Promoting gut health is key to adapting to calls for antibiotic-free poultry production, attendees were told at the recent annual research day of the Poultry Industry Council (PIC). “We’ve used drugs a lot to hide bad management — poor litter management, too high of stocking density,” said professor Lisa Bielke of Ohio State University’s College […] Read more
Tag Archives veterinary medicine
Gut health key when raising birds without using antibiotics
Researchers strive to ease transition away from sub-therapeutic drug use
Opinion: Swine fever brings trade adversaries together
Capital Letters with Kelsey Johnson of iPolitics
At a time of frosty diplomatic relations and continued trade disputes, the world’s top animal health experts, industry and governments are banding together to fight a deadly hog virus. More than 150 officials from about 15 countries descended on Ottawa recently for a global forum on African swine fever. Their goal: to share information, learn […] Read more
Disease threat cancels World Pork Expo
Ontario Pork Congress officials still considering the status of the local trade show
The Ontario Pork Congress does not yet have any comment about its show, after the World Pork Expo (WPE) was cancelled due to concerns about the threat of African Swine Fever. OPC said it will comment April 18. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) board or directors cited “an abundance of caution” about ASF’s transmission […] Read more
Canada’s pork industry is on high alert
African swine fever is spreading rapidly in other parts of the world and could cause catastrophic losses if it reached Canada. Here’s how the industry is trying to keep it out
Pork industry officials have welcomed bumped up biosecurity — including more detector dogs — at airports as one of several strategies to keep African swine fever (ASF) out of Canada. As an export dependent country, Canada is particularly at risk from the deadly virus. If it surfaced here, customers would quickly close their borders to […] Read more
Animal neglect linked to mental health
Those concerned with the well-being of animals should be concerned about the mental health of those caring for them
Stories about livestock that are found to be confined, neglected, emaciated or dead on a farmer’s property tend to generate big headlines. “I don’t understand how anyone could do that,” is the resulting refrain. Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton has heard that common response. “Frankly, if you can’t understand that, it’s probably a good thing. It means […] Read more
Rabies vaccinations and livestock fairs to be simplified
The provincial government has proposed simplifying the rule that resulted in many 4-H animals having to be vaccinated for rabies before they were taken to local fairs. The regulations implemented by the previous Liberal government required that animals that came in contact with the public had to be vaccinated. The regulation said that as long […] Read more
Kitchen scraps eliminated for pigs in China
China's ag ministry blames feeding food waste to pigs for African swine fever spread
Reuters – China’s Agriculture Ministry says it will ban the feeding of kitchen waste to pigs after linking the practice to the majority of the early cases of African swine fever. The statement from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is the government’s first comment on how the deadly disease has spread in the […] Read more
A look at U.S. steps to prevent African swine fever
The U.S. industry is being proactive, learning lessons from previous imported animal diseases
Reuters – U.S. hog farmers are ramping up safety procedures and leaving animal-feed ingredients imported from China in storage in an attempt to keep out a highly contagious swine disease that is moving through Asia and Europe. U.S. government officials said in interviews they are also increasing their ability to test for the disease, African […] Read more
Managing rapidly evolving swine diseases
A porcine respiratory disease is of particular concern because it can rapidly evolve
There are signs that a number of potentially damaging disorders of pigs are either developing immunity to common drug treatments or becoming much more common as a result of well-established protocols, attendees at the recent Shakespeare Swine Seminar were warned by a Minnesota veterinary practitioner. Why it matters: When treatment for swine diseases are no […] Read more
Ultrasound can detect lung problems in dairy calves earlier
Dairy calves that experience respiratory ailments produce less milk later on
Thanks to the use of new ultrasound technology, there’s now solid evidence out of the University of Guelph indicating the level of non-clinical lung infections among dairy calves is on par with what has already been seen in the beef sector. Why it matters: A member of the team involved in the dairy calf study, […] Read more
