Current feedlot cattle health and well-being program recommendations in the United States and Canada

The 2014 feedlot veterinary consultant survey

Abstract

Feedlot consulting veterinarians (n=23) in the United States and Canada participated in a beef cattle health and well-being recommendation survey. The objective of the survey was to determine the recommendations of consulting feedlot veterinarians in the United States and Canada for cattle health and well-being, and to compare these recommendations to those made in a survey conducted in 2009. Participants answered 78 questions on feeder cattle husbandry, health, and preventative medicine recommendations. Survey results showed that veterinarians visit feedlots in their practice an average of 1.7 times/month. Feedlot veterinarians train employees on pen riding, processing procedures, necropsy, and many other areas of cattle health and well-being. The majority of veterinarians use Beef Quality Assurance concepts as part of employee training. Veterinarians also give recommendations on routine surgical procedures, such as dehorning and castration, metaphylaxis, feed-grade antibiotics, vaccination programs, and treatment regimens. Morbidity and mortality rates for feedlots consulted were obtained, along with other information about risk factors for morbidity rates. Cattle health risk was considered the most important factor for predicting morbidity in both 2009 and 2014. This survey provides valuable information on the current recommendations of feedlot consulting veterinarians in the United States and Canada, helps track industry changes over time, and offers benchmarking data for the industry.