Veterinarians are constantly striving for improvement with their clients. Not only in the daily care they provide, but also in the value of advice for dairy farmers. With BoviLab, you can increase the value of your advice to clients. A practical example of advice.
Problem on the farm
Bovine veterinarian Mark van Kleef sampled blood on a farm with 380 dairy cows. The farmer’s complaint was that cows had been suffering from milk fever after calving recently (after a ration change during the dry period). They responded well to a calcium infusion. At the time of the farm visit, there were also two cows with abomasal displacement. Calves were suffering from Coli diarrhea as early as their first day of life. To improve colostrum quality, the farmer started vaccinating the dry cows.
The blood analyses
During the farm visit, Van Kleef sampled blood from five close-up cows. The results indicated that at the end of the dry period, cows were receiving insufficient protein (urea). As a result, the fresh cows did not start properly and the colostrum contains too few antibodies. The magnesium levels in the blood of the sampled cows were also too low. Inadequate magnesium intake during the dry period makes cows less able to mobilise calcium and therefore more susceptible to milk fever.
The advice
After blood tapping five cows, you can immediately give two pieces of advice that the farmer can start working on immediately. The farmer was advised to feed more magnesium to the dry cows and increase the protein supply to the close-up cows. This advice is straightforward and therefore easy for the client to understand and implement. He is the one who has to work with it every day.
Enhance the value of your advice
BoviLab’s blood analyses give insight into what could be the trigger for both milk fever, abomasal displacement and diarrhea. While the vaccine the farmer uses to treat dry cows may improve colostrum quality, it does not address the underlying problem of magnesium and protein deficiencies. With BoviLab, you can go deeper into problems and understand where they come from. With that, you can offer preventive solutions.
Research shows that BoviLab’s blood analyses are valid and useful.
Curious about BoviLab’s possibilities to optimise your advice as well? Take a look at our website or contact us for more information.
