Farm & Ranch
The Dr. McDonald Column
By Dr. Steve McDonald, DVM
Our first employee, who became a veterinarian, now works for us as an associate. She is very competent with small animals. She avoids cattle and seems to have the same dread for them that I have for five- pound Chihuahuas.
Sadly, it’s my fault. When she worked for us in high school and in undergrad college, we had no haul-in facilities, so our busy cattle practice was all ambulatory. I was younger, and enjoyed the challenge of working in variable “quality facilities,” often having to rope and tie cattle to anything handy to work on them.
(Practice Tip: Never tie a cow to your truck. If nothing stout enough to restrain an adrenaline-charged bovine is handy, use the owner’s truck. That will keep your truck body repairs down while keeping damage in the cow’s family.) Anyway, I nearly always went by myself, leaving T. to help Polly around the clinic.
T. was accepted to vet school in the January or February of 1992. She was elated and we were proud of her.
Thinking ahead to her future first as a vet student, then later as a veterinarian, she began seeking wider exposure to the things we do for a living. She mentioned that she had never seen a bovine caesarian and asked to go on the next call.
To read more pick up a copy of the February 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Heather Welper
Husband and wife duo, Heather and Calvin Welper, are the Co-Owners and Operators or Two C Livestock, located in Valley View, Texas.
The pair’s operation has a show cattle focus where they raise and sell purebred heifers of all breeds and club calf Hereford steers.
When it comes to show cattle, the Welpers know a thing or two including how to prepare for the cold winter months and the Texas major show season run.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Hannah Claxton, Editor
As the sun rises each day, so do the dozens of mouths that Meghan McGovern is responsible for getting fed. Rather than the sounds of a rooster crowing, McGovern hears the bellows and bleats of a variety of exotic deer, the chortle of kangaroos, the grunts of water buffaloes, and the chirps of a lemur.
Nestled against the banks of the Red River, the Double M Ranch and Rescue, with its high game fences and deer sprinkling the landscape,s its in stark contrast to the surrounding ranches.
“Having deer is kind of like eating potato chips- you can never actually have just one,” said McGovern with a laugh.
McGovern has several herds to take care of- fallow deer, axis deer, water buffalo, goats, and bison. In smaller numbers, there’s also a few kangaroos, a lemur, a potbelly pig, a pair of zebras, a watusi, and a few horses.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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