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This month we sit down with Christian Davies (of C&M Acres Alpacas and Fiber Mill) and his veterinarian, Dr. Rachel Friedrich from Iowa State University's Veterinary Field Service. Christina and his wife, Michele, raise alpacas and operate a fiber mill in Maxwell, IA. Dr. Friedrich not only provides veterinary care for C&M Acres but also collaborates with Christian and Michele to curate camelid-specific clinical training opportunities for third and fourth year veterinary students. This episode is all about producers and veterinarians learning and working together!

Resources discussed in this episode:

American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners - Veterinarians and vet students join today! 

https://aasrp.org/Main/Main/Membership/Join-AASRP.aspx?hkey=6878474f-d347-4a79-bdbe-5a1896781821

The Alpaca Owners Association: https://www.alpacainfo.com/

Textbook: Veterinary Techniques for Llamas and Alpacas by DE Anderson, M Jones, & MD Miesner

Textbook: Llama and Alpaca Care by MS Cebra, A Tibary, LW Johnson, R Van Saun, & DE Anderson

If you or your organization would like to sponsor an episode of Baas and Bleats, please contact [email protected] to learn more.

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Join us for a discussion about genetic evaluations, parasite management, and livestock guardian dogs with Dr. Jake Thorne, Assistant Professor and Extension Sheep and Goat Specialist at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Station in San Angelo, TX.

In this episode, Dr. Thorne discusses methods for genetic evaluation of sheep with a special focus on resistance to Barber Pole Worm. He also discusses his vision for how extension agents and veterinarians can work together to better serve small ruminant producers in the United States. Finally, Dr. Thorne digs into some excellent livestock guardian dog training research that is taking place to give us some insights on when and how to introduce these dogs to our livestock.

More information about Dr. Thorne's work can be found here: https://sanangelo.tamu.edu/people/jacob-thorne/

Dr. Thorne is also the host of the American Sheep Industry's Research Update Podcast. We highly recommend giving him a listen at https://www.sheepusa.org/research-podcast

If your company or organization would like to sponsor an episode or if you have questions about today's show, please email [email protected]

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This month we are testing out a new type of episode where we will sit down with a veterinarian and one of their exceptional producers to dig into how their relationship benefits the livestock they care for. Our first guests are Dr. Linda Detwiler and her veterinarian, Dr. Jon Higgins from New Jersey. Linda raises Suffolk sheep for breeding stock and is also a veterinarian working on the USDA APHIS scrapie program. She targets her breeding program to produce sheep that will perform well for owners who are new to sheep production as well as research groups who are studying scrapie management. Dr. Higgins highlights Linda's willingness to call for help early and her meticulous animal care records as two of the many reasons that she is such an exceptional producer to work with. Despite being a licensed veterinarian who works with sheep frequently in a regulatory capacity, Linda finds Dr. Higgins' expertise as a practitioner to be invaluable, especially his interest in staying up-to-date on the cutting edge treatment and preventative recommendations for her animals. She also cites her strict biosecurity practices and solid nutrition plan as keys to her success in over 20 years of raising Suffolk sheep.

Resources discussed in this episode:

American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners - Veterinarians and vet students join today! 

https://aasrp.org/Main/Main/Membership/Join-AASRP.aspx?hkey=6878474f-d347-4a79-bdbe-5a1896781821

American Association of Bovine Practitioners - Veterinarians & vet students join today!  https://www.aabp.org/dues/

AASRP Biosecurity toolkit: https://aasrp.org/Main/Main/Resources/AASRP-Biosecurity-Tool-Kit-Resources.aspx?hkey=63a00c1e-31c3-4b94-b5c4-8050b9e7b6dd

AABP Podcast - Have You Herd? https://www.buzzsprout.com/814177/

The American Sheep Industry Research Update Podcast with Dr. Robert VanSaun: https://soundcloud.com/user-637754734

If you or your organization would like to sponsor an episode of Baas and Bleats, please contact [email protected] to learn more.

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Join us for a discussion about doe and kid survival metrics based on different sedation and anesthesia protocols with Dr. George Elane, Assistant Professor of Equine Soft Tissue Surgery at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine.

In this episode, Dr. Elane discusses the decision-making process for choosing between sedation and general anesthesia for goat c-sections. He also covers the risks and benefits to does and kids when considering both options. Other topics discussed include analgesia protocol options and post-operative antibiotic selection.

More information about Dr. Elane's work can be found here: https://vetmed.tamu.edu/elane-lab/team/

The article discussed in today's episode is titled "Sedated cesarean sections are associated with increased kid survival compared to general anesthesia in goats: retrospective cohort of 45 cases (2011–2021)" and can be found here: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/261/3/javma.22.10.0466.xml

If your company or organization would like to sponsor an episode or if you have questions about today's show, please email [email protected]

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Join us for a discussion about options for euthanasia techniques and aftercare in small ruminants and other livestock species with Dr. Warren Hess, the assistant director of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)'s Division of Animal and Public Health and AVMA's Disaster Coordinator. 

In this episode, Dr. Hess discusses the results of a survey investigating veterinary knowledge surrounding safe carcass disposal after pentobarbital euthanasia. Dr. Hess highlights the concerns regarding pentobarbital use in livestock as it severely limits the disposal options that clients have. Animals that are euthanized using this very commonly used substance may not be used for rendering and burial may result in contamination of groundwater with this toxic compound. The AVMA and AASRP are working to expand veterinarians' understanding of alternative humane euthanasia techniques including gunshot or captive bolt (followed by secondary method) or magnesium sulfate injection. While intrathecal lidocane injection is not currently an approved method of euthanasia by AVMA, it is becoming more widely practiced by equine and food animal practitioners. 

The publication describing the survey which is the focus of today's episode can be found here:

https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/261/11/javma.23.03.0161.xml 

If your company or organization would like to sponsor an episode or if you have questions about today's show, please email [email protected]

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Join us for a discussion about continuous blood glucose monitoring and its use in evaluating pregnancy toxemia with Dr. Munashe Chigerwe. Dr. Chigerwe is a Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of California at Davis's College of Veterinary Medicine. 

In this episode, Dr. Chigerwe discusses the efficacy of using continuous blood glucose monitoring for detecting changes associated with pregnancy toxemia in goats. The paper covered in this months episode can be found at the following link: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/ajvr/85/9/ajvr.24.03.0076.xml

If your company or organization would like to sponsor an episode or if you have questions about today's show, email [email protected]

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Join us for a discussion about goat hoof care with Dr. Gosia Zobel, Animal Welfare Programmes Coordinator at Companion Animals New Zealand and Research Director at EthicoNZ.

In this episode Dr. Zobel discusses normal goat hoof confirmation, care, and problems with a focus on laminitis.

The papers covered in this months episode can be found at the following links:
The Development of a Hoof Conformation Assessment for Use in Dairy Goats - https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/11/973

Seeing beyond gait: A case study identifying chronic laminitis in 3 goats - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921448823001645

Evaluating the long-term conformation and hoof growth effects of starting hoof trimming at 5 months of age in New Zealand dairy  goats - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022030222007354

Evaluating the immediate effects of hoof trimming on dairy goat hoof conformation and joint positions - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11259-023-10273-0

If your company or organization would like to sponsor an episode or if you have questions about today's show, email [email protected]

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Join us for a discussion about the most common causes of death in farmed deer in the Midwest with Dr. Amanda Smith, an assistant clinical professor and diagnostic pathologist at the University of Missouri's Veterinary diagnostic lab https://vmdl.missouri.edu/

In this episode Dr. Smith gives an overview of the farmed deer industry in the US with an emphasis on the midwest and discussed her study of causes of mortality in farmed deer from 2004-2023.

This month's paper is titled "Causes of mortality in farmed white-tailed deer in the midwestern United States, 2004–2023" and can be found here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10406387241271416?casa_token=qKpG47_0zfgAAAAA%3A1qdAgjhmpwdxmLChLxcMMWKbVXYjtmiswVSwKrUfuUzXjgqc_RD2WbRRbWd2qMrtx9WP0o6AAA

Dr. Smith also mentions a study carried out by the University of Wisconsin titled "Cause-specific neonatal mortality of white-tailed deer in Wisconsin, USA" which can be accessed here: https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jwmg.21260?casa_token=XifWnG1gdFEAAAAA%3Ah0ZVnTj096vRRAFKwD8Va-xmOYoP9_BtsMfqzDIZaxGbWJyy4Xxskevgu2hHXhqRmhhAzQS7NZVW

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Join us for a discussion about subclinical mastitis in dairy goats caused by non-aureus Staph species (NAS) with Dr. Michelle Buckley. This research was completed during her time as a post-doctoral associate at Iowa State University with support from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural and Food Research Initiative Competitive Program, Mitigating Antimicrobial Resistance Across the Food Chain, Grant/Award Number: 2021-69015-33501. Dr. Buckley is currently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice at Texas Tech University: https://www.depts.ttu.edu/vetschool/about/meet-our-team/faculty/michelle-buckley/

In this episode we discuss two drugs that can be used in an extra-label manner to address subclinical mastitis in dairy goats during the dry period: Orbenin DC (cloxacillin benzathine) and ToMORROW (cephapirin benzathine). Dr. Buckley's work evaluated how long it took for both drugs to leave the goats' bodies after administration in both meat and milk as well as how effective they were at curing subclinical mastitis due to non-aureus Staph. She also evaluated antimicrobial resistance development due to treatment with these long-acting intramammary products.

The published work that we discuss is titled "Pharmacokinetics of long acting cephapirin and cloxacillin after intramammary administration in dairy goats" and it can be found in the Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvp.13445

Additional publications will be added to the episode notes as they become available.

As part of this research, the Dairy Goat Extension and Education website was developed to provide veterinarians and producers with resources for ensuring antimicrobial stewardship and milk quality in dairy goats. This website includes short video training modules as well as electronic records templates and other useful resources: https://www.dairygoatextension.org/

As we mention several times during this episode, the drug use discussed here is extra-label and will require extended withdrawal recommendations to avoid violative residues in the food supply after use. Please contact the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank for guidance here: http://www.farad.org/

If your company or organization would like to sponsor an episode or if you have questions about today's show, email [email protected]

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Join us for a discussion about the effects of Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (small ruminant lentivirus) on flock management and lamb raising with Dr. Roselle (Rosie) Busch from the University of California's Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR). Dr. Busch is the California Sheep and Goat Veterinary Medicine Extension Specialist and her website can be found here: https://ucanr.edu/sites/sheepngoat/

In this episode we discuss identification of mastitis in pasture-raised sheep and the correlation between mastitis and OPP within a herd. We also discuss how this disease impacts lamb rearing, culling decisions, and intervention strategies on different types of operations ranging from large-scale extensive grazing outfits to small-scale intensively managed farms.

This month's paper is titled "Cross-Sectional Study Assessing Management Practices and Udder Health in California Sheep Flocks and Seroprevalence of Small Ruminant Lentivirus" and can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11350894/

Dr. Busch also hosts her own podcast called "Sheep Stuff Ewe Should Know" with her friends (and skilled sheep producers) Dan Macon and Ryan Mahoney. Give them a listen here: https://open.spotify.com/show/0wu6MF1PIBbcwp9zrJCVqI

If you are interested in attending on-farm lambing school with Dr. Busch in California, follow this link to learn more about Camp Kaos: https://fibershed.org/event/live-lambing-class/

Fibershed is a national organization focused on building regional fiber systems to promote sustainable textile production and environmental health: https://fibershed.org/

If your company or organization would like to sponsor an episode or if you have questions about today's show, email [email protected]