Risk factors identified for respiratory disease

Dec 02, 2022

Calf health is a major focus for beef cow-calf producers and their veterinarians for good reason.

A recent paper in the journal, Translational Animal Science, highlights some of the findings from the western Canadian cow-calf surveillance network focusing on calf health issues. Dr. Cheryl Waldner and colleagues from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Calgary School of Veterinary Medicine and Big Sky Health Analytics in Vermilion, Alta., were the authors of the paper. The study used data from 89 western Canadian cow-calf herds to estimate the frequency of disease treatment in pre-weaned calves.

As we’ve seen in other studies, bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in calves has become the predominant reason for young calves to receive antibiotic treatments. Slightly more than half of the herds reported that they had treated at least one calf for BRD prior to two months of age.

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Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.