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Continue ReadingHow Apocalypses Are Born
We are going to step back from the normal informational post and test your foreign animal disease (FAD) knowledge. This post’s onus stems from my recent trip to Plum Island Animal Disease Center. I was struck by each disease’s clinical signs, and how easily I would have mis-diagnosed a FAD in practice.
Continue ReadingGo Bag Basics
What is a Go Bag? It is a supply kit for each individual for at least 72 hours of food, water, medication, and clothing. Each kit will be tailored to the needs of the situation, including medical conditions, weather conditions, and expected length of the emergency. Every member of the family needs a kit, including […]
Continue ReadingTornado Season is Upon Us
Lengthening days and warmer weather bring spring storms. With tornado season upon us, now is the time to go through your Go Bag, update medications, swap out for warm weather clothing, and update documents. In our previous posts, we laid the groundwork for building your own Go Bag and first aid kit. Hopefully, you have […]
Continue ReadingTSE Part 4: BSE
In our fourth and final installment of prion diseases, we will discuss probably the most familiar of the TSEs: bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Most cases occur in the United Kingdom, but the disease has been found in Japan, Canada, the US, and across Europe. First diagnosed in the UK in 1986, BSE was brought to […]
Continue ReadingTSE Part 3: Scrapie
In our third installment of prion diseases, we will discuss the oldest of the TSEs: scrapie. Scrapie affects sheep, goats, and their close relatives. Scrapie received its name from the intense pruritis that affected animals exhibit. First described in Great Britain in the 1750s, scrapie can now be found worldwide, expect for Australia and New […]
Continue ReadingTSE Part 2: Chronic Wasting Disease
We covered the basics of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in our previous post. We will delve a little deeper into the three economically significant diseases in the remaining posts. White tail season closed last week. Hopefully, the season was successful for those who endured endless hours of scouting, fine tuning scopes and bows, and freezing in […]
Continue ReadingIntroduction to TSE
A family of diseases caused by a little known agent is making a steady march across the US. One form of this disease is centuries old in Europe, while another is only a few decades old here in the US. Only mammals are affected, which includes humans. The disease can neither be treated or vaccinated […]
Continue ReadingFoot Rot Prevention
It has been raining here for almost 36 hours. This has been one of the wettest fall/winter seasons in recent years. While good news for pasture regrowth, any livestock in confinement are at risk of foot rot. Similar to thrush or white line disease in horses, foot rot in ruminants results from a wet environment […]
Continue ReadingDon’t Share the Orf!
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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