Do you partner with your vet?

[NC Liz 2]

In the " Is castration necessary? "
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=89041&start=45
I wrote this:

Why do you use a vet when u vaccinate cows and bulls? Are u preg checking also?

It is about 40% good will and about 60% selfishness.

By using my vet I establish a working relationship/understanding between us.
She gets to know me, my herd and my capabilities, while I help keep her in business so when I need a large animal vet during an emergency she is there and can give me educated sound advise and will come out if she feels it is necessary.

As for the selfish part.
I use the vet as that ½ person I would have to hire while getting to ask any questions I might have
while we both look over each cow.
It's kind of like a vaccination and physical exam/check up all in one.

As for preg check.
Yes some times I do have her preg check one or two cows.
When you breed year round a cow should have either clean teats or be showing as I wean at around 600 lbs. If she has neither I will punch teat her, if I find nothing I will have her preg checked.

Now I don't micro manage but I feel it is well worth any extra cost, if any, just to have a vets opinion and expertise on the place once a year to look over my herd and answer all my questions and concerns.
Liz

Here is a vets opinion on the subject.
Liz

Success Comes When Livestock Producers & Their DVMs Are Partners
http://beefmagazine.com/blog/success-co ... e-partners

 

[TexasBred]

My vet would much rather just give advice and sells meds. Why mess with it when he can make more of spaying one little dog than he can make vaccinating cattle 20 miles from the office in extreme temps.

 

[dun]

Seems like I mentioned our partnership with our vet. Maybe he and I are the exceptions but I don;t think so.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Our vet is amazing! He's in his early thirties and he actually helps me sort the cattle and run them down the alley and into the squeeze chute where his assistant tends to ear tags and shots while he preg checks or wields the knife as the situation dictates.

I consider him to be an extremely important part of our operation.

 

[slick4591]

My vets will do anything I want them to do, but they don't know crap about my breed.

 

[Aaron]

In this province, you can not buy vaccines or prescription drugs from the vet if they do not do an 'on-farm consultation' (at the very least) once a year.

 

[CKC1586]

Our family has had a relationship with the Vet clinic here coming up on our third generation. Great group and committed to handling both large and small animals (did split off last year to large and small practices ) I think it is important to have trust between vet and owner. My :2cents: .

 

[bigbull338]

we dont use a vet for anything except a c-section.an we prolly could do that ourselves if we had the needed supplies.an we might take some cows tobe palpated.notice i said might.but most of the time they go right to the sale.

 

[randiliana]

We have a good relationship with our vet. However, other than Preg checking, semen testing and C-sections (or some sort of emergency) he doesn't see our cattle. We do all the vaccinations, sorting, treating on our own.

 

[Brute 23]

I don't think much of our local vets. The only decent one is a ways a way and is up in age.

Luckily, there are some good people out there. My buddies that do a lot of cattle work can do just about any thing the vet can. A little beer or bait money, grabbing their meal ticket in town, and lending a hand if they need it gets you damn good service. ;-)

 

[plumber_greg]

Remember when he the op couldn't get a vet to come out on an emergency"? What changed?" gs

 

[Dave]

My vet knows his stuff and is good to work with. But at $126 an hour plus $40 for a farm call I only use him for those things I can't do myself. And I can darn sure vaccinate, castrate, and dehorn cattle myself.

 

[dun]

My vet knows his stuff and is good to work with. But at $126 an hour plus $40 for a farm call I only use him for those things I can't do myself. And I can darn sure vaccinate, castrate, and dehorn cattle myself.

We have one vet around here that charges like that, about all he does is dogs and horses. Most people get a vet from out of town if they need one, at least they can afford her. And she's a pretty good vet, just eems a little to fond of the calf jack. But she only weighs about 95 pounds so she doesn;t have much heft to pull calves by hand. Our vet is under contract to the state now, but part of his contract specifies that he can still do vet work for about a half dozen of his old cutomers. I'm just really happy that we're one of those he specified.

 

[highgrit]

Dave, if our Vet charged that much I don't think we would know him. Last time out ours charged us $90.00 and paped 28 head, and mouthed a few of our older cows. But he told us when he was going to be in the area and we were ready to work when he showed up. He really likes Kingfish, so we trade fish and shrimp for most of our Vet supply's.

 

[snake67]

In this province, you can not buy vaccines or prescription drugs from the vet if they do not do an 'on-farm consultation' (at the very least) once a year.

Ah yes - the on farm consultation.

Two in our case because one does cattle and the other does sheep.

Come to the house - drink a coffee - go to the barn or field and get a tour of the operation - and say good bye until needed.

Generally about two weeks later a bill for about $175 shows up for professional consulting fees.

Got to love them. LOL

But I do - about once every year or two - make them come out to the farm between midnight and 0400 - and of course we always try to pick the schittiest night possible and put them in the worst possible position to work on the animal in question.

So I always get my revenge!

And yes, about two weeks later I get another bill in the mail!

Best to all

Bez

 

[Jake]

We will haul heifers in to pelvic and bangs vaccinate, semen test the bulls, and we buy our drugs from them. That is the extent of our relationship. I palpate everything myself as I am better at it than the one is for darn sure. The only time our cows see town is when they hit the sale barn. Too expensive to let anybody else do something to them.

 

[Dave]

Dave, if our Vet charged that much I don't think we would know him. Last time out ours charged us $90.00 and paped 28 head, and mouthed a few of our older cows. But he told us when he was going to be in the area and we were ready to work when he showed up. He really likes Kingfish, so we trade fish and shrimp for most of our Vet supply's.

Actually it works out about the same. We paped 60 last year and it worked out to a little over $3 a head. You did 28 head for $90 which is a little over $3 a head. We just don't stand around and BS any at all. The cows are ready to go into the chute when he arrives and we keep things moving. He also works the local sale yard. If I have questions to ask or feel like BS'ing with him I do it there.