Western Veterinary Perspectives

WeCAHN Equine Health Update: Strangles Risk and Prevention in Western Canada

Dr. Ashley Whitehead, a large animal internal medicine specialist at the University of Calgary’s faculty of veterinary medicine, reviews recent disease patterns of equine strangles infections in western Canada and the most effective biosecurity strategies to protect your herd. Equine strangles, a bacterial infection known as Streptococcus equi subspecies equi, is of concern to anyone who shows, trains, breeds, transports or travels with their horses.

WeCAHN Disease Surveillance Update: Outbreak Support Network with Dr. Betty Althouse

Dr. Betty Althouse joins us to discuss a new Outbreak Support Network,funded by CWSHIN and working in collaboration with WeCAHN. This network is tasked with helping to ensure clear communications and efficient allocation of resources between producers, veterinarians and regulatory authorities in future disease incidents.

WeCAHN Cattle Health Update: Regional Respiratory Disease Research on BRSV and Bovine Coronavirus

Dr. Yanyun Huang from Prairie Diagnostic Services reviews two genomic research projects focused on the role of bovine coronavirus and bovine respiratory syncytial virus in respiratory disease of cattle in Western Canada.
 
 

WeCAHN Cattle Health Update: Foreign Animal Disease Planning and Prevention for Cattle

Dr. Karin Orsel, a professor in epidemiology and infectious diseases from the University of Calgary, has some up close and personal experience with the impacts of bovine infectious disease outbreaks for some diseases of cattle that currently don’t exist in Canada. These foreign animal diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, are kept out of Canada only by the strength of our farm biosecurity and through the ongoing monitoring and reporting of any signs of concern to veterinary regulators for further investigation. Her experiences highlight the importance of vigilance and traceability in the cattle sector to ensure the health of our cattle and the security of our food systems.

WeCAHN Cattle Health Update: Beef cow-calf vaccination planning and decision tools

Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed, a beef veterinarian and epidemiologist, shares recent results from producer and veterinarian surveys regarding beef cattle vaccination. She also provides a number of beef health vaccination planning resources and decision-making tools developed by a research team of cattle experts to support the valid veterinary-client-patient relationship.
Links of Interest:
Vaccinating Your Beef Herd (Full playlist)
Administering Vaccines 
Vaccination Protocols and Records
Cleaning Equipment
Types of Vaccines and Mixing
Vaccine Transport and Storage
Vaccine Disposal
 

WeCAHN Swine Health Update: Biosecurity for Small Swine Herds

Dr. Jessica Law reviews biosecurity protocols that anyone raising backyard pigs can utilize to protect their livestock from disease. Dr. Law is a swine veterinarian who works with Prairie Livestock Veterinarians and she provides care and consultations for many backyard swine producers in western Canada.

WeCAHN Small Flock Poultry Health Update: Biosecurity Basics for Avian Influenza Prevention

Dr. Gigi Lin reviews simple steps that anyone raising poultry can put in place to protect their flocks from diseases, including avian influenza. Dr. Lin is a poultry veterinarian who works with Canadian Poultry Consultants and she provides care and consultations for many small flock poultry producers across the country. Whether you have 5 chickens in your backyard or 200 turkeys on farm – these tips on simple steps to protect your birds will be helpful now and in the future.

WeCAHN Small Ruminant Health Update: Zoonotic Diseases of Sheep and Goats

Dr. Fabienne Uehlinger, an Associate Professor in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan, provides an update  covering diseases of small ruminants that can be spread to people (zoonotic diseases). These diseases and their clinical signs should be on the radar for anyone working regularly with sheep or goats - producers and veterinarians alike.