Animal Health Information

Calves are typically born with two descended testicles that have left the body cavity and dropped into the scrotum. There are quite a few different ways to remove the testicles, or castrate a calf. which can be performed as early as one day of age and all the way into adulthood.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Pets The colder weather is always met with most of us trying to stay warm: firing up our home furnaces, wood stoves and perhaps running auxiliary heat sources. With cold weather comes the reminder to change the batteries in my smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least 430 people die of CO poisoning, while approximately 50,000 people visit the emergency department each year due to accidental CO poisoning. Pets are also at risk.

My nephew came home from school today and informed me that back in the days of the Oregon Trail, the pioneers used metal shoes or tar and leather boots to treat cracked or chipped hooves on the oxen. Presently, our cattle are seldom made to travel hundreds of miles pulling large loads, creating undo stress on their hooves. They simple need to get themselves to food and water on a reasonable set of feet and legs. A cow that stands squarely on her feet should be able to naturally keep her feet in even wear. As cattle terrain varies widely, rockier surfaces will wear the hooves down more naturally. A cow that has a lazy pastern, toed-in or toed-out feet will likely have uneven wear, potentially leading to bad feet. The definition of bad feet can be ambiguous, but includes any deviation from normal: long toes, the inability to wear properly, bruising of the sole, subsolar abscesses, white line disease or laminitis.