On June 11, 2023, certain antibiotics for treating livestock that were available over the counter (OTC) will now require a veterinary prescription. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made an announcement on June 12, 2023 of the transition status. Slowing Antimicrobial Resistance During September of 2018, the FDA announced a five-year plan to slow the development of antimicrobial resistance, …
Register for Indemnity Before a Livestock or Poultry Disease Disaster Strikes
During the 2015 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the United States, over 50 million chickens died. This led to a 12 percent drop in the egg layer market, severely impacting revenue across the U.S. (Chappell, 2022). HPAI, which is often referred to as “bird flu,” struck again in February 2022 and 57 million birds (APHIS, 2023) have died …
Too Close for Comfort: African Swine Fever Identified in Haiti & the Dominican Republic
About 20 percent of Vermont dairy farms raise pigs as well as dairy cows. Ninety percent of these farms raise pigs seasonally, and their health concerns may not be a priority for farmers. However, there is growing concern about the global spread of African swine fever (ASF), a deadly foreign animal disease (FAD) of pigs that was identified in two …
Taking Biosecurity from Zero to 60 Overnight
(Feature image courtesy of the National Pork Board, Des Moines, Iowa.) In an April 2023 article published in Progressive Dairy a question was asked, “what do speed tests have to do with biosecurity?” Julie Smith, veterinarian and research associate professor at the University of Vermont, considers what it means for a farm to go from “zero to 60” quickly in …
Use Biosecurity to Prepare and Prevent African Swine Fever in the U.S.
African swine fever (ASF) is an incurable viral disease of pigs but does not pose a threat to human health. There are many ways that ASF can spread from one part of the world to another, or from one premises to another. The following guidelines for keeping pigs healthy are especially important for reducing the chances of spreading ASF. Do …
Watch Your Step: HPAI Is Afoot!
April 12, 2022 Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial and backyard poultry flocks has expanded to regions across the United States. Click on the links below to track the most recent HPAI confirmations: USDA APHIS 2022 Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard FlocksOpens a new window USDA APHIS 2022 Detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza …
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Found in U.S. Turkeys
February, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory recently found highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in turkeys tested from a commercial farm in Indiana. As a result, the premises were quarantined and the flock depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed HPAI in wild birds …
Flies, Ticks and Anaplasmosis
Finding a dead cow on a farm is very alarming. A farmer needs to know why, because there are many causes that result in a cow dying. In this particular case, a call to the veterinarian and some diagnostic tests determined that the cow had anaplasmosis. Anaplasmosis is a bacterial infection of concern to cattle producers because they might lose …
Biosecurity Education Goes Virtual with Learning Series
We are witnessing in real time the spread of a virulent, infectious disease known as COVID-19 among the human population. Livestock and poultry are susceptible to infectious diseases as well, and the impacts can be devastating for anyone raising farm animals. The most effective strategy for protecting farm animal health is to prevent or reduce the chances of introducing a …
Rinderpest’s Reign of Terror
A disease so fearsome it was given the name “cattle plague”, rinderpest left behind trails of devastation in the wake of outbreaks. The 1887-1892 Great Ethiopian Famine occurred when almost all of the cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and wildlife species died from this disease (Morens, D. M., et al., 2011). In the 19th century, rinderpest killed 20 percent of all …
Bovine Theileriosis and the Asian Longhorned Tick
Bovine theileriosis (Tie-lir-ee-OH-suhs) is a tick-borne disease caused by a protozoan blood parasite, Theileriosis orientalis. (Malaria is another disease caused by a protozoan blood parasite, but it is mosquito-borne.) It is often referred to as bovine anemia due to the chronic anemia that it can cause in cattle, and it affects many different species of cattle, buffalo and small ruminants …
Leaping Across the U.S.: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease
Imagine walking into a rabbitry one day and noticing multiple rabbits dead with nothing other than a little bit of blood on their nose. A highly contagious foreign animal disease by the name of rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) is on the rise nationally, and is causing many rabbit farmers and owners to fear for their stock and pets. While it …