Food Animal Production Medicine

Clinical Rotations - Core Skills in Dairy Production Medicine and Well-Being 

Our core skills program aims to provide the tools required to enhance the clinical practice of dairy cattle production medicine at the herd level through a unique combination of classroom, wet-lab, on-line and on-farm clinical training.

Measuring calf height

Learn to:

  • Understand and interpret Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) record summaries of production, reproduction, udder health, fresh cow health, genetics and culling.
  • Become competent in the use of spreadsheet tools and quantitative analysis of herd data trends
  • Assess the physical and thermal environment of the cow and calf; including ventilation, heat abatement, stall design and bedding management.
  • Use the troubleshooting skills necessary for an investigation of calf morbidity/mortality problems, including FPT, diet and use of the NRC program, growth rate tracking and social management.
  • Achieve competence in the use and understanding of reports and data extracted from DairyComp305, related to production, reproduction, milk quality and health.
  • Use the troubleshooting skills necessary for an investigation of fresh cow health and performance problems, including health screening and protocol evaluation, barn design characteristics, nutrition and feeding practices and management necessary to optimize early lactation performance.
  • Use the troubleshooting skills necessary for an investigation of udder health problems, including milking routine assessment, health records and risk group analysis, and assessment and creation of mastitis treatment protocols.
  • Evaluate fresh/sick pen operating procedures including diagnostic plans, treatment and vaccination protocol assessment.
  • How to perform preventive and curative hoof-trimming with knives, nippers and grinders.
  • Use the troubleshooting skills necessary for an investigation of lameness, including use of the First Step program.
  • How to create effective partial budgets to assist in the implementation of herd interventions

 

Dates: May 2013-2014

  • Weeks 3, 4, 5 & 6 -- (6/3/13 to 6/28/13)
  • Weeks 21, 22, 23 & 24 -- (10/7/13 to 11/1/13)