LANCASTER VETERINARY CLINIC NEWSLETTER
APRIL 2017
RALGRO ON BACKORDER
Many of you use Ralgro implants in your beef calves before turning out to grass. They are a nice implant because you can use the same implant in steers or heifers and the implant is small and easier to get in soft calf ears. Implanting sucking calves will result in a higher weaning weight.
Right now, the Ralgro is on backorder from all our suppliers. We do not know when it will be available again. As a replacement, we are carrying and recommending Synovex C implants. These implants are designed for use in suckling calves weighing less than 400 lbs and at least 45 days old.
Implanting your suckling calves is a great way to gain at least 20 more lbs at weaning with no adverse effects on carcass quality or future performance. Synovex C can be used in both steers and heifers and will not adversely affect breeding potential of the heifers. These implants require a different gun than the Ralgro implants. They are packaged in 10 implant cartridges.
Please talk to Sally if you have any questions about what implants would work in your herd. You have lots of options for stocker and feedlot cattle, including the new 200 day Synovex One implant.
GOAT QUESTIONS?
Sally recently attended a seminar at the University of Minnesota all about goats. The sessions were designed for both vets and producers, so the speakers presented lots of practical information and answered real life questions. She has new information on the “Big Three” goat diseases”Johne’s, caseous lymphadenitis and caprine encephalitis”and how to test and prevent them. Also, some interesting options for creating prolonged lactations in goats so that you don’t have a long period with no milk income.
Please call if you have any goat questions or if you would like Sally to come out and help you solve some goat problems.
SAVE THE DATE!
Our annual Client Appreciation Party will be on Friday July 28 from 3-8 pm. We will have food and fun and door prizes and lots of things for kids to do. We are planning on having food and activities in a tent on the south lawn, so everything will be easy to find. Of course, you are welcome to tour the clinic and see the new tile in the kennel and the exam room improvements. We may even have some special visitors from the Humane Society!
DOG PARK TAKING SHAPE
We hope you have noticed the new changes in the grass area north of the clinic building. The space between the big pine trees and the pond by Cnty A is where the new dog park will be. Park department workers from the city recently removed the old fence on the east side.
Cari has been working hard with the city on the funding for the development and maintenance of the dog park. The goal is to get it fenced and the pathways created and some of the landscaping done this spring. This park is an on-going project that people will be working on for years to come. We hope you enjoy it. Any suggestions or donations would be welcome.
EGG MCMASTER FECAL TEST
We have been pleased with the Egg McMaster fecal test that we have been doing on large animal fecals in addition to the float and direst tests. The Egg McMaster is the test that determines the number of eggs per gram (epg) of feces in a given sample.
Who cares about epg? The number of eggs per gram (epg) tells us how badly your animals are infested with parasites and how well a given treatment is working. This test is the one that companies use when they are testing a new anthelmintic (dewormer) drug or if they are trying to determine if worms are developing resistance to a particular drug.
Once we have the epg from a sample, we can compare that value to the same animal after treatment or moving to a clean pasture or to a different group treated with the same dewormer. Then we can track if the epg value is being affected by changes in management.
The most important thing to remember is that we are not necessarily trying to have parasite free animals, but animals that are healthy and not being set back by a heavy parasite load.
TICKS ARE TERRIBLE THIS SPRING
We have been hearing lots of complaints and seeing LOTS of ticks on animals at the clinic. People are also finding ticks on themselves after being out in the woods for only a short time.
The Seresto flea and tick collars for dogs and cats work great to kill and repel both fleas and ticks. These collars contain compounds that are released slowly over 8 months. You can get a $15 mail-in rebate on a collar if you buy it from us. The Seresto collars cost only $60 for any size. If you buy more than one, the price is only $55. Plus you can get the $15 rebate. What a deal!
We also have a pour-on product that works to repel and kill ticks on horses. We have been seeing a lot of ticks on horses this spring. Horses can get diseases from ticks, such as Lyme disease and anaplasmosis. Ticks that suck blood from your horse will also bite you, so wear protective clothing and check yourself after being in the woods.
LOTS OF WATERY EYES ALREADY
If you have been noticing a lot of wet faces and watery eyes in your calves, you are not alone. Think about these ideas for treatment and prevention of pinkeye.
- Make use of fly control products, such as feed additives, ear tags, oilers and rubbers
- Vaccinate with a commercial product. Booster as required.
- Consider using the new Moraxella bovoculi (winter pinkeye) vaccine or have an autogenous one made
- Use a fly control/treatment mineral salt block
- Avoid feeding moldy or dusty feeds
- Keep pastures mowed to prevent irritation from tall, dry grass
- Treat affected animals at the first signs of watery eye. Don’t wait!
Please call if you have questions or need help with figuring out what to do with a group.
HAPPY PLANTING! BE SAFE!
MAY 2017
CLIENT APPRECIATION PARTY
You and your family are invited to our annual Client Appreciation Party at the clinic on Friday July 28 from 3-8 pm. We hope that having the party on Friday this year will make it easier for people to come.
We will have free food and beverages and fun and door prizes and lots of things for kids to do. We are planning on having food and activities in a tent on the south lawn, so everything will be easy to find. In case of rain, we will move into the clinic garage.
Of course, you are welcome to tour the clinic and see the new tile in the kennel and the exam room improvements. Kids will be able to bring their stuffed pets and practice bandaging them. We may even have some special visitors from the Humane Society. You can also tour the new dog park taking shape north of the clinic.
Everyone is welcome! Please bring the family, have some food and join in the fun.
ONLINE STORE FOR HORSE AND SMALL ANIMAL SUPPLIES
Our on-line store for cattle medications and supplies is working well and has been very popular with clients. If you have any questions or would like to get an account set up at the store, please call the clinic and talk to Jill.
We will have on-line store set up for horse and small animals, too. Start at LancasterVetClinic.com and click on the On-Line store. You can order supplies, toys, treats, feed supplements and equipment. You will also be able to get prescription items such as heartworm preventatives and dewormers as long as you have a prescription from one of the vets here at the clinic.
LOTS OF LICE, FLIES ARRIVE
The flies have been slow this year with the cold, wet spring, but they are coming on strong now. We have some new fly tags at the clinic which contain a different insecticide than the ones we had last year. If you noticed some resistance problems at your place, we recommend changing tag types. We still have the same cheaper ones that work well for most people.
We have been seeing lots of lice on cattle and horses this spring. We have a couple different permethrin pour-on products for use on horses, dairy and beef cattle that do a great job killing lice and keeping flies off. The cattle product is applied at the rate of 1 oz per 200# so a gallon treats about 25 cows. You need to reapply every 3-4 weeks. The horse product is 8-16 ml per horse applied as needed.
FLUIDS HELP WEAK CALVES
We have been treating a lot of beef calves with scours this spring. Most of them pop right back after IV fluids. What can you do to help a calf if you can’t get the fluids IV or until you can get the calf to the clinic? Lactated Ringer’s solution or Normosol fluids can be given under the skin to a scouring calf to help get its blood pressure up and treat the deadly dehydration tha goes with the scours. You can give a 1000 ml (one liter bag) under the skin of a calf’s neck in a couple different spots. The fluids will be absorbed into the bloodstream as the calf needs them. Once the fluid pocket under the skin disappears, you can give some more if the calf is still weak.
Please ask for a demo if you have questions about treating your calves at home.
DOG PARK LOOKING GOOD
We hope you have had a chance to drive by the area north of the clinic to see the developments in the dog park. The city has been working on leveling the area, building a circular path through the park and adding water lines. It will take a while for the new grass to fill in, but we are happy to see the progress.
RURAL SAFETY DAY ON JUNE 13
This year’s Grant County Rural Safety Day is scheduled for Tuesday, June 13 from 9:30 am — 3:00 pm. All children in grades 2-8 this fall are encouraged to attend. The program is free. Registration forms should be turned in by June 9. The first 500 kids registered will get a free t-shirt.
This year’s safety topics include Electrical safety, Pool and river safety, ATV Safety, First Aid, Tug of Grain hazards, Guns and Lawn mower safety. If you have attended this program before, you can still come and learn something new!
Lunch, beverages and snacks will be provided. 4-H members in grades 9 and over who would be interested in facilitating at this event should contact Cathy at the Extension Office, 723-2125 by June 2.
GRANT COUNTY DAIRY BREAKFAST SUNDAY JUNE 11
See you at the Grant County Dairy Breakfast! This year the event will be held at the Todd Fischer farm in Bagley. Parking and shuttles will be available at the Blakes Prairie Fairgrounds in Bloomington. No parking at the farm. Call the Grant County Extension Office if you have questions or would like to help or make a donation. Breakfast will be served from 7 to 11 am. Cost is $5 for adults, $2 for kids, under 6 are free. Hope to see you there!
WE HAVE A HORSE STOCKS
Now is the season for breeding and preg checking horses. We have a stocks in the garage at the clinic that works great for keeping the horse and the vet safe when palpating mares rectally. We can ultrasound the pregnancy starting at 14 days so you will know if you need to watch the mare coming back in heat.
LOTS OF SUMMER INTERNS
We will be having students job shadowing and interning this summer at the clinic. These students will be riding with us on farm calls and working with pets in the clinic.
We are also having a vet tech intern. Thank you for your patience with the students and for allowing them to look at your animals and give them some real world experience.
