In 2008, the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL) validated a simple non-invasive technique to sample calves and cows for bovine respiratory disease (BRD).

Cow 7250 delivered a healthy heifer calf yesterday. Cow 7250 looks good – her eyes look alert, she’s eating fairly well, and she shows no signs of discomfort. Her temperature is normal and, from all outward appearances, she seems ready to begin her next lactation without incident.

Justin Addy, Hoof trimmer, Justin Addy’s Bovine Hoof Care For Justin Addy, nothing is more fulfilling than seeing his work result in a healthier, happier cow.

So now we know the financial investment via time for a hoof trimmer to start recording, which requires correct lesion identification skills.

As the seasons change and cooler temperatures arrive, now is a great time to evaluate the current state of hoof health in your herd. Hoof health records, maintained throughout the year, can be a tremendous resource to establish baseline levels for both infectious and non-infectious claw lesions.

Lameness often has its beginnings in the transition period, which is why hoof trimming should be part of the protocol to help cows take the first step toward a healthy, productive lactation.

Hoof health remains one of the most critical issues for dairy farmers today.

The interaction between the foot of a dairy cow and the floor of the facility in which she is housed is one of the most important factors in an animal’s daily life, according to extension veterinarian and field investigator Ernest Hovingh of Penn State’s Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences.

Decreased milk production, reduced feed efficiency and a suppressed immune system are some of the costly consequences of an internal parasite infection, but fecal examination is an effective way to identify the culprit and treat it accordingly.

A fecal examination is a useful tool in determining the presence and level of an internal parasite infection. Veterinarian Dr. Katie Speller (formerly with Animart) provided the following steps to conduct a modified Wisconsin sugar float test: