Health
Ergot rears its ugly head on the Prairies
May 11th, 2012
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A fungus that’s linked to human poisoning in the Middle Ages and even the 17th century Salem witch trials is affecting cattle in Western Canada today. Claviceps purpurea is a fungus that mainly grows on rye, wheat, barley and triticale and causes ergot — a disease of grasses and cereal crops. Ergot is most common in European countries and parts …
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Quick tick facts
“Know your enemy” is a well-known military maxim that’s also good advice for people on the Canadian Prairies who are seeing increasing populations of tick species in the region. Here are some quick facts about ticks and tick-borne diseases: Ticks, like spiders and mites, have eight legs in their mature form (as adults) and are members of the class Arachnida. …
May 11th, 2012 Full story »
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Milagros, the miracle foal
Last spring, Dawn and Dave Roberts were enjoying a Saturday afternoon with friends and family at their farm that’s located minutes west of Saskatoon, Sask. Annie, one of their experienced broodmares, looked like she was going into labour. “Our friends’ kids were excited because they thought they’d be able to see a baby horse being born,” says Dawn, whose family …
April 24th, 2012 Full story »
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Emergency care for orphan foals: five tips
It’s a position you hope you never need to be in — but if you suddenly become responsible for an orphan foal, here are five tips from Dr. Fernando J. Marqués, a specialist in large animal internal medicine at the WCVM, on what to expect. 1. Consult a veterinarian. “Because foals have no energy reserves in place,” explains Marqués, “they …
April 24th, 2012 Full story »
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Disease investigation unit’s funding renewed
Renewed support from the Saskatchewan government will allow a team of people at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) to continue investigating unusual outbreaks of disease among the province’s livestock herds until 2015. In February, Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud announced that the provincial government will provide up to $50,000 per year to the WCVM’s Disease Investigation Unit (DIU) …
March 27th, 2012 Full story »
