Digestive Issues

From stress to success: Everyday ways to improve herd health and profitability

meganabeyta@gpsdairy.com — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Recent research from multiple labs suggests some of the most expensive stressors cows experience are the ones we don’t see.

The transition game

louderdvm@gmail.com — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

We often don’t realize that like the football team, the microbes in the rumen have their own “positions” and responsibilities. The success of the ruminant digestive system is dependent on each microbial team member performing its function.

Build immunity to control hemorrhagic bowel syndrome

Joel.Pankowski@churchdwight.com — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Hemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS) is a silent, confounding killer in dairy herds. It’s particularly stressful because the exact cause of HBS is unknown. There are few symptoms, it often impacts older high-producing cows, and it’s nearly always fatal. Often you don’t know a cow has HBS until it’s too late.

Investments in life cycle feeding of probiotics supports your bottom line

kimmo@novonesis.com — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Effective probiotics cost pennies per day and provide significant benefits throughout the entire life cycle of an animal.

Lipopolysaccharides – The Internally Generated Threat

Fri, 31 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The body has several physical barriers to “outside” threats, the skin, the respiratory linings and the digestive tract. Of these three, the digestive tract faces the most potential threats, not only from what is ingested but also from what develops in situ, through the growth of microorganisms, the toxins some produce and even the remnants of those that die within the tract. Pathogenic bacteria normally exist within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Common ones include species of Salmonella and E. coli. Both these bacteria are gram-negative (G-), meaning they have cell walls that will not accept that stain. These bacteria can lyse, and their cell walls are broken into segments that contain “endotoxin” made of lipopolysaccharides (LPS).

Rumen upsets: Do they have to be upsetting?

louderdvm@gmail.com — Thu, 30 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

If cows could just tell us when they get an upset tummy, maybe we could help them get through the episode without a hitch. Before we can discuss rumen dysfunction, we need to understand what normal rumen function looks like.

Is hemorrhagic bowel syndrome killing your most productive cows?

angie.rowson@vaxxinova.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 15:46:05 -0500

Hemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS), also known as jejunal hematoma or jejunal hemorrhage syndrome, is a sudden death disease primarily of adult dairy cows.

Mitigate leaky gut to prevent leaking energy, animal production

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 13:32:05 -0400

Promoting gastrointestinal (GI) tract health at every stage of a calf’s growth and development is important. These mitigation strategies can help prevent systemic inflammation.

How to establish a healthy gut through diet

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 17:37:24 -0400

Efficiency is a term that is tossed around a lot in industry circles. Producers want efficient machinery to maximize production, accountants and creditors want efficient operations to ensure profit, nutritionists want efficient cows to signal good health – and so on.

A bug’s life: Cow health depends on it

kimmo@novonesis.com — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 16:34:21 -0400

The idea of the gut microbiome having an impact on health is not new. Hippocrates (400 B.C.) stated that, “Death is in the bowels, poor digestion is the origin of all evil.”

Build a barrier for effective immunity

Joel.Pankowski@churchdwight.com — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 20:01:55 -0400

Milk weights, calving intervals, pregnancy rates: Metrics are everywhere on a dairy. But, unlike other aspects of dairy management, there is no clear way to evaluate a cow’s immune function. Yet, a strong immune system is vital for dairy health and performance. Without it, pathogens win.

Heat stress has delayed impact on gut and hoof health

ageiger@zinpro.com — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Heat stress can impart significant economic and production ramifications on your livestock operation. Some ramifications are apparent right away (lower feed intake and milk production) and some delayed (lameness).