Have You Herd? AABP PodCasts

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AABP Legislative Advocacy Update May 08, 2023

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich provides an advocacy update for the membership in this episode of the AABP Have You Herd? podcast. Gingrich begins the podcast by explaining how AABP staff and volunteers work with allied organizations to advocate for veterinary issues important to cattle practitioners. He encourages our members to join AVMA to support the veterinary association that represents all veterinarians in the U.S. The AVMA Government Relations Division (GRD) is based in Washington, D.C. and has a staff the advocates both the federal and state legislative level as well as working with regulatory agencies to ensure our voice is represented.
Cattle veterinarians represent a minority of the veterinary profession. According to AVMA data, food animal and mixed animal veterinarians represent less than 10% of clinical practice veterinarians. In the past 10 years, the U.S. has seen a 22% increase in the number of clinical practice veterinarians, but a 15% decrease in the number of food animal or mixed animal veterinarians according to the AVMA Census of Veterinarians.

A grassroots effort by veterinarians is needed to make sure that representatives here our message on issues important to AABP members. Gingrich encourages members to sign up for the AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network at this link to receive messages about important issues as well as have the ability to send emails to Congressional representatives. Less than 2% of AVMA members donate to the AVMA PAC compared with 13-18% for other professional organization. Gingrich encourages AABP members who are AVMA members to donate to the PAC so that our voice is heard.

Gingrich walks listeners through the proposed rules to schedule xylazine as a controlled substance. The primary concern with this proposed regulation is loss of access to the drug due to manufacturers and distributors being unwilling to comply with the regulations, especially on a state-by-state level. AVMA and AABP have advocated for passage of the Combatting Illicit Xylazine Act which would impose federal penalties on illicit use, but maintain veterinary use as prescription. Please send an email to your Congressional representatives using the AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network system to support this bill. He also discusses the results on xylazine use survey by AABP members which can be found at this link.

The other issues discussed in the podcast are protecting the VCPR, utilizing telemedicine in bovine practice for established clients, and mobilization of credentialed veterinary technicians in bovine practice.

Please support the advocacy efforts of AABP by joining us or renewing your dues today at this link.

Create a Great Externship Opportunity May 01, 2023

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Pippa Gibbons, chair of the AABP Food Animal Educators Task Force, and Dr. Arn Anderson, AABP Board of Directors representative for District 8. Our topic is discussing the importance of externships for veterinary students and how this can impact retention and recruitment in bovine or mixed animal practice. It is important for practices to have a well-defined program and to ask students what their goals are for the externship experience. Anderson suggests having an externship coordinator in your practice who will manage the program. Practice liability is always a concern when hosting student externs. The AVMA PLIT has developed resources for practices and students. Suggestions include safety training, ensuring appropriate oversight of students, purchase the appropriate insurance, and develop liability waivers for students to sign when visiting your practice. AABP members should list their externship opportunities on the AABP website so students can find your externship and you can meet potential associates. Go to this link to list your practice or view externship opportunities. Practice owners should also consider the barriers that students have in attending externship experiences. These can include housing, financial burdens, and concerns with lack of experience. Try to remove or mitigate these barriers so that we can demonstrate the opportunities we have in bovine practice as a professional career. AABP provides externship grants to students to assist with the financial impacts of attending externship experiences. For more information and to apply for a grant, visit this page.

Relevant publications:

Gibbons, P. M., Wells, J. K., Watson, K. R., Weale, J. J., & Roberson, J. R. (2022). A mixed-method pilot study investigating challenges experienced by mixed animal veterinarians in practice and their private practice experiences prior to graduation. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no1p18-28

Thomson, D. U., Thomson, J. U., Lubbers, B. V., Apley, M. D., Cull, C. A., Lechtenberg, K. F., McCoy, E. J., & Schwandt, E. F. (2017). A Survey of veterinary student exposure to and performance of clinical skills necessary for success in beef cattle veterinary practice and the relationship to the supply, demand, and value of proper training as beef cattle veterinarians. The Bovine Practitioner, 51(2), 215–228. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol51no2p215-228

Feeding and Mimicking Transition Milk in Calves – Post-Day One, What's New and is There a Return on Investment? Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by AABP members from the Saskatoon Colostrum Company Limited (SCCL), Dr. Travis White, Director of Veterinary Technical Services, and Dr. Mike Nagorske, Director of Research. This episode is sponsored by SCCL and you can find information about their company on their website. If you are an AABP member interested in calves, we encourage you to join our new ad hoc Cattle Youngstock Committee. The first meal a calf receives is the most important and studies show that previous recommendations of 150 grams of IgG may not be adequate and up to 300 grams of IgG is ideal to ensure health and productivity in calves. White and Nagorske discuss the details of feeding protocols such as dosing regimen, incorporating this feeding with regular milk meals and starter rations. They recommend 70 grams/head/day of replacer to mimic this transition milk feeding for 10-14 days. This can be added to whole milk feeding or with milk replacer if the appropriate weight of milk replacer is removed to ensure the correct osmolality of the as-fed milk. Colostrum replacement products can be used to mimic this transition milk and our guests also remind listeners to be familiar with the differences between colostrum supplements and replacers. Studies conducted by SCCL have demonstrated up to a 50% reduction in preweaning morbidity and mortality and a 0.1 to 0.2 lbs. per day increase in average daily gain. We also discuss the return on investment (ROI) when calves are fed colostrum replacement products during the first 10-14 days to mimic transition milk feeding. The ROI can be up to 20% due to decreased medication use, increased gains pre and post weaning, decreased morbidity and decreased mortality. Overall, producers can expect an investment of $20-30 per calf with the biggest impact from that investment coming from decreased scours. Veterinarians should consider these new protocols to improve calf health and work with producers to implement them on their farms.

Short communication: Effects of transition milk and milk replacer supplemented with colostrum replacer on growth and health of dairy calves
J Dairy Sci https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2020-18361

Evaluation of the effects of oral colostrum supplementation during the first fourteen days on the health and performance of preweaned calves
J Dairy Sci https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2008-1433

Evaluation of the effects of colostrum replacer supplementation of the milk replacer ration on the occurrence of disease, antibiotic therapy, and performance of pre-weaned dairy calves
J Dairy Sci https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-11652

Feeding colostrum or a 1:1 colostrum:milk mixture for 3 days postnatal increases small intestinal development and minimally influences plasma glucagon-like peptide-2 and serum insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations in Holstein bull calves
J Dairy Sci https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17219

What do Veterinarians Need to Know about FDA Guidance for Industry #263? Apr 17, 2023

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Eric Moore, an AABP member who is Director of Technical Services at Norbrook. Guidance for Industry (GFI) #263 is part of the FDA’s five-year plan which will move the remaining medically important antimicrobials under veterinary oversight. This means that all medically important antimicrobials that are currently marketed as over-the-counter (OTC) medications will be moved to prescription (Rx) status. About 95% of antimicrobials sold in the U.S. are administered by feed or water. The remaining 5% of dosage forms include both OTC and Rx products and this move will ensure that all medically important antimicrobials are under the oversight of the veterinarian who has a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship with the producer. Moore discusses the products that will be affected that cattle veterinarians and producers use, as well as discuss what will happen as these products have a change in marketing status. This implementation will be different than the implementation of the Veterinary Feed Directive where on that date, no products could be used that did not have an associated authorization VFD from the veterinarian. OTC products will have their labels changed to Rx; however, those products currently in commerce after June 11, 2023, will be able to be exhausted and newly labeled products will require a prescription from the veterinarian. Moore suggests that veterinarians familiarize themselves with the regulation and make sure to communicate these changes to producers in their communities. Producers should make sure they have a valid VCPR prior to the need for the medications and that veterinarians continue to implement antimicrobial stewardship plans on their clients' operations. This includes the question “why are you using this antimicrobial?” as the first step in stewardship is preventing disease.

Relevant links:

FDA Frequently Asked Questions on GFI #263

GFI #263 Recommendations for Sponsors of Medically Important Antimicrobials

FDA GFI #263 Text

AABP Guidelines for Establishing and Maintaining the VCPR in Bovine Practice

AABP Key Elements for Implementing Antimicrobial Stewardship Plans in Bovine Veterinary Practices Working with Beef and Dairy Operations

AVMA Resources on GFI #263

Seroprevalence and Molecular Detection of Anaplasma marginale-infected Beef Herds in Georgia, USA Apr 10, 2023

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by past AABP Board of Directors member from District 3, Dr. Lee Jones. Jones is an associate professor at the University of Georgia in the Beef Production Medicine department. Jones was the first author on the paper titled “Seroprevalence and molecular detection of Anaplasma marginale-infected beef herds in Georgia, USA”, which was published in The Bovine Practitioner Volume 56 Number 2 (2022). We review the transmission, clinical signs, and diagnostic tests for bovine anaplasmosis. The objective of the study was to conduct and compare seroprevalence and molecular detection of Anaplasma marginale-infected beef herds in Georgia and to identify herd risk factors associated with A. marginale-positive herds. Blood samples were collected from 1,059 adult beef cattle (≥ 2 years) from 33 herds. Overall, 8.12% of cattle and 42% of herds were cELISA antibody-positive. Seventy-seven percent of plasma samples from a subset of corresponding seropositive samples (n = 73) were PCR-positive. Jones reviews the risk factors associated with bovine anaplasmosis and how veterinarians can become involved in prevention and control programs for their clients. Education is important because 27% of the survey respondents were not aware of the disease even with a high percentage of herds positive. We also discuss the importance of ensuring appropriate delivery of VFD medication for control of anaplasmosis as part of a control program.

Relevant publication:

Jones, A. L., Berghaus, R. D., Kalatari, A. A., Credille, B., Naikare, H. K., Heins, B., Saliki, J., & Wilkes, R. P. (2022). Seroprevalence and molecular detection of Anaplasma marginale infected beef herds in Georgia, USA. The Bovine Practitioner, 56(2), 70–78. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol56no2p70-78

A Conversation with Elizabeth Peterson – AABP Student Member Apr 03, 2023

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by student AABP member Elizabeth Peterson. Elizabeth is in the inaugural class at Texas Tech University College of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo, Texas. We discuss how students can react to generalizations about recent veterinary graduates and students. She shares challenges that students face today and what the next generation of veterinarians wants for their professional career. She wants to be in a practice that is mostly cattle where she can grow, get support, mentorship and learn from the inevitable mistakes we all make. Peterson describes the financial realities of tuition today, and working through veterinary school has not made a significant difference in her debt load which is much different than previous generations. We can all learn from each other by listening, engaging in productive conversation, not placing blame, and welcoming everyone to the profession and encouraging them to continue to work as a bovine veterinarian!

We welcome veterinarians, credentialed veterinary technicians and students enrolled in veterinary school to join AABP to support the organization’s efforts to provide continuing education, support the AABP Foundation and advocate for issues important to cattle practice. The 2023-2024 dues season is open. Click here to join AABP or renew your dues today!

Relevant publication:

Foodborne illness outbreaks linked to unpasteurized milk and relationship to changes in state laws - United States 1998-2018 Mar 27, 2023

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Megin Nichols, a veterinarian who works in for the Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Service. Nichols discusses the recent publication that evaluated outbreaks associated with consumption of unpasteurized milk and compared these outbreaks to state laws regarding the consumption of unpasteurized milk over a period from 1998 to 2018. There are 27 states that allow some form of raw milk sales and 78% of the outbreaks investigated occurred in those states. Allowing retail sale of unpasteurized milk presented an even bigger risk for foodborne illness. Only 1-2% of U.S. adults consume unpasteurized milk on a weekly basis, but 70% of adults consume pasteurized dairy products. Nichols discusses that 202 outbreaks and 2,645 illnesses were linked to unpasteurized milk with 228 hospitalizations and 3 deaths. There were 9 outbreaks associated with pasteurized dairy products during the same time period. We discuss the role of veterinarians in ensuring food safety and communicating to consumers the risks associated with raw dairy products and the increased risk to demographic populations of the elderly and young.

Foodborne illness outbreaks linked to unpasteurized milk and relationship to changes in state laws - United States, 1998-2018.
Koski L, Kisselburgh H, Landsman L, Hulkower R, Howard-Williams M, Salah Z, Kim S, Bruce BB, Bazaco MC, Batz MB, Parker CC, Leonard CL, Datta AR, Williams EN, Stapleton GS, Penn M, Whitham HK, Nichols M.
Epidemiol Infect. 2022 Oct 25
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268822001649

CDC Resources on Raw Milk

What's on Dr. Barnhardt's Mind? Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

This episode of Have You Herd? is an audio recording of the closing presentation at the 6th AABP Recent Graduate Conference with Dr. Tera Barnhardt. Barnhardt shares her thoughts on bovine practice while displaying the morning sunrise view from her truck as she starts her day as a mom, wife and bovine veterinarian. Her inspirational presentation to the attendees at the conference reminds them to pause and enjoy that moment and shares her inner critic’s voice with the attendees so we can all understand that each of us has struggles that we can overcome.

The introduction of the speaker is Dr. Tommy Ware who served as the chair of the program committee as the AABP Emerging Leader. Also serving on the program committee were Drs. Alex Pop, Michael Rohde and Kendra Wells. AABP is now accepting applications for the next emerging leader from AABP members, who are also AVMA members, who graduated from 2016-2023. Submit your CV and letter of interest to fred@aabp.org or contact him for more information.

AABP would like to thank all of the attendees of the conference. The recorded sessions are available for AABP members by clicking on the purple cow head logo at the bottom of any AABP webpage or download the free BCI Mobile Conference app. This is a free member benefit for RACE-approved CE!

Colostrum as a Treatment for Scours – Sponsored by SCCL Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Travis White, Director of Veterinary Technical Services with the Saskatoon Colostrum Company Limited (SCCL). SCCL provides whole bovine colostrum for convenient administration when colostrum is not available from the cow. We already know the importance of calves receiving colostrum shortly after birth to achieve passive transfer of immunity, but did you know that whole colostrum has benefits for the calf if also fed after day one? White discusses the exciting new research about whole colostrum and how it can be used to treat calf scours and improve gastrointestinal health. Calves with inadequate levels of IgG from passive transfer are 5.5 to 9.5 times more likely to become ill before weaning, have 4 times the mortality, and experience decrease growth and feed efficiency. The new recommendation is to provide 300 grams of IgG within 6-8 hours of birth and to have more than 40% of calves with excellent passive transfer. When calves have scours, colostrum can be used as a treatment. White discusses research that demonstrated that calves with neonatal diarrhea treated with colostrum had a decreased duration of diarrhea, increased weight gain, and used less antimicrobials. White discussed the term “gut dysbiosis” and how colostrum can help to heal the damage to the gastrointestinal tract in animals with gastroenteritis. He also discusses how veterinarians can develop treatment protocols for neonatal scours that include administration of 150 grams of IgG in 1 to 2 feedings.

Links:
Saskatoon Colostrum Company Ltd.

Feeding colostrum as therapy for diarrhea in preweaned calves

Paid Student Externship Opportunities Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of have You Herd, AABP Executive Director is joined by two AABP student members. Mary Jo Cody is a 3rd year student at University of Madison Wisconsin and Kaitlyn Reinhardt is a 3rd year student at the University of Minnesota. Both students shared some of the challenges that students face in securing valuable externship experiences and the most common issues are housing, finding externships that are available, and finding paid externship opportunities. AABP President Dr. Sandra Godden shared in her president’s message in the December 2022 AABP newsletter that paid externships are a wonderful opportunity for both students and practices. Both students found paid externships this past summer to not only gain valuable experiences, but make connections with practice owners and associates, while relieving some of the financial burden on the students. The guests are also open about how both veterinarians and students can make the most out of the externship. We close by discussing some of the interesting things the students experienced while on their externships.

Students can apply for funding through the AABP Foundation. Go to this link to find out more information and apply. AABP members can also list their externship opportunities and students can find those opportunities on this page.

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