Cattle Health Management

13/02/2024

With calving season underway with several of our producers, we wanted to talk about castration of newborn calves and pain control.

The industry standard, and American Association of Bovine Practitioners recommendation, is to castrate (and dehorn) early in life to minimize complications and pain. This can be achieved with local anesthesia or with systemic anti-inflammatories, like Banamine or Metacam/Meloxicam.

For this purpose, we are excited to carry a new type of castration band, made in Canada: the Lidoband. This band is infused with lidocaine and provides up to 42 days of pain relief for the calf! The application is similar to the "green cheerios" and it provides local anesthesia straight away!

If you are interested in learning more about the products we carry to help you prepare for calving season, please give our clinic a call or speak to one of our veterinarians if they are on farm!

For more information, see the links below.

https://abpdaily.com/health-production/lidocaine-infused-castration-bands/

http://www.lidoband.com/en/home

https://aabp.org/Resources/AABP_Guidelines/Castration_Guidelines-2019.pdf

New castration bands containing slow-release local anesthetic provide pain relief for cattle during castration. Large animal veterinarians in Alberta will soon be providing producers with anesthetic-infused castrationbands made in Canada. While producers currently inject pain relief or give it topic...

01/02/2024

As part of our commitment to excellence in the cattle industry, we take pride in conducting and supporting various research projects across the province.

If you are a cow-calf producer, please consider participating in some of these surveys conducted by BCRC, University of Calgary, and the Canadian Association for Bovine Veterinarians.
Not only does this help researchers come up with better guidelines and resources for our industry, it also provides benchmarks for producers and goals to advance their operations!

Research studies:
1) Cattle Handling survey: https://survey.ucalgary.ca/jfe/form/SV_6SF4XTG1KDQj4qO

2) BCRC Cow-Calf survey: https://ca1se.voxco.com/SE/?st=BiOrxR6qQbwojO3B5jp77rZPCXL0eG%2BuqZ7MqJaJ6XM%3D

3) CABV survey: https://cabv.ca/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=archive&task=view&mailid=320&key=AtknfMmD&subid=16-SlnJx8h9hqyIJO&tmpl=component

If you have questions or are interested in participating in one of the studies, please contact our veterinarians and they will assist you!

17/01/2024

‼️ ATTENTION 🛑 valued clients,

As per the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency requirements, animals that are at a veterinary clinic require a CCIA. As a regulated party, we are required to provide a list of animals that have been to the clinic and report their CCIA tags regularly.

To aid in this process:
Please bring extra CCIA tags with you so we can apply them if necessary
OR
We can apply a tag from our inventory for a fee, and the owner will be responsible for transferring it.

CCIA Tags can be ordered online https://tags.canadaid.ca or by calling 1.877.909.2333 The agency provides the necessary guidance and support to livestock owners in registering their animals and obtaining the CCIA Tags.

For more information on how to get tags or transfer ownership please visit https://support.canadaid.ca/

11/01/2024

With winter finally making an appearance we would like to encourage everyone to take care of themselves and their livestock during this cold snap.

Cattle are hardy animals and can withstand extreme temperatures but cold stress is still possible. A few components are critical so they can get through cold snaps like the one this week!

#1 - a windbreak! Cattle will prioritize getting out of the wind over food and water. Windbreaks should be tall enough and wide enough to shelter most animals in the group.

#2 - a bedded pack. This will keep cattle dry during cold temperatures and prevent frostbite. Ideally this should be behind the windbreak so they can rest and be out of the wind.

#3 - feed! Did you know the energy requirements of cattle increase by ~10% with each 10 degree drop in temperature? That is because the main source of heat in cattle comes from digestion of feed in the rumen! Make sure to provide high energy feed for them to maintain their core body temperature (~38C).

#4 - body condition and hair coat. Cattle with lower fat reserves or innappropriate coat length will struggle more in the winter. Pay especially close attention to dairy breeds, older and younger animals. Young calves are extremely susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia.

#5 - water. Check water sources daily to ensure they are not frozen. Cows cannot eat enough snow to meet their hydration requirements so an open source of water is vital!

If you require any assistance with animals in distress or have questions about herd management during extreme cold temperatures always feel free to reach out to our veterinarians and staff!

Stay safe and warm out there!

10/01/2024

22/12/2023

Our offices will be closed from Saturday December 23rd until Tuesday December 26th. We will return to regular business hours on Wednesday!
If you have a large animal emergency, please call the after hours phone line and the veterinarian on call will assist you.

Wishing you all safe and happy holidays!

28/11/2023

If you’ve come into the Brooks office you may have noticed some pretty special calving books for sale at the front desk.
The cost of each booklet is $20 and all the proceeds from the sales go towards the Brooks & District Health Foundation and Aarit Hok Pediatric fund. This fund helps with the purchasing of equipment needed for emergency care of the pediatrics department at the Brooks Health Center.

For more information visit the link below. https://brookshealthfoundation.ca/ahpf

18/10/2023

It’s RVT month and we would like to spotlight the hard work our veterinary technicians do every day of the year!

Did you know there are approximately 2500 registered veterinary technicians in Alberta?
RVTs are licensed animal healthcare providers, they are holders of a veterinary technician degree and passed a board exam to be able to practice. They also have continuing education requirements just like the vets do!

RVTs have a multitude of different roles, from dispensing the drugs your vets prescribe, to assisting DVMs in surgery, monitoring anesthesia, running lab work and even performing necropsies!
Without them our jobs would be a lot more difficult and certainly less enjoyable.

If you come by our offices and see one of our RVTs: Lacey, Miranda, Danielle and Beth, please join us in thanking them for everything they do!

26/09/2023

Some of our vets recently travelled to Milwaukee for the American Association of Bovine Practitioners annual conference! It was a great opportunity to stay up to date with the latest research in bovine medicine, see old friends and meet new people.

29/08/2023

We're Hiring!

We're looking to add a full-time Bovine Registered Veterinary Technician to our team at Cattle Health Management (Lethbridge Location). We have a fantastic team of Veterinarians, RVT's, Nutritionists and Data Analysts that are dedicated to providing excellent services to cow-calf, feedlot and dairy clients in Southern Alberta. Our RVT's play an integral role in our practice, offering both extensive on-farm and in-clinic technical duties.

Follow the link below to see the full job description and to apply online!

Search 35 Cattle Health Management jobs now available on Indeed.com, the world's largest job site.

11/08/2023

Join us at our Broxburn Clinic Location on Thursday, August 24th for a Pancake Breakfast! Breakfast will be available in the parking lot from 7:30 am to 10 am. There will be a $2 per person fee, with all proceeds being donated to our local 4-H clubs. 🐮

If you can make it, please RSVP to Tony @ 403-381-7060. We hope to see you there!

31/07/2023

Better late than never! We picked the winner for our calving draw at the Brooks location a few weeks ago: congratulations to George Baxter from Count Ridge Stock Farms and thank you for trusting us with your herd’s health!

22/11/2021

Administration Clerk Needed!

Coaldale Veterinary Clinic’s focus is helping farmers raise healthy, productive cattle and educating clients through the process. We strive to provide the best possible service because that is who we are as people and that is what our clients need and deserve. We are looking for someone whose core values align with ours and who can support, not only the wellbeing of cattle, but the wellbeing of their fellow co-workers. The position of Admin consists of being responsible for providing administrative and data entry for medical/feedlot reporting.

Tasks
• Answer phone calls and schedule appointments
• Imports/Exports document preparation
• Shipping samples
• Data entry for feedlot reporting
• Data entry and analysis for studies
• Benchmarking
• Preparation of medical reports
• Tag retirement
• Monthly newsletter
• Random office duties
• Social Media / Marketing

Qualifications and Requirements

• Large animal experience (Feedlot experience an asset but not mandatory)
• Microsoft Excel/Adobe/Word proficient
• Ability to multi-task
• Proficient in technology

Competencies

• Kindness and Cooperation – Kindness in the way we treat our colleagues, clients, and industry partners. Displaying a good-natured cooperative attitude.
• Experience – Job requires experience in the large animal industry. Technical skills and communication skills.
• Integrity – Job requires being honest and ethical
• Dependability – Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable in fulfilling obligations.

11/11/2021

One of our very own, Nutritionist Christine Bassett (Rosser) sharing her knowledge in backgrounding. You won't want to miss this!
Register at - https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/basics-of-backgrounding-veterinary-expert-insights-across-canada-november-17th/"-BCRC

07/10/2021

Our clinic is looking for a full-time RVT/Office Admin. Please see ad for details.

Are you interested in a cattle only practice? Coaldale Veterinary Clinic’s focus is helping farmers raise healthy, productive cattle and educating clients through the process. We strive to provide the best possible service because that is who we are as people and that is what our clients need and ...