Cool cases during a hot weather week

Each summer DVM students from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph delve into hands-on, practical experience at veterinary clinics across Ontario and additional locales during their Externship Veterinary Course. Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), students must complete an eight-week Externship Course between third and fourth year in a rural veterinary practice that works with food animals and/or equine, as well as companion animals. These Externship blog posts are an opportunity to tag along with students during their externship. Here student veterinarian Melissa talks about cool cases during a hot weather week. Check out all the student blogs here.

It’s been a hot week up here in Eastern Ontario! The temperatures are well into the 30s with the added bonus of humidity and not a drop of rain in sight. I’ve been coming home in the evening just exhausted from being in the heat all day and I’m not the only one who the heat is taking its toll on – our patients are feeling it too! Our dairy producers have been trying to keep their cows cool by using large fans and sprinkler systems. Many stables are bringing their horses into the barn during the day to try and keep them cool as well. It’s in weeks like this that I’m thankful for the blasting AC in the truck between calls.

For me, these hot days are tolerable because of all of the cool cases that I am involved with. Every night at dinner, my husband asks “did you see anything cool today?” and the answer is always yes! I would like to share with you the highlights of my week and you can be the judge on how cool it was!

Highlight #1: I got to assist with my first DA (displaced abomasum) surgery in a dairy cow! For the experienced dairy vet, this is a very routine procedure but for the student, firsts are always very exciting. Although it was unfortunate that the cow needed surgery, it was a good learning experience and led to some very important conversations about transition cow management. Displaced abomasums are a preventable condition so we, as veterinarians, need to work with our producers to set protocols to best manage our transition cows and get them off to a great start in their lactation.

Highlight #2: I was involved with some emergency calls which included a uterine torsion in a dairy cow, a tough calving and laceration on a horse’s foot. I am very grateful for these experiences, as emergency medicine is a big part of what a large animal veterinarian does. It was a welcome change to be involved in the fast paced, “fire engine” style of practice.

Highlight #3: One day, we went to a small hobby farm that had four Highland calves for us to castrate, ear tag and deworm. The work that we did on this farm was very routine but the calves were so fluffy and cute!

Highlight #4: I was also involved with evaluating a newborn calf that had been stepped on by her mom. After palpating her leg we found that her foot was broken at the distal end of her metatarsal bone. Young animals have the ability to heal very quickly so we decided to wrap and splint her leg to keep it immobilized. The farmer went into his workshop made a great split out of PVC pipe which we secured in pace using lots of Vet Wrap. We also gave her some pain medication to keep her comfortable and some antibiotics to help prevent infection at the fracture sight. We will see how she does in a few weeks!

I’m looking forward to what the next week brings, until then, stay cool!

Follow OVC on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @OntVetCollege

Comments are closed for this blog post

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Guinness World Record attempt to take place in St. Albert on Aug. 22

?ST. ALBERT – If you have ever wanted to witness an attempt at a Guinness World Record, then you will want to be in St. Albert, Ontario on August 22 when an attempt will be made to set a record for the most plow blades pulled simultaneously.

Why Alignment Matters: Domestic Check-Off and the Import Levy

When Canadian beef producers sell cattle, they contribute to the national beef check-off. That investment supports work that benefits the broader Canadian beef industry, including market development, consumer demand, public and stakeholder engagement, and research. When beef or beef cattle are imported into Canada, an import levy is also collected. While the structure is not identical in every detail, the principle behind it is straightforward: beef marketed in Canada should help contribute to the programs that support beef demand in Canada. The national check-off paid by producers and the import levy paid on eligible imports are two parts of a broader investment approach. Together, they help ensure that both domestic beef production and imported beef products are connected to the market development work that strengthens beef’s position with Canadian consumers. For producers, the domestic cattle check-off is collected at the point of sale and includes both national and provincial po

I’ve noticed a lot of wild oat escapes in some of my fields this year; what can I do to prevent it from getting worse next year?

Despite our best efforts, sometimes even the best laid weed control plans go wrong! The first thing to remember is that not all weed escapes are created equal. In some cases, weeds can survive because of application timing issues, challenging weather conditions or late flushes that emerge after spraying. However, when weeds aren’t controlled by herbicide applications, herbicide resistance should also be on your radar. A recent survey in Manitoba found that in fields with uncontrolled wild oats, 100 per cent of populations were resistant to Group 1 products, 82 per cent were resistant to Group 2 products, and 82 per cent were resistant to both Group 1 and 2 herbicides. Those numbers show how important it is to take a closer look at wild oat weed escapes. Identifying why your herbicide failed to control wild oats is the first step toward finding a solution. Start by scouting the field to narrow down the cause. Consider factors such as application timing, weather conditions, late flush

Is fungicide actually effective on Sclerotinia head rot in sunflower?

This is one of the most difficult questions to answer because there are many things to consider. I also don’t want to be outright negative because we do still have options for sclerotinia management in sunflowers. However, management is the operative word. First of all, sclerotinia head rot infections have an interesting pathway. Spores use dead sunflower florets, plus pollen, as the base to infect a sunflower plant. The spores grow into the receptacle, infecting and decaying the entire head after a period of time. Sclerotinia wilt (basal stalk rot) and mid-stalk rot are also infected by the same sclerotinia species, but it will be via the mycelia that grow from the sclerotia bodies in the soil for basal stalk rot. Mid-stalk rot is also infected by ascospores, but this can be earlier in the season than head rot or at the same time. So, management of sclerotinia does not start at flowering. Crop rotation is the most obvious management tool that we are familiar with in sunflowers, but

Using Water More Efficiently in Beef Packing Plants

Packing plants use a time-tested approach to clean their facilities. The first step uses high-pressure hot water to remove fat and meat scraps from equipment, floors and walls. Next, surfaces are cleaned using detergent. Finally, sanitizers are used to further reduce bacterial numbers. Processing companies want to reduce water use as part of their environmental goals and to reduce energy bills. High-pressure water and steam can produce aerosols that capture bacteria and spread them throughout the plant. They can then settle on and cross-contaminate clean surfaces long after the cleaning has been completed, which complicates efforts to effectively clean facilities. Biofilms are another problem. Biofilms are colonies of bacteria surrounded by a protective layer that firmly attaches them to surfaces and shelters the bacteria from hot water, detergents and sanitizers. Biofilms are hard to remove and are commonly found in hard-to-reach places. These researchers investigated potential cro

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service