This week we celebrate the silver anniversary of World Pork Expo, the world’s largest pork-specific trade show, presented by the National Pork Producers Council. Nearly 20,000 pork producers and industry representatives from 39 countries will be in Des Moines this week for the 2013 World Pork Expo. “If you’re looking for products, technology or information, World Pork Expo is the …
BIVI Panel: Observe, Be Patient & Help Others
All this week we’ve been hearing from some of the presenters at the annual Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar for swine vets held in San Diego. A panel session that featured Dr. Darin Madson from Iowa State University; Dr. Jim Lowe, a private livestock veterinary consultant in Illinois; Dr. Edgar Diaz, associate director of swine for BIVI; and Dr. …
Pigs Start Coughing Long Before Our Brains Hear It
Understanding how early in the production chain a disease actually starts will give veterinarians a better chance at stopping it before it becomes a problem. “Twenty percent of those pigs are coughing before our brain will let us hear that,” Dr. Jim Lowe, a private livestock veterinary consultant in Illinois, told attendees of the annual Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI) Swine Health …
Vaccination Sharply Lowers In Utero Disease Transfer
In utero transmission of Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCV2) is more common than we might think, and vaccinations can make a world of difference to lower those transmissions from sows to their unborn piglets. That was the message veterinarians at the at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar heard in San Diego. Dr. Darin Madson, Assistant Professor of …
PRRS Like Waterfalls, Waldo & National Debt
Analogies are a great way to illustrate your point, and Dr. Dale Polson, technical resources specialist with Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI), really used them in talking about vertical transmission of PRRS at the BIVI Swine Health Seminar for swine vets in San Diego. Polson compared PRRS waterfalls, Where’s Waldo and even the national debt, among others, to talk about how transmission …
BIVI: Control More than Vaccination or Medication
Controlling disease in swine herds is more than vaccinating or medicating your livestock … that’s the message attendees of the annual Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar in San Diego received before the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting. During a session titled “Infection Chain – A New Perspective on Disease Management,” Dr. Edgar Diaz, associate director of swine …
BIVI Invites Swine Vets to Live the Adventure
The annual Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar for swine vets was quite the adventure this year. BIVI addressed the issue of vertical transmission of pathogens in swine herds, featuring presentations by members of the BIVI swine vet team and other veterinary professionals. BIVI Director of Swine Technical Services Dr. Tyler Holck is very proud of their team. “It’s a …
For PRRS Eradication: Use Technology, Share Info
Some people are better than others when it comes to sharing. At the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica 4th PRRS ARC&E Seminar at the International PRRS Symposium there was plenty of information to share… including how to do a better job at sharing information, as well as using technology. Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt from the University of Montreal was one of the presenters …
See the PRRS Big Picture, But Don’t Miss Details
You’ve heard the expression, can’t see the forest for the trees. Well, when it comes to the PRRS eradication conversation at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica 4th PRRS ARC&E Seminar at the International PRRS Symposium, you have to make sure you’re seeing the big picture without missing important details. “Important stuff has some different levels – the micro level, the macro …
With PRRS, It’s the Last 1 Percent that’s the Problem
One of the talks at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica 4th PRRS ARC&E Seminar at the International PRRS Symposium was dubbed “Unreasonable Expectations,” given by Dr. Eric Neuman, originally from Illinois, but now a veterinary epidemiologist with Massey University in New Zealand. Part of the “unreasonable expectation” in PRRS eradication could be thinking the disease can be solved easily. The problem …