BOVINE

Herd health, prevention, and treatment

Emergency Ambulatory Service

An SVS veterinarian is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to help deal with time-critical animal health emergencies. We know that downed cows sometime require rapid response to ensure positive outcomes, and we’re always ready to make sure that happens.

If you’re unsure of whether your situation qualifies as an emergency please see our WHEN TO CALL page.

*During Emergency hours calls are forwarded to a voice-messaging system and the on-call veterinarian is notified immediately.

Diagnosis of illness/injury

SVS has decades of experience diagnosing bovine disease and illness, and prescribing proper treatment. We conduct physical exams, lab diagnostics, radio/sonic imaging and we prescribe medicine, treatments, and therapy to make sure our clients are well cared for.

Veterinarians provide consultation and information so you know what you’re dealing with and how to deal with it.

*We strongly recommend that all animal owners keep a supply of painkillers on hand for emergencies. Flunixin(common brands; Banamine, Prevail) is a good choice and an important part of your barn’s first aid kit.

Bovine Reproduction

When it comes to cows and calves, knowledge is power. A herd with low reproductive success is going to hurt your bottom line, and SVS can help. We supervise and consult on management and conversion of open cows, and we can diagnose pregnancy by palpation (at 35 days) or ultrasound (at 28 days). As with most of herd health, a proactive approach is often the best, and SVS provides the means to stay ahead.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound technology has advanced a lot since we started using it, and now it’s an invaluable part of our toolkit. Bovine pregnancy can be identified earlier, we can spot twins, and assess fetal viability better than ever before. Sometimes it’s even used for injury diagnosis.

Timed Artificial Insemination

Heat detection by human observation is inaccurate and time-consuming, because as any farmer will tell you, not all cows show the same. But timed artificial insemination (TAI) or timed hormonal protocols (like OvSynch) are a game-changer for bovine owners. Syncing protocols streamline your workload, ensure more reproductive success at lower cost, and even help with those stubbornly dry cows.

Physical exams

Bovine owners (as a breed) tend to be pretty self sufficient with day to day ailments in their herd. But sometimes you really do need a professional, and SVS is always ready to help. Not eating, milking, walking? Don’t worry, just call. SVS will have em up in no time.

Surgery

Bovine nutrition and management has improved a lot over the last few decades, and displaced abdomens are rarer than ever. But sometimes they really do need a fix. We do surgical or toggle proceedures for DA’s and other on-site surgeries as well. Operations are usually done in a matter of minutes, and recovery times are usually last as long as the anesthesia. They’ll be up and eating before we can pack our tools.

Disease Screening

When a cow has symptoms, we have the experience and testing capability to tell you what you’re dealing with. SVS tests diagnostic samples in house and also through our partner labs, like the Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University. we test for Johnes disease, BVD, Bovine Leukosis and more. 

Biosecurity Consulting

A disease running through your herd is going to cost you money; probably a lot of it. So the best approach is to prevent it ever coming into your barn in the first place. SVS consults with our bovine farmers, to keep them appraised of proper care and management techniques, as well as any new developments, information, or threats they need to be aware of. Most outbreaks are preventable with proper vaccination protocols in place, so we tailor our approach to your specific herd.

Foot care & Lameness

A cows feet are the only thing keeping them up and milking, so it’s important to take care of them. SVS offers diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and therapy recommendations.

NYSCHAP consultation

New York State Cattle Health Assurance Program is a program designed to help bovine owners maintain a working herd at all times. They help identify problems on your farm you may be unaware of, subsidize diagnostic testing, and even provide discounts on farm insurance. Becoming a member is a no brainer for NY farmers, and SVS can help with the initial certificiation meeting. It’s easy, SVS makes it painless, it leads to healthier cows, and it saves you money.