Have You Herd? AABP PodCasts

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Miles Theurer from Veterinary Research and Consulting Services. Theurer was the lead author of the paper “Evaluation of the treatment efficacy of generic enrofloxacin compared to pioneer enrofloxacin for first treatment of naturally occurring bovine respiratory disease in a commercial feedlot” published in The Bovine Practitioner Volume 57 Number 2. This episode is sponsored by Virbac. After more than 50 years of helping animals around the world, Virbac wants to emphasize that they are here for you, committed to your growth and that of your customers for the long haul. For more information on Virbac or their products, visit https://vet-us.virbac.com/cattle. Theurer discusses the reasons that a large clinical trial comparing a generic product to the pioneer product in a field setting can assist veterinarians in making treatment decisions when recommending animal health products to their clients. Theurer walks us through the objectives and methods of the paper. Results of this paper did not find any significant differences in health outcomes evaluated for first treatment of BRD with the two products. He also discusses some of the differences identified between traditional beef breeds enrolled in the study and dairy-beef crosses which is an opportunity for future research. Theurer discusses his role as an associate editor for The Bovine Practitioner and encourages researchers to submit clinically relevant research to the journal. The journal is intended to provide research relevant to the practicing cattle veterinarian and is available open-access with no publication fees. The submission and review process is managed online. Find the journal at this link. Theurer, M. E., Fox, T., Newberry, J. R., & Payot, F. (2023). Evaluation of the treatment efficacy of generic enrofloxacin compared to pioneer enrofloxacin for first treatment of naturally occurring bovine respiratory disease in a commercial feedlot. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 29–35. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p29-35Product label and safety information for Tenotryl located on this page. CATTLE IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATIONTenotryl™ (enrofloxacin) 100 mg/ml Antimicrobial Injectable Solution: Animals intended for human consumption must not be slaughtered within 28 days from the last treatment. This product is not approved for use in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older, including dry dairy cows.  Use in these cattle may cause drug residues in milk and/or in the calves born to these cows.  A withdrawal period has not been established for this product in pre-ruminating calves.  Do not exceed a 20 mL dose per injection site.  Federal (USA) law prohibits the extra-label use of this drug in food producing animals.  

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Hubert Karreman. This podcast is brought to you by the AABP Committee on Pharmaceutical and Biologic Issues. Dr. Karreman graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995 and has many years of experience working with organic production systems as a veterinarian. Karreman discusses what types of botanicals are available and some history of how they have been used. We also discuss what cases may be amenable to treatment with botanical medications in both organic and conventional systems. Karreman provides some information on the regulatory aspects of botanical medicines and how they do not fit into the AMDUCA algorithm and pathways for possible approvals. He provides some references for efficacy studies of botanicals and suggests that there is opportunity for more research on their use in cattle.  Karreman developed a resource guide with links for veterinarians interested in botanical medicine which can be found here.  

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Joe Gillespie, Senior Professional Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim, and Dr. Chris Chase, professor at South Dakota State University, to discuss vaccination of calves for bovine respiratory disease in the face of maternal antibodies. This podcast is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, sponsor of the Welcome Reception at the AABP Annual Conference. Our guests review maternal antibody protection for the calf and how it protects calves versus how vaccination protects calves. Vaccinating calves early in life for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is important, but it is important to understand the challenges with maternal antibody interference. Chase reviews the types of vaccines and the advantages and disadvantages of each type (intranasal, modified live and killed) as well as reviewing some new information about the efficacy of injectable modified live virus vaccines in calves. Gillespie also reviews the importance of adjuvants and why they make a difference for calf vaccine programs. Gillespie also discusses the importance of the herd veterinarian in working with farms to develop vaccine protocols for prevention of disease. Links:https://aabp.org/resources/2023_Pyramid_Dual_Challenge_Research_Brief.pdfhttps://aabp.org/resources/BRD_Battle_Plan.pdfhttps://aabp.org/resources/Protecting_Calves_from_BRD.pdf 

The US cattle industry has a preparedness plan in the event of a Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak in the US. Dr. Danelle Bickett-Weddle, an AABP member from Iowa State University, discusses the Secure Milk and Secure Beef Supply Plan. The current COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity for veterinarians to have conversations about FMD preparedness now with their clients. The plans provide guidance for maintaining business continuity during an outbreak. The biosecurity plans in these documents can also be used to prevent many infectious diseases on beef and dairy operations. Find more information at securemilk.org and securebeef.org.

 AABP Past-President Dr. Mike Apley discusses antibiotic data collection, antimicrobial stewardship, and his thoughts on the future role of veterinarians in the use of antibiotics on beef and dairy farms. 

In this issue, Dr. Fred Gingrich discusses the main points of the recently published Council on Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) issue paper on recruitment and retention of food animal veterinarians. Lead author and AABP Past President Dr. Christine Navarre and CAST Past President and AABP Membership Committee Chair Dr. Gabe Middleton discuss the issues related to retention of veterinarians in food animal practice, overcoming obstacles and challenges of rural practice, and providing support and mentorship to veterinarians in your practice to improve retention. The CAST issue paper and webinar from Dr. Navarre can be found on the CAST website at https://www.cast-science.org/publication/impact-of-recruitment-and-retention-of-food-animal-veterinarians-on-the-u-s-food-supply/. 

Listen to this episode with AABP President Dr. Calvin Booker discussing what he does in his private practice life at Feedlot Health Management Services, LLC, in Okotoks, Alberta, and the unique services they offer in their consulting-based practice. We also discuss many opportunities that veterinarians have as AABP members such as publications and continuing education resources. Dr. Booker also provides his perspective on AABP advocacy efforts for bovine veterinarians and encourages all bovine veterinarians to join our organization.

Dr. Fred Gingrich talks with Dr. Barry Feldman a suicidologist and clinical social worker on faculty at the UMass Medical School where he is the Director of Psychiatry Programs and Public Safety. In this episode, we discuss risk factors for mental health problems and recognizing the warning signs of suicide. Veterinarians can learn how to normalize the issue of suicide and directly ask clients, associates and friends if they are thinking about ending their life. Dr. Feldman also discusses the pneumonic IS-PATH-WARM to identify specific warning signs that should be acted upon if a person is displaying any of those signs. Finally, we talk about telemedicine and online resources for mental health disorders and suicide prevention. 

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich discussing rural practice challenges and opportunities with veterinarian Dr. Keelan Lewis. In talking about work-life integration, Lewis says, “We’re going to take our work home with us, so why can’t we take our life to work with us?”

 Do you work for a dairy herd that has issues with Klebsiella mastitis? In this episode, Dr. Pat Gorden discusses his experiences using the SRP Klebsiella vaccine in the Iowa State University herd and his research project utilizing this vaccine. You can find Dr. Gorden’s publication in the Journal of Dairy Science at https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2017-14267 or in the Spring 2019 Bovine Practitioner at https://journals.tdl.org/bovine/index.php/bovine/article/view/4275

 Episode 1: Dr. Fred Gingrich talks with Scott Uhlenhake, a physical therapist from Ohio. Today we discuss how cattle veterinarians can prevent injuries that occur due to the unique aspects of our work. 

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Pat Gorden and Dr. Michelle Buckley from Iowa State University to discuss two publications from the Bovine Practitioner Volume 57 Number 2, 2023. Links to the published papers are at the end of the podcast show notes. Our guests review the use of internal teat sealants and some of the challenges with producer use of internal teat sealants. We also review the importance of equivalence studies for practicing veterinarians, who are the target audience for papers in the Bovine Practitioner. The first study discussed was an equivalence study comparing two different internal teat sealants. The take-home message from this study for practicing veterinarians is that both products studies demonstrated equivalent results when comparing the outcome variables studied. The second paper evaluated the persistence of the internal teat sealant in the mammary gland during the dry period. This paper was from one herd and looked at migration of the teat sealant from the teat into the cistern of the mammary gland using radiographs as well as strip yields after freshening. The authors also investigated if location of the internal teat sealant impacted risk for new intramammary infection during the first 120 days in milk.  Both of these studies are relevant to the practicing dairy veterinarian as they work with clients to implement dry-off protocols to decrease the risk of mastitis and improvements in milk quality.  Links to publications: Buckley, M. P., Bayne, J., Tomazi, T., Miller, B. E., Godden, S. M., Silva, G. S., & Gorden, P. J. (2023). A randomized equivalence study evaluating the efficacy of two commercially available teat sealants in dairy cows. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 36–50. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p36-50Buckley, M. P., Bayne, J., Tomazi, T., Miller, B. E., Silva, G. S., & Gorden, P. J. (2023). Evaluation of internal teat sealant persistence in the mammary gland during the dry period. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p51-59

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Gerard Cramer, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota and current chair of the AABP Lameness Committee. This podcast is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and their 360 mastitis portfolio. What’s in your cattle tool care kit? Experience the power of complete mastitis care at choose360coverage.com.  The topic of the discussion is to walk through a research project that was funded by the AABP Foundation to investigate a model for inducing sole ulcers in dairy cattle. Sole ulcers are one of the major causes of lameness in dairy cattle and yet we still have much to learn about the pathogenesis of this disease to improve prevention and treatment strategies. Cramer discusses the importance of proof-of-concept studies to benefit future research and how they approached the welfare implications of this study. Three induction model challenges were implemented in this study included lying time restriction, dry matter intake restriction and a lipopolysaccharide challenge. Cramer reviews the results of the study and the difficulties in successfully inducing sole ulcers in this group of cows.  We also discuss some of the limitations of this study and future research opportunities to improve our ability to prevent and treat sole ulcers in dairy cows which can improve the welfare of cows. The AABP Foundation supports advancements in the health, well-being and productivity of cattle through scholarship programs, educational opportunities, and applied clinical research that benefits present and future cattle veterinarians. Research projects that are funded by the AABP Foundation must be applicable to practicing cattle veterinarians, have limited opportunity for funding elsewhere, and can serve as seed money for future larger-scale projects. The AABP Foundation research projects are supported entirely by member donations. Please support this type of research by donating today at this link.  Publication: G. Cramer, E. Shepley, W. Knauer, B.A. Crooker, S. Wagner, L.S. Caixeta, An iterative approach to the development of a sole ulcer induction model in Holstein cows, Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 106, Issue 7,2023, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-22726.  

In this episode, Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by AABP members Dr. Michelle Barrett and Dr. Becky Funk. Both guests have served on the Amstutz Scholarship Committee and Funk is the past-chair of the AABP Foundation. Our guests discuss the scholarship application process, how scholarships are reviewed, and offer tips for filling out the application. Students who qualify for a scholarship should consider applying using the links on the Students menu of the AABP website. We discuss the requirement for a CV/resume for some scholarships, and what to consider including in that document. Questions are also asked for all of the scholarships and answering these questions is part of the review process. Letters of recommendation are also considered by reviewers. Tips for asking for a reference as well as how to provide a good letter of reference for a student are great pointers for those applying. Finally, we remind students to make sure to not wait until the deadline date and time to finalize your application. This includes making sure your dues are renewed well in advance of the deadline and checking the scholarship/grant portal to make sure your letters of reference are submitted by the deadline. Incomplete applications are not reviewed. A special thank you to all of the donors to scholarship funds and AABP member volunteers from committees who review the scholarship applications. If you are interested in joining a committee, please contact fred@aabp.org. Donate to the AABP Foundation scholarship funds at this link.  Links:Join AABP and pay dues at this link. It can take 3 business days to renew your dues, so if you are applying for scholarships this year, please renews your dues in advance of the deadline! Students, make sure to have your application complete, including reference letters submitted online, by the deadline of May 31 at 5 pm Eastern. Check the status of your application at this link.  Scholarship opportunities: Amstutz Scholarship – AABP Foundation premier scholarship for AABP student members graduating in 2025 or 2026. Zoetis Foundation Scholarship – Funded by the Zoetis Foundation this $7,500 scholarship is for AABP student members graduating in 2025. Merck Bovine Student Recognition Award – Funded by Merck Animal health, this $10,000 scholarship is for AABP student members graduating in 2025 and 2026. Francis Welcome Future Dairy Practitioner Scholarship – Funded by the Welcome Family and AABP member donations, this $2,000 scholarship is for a 3rd year veterinary student with an interest in dairy medicine after graduation. Edwin Robertson Memorial Scholarship – Funded by the Robertson Family and AABP member donations, this $1,000 scholarship is for students at Auburn and Lincoln Memorial University to fund an advanced reproduction experience. James H. Bias Scholarship – This $5,000 scholarship is funded by AABP members and is awarded to 3rd year veterinary student with a graduation year of 2025 from an underrepresented ethnic and or racial background. The scholarship also provides travel and lodging to the 2024 AABP conference and a free registration to an AABP Recent Graduate conference within the first three years of graduation.   

In this episode of the AABP Have You Herd? podcast, AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich provides an update for AABP member resources. The AABP dues renewal season is now open. We welcome all cattle veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary students to join AABP or renew their dues by going to this link. AABP is primarily funded by membership dues and we utilize dues revenue to provide resources to our members.  Gingrich reviews three major buckets of activity from the organization:1.      Continuing Education. This is our major member resource. Historically, AABP has hosted an annual conference. In recent years, we have greatly expanded our CE offerings to include a recent graduate conference, webinars, podcasts, online recordings of all conference sessions and webinars, seminars outside of the annual conference, and online publications. In 2024, AABP will add even more CE for our members by hosting an additional virtual conference, one for beef veterinarians and one for dairy veterinarians. All AABP CE sessions, seminars and webinars are submitted for RACE approval which is an additional member benefit added recently. 2.      Advocacy. In 2023, AABP was very involved in several important issues for cattle veterinarians. This includes supporting the establishment of a VCPR through in-person means and advocating against allowing a virtual VCPR to be established. AABP also has advocated against a mid-level practitioner that could provide services that are currently under the domain of veterinarians. In addition, we have worked with the AVMA to ensure we still have access to xylazine and the ability to use it in our normal course of practice.3.      Support of the AABP Foundation. The AABP Foundation provides support to students through scholarships, externship grants and research grants. The AABP Foundation also supports clinically relevant research projects. In 2024, the AABP Foundation will award over $425,000 in funding with support from our members and industry partners. Visit http://aabp.org/foundation/ to learn more about the AABP Foundation and make a donation. AABP members are from private practice, academia, government, industry, farm staff veterinarians, retired veterinarians, technicians and students. Our members are beef veterinarians, dairy veterinarians and mixed animal veterinarians, but the one thing we have in common is our passion for cattle and the producers and caregivers we work for every day. Please continue to support our mission by renewing your dues or joining us today!

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Juan Rodrigo Pedraza, AABP member and Zoetis Technical Services Veterinarian. This episode is brought to you by the AABP Milk Quality and Udder Health Committee. Pedraza starts by explaining what is parlor efficiency and throughput and why it is important for dairy farms. He cautions that recommendations to improve parlor efficiency should not sacrifice quality milk production and veterinarians can consult dairy clients on steps to improve both. There are many factors that we should consider when evaluating parlor efficiency. These include loading speed, pulsation rate and ratio, teat end vacuum, mouth piece vacuum and automatic take off settings. Pedraza explains that although specialized testing equipment is needed for some of these assessments, observing parlor procedures, timing and milk flow at the end of milking can be a first step in assisting producers with parlor efficiency. Pedraza also points out how veterinarians can work with employees in the milking parlor to improve procedures, emphasizing the importance of explaining why we are implementing procedures and delivering messaging appropriately. Veterinarians can play a valuable role in parlor procedures and fine-tuning milking equipment to improve parlor efficiency and milk quality.  Find AABP resources from the Milk Quality and Udder Health committee resources page. A previous podcast on the importance of pre-milking stimulation that is reference in this podcast can be found here.  Erskine RJ, Norby B, Neuder LM, Thomson RS. Decreased milk yield is associated with delayed milk ejection. J Dairy Sci. 2019 Jul;102(7):6477-6484. doi: 10.3168/jds.2018-16219. Epub 2019 Apr 25. PMID: 31030923.    

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by AABP member Dr. Keely Shine in this episode to discuss the importance of physical health and activity to improving sustainability in bovine practice. Shine graduate from the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 2022 and immediately opened her own mixed large animal ambulatory practice. She is also the owner of a CrossFit gym and is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and currently serves in the Navy Reserves. Shine defines functional fitness and the importance of having both cardiovascular exercise and strength training as part of your total physical health program. Physical fitness can also be an important aspect of mental health and well-being. Shine also describes how she manages her nutrition program and suggests that ambulatory veterinarians plan their meals to prevent the traps of eating unhealthy snacks or lunches during the day. As a coach, Shine describes how she welcomes members to her gym and provides tips on how to take that first step in your fitness journey and prioritize daily exercise in our busy lives. 

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Felipe Peña Mosca and Dr. Sandra Godden for this episode to discuss a paper that is available in the online first edition of The Bovine Practitioner,  “Methods of processing recycled manure solids bedding on Midwest dairy farms II: Relationships between bedding characteristics and bedding bacterial count.” This is a companion paper that we previously discussed on Episode 165 of Have You Herd? which evaluated recycled manure solids processing methods and its impacts on bedding bacteria counts, udder health, milk quality and milk production.  The first objective of this study was to identify bedding characteristics associated with bedding bacterial count (BBC) in ready-to-use (RTU) recycled manure solids (RMS). The second objective was to explore the association between processing method and bedding characteristics in RTU solids. A third objective was to investigate factors associated with BBC in used solids (after placed in stalls). The study found that increased dry matter, decreased organic matter and processing method were all associated with reduced BBC in RTU RMS. Veterinarians should evaluate bedding as part of a total milk quality program to promote good udder health practices on their client’s farms. Peña Mosca, F., Godden, S., Royster, E., Crooker, B. A., & Timmerman, J. (2024). Methods of processing recycled manure solids bedding on Midwest dairy farms II: Relationships between bedding characteristics and bedding bacterial count. The Bovine Practitioner, 58(1), 8–18. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol58no1p8-18   

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Lee Jones, technical services veterinarian with Boehringer-Ingelheim. Dr. Jones was previously an extension veterinarian at the University of Georgia and the attending veterinarian for this clinical case report published in The Bovine Practitioner, Volume 57, Number 2. Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) is a forage, and intoxication from the plant has been described in the literature, although this is a very unusual case. This case affected one animal in the herd, a 5-year-old Angus bull. The bull presented with generalized alopecia, thickened pleated skin and profuse malodorous watery diarrhea. This bull, along with 6 other beef bulls, had been grazing in a pasture containing hairy vetch for 5-6 months. Jones described the diagnostic samples that were taken to evaluate the bull and rule out other causes of systemic granulomatous disease and vasculitis. The bull was euthanized due to poor prognosis and deteriorating clinical condition. Necropsy revealed a disseminated systemic granulomatous disease with variable numbers of multinucleated giant cells and eosinophils was observed in multiple organs indicative of systemic granulomatous disease, along with vasculitis in the kidney, liver and adrenal gland, indicative that vasculitis is involved in the pathogenesis of the lesions. None of the other animals were removed from the pasture and they did not develop clinical signs. Jones indicates that practitioners should consider a full diagnostic work-up on these unusual cases which can include punch biopsies of the skin which revealed the vasculitis and granulomatous lesions. Ilha, M. R., Hawkins, I. K., & Jones, A. L. (2023). Case report: Systemic granulomatous disease with vasculitis in a bull due to hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) toxicosis. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 60–66. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p60-66 Washburn, K., Norman, T., Osterstock, J., & Respondek, T. (2007). Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) toxicosis in a purebred Angus herd. The Bovine Practitioner, 41(1), 60–64. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol41no1p60-64  

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Conrad Schelkopf to discuss a recent paper published in The Bovine Practitioner Volume 57 Number 2. Conrad is a dual DVM/PhD student at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The title of the paper is “Comparison of electronic nose and conventional cow-side diagnostic tools for detection of ketosis in early lactation dairy cows”.  We review the various types of ketones that are measure by different diagnostic tests in dairy cows. The average economic impact of a case of ketosis in a dairy cow published in the literature is about $300, and having reliable and effective diagnostic tests can be a valuable tool for dairy producers. Electronic nose technology has been used in human medicine for disease diagnosis, but little research has been done in veterinary medicine. The technology “sniffs” samples that has a variety of sensors that detects a variety of volatile compounds in the space above the sample. The paper discusses how the tool is trained and calibrated for this experiment to create a fingerprint to match that fingerprint to different samples. The objective of this study was to compare the eNose technology to the urine ketone test strips and blood BHBA  cow-side diagnostic tools and to evaluate the applicability to clinical practice in a production setting. The eNose technology had lower sensitivity and specificity vs. the Precision Xtra and urine ketone tests. Conrad also discusses the positive and negative predictive value of each test based on the estimated prevalence of the disease. Conrad also discusses some potential future applications of the eNose device in booth beef and dairy practice. Emerging technologies and research to validate these technologies in the field is an important area of new research in cattle practice to improve cattle health, welfare and productivity.  Schelkopf, C. S., Apley, M. D., & Lubbers, B. V. (2023). Comparison of electronic nose and conventional cow-side diagnostic tools for detection of ketosis in early lactation dairy cows. The Bovine Practitioner, 57(2), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol27no2p5-16