A Survey of Dairy Farm Treatment Practices on Midwest Dairy Farms

Judicious antimicrobial use and antimicrobial stewardship have become buzzwords in production animal agriculture over the last few years. While these words are becoming expectations in the industry, very little is understood about their true meaning and the level of implementation of judicious use practices on dairy farms. We conducted an investigation on 85 dairy farms in the Midwest to document drug use practices on these farms. Our results indicate that most farms are doing an adequate job of implementing judicious practices, but there is room for improvement to meet expectations of regulatory officials and consumers

Utilization of Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry to Detect Drug Residues in Milk: Applications for Research and Commercial Dairying

Prevention of drug residues in milk is a daily endeavor on dairy farms. There is increasing scrutiny from the public and government when it comes to drug residues in milk. Drug residues can result from simple human errors, disease processes not allowing for normal clearance of a drug, or malicious activity. The testing methodologies used to detect drug residues have become more sensitive with many tests available that can detect drug levels below ten parts per billion (ppb)

Optical constants of a solar system organic analog and the Allende meteorite in the near and mid-infrared (1.5-13 {\mu}m)

Measurements of visible and near-infrared reflection (0.38-5 {\mu}m) and mid to far infrared emission (5-200 {\mu}m) from telescope and satellite remote sensing instruments make it possible to investigate the composition of planetary surfaces via electronic transitions and vibrational modes of chemical bonds. Red spectral slopes at visible and near infrared wavelengths and absorption features at 3.3 and 3.4 {\mu}m observed in circumstellar disks, the interstellar medium, and on the surfaces of solar-system bodies are interpreted to be due to the presence of organic material and other carbon compounds. Identifying the origin of these features requires measurements of the optical properties of a variety of relevant analog and planetary materials. Spectroscopic models of dust within circumstellar disks and the interstellar medium as well as planetary regoliths often incorporate just one such laboratory measurement despite the wide variation in absorption and extinction properties of organic and other carbon-bearing materials. Here we present laboratory measurements of transmission spectra in the 1.5-13 {\mu}m region and use these to derive real and imaginary indices of refraction for two samples: 1) an analog to meteoritic insoluble organic matter and 2) a powdered Allende meteorite sample. We also test our refractive index retrieval method on a previously published transmission spectrum of an Mg-rich olivine. We compare optical measurements of the insoluble organic-matter analog to those of other solar-system and extrasolar organic analogs, such as amorphous carbon and tholins, and find that the indices of refraction of the newly characterized material differ significantly from other carbonaceous samples.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication by PS

A study to examine the relationship between uterine pathology and depletion of oxytetracycline in plasma and milk after intrauterine infusion

Citation: Gorden, P. J., Ydstie, J., Kleinhenz, M. D., Wulf, L. W., Gehring, R., Wang, C., & Coetzee, J. F. (2016). A study to examine the relationship between uterine pathology and depletion of oxytetracycline in plasma and milk after intrauterine infusion. Journal of Animal Science, 94, 30-30. doi:10.2527/msasas2016-065Metritis is a frequent problem in postpartum dairy cows. Intrauterine therapy with oxytetracycline (OTC) is often used to improve therapeutic outcomes, although efficacy data supporting this therapy are ambiguous. Several manuscripts describe the depletion of OTC from milk following intrauterine therapy. However, none of these studies have correlated uterine severity scores with milk OTC concentrations using highly sensitive detection systems. Our objective was to do this to test the hypothesis that cows with more severe uterine severity would have higher OTC residues in milk following intrauterine therapy. Thirty-two cows received a single treatment of 4 g of OTC via intrauterine infusion. Blood and milk samples were collected before intrauterine therapy and throughout the trial period of 96 h after infusion. Uterine severity scores were assigned at initiation of therapy and every 24 h throughout the remainder of the trial. Plasma and milk samples were analyzed for OTC concentrations using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Following treatment, OTC rapidly diffused from the uterus to plasma and from plasma to milk. Maximum concentration in plasma and milk occurred within 24 h following intrauterine infusion and 18 of the cows still had detectable levels of OTC in milk 4 d after intrauterine infusion. Greater uterine severity score at the initiation of treatment showed a significant positively correlation with higher milk OTC concentration at the second milking following treatment (R2 = 0.46, P = 0.01) but there was no correlation between initial uterine severity score and OTC concentration at the conclusion of the study (R2 = ?0.06, P = 0.75). In the United States, intrauterine administration of OTC is considered to be an extra-label therapy. The use of uterine severity score can be used to predict OTC concentration in the first day following therapy but should not be used as a predictor of OTC concentrations 96 h after treatment. Dairy producers should consult with their veterinarian to develop strategies that will prevent the presence of violative residues of OTC in bulk tank milk following intrauterine therapy

Topical Flunixin Meglumine Effects on Pain Associated Biomarkers after Dehorning

Twenty-four calves were dehorned and treated with either topical flunixin meglumine formulated for systemic absorption or a placebo. Biomarkers associated with pain were evaluated for up to 72 hour after the dehorning procedure. Plasma cortisol concentrations, 90 minutes post-dehorning, and mechanical nociception threshold at the control site were the only tested biomarkers where a significant difference was demonstrated. No other differences of biomarkers between the two dehorned groups were observed for any time points. Although this product is easy to dose and dispense, its effects on pain biomarkers appears to be negligible