2 minute read
Herd Health
At the Uppin’ the Ante Sale, ELDER CHAROLAIS purchased Xternal Affairs 5X (Freedom bred Firewater) as the high selling bred heifer. Congratulations on their purchase being crowned National Junior Champion Female.
MEDONTE XTERNAL AFFAIRS 5X Also at Uppin’ the Ante
CM Cattle Co. purchased Medonte Risque 7R (Freedom bred Firewater)
Echo Springs Charolais purchased Medonte
Xceptional 11X (Ad Invincible bred Revelation)
Taylor Charolais purchased Medonte Xclusively 4 Better 8X (Cigar bred Revelation)
Langstaff Charolais purchased Medonte Xrated 3X (Freedom bred Firewater)
Canadian National Sale
EMB Charolais bought out our share of Medonte Too Hot To Handle 14X (San Antonio bred Firewater)
4967 Line 5, N RR 1, Hillsdale, ON L0L 1V0 Allan Brenda & Lindsay Miller • 705-835-3310 Shane & Allison Cramp • 705-835-7665 medonte@sympatico.ca • www.medonte.ca All the best in 2012!
HERD HEALTH
Abortion can be one of the greatest losses to the cow-calf and purebred beef producer from fall onwards. There are a great number of causes for abortion. Unfortunately some 24 - 50% of these causes go undiagnosed. The article that follows outlines the most common causes of abortion in beef cattle and discusses those factors that are responsible for obtaining a definitive diagnosis.
Abortions may occur in the early stages of pregnancy and are revealed at pregnancy checking time as open cows. If a high percentage of open heifers or cows are found at this time your veterinarian may want to pursue various forms of testing to identify the cause. If bull evaluation does not reveal any deficiencies then the cow herd becomes the focus. Nutritional status of the herd is questioned as deficiencies of selenium, copper, vitamin A, phosphorous, and iodine can be responsible for open cows. Should the open cows go for slaughter the veterinarian may ask that the reproductive tracts of these cows be obtained, examined, and tested for certain infectious reproductive diseases.
It is important to realize that abortions stem from problems not only with the individual fetus, but with environmental and maternal problems also.
Because most aborted fetuses do not reveal any gross abnormalities, further diagnostic workup is required to identify the cause of death. Microscopic evaluation of fetal tissues and culturing of stomach contents are two such workup procedures. It is important that the aborted fetus be as fresh as possible. This can be vital to obtaining information.
Submission of the placenta doubles the chances of a diagnosis. Once again, it should be as fresh as possible. The fetus and the placenta should be placed in separate clean plastic bags and kept cool. If the cow still has some retained placenta it is best to pull out this portion ensuring it contains a cotyledon, snip it and submit it. Obtaining a diagnosis from aborted fetuses and placenta contaminated with soil, straw, and manure is truly a diagnostic challenge and often unrewarding.
An abortion rate of two to three percent over the latter stages of pregnancy is considered normal. However abortions which occur close together may be a concern. Watch closely around six months gestation for telltale signs of abortion such as a wet tail or retained placenta.
