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California Ranchers Will Need Vet's Prescription To Use Livestock Antibiotics

By  Julia Mitric 
 
In California, ranchers already need a veterinarian's prescription for certain antibiotic treatments for livestock.
 
But a new law taking effect in January will require a prescription for all medically important antibiotics used to treat health problems in cattle, sheep and other livestock. 
 
University of California Agricultural Natural Resources farm advisor Dan Macon works with ranchers on livestock production in the northern Sacramento Valley and the Sierra foothills.
 
Macon notes the law doesn't require a vet to be on site for each animal that needs treatment. But there will need to be a veterinary-client-patient relationship.
 
As Macon explains, that means "the vet knows the operation, knows the rancher and has some idea of the types of animals and types of issues the rancher may be dealing with.
 
"And so, it does require some semi-annual check in with the vet at the ranch," he adds.
 
Macon points out that food animal veterinarians have become increasingly rare.

 

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As summer temperatures heat up, it's crucial to find ways to manage the rising warmth in swine barns. In this special episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Robert Stwalley from Purdue University discusses how cooling floor pads can alleviate thermal stress in swine barns. He explores the impact of heat on sows, boar productivity, and piglet welfare and explains how microclimate engineering supports animal performance and barn efficiency. Learn practical solutions for barn design and temperature management. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Thermal stress drastically affects sows, and barns are just compromising between overheating the sow and underheating the piglets."