Health

Virus can ‘open door’ to respiratory disease (Nov/Dec 23)

Research has revealed that bovine coronavirus is playing a critical role in causing respiratory disease in calves and cattle. But the...

Resolve to remove reservoirs of infection (Nov/Dec 23)

Taking a more systematic approach to tackling endemic bovine TB could mirror the progress achieved by UK herds enrolled in Johne’s...

Prioritise parasite control for peak performance (Oct 23)

We offer important pointers on how to take timely action to protect dairy cattle from parasites, and their associated health and...

Revised costs and trim changes (Sept 23)

AHDB’s ongoing Healthy Feet Programme continues to take steps to improve cow health and welfare, and business’ bottom lines. Here we find...

Change management – not just mindset (May 23)

Increased milk frequency and greater precision offered by robotic milking has many udder-health benefits, providing herd management and...

Footbathing heifers is key to controlling disease (March 23)

Taking a whole-herd approach with footbathing, to include heifers and dry cows, is key to tackling digital dermatitis. A leading...

Calf pneumonia – focus on housing (Jan 23)

Westpoint Farm Vets’ Tim Potter stresses the importance of optimising the calf environment to help prevent pneumonia. Pneumonia is a...

Johne’s control – it’s time to step up (Nov/Dec 22)

There’s been good progress made when it comes to Johne’s control, but there’s still more to do. We spoke to two vets to find out more...

Medicines review key to health planning process (Nov/Dec 22)

Westpoint Farm Vets’ Tim Potter outlines how herd health planning – and regular reviews – are key to continuing to reduce antibiotic use...

Producer-led vaccination project is up and running (Nov/Dec 22)

Producers and vets are working together to vaccinate badgers against bovine TB in East Sussex. We find out more about the project and...

Vaccine added to scour-prevention armoury (Nov/Dec 22)

The launch of a new vaccine against calf scour underlines why colostrum really is king when it comes to protecting newborn calves. So...

Keep calm - and put the kettle on (Nov/Dec 22)

Stress is bad for us - we know that. And it also has a negative impact on cow health, fertility and productivity. We spoke to a leading...

Breeding for lameness resistance – the next step (Sept 22)

Latest research has shown that resistance to lameness can be bred into cows more easily than previously thought. And now researchers and...

Calf scour – know your enemy (Sept 22)

Is scouring cause for concern on your unit? We look at some key areas where easy wins can be put in place to help reduce the incidence of...

Photographic precision is key to pro-active management (July/Aug 22)

Automating mobility and condition scoring using a 3D camera is proving a success for the furthest easterly dairy unit in the UK,...

Focus on sweet spots to add dairy appeal (May 22)

Improving public perceptions of dairying is key to the resilience and continued success of the UK industry. So what are the concerns and...

Smile for the camera! (May 22)

Automating mobility and body condition scoring will help to improve interpretation of cow health and welfare data while saving on...

Individual data key to improving SCC (May 22)

Targeting the dry-cow period to reduce somatic cell counts in the following lactation has paid dividends for one AHDB strategic dairy...

Teat sealants key to reducing antibiotic use (May 22)

Westpoint Farm Vet’s Tim Potter takes a closer look at the use of selective dry-cow therapy and internal teat sealants, and the correct...

Tag offers season-long fly protection (May 22)

Season-long fly control using fly tags is helping one Wales-based producer to stay on top of summer mastitis. TEXT SARAH ALDERTON Fly...

Take steps to tackle ‘hidden’ disease (April 22)

Westpoint Farm Vet’s Tim Potter tackles ketosis – a costly production disease that impacts a large proportion of UK dairy herds. Ketosis...

Pain-relief protocols protect productivity (April 22)

A recent study has shown that adding pain relief to lamenesstreatment protocols speeds recovery rates and offers milkyield benefits....

Space exploration for higher welfare (April 22)

Greater understanding of animal behaviour will help producers meet their herds’ needs to exhibit natural behaviour. TEXT SARAH BOLT The...

Hygiene key to optimising calf environment (April 22)

We share just some of the highlights from a recent #Calfmatters presentation at Dairy-Tech 2022, which took a closer look at the...

Dispelling transition-cow misconceptions (April 22)

Research has revealed that stress and inflammation have a greater role to play in causing transition-cow disease than previously...

Testing key to controlling coccidiosis (March 22)

Test for subclinical coccidiosis and take steps to prevent its spread and impact on calf health and performance. Don’t wait for clinical...

Dispelling the myths around Johne’s (Feb 22)

There are still many myths surrounding Johne’s disease and how to tackle it. NMR vet Karen Bond answers some key questions to correct a...

Building bTB resilience through breeding (Feb 22)

Can long-term breeding plans reduce the impact bovine TB can have on your herd and business? We spoke to a producer and a geneticist to...

BVD targets and funding set to push schemes forward (Feb 22)

Eradicating BVD in the UK – where are we now, and where are we heading? We spoke to a leading cattle vet and the technical director of...

Post-calving care key to LDA prevention (Feb 22)

Westpoint Farm Vet’s Tim Potter takes a closer look at the causes of a common post-calving condition, how to treat it and – more ...

Track and trace to reduce bTB risk (Jan 2022)

Protecting feed and water from badger ingress should be top of producers’ biosecurity list to lower the risk of spreading bovine TB. ...