Salmonellosis causes a range of symptoms including diarrhoea, abortions, general ill thrift, and death in severe cases

(3576-19) Leptospirosis can cause severe illness and death in calves, infertility and abortion in adult cattle. Infected calves and cattle can shed leptospirosis for years, creating a significant human health risk to anyone in direct contact with them especially farmers, contractors, veterinarians and meat workers. Lepto is contracted by exposure to urine/effluent through cuts and mucous membranes.

The best form of prevention of salmonella and leptospirosis is for farmers to vaccinate their animals to stop people getting sick, prevent infections and reduce stock loss.

Lameness is painful for cows and results a decrease in the  ability to graze and a loss of milk production.

(3373-7) Prolonged exposure to moisture causes the hoof to soften, making bruising, penetration injuries and white-line disease more common. The skin between the claws and around the foot also softens leaving the skin more prone to infections such as footrot.

The higher bacterial loads present in wet muddy environments add to the problem. Larger stones and sharp gravel in farm tracks are also exposed after the fine topping materials are washed from track surfaces.

Johne’s Disease is  estimated to cost New Zealand $40-88 million in lost production each year.

(3373-15) Johne’s Disease is a long-lasting and sometimes deadly infection caused by a bacteria, typically found in cattle. This infection harms the small intestine, preventing it from absorbing nutrients properly.

Cattle are most vulnerable to catching this in their early life. The disease is commonly spread from mother to offspring or from a contaminated environment.

Binocular Head Mount Displays are used for viewing ultrasound images while keeping  peripheral vision during scanning.

(3597-56) Early whole-herd scanning is carried out approximately 12 – 14 weeks after the planned start of mating. This allows each cow in the herd to be assigned a predicted calving date by verifying the date of conception. In order to determine empty (not in calf) cows, mating needs to have finished at least 5 weeks.

Transrectal real time ultrasonography permits detection of pregnancy as early as 25 days of gestation.

(3373-3) It is a valuable tool for production, research, field veterinarians and producers that permits detection of pregnancy as early as 25 days of gestation. Pregnancy status, fetal sex, ovarian function and uterine morphology can all be assessed with the use of ultrasound.

Liver biopsy is a way of assessing mineral status in cattle, especially copper reserves.

3373-9 A biopsy instrument is inserted through a skin incision. A small liver sample is withdrawn, placed in a test tube and sent to a New Zealand laboratory for diagnostic analysis. The brief prodecure is performed under local anaesthetic and the cow quickly and comfortably returns to grazing. Ensuring cows have adequate mineral levels is essential for their health. Testing is critical to determine how much copper cows have stored in there liver, and therefore, what level of supplementation is required to maintain their copper levels.

Maize silage is a high quality supplement that many dairy farmers use to fill feed gaps.

(3597-48) Like all feed supplements maize is not completely balanced. Maize has low levels of potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium and phosphorus. Sometimes these imbalances can be balanced out partially by other feeds (e.g. PKE which is high in phosphorus), but they sometimes can exacerbate the mineral deficiencies if other feeds are also low in the same minerals (e.g. PKE which is low in calcium).

Lameness has a far-reaching impact on both production and reproduction, prevention is key.

( 3597-48) Prolonged exposure to wet areas, especially when track surface is hard, will lead to softening of hooves, which makes them more prone to footrot and puncture lesions. Cows dislike walking on a sideways gradient of more than 10%. This can cause congestion and increased pressure which can lead to lameness.

Calves are born with  immunity to disease and must drink colostrum, and absorb antibodies from colostrum.

(3597-35) The signs of poor immunity are often indirect and delayed: disease outbreaks, poor growth, not doing well, and sudden death can occur weeks or months later. Effects of failure of passive transfer of antibodies carry on way past weaning and will affect weight gain, general health, and future productivity.

A common problem in newborn calves is an infected navel (navel ill).

(3373-2) Calves should have their navels disinfected with iodine spray on pick up from the paddock. An infection in the navel will allow bacteria to enter the blood stream, resulting in infections potentially occurring throughout multiple organs which can cause life-long problems. Any calf with a navel infection needs to be identified and treated as per your vet’s instructions to ensure the best outcome.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, meaning it can spread from animals to humans.

(3373-1) Leptospirosis is contracted through exposure to the urine or aborted material from infected animals. The infection most commonly enters through cuts or grazes on the skin or through the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth.

Leptospires thrive in moist conditions. Both humans and animals can be infected by contact with contaminated water.