Dr. Mark Kirkpatrick`s Vet Visit on DairyLine Radio yesterday focused on preparing a check list for when your vet comes to visit. Here is a quick rundown of the general things to consider for your vet`s visit. To hear Dr. Kirkpatrick”””””””””””””””’’s full radio segment, click the play button below!

1. Compile a list of questions regarding current situations or problems that have come up.
2. Design a program with your vet regarding how you would like to focus on the reproductive health of your herd.
3. List the procedures that the vet needs to do on your farm - vaccinations, herd health, etc.
4. Have a post-mortem plan in place. Its important to know the cause of the animal`s death.

Dr. Mark Kirkpatrick from Pfizer Animal Health has a couple important things to keep in mind as you prepare for a visit from your vet. Click the play button below to hear today`s Vet Visit on DairyLine Radio.

Time is money and often times a visit from your vet professional means you need to make the most out of the time you have with them. To do this, make sure that all of the animals you will be working with have been locked up and are ready to be processed. Also, if vet techs are available, having them do the more repetitive tasks while your vet is able to attend to the more important projects or questions, can be a huge time saver. Create a vet check list before each visit to compile your thoughts and questions - its especially important to be proactive and share any concerns you may be seeing.

Dr. Mark Kirkpatrick continues his conversation on DairyLine Radio this week regarding the concept of getting the most from your vet. Because veterinarians do get to see lots of different operations (good and bad) they are a valuable resource of information that you can take advantage of when making decisions for your farm.

Its important to be proactive; think of ways you can prevent health issues from developing. A good way to get started is to complete a SWOT Analysis - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats. The next step is to create a vaccination protocol. Create a written plan and then have it laminated as this should be something you and your employees are using each day. These protocols should be reviewed and revised at a given interval.

Mondays Vet Visit with Dr. Mark Kirkpatrick, Dairy Specialist with Pfizer Animal Health, shares some insight on getting the most from your veterinarian. They are not just there for pregnancy checks and vaccinations anymore.

Dr. Kirkpatrick shares that the most effective dairies he has been involved with are those that consider their herd veterinarian a part of their management team. Vets have the opportunity to see lots of different operations - put their expertise to use. Its important to have open lines of communication with your vet and establish a good relationship with them. Invite them in for lunch and a treat every now and then! This “socializing” time can be great for sharing your goals or visiting with them about certain areas of your operation that you would like to change or grow. It is always important to make the most of the time with your vet, all the time. Hear more by clicking the play button below.

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After a wonderful time spent with family and friends over the holidays, Im happy to get back in the swing of things for work this week. Its just taken a little longer than I expected :). That being said, I apologize for the delay in sharing my summary of the daily second half of the DairyLine Radio program.

This past Monday, DairyLine visited with Dr. Doug Braun of Pfizer Animal Health during the weekly Vet Visit. Dr. Braun focused on Pfizers Dairy Wellness Program and what it is to the dairy producer; a producers interaction/care of their herd and their work with the herds vet and/or herd health professionals. Dairy Wellness comes from the team providing the health for the cows and maximizing the profit of the dairy.

To listen to more of our conversation with Dr. Braun, click the play button below.

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