Sheep Rock, LLC: Veterinary Consulting

12/11/2024

Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue (TLAER) training by Dr. Rebecca Husted in Morrisville NY hosted by the Cornell Cooperative Extension. I have waited two years for this course and it fully lived up to the hype. The course participants included several veterinarians and veterinary technicians, a state trooper, a few farmers, many fire fighters, an Office of Emergency Management agent, a couple animal control officers, and I’m sure I’m missing some folks. Dr. Husted delivered us education on how to prevent and handle large animal disasters from barn fires, mud rescue, water rescue, tractor trailer accidents, entrapments, and more. From incident reporting and response, personnel command and management, scene procedure, extrication and removal, this course satisfies National Fire Protection Association 2500 Ch 9. And thanks to Dr. Husted’s range of credentials in animal physiology, military operations, veterinary technology, specialty rescue and heavy rescue, and being a fire fighter herself, we received a very elevated, highly technical, well-rounded education on all things Large Animal Emergency Rescue. .gimenez1 Tlaer, Incorporated

31/10/2024

The second time I joined Vet Med For Idiots By Idiots it was alongside Fernandez Veterinary Services’ Dr. Laura Fernandez. Along with Dr. Kent, us three doctors and our obligatory Johnson start to debrief what clinical year of vet school was like. Though we were careful not to identify schools or personnel, we hold absolutely zero punches about what we experienced in terms of treatment of students. This behind-the-scenes glimpse at student life in a veterinary teaching hospital is meant to be a foil from what you might be used to seeing on social media - the smiling white coat and stethoscope portraits in front of the school, the countryside calf photo a la James Herriot, the feel-good surgical case. If you want to know the good, the bad, and the ugly, this is for you.
As you listen, we ask for you to keep in mind that this was almost a decade ago and many student work policies have changed. Simply put, we are already old (not as old as Kent) and things are already different now.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vet-med-for-idiots-by-idiots/id1734510582?i=1000665964476

This week’s episode has been a requested one-listeners wanting to know what vet school, and especially clinical year, is like. It’s tough yet rewarding.

https://linktr.ee/vetmedforidiotsbyidiots

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vet-med-for-idiots-by-idiots/id1734510582

https://open.spotify.com/show/2Igg9VRX7JCspWObpc7Jxm

25/10/2024

On Tuesday 10/22/24, the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab, in conjunction with the UConn College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, as well as the UConn Office of Emergency Management hosted a Tabletop Exercise to test our state’s preparedness for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza cases in dairy cattle on our Connecticut farms. 60 personnel were invited, achieving representation for the CT Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the CT Department of Agriculture, the USDA, the CT Department of Public Health, the area fire departments, police departments and EMS, the UConn Animal Care Department, and then there was little old me representing the private practice veterinarian in the field. This four hour exercise required full participation from every agency and person in the room as we ran through 3 situational modules. I still cannot believe I had a seat in this room and I was fully engaged in an effort to represent all of my private veterinary colleagues - to advocate for us as well as to gather information for us. The action throughout the room was impressive and the exercise was tough but I feel confident in our state’s ability to respond. My understanding of when each agency becomes involved at which points has deepened and while we hope we don’t necessarily need that information, emergency preparedness means staying current and knowing the key players.
I was happy to attend and thrilled to get right into the mix, lucky to even be invited.
What kind of questions does this bring up for you? Would you or your company want to do a tabletop exercise for an infectious disease outbreak? Or maybe a disaster response like a barn fire?

14/10/2024

Ok, so I have been keeping a secret for about half a year now. I have recorded three episodes with Vet Med For Idiots By Idiots and each one has been so much fun. Probably too much fun.
You can find the first episode we did together, dated July 1 2024, and titled "Large Animals, Large Pe..." on any podcast app. Please be warned, this show is half vet med, half knuckle-headed crass comedy, so this is NSFW (not safe for work) material.
However, if you can tolerate the low brow jokes, this episode is about what food animal medicine is, and what it is not, how I have practiced it and what I do when my career gets benched, and how I ended up where I am today. You also get a very immediate deep dive (uncomfortably deep) into what it would have been like to live in a house with Kent and I during vet school. We were roommates, and long story short, we have never been married.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/large-animals-large-pe/id1734510582?i=1000660850821

It’s VM4IBI after dark! Okay, so not really, but this episode, aimed at large animals, does talk about a few animals’ naughty bits. Dr Erin .rock.vet joins us and tells us about the fun, the dangers, and the life involved with being a large animal vet.



🐂

11/09/2024

News from the office of the state veterinarian:
First confirmed case of EEE in a domestic animal for 2024 in Connecticut

Food animal farmers:
Please be aware that turkeys, chickens, goats, sheep, camelids and people are also vulnerable and this year’s mosquito pressure is significantly higher than previous years.

HARTFORD, Conn. — The Connecticut Department of Agriculture reports the state’s first case this year of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in a domestic animal. EEE was detected in a 23-year-old unvaccinated gelded horse from Fairfield County. Upon examination the horse was exhibiting neurologica...

31/07/2024

Hey look it’s me!! Here’s my favorite part of this article:
“I feel invested in the agricultural businesses here and am continually impressed by the collaborative nature of the island’s farming community,” she added.

I love visiting the farm stores, like Morning Glory Farm, and seeing the whole line up of local cheeses are farms that I have been lucky enough to work alongside and support. My job is to help farmers dial in their animal health processes to make business more efficient and productive and everyone happier and healthier. Your success is my success.

Getting reliable health care for some large animals on Martha’s Vineyard has become so difficult that one veterinarian living in Connecticut has built up a significant list of clients, making routine trips to the Island. For the past year and a half, Dr. Erin Masur of Sheep Rock Veterinary Service...

08/06/2024

For the next few months, I will be stepping in as the interim state veterinarian while the Dept of Agriculture seeks a permanent replacement for Dr. Jane Lewis. I am confident that my clients, both the fellow doctors and the farmers, understand that this role takes priority as we prepare for H5N1 converging with New England’s show and fair season. Clients have been directly informed of changes in my availability and when I expect to resume normal availability. I’m grateful that we recognize that this is a necessary part of protecting Connecticut’s agricultural industry, and keeping our agriculture commodities safe, during a vulnerable time.

(HARTFORD, CT) – Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt today announced that Dr. Erin Masur, DVM, has joined the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) as interim State Veterinarian within the Bureau of Regulatory Services. Dr. Masur succeeds Dr. Jane Lewis, DVM, DACVPM who was appoin...

05/06/2024

Today at noon, Cornell Coop Extension is hosting a webinar for “anyone from farm to fork” on the topic of milk testing positive for HPAI (avian influenza) and how to protect your products. Multiple experts including food safety scientists and diagnosticians. Follow link to register - this is FREE

Join us for the next Special Session of Dairy Foods Virtual Office Hours! We will discuss Highly Pathogenic Avian influenza Virus (HPAIV) and recent incidences of dairy cows and milk testing positive for this virus. Join us for a moderated Q&A session with a panel of experts in the field to g...

27/05/2024

I've had a lot of inquiries in the past couple of weeks about hosting another webinar covering backyard poultry medicine for veterinarians. Here is the link to the FREE 3 hr lecture with myself, Dr. Perelman and Dr. Walters from June of last year. To be honest, I can't create something better than what we ended up with here. This is a great intro and you get three different perspectives on poultry medicine. I have quite a challenge to tackle over the next few months so this is the best I can offer! As for HPAI/H5N1 specifically, I give frequent updates across all socials (FB, Insta and TikTok) so just keep an eye out if that's what you're looking for.
You do have to create an account with my website to get access, but I promise, I don't actually use your information for anything - its just a way of me ensuring that only veterinary professionals access the content.

What do you want your clients to know? Whether it's articles, handouts, demo videos, or more - we can create those materials custom for you and your client base. Information is cross analyzed against the most current and most reputable industry sources.

29/04/2024

Thank you CJR for sharing your farm with Connecticut State Community College for both the Northwestern and Middlesex veterinary technology programs. It takes a village to provide our students with quality educational opportunities to master their large animal technical skills. As a food animal practitioner myself, I feel obligated to have an active role in training the future professionals of the field… although I am often guilty of trying to lure students from the small animal hospital to the dark side 😂 🤣 CT State Northwestern CT State Middlesex

29/03/2024

Next Thursday night! Class on sheep and goats!
Most common contagious diseases and how to keep them off your farm, PLUS most common non-contagious conditions (hint: urinary calculi) and latest information.

26/03/2024

Here is the latest credible information regarding the "mystery cow virus" which has been determined to be Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. The article from which I pulled these details in linked with this post, but here is a brief summary:

- The USDA, the FDA, the CDC, state (TX, KS, NM) veterinarians and state (TX, KS, NM) public health officials are rapidly investigating a disease that primarily affects older dairy cattle and the situation is unfolding daily, with ongoing updates and details.
- Because of the presence of deceased wild birds on the properties where cows were sick, HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) testing was carried out on unpasteurized (raw) milk and an oropharyngeal swab of ill cows, and these tests were positive.
- Viral genome sequencing is underway so that we can characterize how we expect this particular HPAI to take effect. Currently, there appears to be very low risk of human involvement or human illness.
- Milk in the commercial supply is SAFE due to the process of pasteurization, which is continually proven to inactivate bacterial and viral pathogens, and is required for milk entering the commercial market.
- Milk yielded from cattle who are sick, and any abnormal milk, is diverted and destroyed. As ALWAYS, only milk from healthy animals is permitted to enter the market for human consumption, and normal procedure always involves several rounds of testing to ensure this.
- Ensuring good biosecurity, especially pertaining to wild, migratory birds that traverse your property, remains the mainstay of prevention. Be observant and watchful of wild birds and domestic birds near your farm.

Proceed with caution if you're coming to the comment section with conspiracy theories.

The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you're on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser's address (or "location") bar.

22/03/2024

Fun turn of events - I have some big shoes to try and fill tomorrow. I’ll be headed down to my Alma Mater, to the to act as one of the judges for the annual NJ 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl. It’s been some years since my boots touched the ground on Lipman Dr. Thank you to for passing this year’s judging on to me. Hopefully I make for a decent stand-in!

19/03/2024

Ok I had all sorts of cool news to share, but am too buried in helping clients with lambing season to get my 💩 together, and then this mystery cow virus hit the news. I do want to make sure I address this topic just to try to quell your nerves. Not much has been confirmed about this problem, which originates in TX, but there is a ton of misinformation going around. What is important here is not to panic, simply be observant and careful, practice good biosecurity (I know, I know, but being careful costs zero dollars) and wait for strong information to develop. Here is what is known so far: “Clinical signs include decreased herd level milk production; acute sudden drop in production with some severely impacted cows experiencing thicker, concentrated, colostrum like milk; decrease in feed consumption with a simultaneous drop in rumen motility; abnormal tacky or loose f***s, and some fever. Impacted herds have reported older cows in mid-lactation may be more likely to be severely impacted than younger cows and fresh cows or heifers. Dry cows and heifers do not appear to be affected. In addition, some herds have reported pneumonia and clinical mastitis cases as secondary sequelae.” And if anyone wants to keep their finger on the pulse of this issue I would suggest checking the following website frequently: tahc.texas.gov keep your herd protected by making smart biosecurity choices and treading water until things change!

18/03/2024

Don’t forget to sign up! This class at Woodbury FFA Chapter is quickly approaching.

13/11/2023

Thanks to Jen and for inviting me to do this and doing all the heavy lifting to make it happen. This is open to 4-H kids, parents and alumni! I have been taking my usual producer education and veterinary professional education modules, piece by piece, and making it more digestible for kids of all ages and I’m really excited to get into with them this Saturday. Bring a p**p sample with you!

07/11/2023

Did you know that for the last few months I have been working as a Clinical Parasitology Consultant to Roxbury Animal Clinic? I have been handling their small ruminant, large ruminant, camelid, poultry and swine f***l testing as an independent contractor. One common struggle for mixed animal practices is that the usual out-of-house laboratories, although excellent for small animal and equine species, are unreliable when it comes to accurately identifying ruminant parasite eggs. Most of these labs also do not offer quantitative results - meaning they cannot give a specific number of eggs per gram. Instead, they report results as low/moderate/heavy, or a scale of symbols. While this is acceptable for small animal, it’s not acceptable for small ruminants, where having a specific number is crucial for deworming decisions. With parasites being the leading cause of death in goats in the United States, Roxbury's dedication to providing high quality small ruminant care means they've made this decision to advance the results of their parasite testing. The other major advantage to using a local option is that goat diarrhea is often an EMERGENCY. While the veterinary diagnostic centers in neighboring states are the most sophisticated option for f***ls, the shipping and lab turnaround time can make or break a case when hours are crucial. I have really enjoyed our collaboration on this as it has allowed for direct communication between myself and their team of doctors on a case-by-case basis. Most of my work this year has been finding different ways to support my fellow practitioners with their sheep and goat caseload, whatever that means for each team. This just happens to be my favorite project! Roxbury Animal Clinic

Livestock Services and Veterinary Consulting

25/10/2023

My latest article for Goat Journal is out and it covers Cache Valley Virus. If you're raising sheep and goats in New England and your homestead or business model depends on optimal reproductive health, this is a must-read. It took many minds to pull this together, including Dr. Tuominen (Massachusetts), Dr. Sarah Wedel Lowry (New York) of the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners, Dr. Toby Pinn Woodcock (New York) from Cornell University's Dept. of Population Med & Diagnostic Services, and last but not least an assist from Dr. Mary Smith (New York) who provided us with case photos. Great way to collaborate with neighboring small ruminant practitioners.

Our NOV/DEC issue is here and it is full of helpful tips! Subscribe today. Each issue covers health, breeds, seasonal care, recipes, best practices for herd health, animal well-being and productivity and MORE!

https://gtj.iamcountryside.com/loading.do?pk=EGJDNNZE&omedasite=gtj_new&utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Goat%20Journal

Issue Details:
The Features:
A New Approach to Assessing Nigerian Dwarf Milk Production
Brace Yourselves....author Kopf Canyon Ranch, LLC - Kiko Goats in Idaho

The Stories:
Cache Valley Virus
Common Facial Swellings in Goats
Learning to Love Goats
The Smiling Dog
Goats in Art
Raw Milk Safety
Paneer, An Indian Food Staple

In Every Issue:
From the Editor Marissa Ames of Ames Family Farm
Reader Feedback
Back from the Vet: Foot Rot in Goats
The Helpful Herd: Minimize Stress for Happy and Healthy Goats
Photo Essay: Hulse Hill Farm
Breed Profile: Dutch Landrace Goat
Breeders Directory/Classifieds
Recommended Products
Just for Fun
Coming Attractions