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Post by hughespieds on Nov 27, 2019 14:42:16 GMT -6
Monday I separated the calves to wean them and part of that is a vet visit. We have two in town. One is small animal and the other is a combination. I got everything penned and started calling around to see who would take them. Nada from anywhere close by. Everything was booked and said there's no way. One even told me they were booked until the middle of next week. Closest vet I found was in Sulphur Springs some 45 miles away and the lady was kind enough to squeeze me in. Seems like the small animals are more profitable and everyone is loading up the day with them. The good thing about it was my bill was a third of what my guy would have charged.
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Post by tcranch on Nov 27, 2019 18:33:57 GMT -6
We're lucky to have 2 vets in the practice all of 20 minutes from the ranch and I've called them in the middle of the night. BUT the owner of the practice rarely does large animals or farm calls any more and our fave vet recently got a job as a State Vet so we're "breaking in" a new one, fresh out of school. The good news is he grew up with cattle. That said, they're swamped so unless it's an emergency I definitely have to schedule farm calls in advance. I generally have my retained heifers pelvic measured/BANGS early Feb each year when they're 11 months and make the appt mid Jan at the latest. But that's also when he does the "farm health overview" for the VFD so killing 2 birds with one stone. BTW farm calls here are $30, which I pay without hesitation.
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Post by dave on Nov 27, 2019 20:56:41 GMT -6
We probably have nearly as many large animal vets as we do MD's. But there is nearly 10 times more cows than people. But if I called one and told them I was weaning calves and wanted to bring them in for a vet visit I would probably get laughed at. Why do you take calves in to the vet when weaning? I realize I live in a different world than you do but this makes no sense to me at all.
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Post by hughespieds on Nov 28, 2019 8:04:32 GMT -6
We probably have nearly as many large animal vets as we do MD's. But there is nearly 10 times more cows than people. But if I called one and told them I was weaning calves and wanted to bring them in for a vet visit I would probably get laughed at. Why do you take calves in to the vet when weaning? I realize I live in a different world than you do but this makes no sense to me at all. One thing is they need to be worked. The heifers need Brucellosis, which I can't give, and I have them de-horn, boosters, etc while I'm there. Another is because I'm changing pastures so it's just a stop with them between the two places. |
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Post by alacowman on Nov 28, 2019 10:39:51 GMT -6
Folks will float a loan for a cat or dog,here...cattle farmers will starve a large animal vet out, or worry the crap out of him on the phone..a lot of these kids that practice dont have the grit to work on large animals like the old guys did..the good ones are always booked up,or move off to farms and ranches where they'll spend a dollar ...
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Post by dave on Nov 28, 2019 13:24:30 GMT -6
We probably have nearly as many large animal vets as we do MD's. But there is nearly 10 times more cows than people. But if I called one and told them I was weaning calves and wanted to bring them in for a vet visit I would probably get laughed at. Why do you take calves in to the vet when weaning? I realize I live in a different world than you do but this makes no sense to me at all. One thing is they need to be worked. The heifers need Brucellosis, which I can't give, and I have them de-horn, boosters, etc while I'm there. Another is because I'm changing pastures so it's just a stop with them between the two places. I do understand getting the bangs vaccinations. It is just that we do things like that in large enough volume that the vets come to the cows. The majority of the cattlemen around here are probably just as good at doctoring cows as the vets are. |
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Post by angusrancher on Nov 28, 2019 15:32:03 GMT -6
We're lucky to have 2 vets in the practice all of 20 minutes from the ranch and I've called them in the middle of the night. BUT the owner of the practice rarely does large animals or farm calls any more and our fave vet recently got a job as a State Vet so we're "breaking in" a new one, fresh out of school. The good news is he grew up with cattle. That said, they're swamped so unless it's an emergency I definitely have to schedule farm calls in advance. I generally have my retained heifers pelvic measured/BANGS early Feb each year when they're 11 months and make the appt mid Jan at the latest. But that's also when he does the "farm health overview" for the VFD so killing 2 birds with one stone. BTW farm calls here are $30, which I pay without hesitation. I have a question. Do you actually have any heifers that are culled because of the pelvic measurements? That's something we used to have done, starting in probably 1990 or so. We've stopped now. It seems like pelvic measurements are pretty much all up to snuff now. I was also feeling fortunate our preferred vet is only 45 miles away.  The one who spays and bangs vaccs. for us is 65 miles away. Get to pay a little mileage. There's not much choice as an industry but to adapt to a shortage. Besides fertility testing bulls, spaying, bangs vacc., and putting together a vaccination program, we don't use a vet that much, comparatively. |
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Post by farmerjan on Nov 28, 2019 18:52:44 GMT -6
Our average vet call is $100 minimum plus mileage. One gets $45 for call, mileage and then a per hour fee. One gets a flat $100 per hour plus mileage. It is very expensive here to have the vet. I remember the days when it was $35 for farm call, then they charged for whatever they did. Rarely spent over $50-60 for a vet call. Now we try to schedule ahead to coincide with another farm that the vet is coming to just to save us both a little mileage charge. And unless it is an emergency, any routine work, like preg check or bangs, I try to call at least a week ahead because they often can't fit it in when I can be at the barn..... it takes time to get the cows in that are needed and such; you all know that routine. Our vets are no more than 20-30 miles away average.... but they are expensive and hard to get. The small animal - cat and dog - business is very lucrative, and yes they will take out loans to have an animal worked on. I loved my shepard, but when she was diagnosed with leukemia, we gave her some meds for a little while, but they were expensive, and she was older, and starting to suffer from them, and I opted to put her down. The "Care Credit" that a person can apply for, like a loan/cc type thing; can even be used for pets. WOW. Listened to someone on another "pet type forum" whose daughter spent over 3,000 to have her cat at the vet, maybe for teeth removal....  ?? Sorry, the cat would have been put down and a few tears shed and then another cat found for a pet. It is totally absurd what the "do-gooders" type will spend on a pet. Even a working dog you can only spend what will not bankrupt you in most cases. |
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Post by hughespieds on Nov 28, 2019 19:09:35 GMT -6
Most of you folks have larger operations that I do and are much more experienced. I just have 6 females at the moment and that means I have to do things a little different. I was noticing the other day that the vet sells a 100 ML bottle of Draxxin for $543.00. No way I'd use that much so I just tell them to pull me how much I need and pay a little more per ml, but save in the long run. Being I'm in the DFW Metroplex the large animal docs will probably all be gone fairly soon as more farms are being turned into residential neighborhoods. There's only vet in the area by that will come out for emergencies or farm calls anymore. The only guy that will makes his truck his office and he stays very busy.
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Post by dave on Nov 28, 2019 21:13:26 GMT -6
It is 30 miles to town from here. The two vet clinics in Baker are on the other side of town so 32 miles +/-. There are a couple of vets who work out of their truck that start from 45-50 miles away. There has to be some in the Ontario/Vale area but that is 50 miles to the freeway exit.
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Post by randy on Nov 29, 2019 6:23:15 GMT -6
We have one vet in the county i live in. He is getting on up in the years but will still do farm visits.
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Post by tcranch on Nov 29, 2019 8:23:57 GMT -6
We're lucky to have 2 vets in the practice all of 20 minutes from the ranch and I've called them in the middle of the night. BUT the owner of the practice rarely does large animals or farm calls any more and our fave vet recently got a job as a State Vet so we're "breaking in" a new one, fresh out of school. The good news is he grew up with cattle. That said, they're swamped so unless it's an emergency I definitely have to schedule farm calls in advance. I generally have my retained heifers pelvic measured/BANGS early Feb each year when they're 11 months and make the appt mid Jan at the latest. But that's also when he does the "farm health overview" for the VFD so killing 2 birds with one stone. BTW farm calls here are $30, which I pay without hesitation. I have a question. Do you actually have any heifers that are culled because of the pelvic measurements? That's something we used to have done, starting in probably 1990 or so. We've stopped now. It seems like pelvic measurements are pretty much all up to snuff now. I was also feeling fortunate our preferred vet is only 45 miles away. The one who spays and bangs vaccs. for us is 65 miles away. Get to pay a little mileage. There's not much choice as an industry but to adapt to a shortage. Besides fertility testing bulls, spaying, bangs vacc., and putting together a vaccination program, we don't use a vet that much, comparatively. Yes! I've had 3 heifers I would have kept without hesitation. Last year I had a huge, beautiful heifer from a great lineage that scored a pitiful 132 (if I recall correctly); both her sisters scored 167. My heifer bulls are high calving ease, average birth weight 70+/- lbs. but I didn't want to risk the heifer or her calf. As a general rule I cull below 150 but have made exceptions, most of which have successfully calved without any problems but I have pulled a couple. That said, pelvic measurement are a lot like EPD's - just a number to use as a tool in minimizing your risk. |
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Post by angusrancher on Nov 29, 2019 19:42:31 GMT -6
Our cutoff was 144 cm2.
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Post by dave on Nov 29, 2019 21:23:27 GMT -6
I looked in the phone book. There are more vets listed in the yellow pages than there are MD's. There is a hospital and associated medical clinic that most certainly has MD's that aren't listed individually. There are vets who don't want to deal with Fluffy the cat so they gravitate to communities like this where the cows way out number the people.
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Post by tcranch on Nov 30, 2019 7:44:32 GMT -6
That's my exception, actually have one this year. My primary concern with her is my brand new heifer bull got struck by lightning before I turned them out and had to do a little creative rotating because the replacement bull I got is definitely NOT suitable for heifers. The bull I used on the heifers is CED +11, BW +.4 so it's a crap shoot. But to clarify, mine are measured at 11 months when the "standard" measurements are based on 12 months (and again at 18 months if they're registered). Is it possible for their pelvic region to grow/expand enough in a month they would possibly score higher? Dunno. |
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The one who spays and bangs vaccs. for us is 65 miles away. Get to pay a little mileage.
?? Sorry, the cat would have been put down and a few tears shed and then another cat found for a pet. It is totally absurd what the "do-gooders" type will spend on a pet. Even a working dog you can only spend what will not bankrupt you in most cases. 
