Barzona_Bulletin_Winter_2022

www.Barzona.com

Winter 2022

Barzona Bulletin A Publication of the Barzona Breeders Association of America The Veterinary Toolbox Supplies, Rules and Plans to Prepare for Veterinary Emergencies and Urgencies

By Micky Burch, Contributing Writer M y parents were married May 21, 1977, and as was customary, they received a set of travel luggage in a salad-bowl-era shade of green that can still be seen on reruns of That ‘70s Show . In approxi- mately 1996, my dad took the smallest suitcase, probably intended for toiletries, from the luggage set and wrote “CATTLE HEALTH” on the top with a black marker. This served as his herd veterinary tool- box up until last year when, much to my

mom’s relief, the handle broke and she purchased him something she consid- ered more appropriate. On any given day, one could open this DIY vet box and find syringes and needles in a variety of sizes; a castrating knife; an 8-inch curved needle with heavy suture thread; small, curved needles with dis- solvable thread; a thermometer; scalpels; a needle holder/scissor combination tool; and LA-200.

“The one thing that is absolutely es- sential to have in the toolbox is an appro- priate way to restrain that animal for safe treatment – both for the safety of the animal and the people that are involved,” says Becky Funk, DVM, Great Plains Vet- erinary Educational Center, Clay Center, Neb. “It doesn’t have to be fancy or com- plicated, but it does need to be reliable and safe.” While these supplies may work in one man’s personal vet box, Funk emphasizes that those particular products consid- ered “essential” to an operation depends entirely on the individual and their pro- duction setting and goals. “Regardless of which products those are, each producer should have a set of standard treatment protocols that are followed for different scenarios, and ex- ceptions to those protocols need to be discussed with their veterinarian,” she stresses. Rule No. 1 in Funk’s book is for produc- ers to establish a veterinary-client-pa- tient relationship (VCPR) with their vet- erinarian. “For both routine day-to-day operation and emergency treatment, having a veterinarian involved will only become more critical going forward,” Funk points out. Even with a good working relationship and VCPR, Funk expects an emergency call from producers at some point. “Emergencies happen to everyone,” she points out. “While we can’t eliminate them, we can have a plan.” Part of that plan is being able to as-

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By Matthew Heinz, Golden Hz Farm, BBAA President President’s Message

H appy NewYear to all of you! I hope this edition of the Barzona Bulle- tin finds you well and ready for what this year has in store for this

Raising Quality Barzona Cattle for 46 Years. Bulls & Females Available 2-Year-Old Bulls Available Now F & F Cattle Company I look forward to talking to each of you in this new year. Let us continue moving forward to develop not only individually but as an association. Thank you to everyone for making 2021 so successful and let’s make 2022 even better. As always, my door is open and my phone is on for comments or questions, or simply to pass the time. You can reach me at (515) 480-9916 or h einz.matthew57@gmail.com. BB coming together making sure we continue on the right course is better than just a couple of people trying to keep a group going. Second, I would like to see more members come to the BBAA Annual Meeting. From what I have been told, past Annual Meet- ings used to be a big event with attendance in the hundreds! I know we are on the right track because the 2021 Annual Meet- ing attendance was double what the average has been for the past decade. My third resolution regards the BBAA Executive Board. I would like to use all of you more, and it is my goal to reach out to all of you more and gain a better understanding of what each region needs and has available to help us grow. Last, as an association, we need to look at a “Reintroduction.” Other cattle breeds are looking to develop what we already have, and our Barzonas need to be promoted as a “one-stop shop” for the traits that other breeds are lacking. Barzonas work for herds not only as a cross to add more quality on the rail, but as a purebred as well. Higher quality plus better cuts of meat equals money in your pocket.

great association. The Barzona Breeders Association of America (BBAA) is growing! Memberships grew steadily throughout the year with new members, some returning members, and cattle are being sold to new buyers who have an interest in starting their own seedstock herds. This is a perfect opportunity to get on board, grow and develop not only our individual herds but the association as a whole. Barzonas work for herds not only as a cross to add more quality on the rail, but as a purebred as well. The tradition at the start of the year is to make resolutions or goals, and I have a few for our association and myself as presi- dent. We need to continue to grow our membership numbers – not only new members but bringing back past members. I want to continue to bring in fresh ideas with new members but also be able to use the knowledge frompast members. Several heads

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From Our Association Secretary By Alecia Heinz, Golden Hz Farm, BBAA Secretary

The Veterinary Toolbox Continued from page 1

sess the emergency accurately. Funk’s Rule No. 2 is that not all emergencies are created equal. A true emergency, she says, will have characteristics like major trauma, severe bleeding/blood loss, exposed bones, dystocia, a systemic disease that demon- strates rapid progression or severe/intractable pain. Basically, a true emergency demonstrates imminent danger of loss of life or permanent damage to the animal. A veterinary urgency, on the other hand, certainly needs to be addressed, but, as Funk explains, needs attention in hours – not minutes. While there may be trauma, it doesn’t result in loss of function or change in mental activity. Urgencies may include minor lacerations, lameness not involving obvious fractures or limb displacement, or systemic diseases that don’t appear to compromise respiratory function or to be progressing rapidly. Next are what Funk calls “I just noticed it” emergencies – problems that simply go unnoticed until they are advanced. This may happen, for example, if the stock is out on pasture, making it difficult to lay an eye on every single animal. Noticeably aged wounds, lumps and bumps, and chronic injuries and wounds fall into this category. Finally, there’s the emergency of convenience, which hap- pens when an incident may rise to emergency status because it’s a convenient time for the owner to seek care. Emergencies of convenience may or may not have been an emergency ini- tially, and now that care is being sought, still may or may not qualify as an emergency. Emergencies of convenience may be incidences like long-term weight loss, extended periods of lameness, symptoms of systemic disease or possible dystocia. Regardless of the type of emergency, Funk warns producers that a call to her office will lead to Rule No. 3: the emergency will be triaged, which means you will be asked for information about your emergency to help determine the order, or rank, in which your emergency will be handled at her clinic. The information given by the producer will help determine if it’s a true emergen- cy, an urgency, if it was just noticed or if it’s a convenient time for the producer to bring the animal in to the clinic. Funk recommends getting to know the veterinary doctors and staff not only as part of a VCPR, but also as part of prepar- ing for an emergency. “Your veterinarian needs to know what animals you have and what your routine management practices are. They should have access to the health history of your ani- mals,” she says. On the flip side, she points out, “You should be familiar with their emergency protocols so when you need care, time isn’t lost trying to figure out how to contact them. Open communi- cation can be a tool to avoid an emergency all together.” Additional preparations producers can make are to either be prepared to transport animals to the clinic or to restrain the an- imal at their location. “Conversations with your veterinarian about how to prepare for these periods are helpful,” Funk says. “Know your comfort level dealing with situations and when to call for help.” It’s important to put some thought into your veterinary tool- box. It could contain supplies, treatments to use in the field that you’ve discussed with your veterinarian or a list of phone num- bers to call in an emergency. It could be a fancy, custom-made cattle veterinary box, a tackle box intended for fishing or a pea- soup green suitcase swiped from an aging luggage set. In the nearly four-decade span of my memory, I don’t recall that little suitcase being used for its originally intended purpose very many times. No, it was destined for bigger things. It may not have traveled worldly – or even out of the tri-county area – but it’s certainly seen a thing or two in its day. BB

W inter has arrived – I’m sure much to everyone’s dismay. With the start of a new year, I would like to give some recognition to new members and breeders we’ve gained in the last season or two. Newcomers include David Hall from Missouri, Steve Smith from Louisiana and Eli Long from Texas. We also have some official breeders new to the mix, with their first calf crops on the ground and ready to go. Those include Chuck Woodson from California, Matt Murphy from Texas, the Dillinger/Hawks/Shelton partner- ship in Kansas, James Widdoss in Tennessee and John Luc from Florida. Please take some time to get to know your new local guys and gear up for the Barzona Breeders Auction coming in January 2023. On that note, any seedstock cattle sold through the auction are REQUIRED to have registration papers. If you are behind, or need to get your first calves entered, please START NOW! I have more down time in the winter to help you on the spot when you are in the mood to enter data, and I have cheat sheets available so you can gather information from multiple years of calving books into a simpler version to be entered into the registry. If you need help, all you have to do is ask – via call, text or email. I can be reached at (614) 745-9170 or barzonabreeders@gmail. com . BB

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WWW.BARZONA.COM • WINTER 2022 | 3

Barzona Breeders Association of America P.O. Box 154 Greenfield, IA 50849

PRESORT MKT. US POSTAGE PAID GUNNISON, CO PERMIT #154

If you’d prefer to receive the Barzona Bulletin by email,

please contact Alecia Heinz at

(641) 745-9170 or barzonabreeders@ gmail.com

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