Titles and Education
- Current - Associate Professor in the Food Animal Production Medicine Setion
- BS 1978, The Ohio State University
- DVM 1981, The Ohio State University
- MS 1985, University of Illinois
Research
My current research interest are in the prevention of hypocalcemia in dairy cattle by oral administration of calcium supplements; the effects of subclinical ketosis on dairy cow performance; and the effects of hypocalcemia on dairy cow health and reproductive performance. Previous interests included the prevention of ruminal acidosis, direct-fed microbials, and manipulating dietary cation-anion different for the prevention of hypocalcemia.
Responsibilities
I teach veterinary clinical nutrition to the first-year veterinary medical students, food animal medicine to the third-year students, and applied aspects of dairy nutrition and transition cow management to the fourth-year veterinary medical students. My clinical activities include providing on-farm troubleshooting for dairy herds in Wisconsin and nearby states.Clinical Interests
My main clinical activity is dairy herd troubleshooting for production and metabolic disease problems. This typically involves a visit to the farm with students, followed by a report and follow-up discussion. Herd problems that I investigate include low milk yield, milk fever, ketosis, diarrhea, displaced abomasum, pneumonia, or general issues with poor fresh cow health. As part of these investigations I conduct a detailed analysis of feeding practices, evaluate on-farm diagnosis and treatment protocols, and collect samples from the cows for additional testing as needed.Graduate Training
BS - The Ohio State University (Animal Science), 1978DVM - The Ohio State University, 1981
Internship and Residency (Food Animal Medicine and Surgery), University of Illinois, 1981 - 1985
MS - University of Illinois (Veterinary Clinical Medicine), 1985
Recent Publications
- Krause, KM, Dhuyvetter, DV, Oetzel GR. Effect of a low-moisture buffer block on ruminal pH in lactating dairy cattle induced with subacute ruminal acidosis. Journal of Dairy Science, 92:353-364, 2009.
- Oetzel GR, Miller BE. Effect of oral calcium supplementation on early lactation health and milk yield in commercial dairy herds. Journal of Dairy Science 95:7051-7065, 2012.
- McArt, JAA, Nydam, DV, Ospina, PA, Oetzel, GR. A field trial on the effect of propylene glycol on displaced abomasum, removal from herd, and reproduction in fresh cows diagnosed with subclinical ketosis. Journal of Dairy Science 95:2505-2512, 2012.
- McArt, JAA, Nydam, DV, Oetzel, GR. Epidemiology of subclinical ketosis in early lactation dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 95:5056-5066, 2012.
- McArt, JAA, Nydam, DV, Oetzel, GR. Dry period and parturient predictors of early lactation hyperketonemia in dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 96:198-209, 2013.
Oetzel GR: Undertaking nutritional diagnostic investigations. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, Dairy Nutrition, Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA, 30(3):765-788, 2014.