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An unhealthy calf can be a strain on both beef and dairy farming, but many calf health issues can be overcome if they are recognized early and properly treated. By staying alert to your animals and providing them with exceptional care, you can easily raise healthy, productive calves. Diseases and Health Issues Affecting Calves There are many different diseases and health problems that can appear in calves. Depending on the climate, environmental cleanliness, herd size, available nutrition, and other factors, calves might be affected with… Bovine respiratory disease, pneumonia, and other lung disorders Septicemia Scours, digestive difficulties, and diarrhea Dehydration...

Between the chewed-up toys and puppy breath, your puppy turns into an adult dog in the blink of an eye. Gone are the days filled with housetraining and puppy play. Now, days revolve around the dog park and long walks. Alongside a change in activity, a change in diet is necessary to keep them adventurous and healthy. How do you decide when it’s right to make the transition, and what’s the best plan of action? Here are a few things to consider. When Your Dog Should Switch When your pup has fully grown, you can begin the transition into adult...

As your horse gets older and you show or compete less, their nutritional needs will vary. The nutritional needs of a horse’s feeding program will depend on the amount of activity, age, metabolism and quality and quantity of hay and pasture. Let’s go through two different stages and provide feeding recommendations for your aging equine athlete. The first stage is when your horse is 15 to 20 years old, and the show or competition schedule has been reduced or retirement is now in effect. Energy requirements are less with reduced activity, and the amount of grain or concentrate required should...

Parasites have several negative effects on cattle health and productivity. They suppress appetite, negatively impact growth, damage gut lining and make cattle more susceptible to disease. An Iowa State University study calculated a cost of up to $190 per animal resulting from the decreases in gain and reproduction in non-dewormed cattle. Cattlemen should consider a deworming program to combat parasites as a critical part of a herd health plan. This allows cattle to reach their full genetic potential, increase intake, nutrient absorption, and improved overall health, growth and reproduction. Before we get to some thoughts about a program, let’s talk...

We often receive questions from horse owners, wondering what the various units of measure on horse feed tags mean, and how they can use those units to figure out what their horse is consuming…and wondering why in the world they have to be so confusing, too! In short, feed companies use the units of measurements on nutrients that we do, because we are required to. Why? Because horse feeds and other livestock feeds are labeled as required by AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials) and the various state Feed Control regulations.  These regulatory bodies establish the units which are...