models. Front Microbiol. 2019 Feb 7;10:162. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.00162\

Arik HD, Gulsen N, Hayirli A, Alatas MS. Efficacy of Megasphaera elsdenii inoculation in subacute ruminal acidosis in cattle. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2019 Mar;103(2):416-426. doi:10.1111/jpn.13034.

DeClerck JC, Wade ZE, Reeves NR, Miller MF, Johnson BJ, Ducharme GA, Rathmann RJ. Influence of Megasphaera elsdenii and feeding strategies on feedlot performance, compositional growth, and carcass parameters of early weaned, beef calves. Transl Anim Sci. 2020 Mar 17;4(2):txaa031. doi:10.1093/tas/txaa031. 

 Links:

 Gilliam, G., White, B., & Dodd, C. C. (2021). Factors influencing administrative personnel and veterinarian turnover and compensation packages in rural mixed-animal practices over a 5-year period . The Bovine Practitioner, 55(2), 108-114. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol55no2p108-114

 A survey to identify factors associated with veterinarian and administrative staff turnover in rural veterinary practices, Proceedings of the 2020 AABP Annual Conference.

 AABP Manage Your Rural Practice for Success workshop registration

 Post your student externship program at this link.  

Are you interested in taking the AABP Manage Your Rural Practice for Success seminar? Find out more information and register for the seminar at this link. 

Publications: 

Kleinhenz, M.D., Magnin, G., Lin, Z. et al. Plasma concentrations of eleven cannabinoids in cattle following oral administration of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa). Sci Rep 10, 12753 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69768-4 

Kleinhenz, M.D., Weeder, M., Montgomery, S. et al. Short term feeding of industrial hemp with a high cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) content increases lying behavior and reduces biomarkers of stress and inflammation in Holstein steers. Sci Rep 12, 3683 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07795-z 

Michael D. Kleinhenz, Geraldine Magnin, Stee M. Ensley, Jason J. Griffin, John Goeser, Eva Lynch, Johann F. Coetzee, Nutrient concentrations, digestibility, and cannabinoid concentrations of industrial hemp plant components, Applied Animal Science, Volume 36, Issue 4, 2020, Pages 489-494, ISSN 2590-2865, https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2020-02018

To donate to the AABP Foundation, visit this link. Projects that were funded by the Foundation through the Competitive Research Grants can be found on this page which includes links to publications and AABP conference presentations for completed projects. 

 Homerosky, Elizabeth R., Michael J. Jelinski, and Craig Dorin. "Impact of meloxicam on respiratory virus titers and health outcomes when administered concurrently with a modified live respiratory vaccine in abruptly weaned beef steers." Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research 85.2 (2021): 101-105. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/cvma/cjvr/2021/00000085/00000002/art00003

 Find out information about the NMPF FARM Program at this link. Resources that can be used by veterinarians and producers can be found in the FARM resource library found here. 

 AABP Guidelines and Position statements are used by NMPF FARM program and can be found under the About menu of the AABP website at this link. 

Relevant publications: 

Homerosky, E. R., et al. "Clinical indicators of blood gas disturbances, elevated L-lactate concentration and other abnormal blood parameters in newborn beef calves." The Veterinary Journal 219 (2017): 49-57.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2016.12.001

 Homerosky, E. R., et al. "Predictors and impacts of colostrum consumption by 4 h after birth in newborn beef calves." The Veterinary Journal 228 (2017):1-6.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2017.09.003 

Waldner, C.L. and Rosengren, L.B., “Factors associated with serum immunoglobulin levels in beef calves from Alberta and Saskatchewan and association between passive transfer and health outcomes.” Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research 2009; 50:275-281

#profoundlyimpactful 

Find beef nutrition resources, including a Rumensin ® calculator on the Beef Health Management Committee resources page. 

The program is comprised of seven modules that can be taken individually or completed as a unit. To begin, participants must complete the first module – “Combating unconscious bias and marginalization.” The remaining modules can be completed in any order. Earn 1 CE credit for each module completed. When all seven modules are completed, participants will receive an AVMA Brave Space certificate of completion.

In collaboration with founding educational partner, Pride Veterinary Medical Community (PrideVMC), the AVMA Brave Space Certificate Program is made possible by an educational grant from Royal Canin.

Access the AABP DEI Task Force resources on this page. 

 At the beginning of the 1900s, TB was the leading cause of death in the U.S., and it was estimated that 10% of people with TB had bovine TB, likely due to consumption of unpasteurized milk. This began the U.S. state-federal bovine TB eradication program that many veterinarians are familiar with in working with cattle operations. In 1917, approximately 5% of the cattle population (3.2 million head) were estimated to be infected with TB and in 1949, less than 0.5% were infected. In 2021, 61 head of cattle were found to be infected with TB which is 0.00006%, representing a 99.9% decrease since the eradication program began in 1917. The primary method of surveillance in the U.S. is now slaughter surveillance. In 2019, it was estimated that 4% of the U.S. population (13 million people) have latent or clinical TB. Of those clinical with TB, 1.9% were determined to be M. bovis. This strain of TB results in extrapulmonary disease in humans which can have implications for methods of transmission from humans to cattle, such as via the urinary system.

Lombard reviews three cases in the U.S. where it was documented that humans had transmitted M. bovis to cattle (human to animal transmission). These cases occurred on dairy farms in North Dakota and Wisconsin and a third case on a Texas heifer ranch. Given these cases, Dr. Lombard discusses how veterinarians can become more involved in TB prevention on beef and dairy operations. Biosecurity remains the primary method of prevention since TB usually enters a herd through contact with infected livestock, wildlife or humans. In addition, veterinarians can discuss with producers evaluating the risk of TB to humans and cattle on their farms. Some farms have implemented TB testing protocols of employees to promote a healthy workforce and ensure animal health. Veterinarians can also stress the importance of animal disease traceability. Use of official animal ID and accurate record keeping can assist state and federal animal health officials to conduct thorough and efficient trace investigations.

Relevant publications:

Dean GS, Rhodes SG, Coad M, Whelan AO, Cockle PJ, Clifford DJ, Hewinson RG, Vordermeier HM. Minimum infective dose of Mycobacterium bovis in cattle. Infect Immun. 2005 Oct;73(10):6467-71. 

 Lombard JE, Patton EA, Gibbons-Burgener SN, Klos RF, Tans-Kersten JL, Carlson BW, Keller SJ, Pritschet DJ, Rollo S, Dutcher TV, Young CA, Hench WC, Thacker TC, Perea C, Lehmkuhl AD, Robbe-Austerman S. Human-to-Cattle Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Transmission in the United States. Front Vet Sci.  2021 Jul 12;8:691192. 

 McCluskey B, Lombard J, Strunk S, Nelson D, Robbe-Austerman S, Naugle A, Edmondson A. Mycobacterium bovis in California dairies: a case series of 2002-2013 outbreaks. Prev Vet Med. 2014 Aug 1;115(3-4):205-16. 

 Olmstead, A.L., and Rhode, P.W. (2004). An Impossible Undertaking: The Eradication of Bovine Tuberculosis in the United States. The Journal of Economic History 64, 734-772.

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by two student AABP members who received externship grants and visited beef practices in the U.S. and Canada. Hannah Jarvis, a 4th year student at The Ohio State University, and Tatie High, a 2nd year student at The Ohio State University, discuss the importance of this funding for student externships and the experiences they had at AABP member practices. The AABP Foundation provides $40,000 per year for student externship grants to offset the financial barriers of participating in externships. Both Hannah and Tatie discuss where they went on their beef externships and what they learned while they were at those practices. They discuss that externships help them to apply boots on the ground experiences with the educational foundation they have been provided in veterinary school. Both students express that they want hands-on learning at their externships and learning through repetition. Hannah and Katie recommend that students be honest with veterinarians about what they want out of the externship and to confront the uncomfortable and not be afraid to try while on your externship. Tips for veterinarians include being willing to teach and engage students, make use of the “windshield time”, give advice, provide practical tips, and encourage students to try while offering support. 

AABP student members can apply for externships at this link under the Student Menu of the AABP website. AABP encourages members to list their externship opportunities on the AABP website so that students can find opportunities by going to this page. 

Please support the AABP Foundation which provides externship and education grants as well as clinically relevant cattle research and welfare grants. If you would like to restrict your donation to externship grants, please contact fred@aabp.org for information. You can donate to the AABP Foundation at this link. 

 If you have a suggestion for a future podcast, email haveyouherd@aabp.org. 

Relevant papers: 

1.       Veronica I. Munoz, Kendall L. Samuelson, Dexter J. Tomczak, Hannah A. Seiver, Taylor M. Smock, John T. Richeson, Comparative efficacy of metaphylaxis with tulathromycin and pentavalent modified-live virus vaccination in high-risk, newly received feedlot cattle, Applied Animal Science, Volume 36, Issue 6, 2020, Pages 799-807, ISSN 2590-2865, https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2020-02054.

2.       Gershwin, L. (2007). Bovine respiratory syncytial virus infection: Immunopathogenic mechanisms. Animal Health Research Reviews, 8(2), 207-213. doi:10.1017/S1466252307001405

Traceability is the ability to track an item at any point in time. Animal health officials can perform disease traceability, however the goal of improving our disease traceability efforts involves the use of technology, such a RFID tags, to improve the efficiency and speed of disease traceback. The United States and India are the only countries of the top 10 beef exporting countries in the world to not have a national animal disease traceability program. Callahan discusses the different types of RFID tags, the advantages of ultra-high frequency tags, and the challenges of implementing animal disease traceability on a national scale. We also discuss opportunities for producers implementing traceability program to improve production and disease management in the beef industry  

We discuss the efforts of the U.S. Cattle Trace Pilot Project and the goals of building the infrastructure for a hands-free system, evaluate if the technology worked and consider the economics of an animal disease traceability system. Callahan discusses the roadblocks of implementing this technology at each phase of the beef production phase and suggest that veterinarians can assist, especially cow-calf clients, in educating them on the importance of RFID’s and disease traceability to their operations and the U.S. beef industry.  

Visit https://www.uscattletrace.org/ for more information about disease traceability and membership options for cow-calf, dairy producers, feedyards and auction markets. 

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by two student AABP members who received externship grants and went to western U.S. dairy practices for their experiences. Phusita Nakphairat Davidovich, a 3rd year student at The Ohio State University, and Gabrielle Brewster, a 4th year student at Cornell University, discuss the importance of this funding for student externships. The AABP Foundation provides $40,000 per year for student externship grants to offset the financial barriers of participating in externships. Both Phusita and Gabrielle discuss where they went on their dairy externships and what they learned while they were at those practices. They also offer tips to students who want to go on externships such as applying for funding through the AABP Foundation, make a list of goals to share with the practice, looking for something different than you experience at your veterinary school, being open minded and willing to learn, and appreciating the time practices spend in mentoring students during their externship. Phusita and Gabrielle also provide suggestions for veterinarians to improve the student’s externship experience which include asking the student what they want to accomplish and experience, providing a schedule so they can see what they will see and do, giving them options based on what they are interested in learning, providing as much hands-on activity as possible, and providing meaningful discussion during “windshield time” in the truck.  

AABP student members can apply for externships at this link under the Student Menu of the AABP website. AABP encourages members to list their externship opportunities on the AABP website so that students can find opportunities by going to this page.  

Please support the AABP Foundation which provides externship and education grants as well as clinically relevant cattle research and welfare grants. If you would like to restrict your donation to externship grants, please contact fred@aabp.org for information. You can donate to the AABP Foundation at this link.  

If you have a suggestion for a future podcast, email haveyouherd@aabp.org. 

AABP welcomes all cattle veterinarians and veterinary students to join our organization. Find out about AABP member benefits at this link. You can join AABP by going to this page. The American Association of Bovine Practitioners is an international association of veterinarians serving society as leaders in cattle health, welfare, and productivity. We welcome and support any veterinarian or veterinary student, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, sexual orientation or any other demographic, to participate in all opportunities that our organization provides. As leaders in the cattle industry, we encourage all veterinarians with an interest in cattle to join us and participate in our organization. 

Do you have a suggestion or feedback for our podcast? Email haveyouherd@aabp.org. 

Chase describes how monoclonal antibodies are produced in a different manner today which has resulted in more widespread production of this important tool. He describes how the first monoclonal antibody was developed for use in calves to prevent K-99 colibacillosis. We also discuss the various platform vaccine technologies and the first nucleic acid vaccine was developed for veterinary medicine. He describes the safety and efficacy of mRNA vaccines and their potential role in veterinary medicine. We wrap up our discussion by reviewing the role probiotics can play in prevention of disease as well as the use of ivermectin for viral diseases.  

Veterinary medicine plays a critical role in the research and development of biotechnologies that can be used in both human and animal medicine. Veterinarians are an important part of the One Health concept, both in understanding population medicine, the role of disease prevention and the management of zoonotic disease. 

The conference will be held at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans, La., February 17-19, 2022. In-person registration is limited to 300 attendees. Virtual conference registration is available to any AABP member. The virtual conference is subject to cancellation if there are not enough registrations to cover the cost of streaming the live conference, therefore, if you are interested in attending, please register soon!  

The program committee has chosen a theme of “Profoundly Impactful” and will offer sessions on clinical and consulting skills to help our recent grad members offer services to make them impactful on their clients' beef and dairy operations.  

To find out more about the conference and view the sessions, go to this link. You can secure your registration for the conference by going to the registration page. AABP asks that all in-person attendees book a hotel reservation at the conference hotel to minimize the financial risk the organization takes in booking the conference. Please reserve your hotel room through our online reservation portal at this link. 

ASF was originally identified in sub-Saharan Africa in the early 1900s and first appeared outside of that region in the country of Georgia in 2007. The disease primarily spreads from contact with infected pigs, and therefore feral hogs can spread it across open-land borders. ASF spread through Russia, eastern Europe, and then in 2018, it appeared in China. China is the largest pork-producing nation as well as the largest consumer of pork. China also exports products that could serve as fomites for the spread of ASF.  Snelson discusses the work of USDA, state animal health officials and the Customs and Border Protection agency to keep ASF out of the mainland U.S.. He reminds our listeners to be diligent about preventing the introduction of a foreign animal disease like ASF by not bringing in agricultural products when traveling outside of the U.S. and declaring farm visits or animal contact to customs upon re-entry. If ASF were introduced into the U.S., it would cause significant animal health issues due to the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease, as well as economic losses to the pork industry estimated at over $8 billion. The U.S. exports 27% of the pork we produce, and although there are no food safety issues or zoonotic concerns with ASF, the loss of exports and concerns from the public could have long lasting effects on the entire agricultural industry.  

Information about the Customs and Border Protection can be found at https://www.cbp.gov/ as well as their work in protecting agriculture at this link.

 For information about AASV and to learn about their annual conference February 26 to March 1, 2022, in Indianapolis, visit https://aasv.org/.

 To read the Iowa State University study on the impact of the introduction of ASF into the US, visit this link. 

Our guests discuss their definition of stockmanship as well as how to implement behavioral change in farm and ranch staff. Veterinarians can be involved with training employees in good stockmanship practices as well as becoming advocates and defenders of the cattle in our care. We discuss appropriate handling of cattle on cow-calf ranches, feedyards and dairy farms. Stockmanship involves not only knowing the flight zones and safe handling of cattle, but implementing feel, timing and balance to the pressure points to move cattle with care.  

Resources:

·         Beef Quality Assurance - https://www.bqa.org/ 

·         Bud Williams Stockmanship and Livestock Marketing - https://stockmanship.com/ 

·         Curt Pate Stockmanship - Livestock handling demonstrations, clinics, and on-site training for livestock businesses - https://curtpatestockmanship.com/ 

·         Lee Jones 2020. Providing all the needs that define stockmanship. - https://www.progressivecattle.com/topics/herd-health/providing-all-the-needs-that-define-stockmanship 

·         Mike Bolton, 2012. Dairy Stockmanship: What is it and why is it important? - https://www.progressivedairy.com/topics/herd-health/dairy-stockmanship-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-important 

·         National Dairy FARM Program – Dairy Stockmanship - https://nationaldairyfarm.com/producer-resources/dairy-stockmanship/ 

·         Ron Gill – Effective Stockmanship education and resources - http://effectivestockmanship.com/ 

·         Stockmanship and Stewardship – Regional events focusing on live animal demonstrations and expert presentations - https://www.stockmanshipandstewardship.org/ 

·         Ron Gill & Rick Machen 2016. Cattle Handling Pointers Stockmanship and Low-Stress Handling - https://effectivestockmanship.com/PDFs/CattleHandlingPointers-7-18-16.pdf   

·         Temple Grandin - Livestock Behaviour, Design of Facilities and Humane Slaughter - http://www.grandin.com/ 

·         University of Minnesota 2021. How to properly handle cattle and other farm animals - https://extension.umn.edu/dairy-handling-and-best-practices/basic-stockmanship 

The objective of the study we discuss was to compare Whisper on Arrival ® to a positive and negative control. The four treatment groups were positive control (all animals received an antimicrobial on arrival), Whisper High, Whisper Low, and a negative control (no animals received an antimicrobial on arrival). The two Whisper groups applied a different sensitivity and specificity to the algorithm to identify which animals to treat or not treat. The study found that health and performance outcomes for the positive control were better than the negative control and the Whisper on Arrival groups had no differences in health or performance compared to the negative control group. In addition, the Whisper on Arrival groups saw a 10-43% reduction in antimicrobial use while not adversely affecting health and performance.

Relevant publications: 

Translational Animal Science, Volume 5, Issue 2, April 2021, txab081, https://doi-org.eres.qnl.qa/10.1093/tas/txab081 

https://bovine-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/bovine/index.php/bovine/article/view/8201 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25578389/

RDDs have been utilized for a long time and historically were used in wildlife as well as to tranquilize animals. Our guests discuss some of the challenges with RDD systems, especially the Beef Quality Assurance challenges. Other challenges include failure of drug delivery, environmental impacts of darts, human safety, misdiagnosis and tissue damage. 

 Veterinarians should consult clients on the appropriate and inappropriate use of RDDs and they should not be utilized to decrease treatment time or for convenience. RDDs should not be a replacement for good facilities or stockmanship, but do have a place for appropriate use in certain range conditions. 

 Relevant links:

1.       Discussing the Dart Delivery Method for Treating Cattle – South Dakota State University 

2.       Remote drug delivery systems: Just another gadget or proven technology? – Progressive Cattleman

3.       Darting BQA Problems – Angus Beef Bulletin

4.       Failure of high-capacity pneumatic darts to consistently deliver tulathromycin to calves after remote drug delivery – J.F. Coetzee, M.D. Kleinhenz, D.R. Magstadt, V.L. Cooper, N.K. Van Engen, J.S. Smith, N. Rand, P.G. Gorden; Proceedings of the 4th AABP Annual Conference, 2016

5.       Does dart gun delivery of antibiotics cause changes in drug disposition or meat quality? – T. Hairgrove, R. Gill, C. Waters, R. Miller, T. Mays, M. Miller, V. Fajt; Proceedings of the 4th AABP Annual Conference, 2016

6.       Pneumatic dart delivery of tulathromycin in calves results in lower antimicrobial concentrations and increased biomarkers of stress and injection site inflammation compared with subcutaneous injection – J. F. Coetzee, M.D. Kleinhenz, D.R. Magstadt, V.L. Cooper, L.W. Wulf, N.K. Van Engen, J.S. Smith, N. Rand, B. KuKanich, P.J. Gorden; Journal of Animal Science, Volume 96, Issue 8, August 2018, Pages 3089–3101.

7.       Tissue residue depletion and estimation of extralabel meat withdrawal intervals for tulathromycin in calves after pneumatic dart administration – Z. Lin, C. He, D.R. Magstadt, V.L. Cooper, M.D. Kleinhenz, J.S. Smith, P.J. Gorden, L.W. Wulf, J.F. Coetzee; Journal of Animal Science, Volume 97, Issue 9, September 2019, Pages 3714–3726.

8.       Pharmacokinetics of tulathromycin following administration to stocker cattle with remote delivery devices – J.D. Rivera, A.R. Woolums, S. Giguere, J.T. Johnson, A.G. Lutz, P.N. Tipton, W.B. Crosby, I. Hice, M. Thoresen; Journal of Animal Science, Volume 97, Issue 11, November 2019, Pages 4482-4487.

If you are a current AABP member, you can view the vaccine guidelines by going to the AABP Committee Resources page and opening the Pharmaceutical and Biologic Issues section. You will find the guideline as a downloadable PDF at the bottom of the CPBI resources page.

 The link for the USDA APHIS veterinary biologics product summaries to view vaccine data for the single-tier labeling claim is located here.

 Practical immunology and beef and dairy vaccine protocols
Chris Chase
2021 AABP Recent Graduate Conference Proceedings

The vaccine guidelines developed by CPBI is an example of AABP providing practical resources for members. If you are not an AABP member and you are working with cattle, we welcome you to join our organization. You can join AABP or renew your dues to become a current member, by going to this link.

 Have a podcast suggestion or feedback? Email  haveyouherd@aabp.org

The candidate receiving the most votes will be seated after the annual business meeting in Long Beach, Calif. on September 24, 2022. The online ballot is now open at this link. You can view candidate bios, read the question-and-answer document published in the November newsletter, and watch their videos from the candidate's introductions from the Salt Lake City conference. Voting will close on December 30, 2021 at 5 pm Eastern time.

They discuss the five freedoms that are necessary for good welfare programs and the limitations of them. One such limitation is the fact that we need to evaluate the mental state of the animal and the addition of supporting positive experiences for the animal. Too often we evaluate welfare by counting negative experiences versus supporting and advancing positive experiences. Examples discussed include social opportunities such as socially housed dairy calves, measuring playing behavior, providing enrichment opportunities such as cow brushes or balls, and providing rewarding human-animal interaction such as low-stress cattle handling.  

Dr. Edwards-Callaway also discusses Fraser’s three circles of animal welfare and how they overlap. These circles are biological functioning, effective states, and natural living. This allows us to let the cow tell us what animal welfare means to them and what is important to them. Improving animal welfare is a team effort that requires the veterinarian, producer, employees, nutritionist, and others to work together and listen to what the cow is telling us. Veterinarians play a critical role in leading this discussion for on-farm implementation of good animal welfare practices. They advise veterinarians to be open to conversations from the public about animal welfare because when someone asks us a question it does not mean they are questioning what we do.  

Relevant links:

1.       AABP Animal Welfare Committee page

2.       Fraser, D. Understanding animal welfare. Acta Vet Scand 50, S1 (2008). 

3.       Stockmanship and Stewardship Virtual Event.

4.       Beef Quality Assurance Program

5.       World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code

6.       AVMA Animal Health and Welfare 

7.       Kirkden, R. D., & Pajor, E. A. (2006). Using preference, motivation and aversion tests to ask scientific questions about animals’ feelings. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 100(1-2), 29-47.

Gingrich also discusses some of the bylaws changes that were approved at the annual business meeting  in Salt Lake City which can be found here. Recent AABP Board of Directors initiatives were discussed to update the membership on activities outside of traditional bovine continuing education that we are providing to members. This includes our practice management resources as well as the development of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force and a Mental Health Task Force.  

Finally, he addresses some of the questions that have been received in Slido regarding conference logistics. Please continue to submit ideas and questions. Although we may not be able to incorporate all of them, we will read and evaluate each suggestion as well as provide a reason for our decision. Thank you for attending, for listening to the podcast and for your membership in AABP! 

Registration for the 5th AABP Recent Graduate Conference is now open. Join us in New Orleans at the Hilton Riverside February 18-19, 2022, by going to this link. 

The virtual conference website is http://saltlake.aabp.org. If you are an AABP member, the Keynote address from Dr. Carrie Jurney of Not One More Vet will be live streamed at no charge. Use your email address in the AABP database and the password AABP2021. We have also made available the 2022 AABP Vice-President candidates, Dr. Fred Muller and Dr. Dave Sjeklocha, the Friday night Amstutz Live Auction and scholarship presentation, and the Saturday Annual Business Meeting and Awards Luncheon. Review the proposed bylaws changes that will be voted on at the business meeting at this link and some background information the Board is providing as reasons for the proposed changes at this link.  

Virtual attendees should login to the virtual conference website using the email address they registered with and the password AABP2021. Make sure to download the Slido app or go to https://www.sli.do/ in your browser to participate in audience polls or submit questions if you are registered for the conference. Make sure to leave feedback in the “Conference Feedback and Ideas” room in Slido to help the AABP office and 2022 Program Committee improve the next annual conference.  

Members can participate in the silent auction from the conference or at home by going to this link and register. Bid securely with your phone, place auto-bids, get notifications when you are outbid and pay securely using your mobile device or browser. We also encourage members to form or join a consortium with colleagues to increase your buying power by going to this link.  

Please make sure to thank our sponsors for the meal events, activities and networking opportunities. The AABP conference is unique because once you arrive at the conference, most of the meals are provided at no charge. This is only possible due to the generous support of our industry partners. We also want to thank our exhibitors who devote resources and money to our trade show. Please visit the vendors, interact with them and participate in the scavenger hunt. Vendors want to meet the veterinarians who take care of the cattle and interact with producers so please visit the booths during breaks and thank them for supporting AABP during these difficult times. 

If you need any assistance while you are at the conference or participating virtually, please reach out to an AABP staff member and we are happy to help you. #aabp2021