Vets and progress.

[happycows]

How closely do you work with your vet and how much do you trust in their judgement to do the right thing or do you feel they’ll make a quick quid given half a chance, after all they need to pay staff and make a profit don’t they!

After 30 plus years in the line of milking cows as a general rule of thumb I Perceive there are as many cases of mastitis, pneumonia, lameness, Dermatitis etc as ever in our industry and suggested never ending tests and vaccinations for this that and the other must be a gold mine for the vets.

I’m always being encouraged to do more routine vet visits but I kindly decline to a pd session after a tb test usually. I’m fairly happy with how things are and prefer to get a good natural heat by good nutrition and husbandry with the help of some more modern technology like pedometers but appreciate at times you will need intervention. I’m taking a more holistic approach to anyone requiring treatment as time goes on.

All in all there is as much to do as ever has been in our industry and have we actually made any progress at all?

I personally have weaned myself off nearly all the above, but appreciate a good vet when I really need one and do question if everyone did as I do would that top notch 24hr service be available and that worries me.

With the ever increasing push on lower drug use will reliable vet services be a forgiven in the future and how will they be paid for?

 

[William Mellor]

1 routine vet visits a month here, pd'in normally around 10-20 cows. Any animals looking unwell on the day of the visit or concerns I have over animal health I will show/discuss them with him. I'm happy with it and find it quite useful to have a vet coming once a month routinely

 

[awkward]

we have some great vets around here .practical and realists. but then we have a few by the book of madness .talking of well fare . abuse and generally intimidating in the language they use. treating us like complete fools. once was enough .

 

[Devon lad]

We have pretty good vets but spend most of there time tb testing and then leave for a practice that allows them to make a difference. Vets only used for calving call outs, pre breed checking of at risk cows and scanning but we are block calving.

 

[Whitewalker]

I reckon there are so many more diseases now . The world is so much smaller and so much is easily transferred over long distances. I also think cows are bred to close genetically. They are asked to work harder with no reserve and in bigger herds . It is an unforgiving world with extra diseases and greater mathematical criteria to hit or they are culled. Living on this knife edge offers more opportunities to welcome in more diverse range of disease in a
Never ending circle .

I’m not sure you can blame vets although I know a few ropey ones too .

My answer is lower yielding grass based milking . Closed herd and breeding cows away from main stream genetics . Reducing meal fed and keeping cows stress free as much as possible. Preventive foot trimming . It wouldn’t work for everyone but it works for me . Cell counts are below 100 year round , mastitis is low . Lameness is nearly nonexistent . I’m no millionaire but life is simple for me and my cows .

Our main vet visits are just pre service checks,pd’ing , the odd ecoli mastitis case and a rare caesarean or bad calving .

Not sure it justifies blaming the vets for anything.

 

[pappuller]

We have fortnightly routine visits and find that we dont do as much fire fighting of problems as we used to do, vets are v proactive in prevention rather than cure which ultimately leads to happier cows, happier farmer.

 

[sidjon]

We do no routine visits , haven't seen one for a few years for calving , think I have had them out twice this year once for a ecoli mastitis and grass staggers in 2 months old calf , they are good vets but bloody useless at paperwork, doing herd health plan with them for FA next week is like pulling teeth , but we are one of their only 2dairy herds so guess they don't have the experience doing them.

 

[DocPhil001]

routine monthly. to pd and general herd health. work quite close with the vet and have the same one for all herd health visits.

 

[happycows]

I guess this Sidjon is one of the things I was getting at. If they don’t make a good amount from the farmers they will walk away from it.
Then who do we use when we have no choice.
One local practise split the business totally to farm and small animals.

I’ve never gone too MVF or online for drugs as I keep my spend to a minimum and pay cash for extra discount and feel I should support them for when I really need them, But no doubt it was the massive margin that attracted mvf in the first place.

 

[Wee Willy]

I have 80 cows + 140 stores/beef ,I've had the vet once past two years..LDA. Do feel that the other farmers buying all the vacs(I don't vaccinate and I'm a flying herd!) and having regular monthly visits are subsidising me,along with the 4 monthly TB tests in this area. But as long as they keep vaccinating and paying for monthly advice I'm happy.

 

[Clay52]

My opinion is if I require routine visits from the vet something is wrong and money is going out the door.

Here the vets charge at over $200 an hour plus travel and drugs. Do I need to say more.

 

[Einstien]

Those that don't have routine vet - are you PD'ing yourself? or just accepting the odd conception mistake...?

 

[Clay52]

Those that don't have routine vet - are you PD'ing yourself? or just accepting the odd conception mistake...?

Milk test at herd test. Works great. No stress on cows and less stuff ups than the vet. Been using it for a couple years.

 

[Philip Watkins]

I reckon there are so many more diseases now . The world is so much smaller and so much is easily transferred over long distances. ....

I'm not sure that is the case. Blue tongue and schmallenberg are the only ones I can think of that are relatively recent (to UK), everything else has been around for ever but we have only recently started to take them seriously.
The world is certainly smaller now but as far as live animal transport is concerned, quarantine (between countries) should stop the spread of disease. Travellers bringing in infected meat products is a big risk though.

 

[newholland]

This is a very interesting thread......and my input is to ask what do dairy people do when you have a question for a vet and you don't fancy calling them out - so you email vet with picture of some exciting new cow lump or other issue and ask for their opinion on what it might be and what you can do - does your vet charge you to answer questions via email and phone? Does anybody pay a set fee per year to receive advice only?

What is the positive way forwards using cyber space?

@bovine would you charge / provide a service to answer questions only?

 

[Whitewalker]

I'm not sure that is the case. Blue tongue and schmallenberg are the only ones I can think of that are relatively recent (to UK), everything else has been around for ever but we have only recently started to take them seriously.
The world is certainly smaller now but as far as live animal transport is concerned, quarantine (between countries) should stop the spread of disease. Travellers bringing in infected meat products is a big risk though.

Suppressed immunity for all sorts of reasons opens the flood gates to a host of risks . There are new teat and foot conditions that cause are unknown and treatment questionable

 

[happycows]

I always took vets to be upstanding highly regarded members of our community, but in this ever changing tougher world i hope those morals don’t get forgotten.

Old vet now near retirement said many a time tb testing was like his subsidy cheque providing the bread and butter of his business. Even now that has turned to a cut throat tendering practise.

No doubt vets have partner meeting and strategy planning. Selling drugs must come into those plans and a significant revenue stream but behind the scenes is it always cow health and reduced usage that comes first?

 

[Whitewalker]

I always took vets to be upstanding highly regarded members of our community, but in this ever changing tougher world i hope those morals don’t get forgotten.

Old vet now near retirement said many a time tb testing was like his subsidy cheque providing the bread and butter of his business. Even now that has turned to a cut throat tendering practise.

No doubt vets have partner meeting and strategy planning. Selling drugs must come into those plans and a significant revenue stream but behind the scenes is it always cow health and reduced usage that comes first?

Same countrywide also practices are being bought by large companies and creating chains like vets4pets only for large animal . Profit matters so it probably will be a case of pay proper prices or services will switch to small animal and farm animal will be forgotten about . There are areas now can’t attract vets cause it’s unsustainable. Where do you go if you’re in that area

 

[awkward]

you may say unsustainable but if farming can't afford the fees and it's cheaper to put animal down. orsend to factory .farming must also be viable.

 

[supercow]

Iv learned not to knock vets anymore, I think I would struggle without them. Yes they are expensive, why not charge a decent price for thier labour? Electricians, joiners, plumbers are extortionate so why not pay a good price for good vets trying to keep your livelihood thriving. Up until September I think I could count the vets visits on 1 or 2 fingers this year, possibly through good management I don't know. But had a bad calving at 4am last Thursday, a milk fever that needed calcium into the vein, pding this week the vet found a dirty cow which I would have betted my to tv on not being dirty as I thought she'd cleaned. A cow hurt her neck and lost a lot of blood the last couple of days and started to really struggle we have just gave her a blood transfusion, he is coming later to operate on the first displaced stomach in 2 years (really don't know what caused this) . I have no time for people that disrespect vets and say farms are poorly managed if they need a vet for a visit.i think it's fairly childish and disrespectful. If the young vets hear of them being knocked constantly they will eventually realise farm vetting is not for them and eventually there will be a farm vet shortage and then Sod's law you'll need a vet the next day.