MSD Animal Health (a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA) has launched a new app for veterinary professionals based on its popular, paper-based dairy calf health checklist tool.
The practical new app works on tablet computers, as well as Apple and Android smartphones, facilitating the opportunity to easily e-mail audit results directly to farmer clients following an interactive on farm calf health assessment.
The MSD Animal Health Calf Health Checklist helps the veterinary professional and farmer to work closely together to draw up a workable action plan to improve calf health.
“Our new app allows both parties to explore, record and score calf health performance across five core areas to identify the strengths and weaknesses of any rearing unit’s environment and processes,” said MSD Animal Health’s youngstock marketing manager Robert Simpson.
“Working through a series of 10 questions within each core area – designed to tease out where a rearing unit is in terms of accepted best management practice – allows vet and farmer to quickly pinpoint any areas needing attention. What’s more, repeating the checklist every six or twelve months is a great way to keep things on track, allowing both parties to monitor progress against agreed targets,” he added.
Five steps to better calf health:
- Set goals and measure
- Implement good colostrum management and feeding protocols
- Feed calves correctly
- Maintain low infection pressure and vaccinate
- Ensure a healthy rearing environment
Further information on the new calf health checklist app is available from MSD account managers.
