Cattle Health

Tick Fever – Preventable Diseases of Cattle

Tick fever is a cattle disease caused by any one of the following blood parasites: Babesia bovis Babesia bigemina Anaplasma marginale These parasites are all transmitted by the cattle tick (Boophilus microplus). Disease caused by Babesia bovis or Babesia bigemina is called babesiosis, often referred to as ‘red water’. Disease caused by Anaplasma marginale is […]

The iSperm is changing the way we assess bull sperm

The iSperm device, despite its eyebrow raising name, is a fantastic piece of technology that alows us to analyse bull sperm counts and motility without a microscope. The iSperm provides a rapid, repeatable and objective assesment of semen quality that doesn’t require the judgement of the vet looking down the microscope. As Dr Howlett demonstrates […]

Leptospirosis – Why is protection important for your herd?

What is it? Leptospirosis is an important public health and animal health disease. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that colonises in the kidney and genital tract of the host. The disease can be spread to humans and other animals when leptospires are shed in the urine and from the genital tract into the surrounding environment. […]

Why BVDV (Pestivirus) may be affecting conception rates in your herd?

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV) is a very common infection in Australian cattle with around 90% of herds showing evidence of past infection. It is capable of causing 25-50% production losses in recently infected herds and also increases susceptibility to other common diseases. The effects of Bovine Pestivirus – Reproduction BVDV is a significant cause […]