Visual weight estimation and the risk of underdosing dairy cattle

Dijk, Jan van; Eagle, Sally; Gillespie, Amy; Smith, Robert F.; Holman, A. N.; Williams, Helen

doi:10.1136/vr.102955

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…To get optimal effect of the treatment it is important that each cow gets the correct dose based on bodyweight. A recent UK study showed that visual weight estimation of dairy cows means a large risk of underdosing drugs (van Dijk and others 2015). To use a measuring tape to estimate the bodyweight is a simple and good tool to evaluate the cow weight (Heinrichs and others 1992).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Veterinary treatment strategies for clinical mastitis in dairy cows in Sweden

Waller

Hårdemark²,

Nyman

et al. 2016

Veterinary Record

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To evaluate if Swedish veterinary guidelines on use of antimicrobials in cases of clinical mastitis in dairy cows have been adopted by veterinary practitioners, their treatment strategies were evaluated in a cross-sectional study using a web-based questionnaire. Another aim was to study if the strategies differed among veterinarians due to year and country of exam, sex, region, numbers of mastitis cases per month, and postgraduate training in herd health using multivariable logistic regression models. In total, 267 of 741 (36 per cent) veterinarians contacted answered the questionnaire satisfactorily. Most considered bacteriological diagnostics important, but many veterinarians made treatment decisions without collecting information on antimicrobial susceptibility. Moreover, few veterinarians used measuring tape to assess bodyweight before dosing parenteral antimicrobials. Year of exam and postgraduate training were the veterinary demographic factors associated with most treatment routines. The questions associated with most demographic factors were if antimicrobial treatment is affected by knowledge on earlier udder pathogens in the herd, and how often NSAID and follow-up of treatment using milk somatic cell count are used. Overall, the veterinarians followed the Swedish guidelines rather well, but discrepancies in need for improvement were found.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Veterinary treatment strategies for clinical mastitis in dairy cows in Sweden

Waller

Hårdemark²,

Nyman

et al. 2016

Veterinary Record

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“…Visually assessing the weight of the animal tends to result in underdosing large-sized animals, and overdosing smaller animals. 43 Veterinary oversight of on-farm AMU would also include training farmers and/ or employees on treatment protocols.1 Only 40% of respondents always provided training to those treating sick animals. Once individuals are trained, there is a need to evaluate compliance with the protocols as well as protocol efficacy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dairy veterinarians' views on antimicrobial use, resistance and treatment practices

Webb

McConnel

Giebel³

et al. 2019

The Bovine Practitioner

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Veterinarians are being asked to provide more oversight of antibiotics used on dairies and promote stewardship of these drugs because of the risk for development of antimicrobial resistance. As organizations work to develop stewardship guidelines, gathering data on veterinarians' views and actual use can better inform those guidelines. The purpose of this project was to survey dairy veterinarians to understand current antimicrobial use practices and views on antimicrobial resistance. A SO-question online survey was developed and a link sent to members of the Academy of Dairy Veterinary Consultants. The final response rate of 41 % (58 of 143) included only practicing veterinarians. Fifty-nine percent did not believe that the current use of antimicrobials on dairy farms contributed to antimicrobial resistance in human pathogens. Most of the respondents (83 % ) felt that there was unnecessary use of antimicrobials on dairies, particularly in pre-weaned calves, primarily due to protocol non-compliance and farmers' or employees' misidentification of healthy animals as sick and treatment of them with antimicrobials. About half the respondents always had written treatment protocols for their clients, and 40% always provided training on those protocols. Blanket dry-cow therapy was recommended by 65% of the practitioners. The results of this survey provide a baseline of western, large dairy herd veterinary antimicrobial use and recommendations. Responses indicated opportunities for dairy practitioners to improve some antimicrobial stewardship practices that could reduce antimicrobial use.

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“…Social norms among farmers and concerns about clinical symptoms persisting or recurring have been associated with antimicrobial course duration as administered by farmers (Swinkels et al, 2015). Dosing rates may also differ from recommended doses on specific product characteristics (SPCs) (Merle et al, 2014), for example due to difficulty accurately estimating body mass of cows (Van Dijk et al, 2015). Veterinary attitudes, beliefs and social pressure from farmers have been shown to be associated with readiness to prescribe antimicrobials, and significant differences in farmer thresholds for seeking veterinary treatment have been observed between nations with similar policy approaches to AMU and AMR (Espetvedt et al, 2013).…”

Section: Human Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of the predictors of antimicrobial use and resistance in European food animal production

et al. 2023

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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global health and a key One Health challenge linking humans, animals, and the environment. Livestock are a key target for moderation of antimicrobial use (AMU), which is a major driver of AMR in these species. While some studies have assessed AMU and AMR in individual production systems, the evidence regarding predictors of AMU and AMR in livestock is fragmented, with significant research gaps in identifying the predictors of AMU and AMR common across farming systems. This review summarizes existing knowledge to identify key practices and critical control points determining on-farm AMU/AMR determinants for pigs, layer and broiler hens, beef and dairy cattle, sheep, turkeys, and farmed salmon in Europe. The quality and quantity of evidence differed between livestock types, with sheep, beef cattle, laying hens, turkeys and salmon underrepresented. Interventions to mitigate both AMU and/or AMR highlighted in these studies included biosecurity and herd health plans. Organic production typically showed significantly lower AMU across species, but even in antibiotic-free systems, varying AMR levels were identified in livestock microflora. Although vaccination is frequently implemented as part of herd health plans, its effects on AMU/AMR remain unclear at farm level. Social and behavioral factors were identified as important influences on AMU. The study fills a conspicuous gap in the existing AMR and One Health literatures examining links between farm management practices and AMU and AMR in European livestock production.

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Visual weight estimation and the risk of underdosing dairy cattle

Cited by 11 publications

References 9 publications

Veterinary treatment strategies for clinical mastitis in dairy cows in Sweden

Veterinary treatment strategies for clinical mastitis in dairy cows in Sweden

Dairy veterinarians' views on antimicrobial use, resistance and treatment practices

A review of the predictors of antimicrobial use and resistance in European food animal production

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