Meinholz Veterinary Service LLC

03/28/2024

USDA says genetic sequencing revealed the mystery illness impacting Texas dairies is the same strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that's been in the U.S. The virus is carried by wild waterfowl.

01/26/2024

Want to learn about the latest reproductive research covering heifer repro, sexed semen and more? Then come to this meeting at Rex’s in Waunakee. Register thru the web address to ensure you’ll get a free meal.

10/09/2023

Check out this new product designed to control the pain associated with castration.

Solvet Lidoband is approved for use in calves under 250 pounds and in lambs under 50 pounds. The local, soothing anesthesia works for up to 42 days, helping veterinarians and producers improve animal well-being.

12/29/2022

As we approach 2023, just wanted to make sure everyone is aware of changes coming for antibiotics. No antibiotics will be available OTC after June and will require a prescription to purchase.

On June 11, 2023, over-the-counter antibiotics will no longer be available through traditional retail channels. Instead, these antibiotics will now require a prescription from a licensed veterinarian.

09/16/2022

Even after all these years of practice sometimes Mother Nature just has to prove you wrong. Thought for sure I was just getting a dead breech calf out of this cow to save her life. But once I got the little heifer calf out she blinked at me and took a breath. With a little stimulation she was acting like a normal newborn. What a nice surprise.

04/24/2022

Had a great time educating some Madison school kids about cows at Day on the Farm at Haag Dairy last Thursday. They were very excited to hear the “thunderstorm” that was Nutmeg’s rumen.

01/06/2022

Best way to transport a calf on one of the coldest days of the year!

12/31/2021

Are your heifers growing appropriately? Are you sacrificing milk production?

A post calving heifer should weigh 85% of her mature body weight (use a 3rd lact cow at 80-120 DIM to assess herd average mature body weight). For every pound she still needs to grow to reach the 85% benchmark her milk production is reduced 7lbs.

11/29/2021

While the weather cools we still need to think about ventilation and fresh air. Finding ways to get that air into your barns without creating a draft is crucial to animal health. Positive pressure tubes are one way to do this. If you have one, is it sized correctly? Is the fan of appropriate size and power? Are the holes in the correct places?

Ventilation requirements in cold weather for calves and heifers up to 2m of age is 15cfm (cubic feet per min) and for 2-12m of age is 20cfm.

10/28/2021

Feed efficiency can tell you a lot about your feed and your animals. To calculate you need dry matter intake and energy corrected milk.

Energy corrected milk=(.327 x milk lbs) + (12.95 x fat lbs) + (7.2 x protein lbs)

FE=ECM/DMI

FE1.6 Excellent

09/26/2021

Whether you are in expansion mode or static mode, it’s always helpful to know how many heifers you need to raise. Do this calculation for your herd.

To maintain static herd size:
Herd size x (age at first calving/24) x cull rate x (1 + non completion rate which is mortality and heifers culled)

08/22/2021

Cows with retained placentas produce 1657lbs less milk during the lactation and an additional 570lbs less milk if they develop metritis subsequently (1/3 of cases will progress to metritis). Estimated cost per case is $232 and you should have no more than 5% of fresh cows with an RP.

07/21/2021

As the temperature increases so does heat stress. Lying bout duration decreases as temp increases, which can cause cows to lose 3 hrs of rest per day. Cows accumulate heat at 1 degree per hour lying down and cool at 0.5 degrees per hour standing.

Are you doing everything you can to help her cool down? Fans running? Sprinklers on? Easy access to water to cool from the inside?

06/23/2021

Cows need a minimum of 12.5hrs of lying time per day. Every hour of lost rest equates to 2.2lbs of milk loss.

Is your lying surface comfortable? Are your stalls the appropriate size for your cows? Are your pens overcrowded? All these things can contribute to reduced lying time.

06/06/2021

Always a good day when you get live twins after they were both trying to be born at the same time.

05/15/2021

Disease prevention pays. There are multiple pneumonia vaccines available that can be safely given to young calves.

Based on a Cornell study, calves treated with an antibiotic gave 1086 # less milk in their first lact than untreated calves due to calves expending energy to fight disease rather than growing.