The problem has lots of names: grain overload, founder, laminitis, acute indigestion, acidosis. Some people expand that last term to “rumen acidosis” or “lactic acid acidosis.”

We all like scores: golf scores, bowling scores, limestone scores – single numbers that tell us volumes about complex situations. We use scores all the time. A bowling score of 300 is not just good; it’s a perfect game. A golf score of 300 is, well, not. Sometimes scores go by different names.

The selenium issue is a little like professional baseball – every year brings new developments, it’s a source of avid discussion and people rely on statistics to support whatever opinion they currently espouse.

“Tis the season” – or rather, a month or so after the season – of holiday feasts, mounds of whipped potatoes, mouth-watering pastries.