Fighting resistance with brains and brawn

By Donald E. “Doc” Sanders DVM, DACT, PAS

You can’t escape reading or hearing about disease-causing microorganisms — with exotic names like MRSA, E. coli OH:157, or Salmonella — that develop resistance to drugs. And farmers attend continuing education meetings where the discussion often turns to resistance issues involving weeds and crop chemicals.

There is another kind of resistance in cattle, sheep and goats: resistance developed by worms to deworming agents. On this subject, I offer you this true story from my days as associate professor at The Ohio State University about a couple of cattlemen and their herd of 200 brood cows out on Cowpath Road:

Lowell was a retired local factory manager. His son Jimmie had returned home from OSU a degree in animal science. I enjoyed talking with them to hear their unconventional observations. But they were astute managers of their herd. They used frequent pasture rotations, Heat Watch with artificial insemination and then natural cover bulls.… Continue reading