Where passion for animals, science, and medicine lives…
While many people take St. John’s Wort as an herbal treatment for depression, the plant induces painful sunburns in goats when eaten. Sound crazy? Wondering if you heard that correctly? Yes, St. John Wort is a photodynamic plant. After eating, certain UV-light-absorbing compounds in the plant circulate in the blood of the goat. In white, […]
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In our last podcast, we tackled the common question of why you might give a rabies vaccine that is labeled for one species to an animal of a different species. This podcast is an expansion of this topic and covers some of the oddities of vaccine production. In the early 1880s, Louis Pasteur worked to […]
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Why oh why, would I give goats sheep vaccines? Seems counterintuitive right? We put horseshoes on horses, give cats cat food, and give goats… what? Another species’ vaccines? Are they getting shortchanged? The short answer is no, and the longer answer contains two reasons, one immunologic and the other administrative. When you become infected with […]
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Benjamin Franklin once said: “For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, For the want of a shoe the horse was lost, For the want of a horse the rider was lost, For the want of a rider the battle was lost, For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost, And […]
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“Comparison is the death of joy.” People have been shifting their concept of human beauty over the centuries, and with this, their view of an ideal weight. The change in perspective has not been subtle. Today, we desire teeth so white they sparkle and will employ lasers, daily strips, and overnight trays to accomplish it. […]
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Few people have been affected first hand by disaster like the residents of California right now. Devastation of that magnitude is thankfully rare in the US. Because of the extremely rapid movement of the fires, not everyone was able to evacuate with their animals to safety. Many pets, both large and small, have been rescued […]
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In the last segment, we introduced the Incident Command System (ICS). In this post, we will cover the day-to-day workings of the Incident Command Post (ICP). This is the facility where the Command and General Staff work. The size of the incident determines the size of the ICP. In small, short responses, the ICP can […]
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No one wants to experience a disaster. But, disasters happen every day. Most people plan ahead of time, to limit the impact the disaster has on them. A few go above and beyond, and willingly respond to the disaster. These people give their time and skills to assist the victims with rescue and recovery. […]
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In the last podcast, we discussed cyanogenic plants – plants that create cyanide. Some trees are consistent risks, other plants like Sudan grass depend upon environmental conditions. While goats have fewer toxic risks than other ruminants, many threats remain. Alkaloid plants represent another category for concern to the goat producer. Luckily, most of these plants […]
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Sea lions in California are once again battling a debilitating and fatal disease. This disease affects multiple species, including humans. It may sound like the next zombie apocalypse heading our way, but in truth, it’s a very old disease. Leptospirosis was first described in 1883. Since that time, the bacteria have been found across the […]
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