Where passion for animals, science, and medicine lives…
I love capers! When I see these tasty little delicacies included in the description of a savory dish, my mouth is already watering. Being a native Californian, I also have a love for all things avocado. In my experience whether it is a pickled flower bud or a green protein- and potassium-rich single-seeded berry, they […]
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One of my all-time favorite TV shows is Frasier from the ’90s. In one episode, Frasier’s brother Niles reminds us of the axiom, “Less is more,” to which Frasier quips, “Yes but if ‘less is more,’ think how much more, more would be!” In our last podcast, we discussed the importance of rabies vaccines in […]
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Have you been recommended to have your goat vaccinated for rabies? Perhaps you don’t have a goat but own other livestock or even pets. Have you wondered if rabies vaccines are just a bit silly in today’s age? After all, where are these rabid goat herds? Could this all be a money scam? Nearly into […]
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“Thou shouldst say regarding him: ‘One having a gaping wound in his head penetrating to the bone, perforating the sutures of his skull; he has developed ‘ty,’ his mouth is bound, (and) he suffers from stiffness in his neck. An ailment not to be treated.’” This is an excerpt from the oldest known surgical treatise […]
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Hopefully after Dr. Lee’s series of Goatcasts, you are seriously entertaining the thought of adding goats to your operation. There are many benefits to having goats, ranging from pasture management to home-raised milk. However, there is a particular zoonotic disease to remember.
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I’ve always loved the story about the tortoise and the hare. Born a glacial thinker, the story gave me hope. As a child, I worried that it was a mark of stupidity; as a teenager, I believed it to be proof as philosopher material, and today, well, I think it just means that I take […]
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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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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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