Increasing concern about over-reliance on antibiotics (resulting in antimicrobial resistance), as well as broader concerns about animal welfare, have put greater emphasis on preventative measures in maintaining the health of farm animals. Herd health management (HHM) programmes take a population approach based on quantitative epidemiology which makes it possible to assess disease risk and, as a result, prevent and manage diseases more effectively.
Improving dairy herd health reviews key challenges in dairy herd health management, such as effective monitoring and diagnosis of infectious diseases, as well as recent developments in areas such as disease prevention and disease surveillance. This collection reviews HHM issues across the dairy cow life cycle, from reproduction and calf health to the transition stage and replacement of stock. Later chapters discuss the successful implementation of HHM programmes in specific instances, from maintaining udder and hoof health, to preventing metabolic disorders, bacterial and viral diseases, as well as parasitic infections.
Part 1 Principles 1.Key issues in dairy herd health management: John Remnant, James Breen, Peter Down, Chris Hudson and Martin Green, University of Nottingham, UK; 2.Key issues and challenges in disease surveillance in dairy cattle: Lorenzo E. Hernández-Castellano, Klaus L. Ingvartsen and Mogens A. Krogh, Aarhus University, Denmark; 3.Advances in techniques for health monitoring/disease detection in dairy cattle: Michael Iwersen and Marc Drillich, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria; 4.Data-driven decision support tools in dairy herd health: Victor E. Cabrera, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA; Part 2 Prerequisites 5.Advances in understanding immune response in dairy cattle: Bonnie Mallard, Mehdi Emam, Shannon Cartwright, Tess Altvater-Hughes, Alexandra Livernois, Lauri Wagter-Lesperance, Douglas C. Hodgins and Heba Atalla, University of Guelph, Canada; Brad Hine, CSIRO Livestock & Aquaculture, Australia; Joshua Aleri, Murdoch University, Australia; and Andrew Fisher, University of Melbourne, Australia; 6.Dairy cattle welfare and health: an intimate partnership: Clive Phillips, Curtin University Sustainable Policy (CUSP) Institute, Australia; Part 3 Health at different stages in the life cycle 7.Optimising reproductive management to maximise dairy herd health and production: Norman B. Williamson, Massey University, New Zealand; 8.Managing dry cow udder health: Päivi J. Rajala-Schultz, University of Helsinki, Finland; and Tariq Halasa, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; 9.Managing calves/young stock to optimise dairy herd health: John F. Mee, Teagasc, Ireland; 10.Managing replacement and culling in dairy herds: Albert De Vries, University of Florida, USA; Part 4 Particular health issues 11.Optimising udder health in dairy cattle: Theo J. G. M. Lam, Royal GD Animal Health and Utrecht University, The Netherlands; and Sarne De Vliegher, M-team, Ghent University and MEX™, Belgium; 12.Optimising foot health in dairy cattle: Nick J. Bell, The University of Nottingham, UK; 13.Preventing bacterial diseases in dairy cattle: Sharif S. Aly and Sarah M. Depenbrock, University of California-Davis, USA;
Dr Émile Bouchard is a Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada. Professor Bouchard is current President of the World Association for Buiatrics and is internationally known for his research on dairy cattle medicine and herd health.
