Health advisory services with a focus on cattle and animal welfare

Professional advice tailored to your herd

Would you like to strengthen animal health, workflows and the long-term development of your herd?

At Vestjyske Dyrlæger, you can receive professional health advisory services from an experienced veterinarian. Based in Nørre Nebel, we travel to cattle and pig herds around Ølgod, Grindsted, Skjern, Varde and the surrounding areas.

The health advisory service is based on the conditions at each individual farm. Together, we set relevant goals and identify the areas where a targeted effort can improve animal health, animal welfare and day-to-day operations.​

Sustainability and animal welfare in practice

Sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in Danish cattle farming. As advisory veterinarians, we help turn professional knowledge into concrete measures that work in each individual herd.​

Many cattle herds are already working purposefully to improve animal welfare, keep antibiotic use low and use medicines responsibly. Through ongoing health advisory services, we can help create structure around the effort and track progress over time.​

The advisory service may include, among other things:

• Health and well-being of cows and calves
• Medicine use, mortality and hygiene
• Workflows in dairy cattle production and calf rearing​

If there is a need for a broader review of the herd’s results and development opportunities, the health advisory service can be combined with targeted cattle advisory services.​

Welfare visits with the animals as the starting point

Every six months, the advisory visit must place particular focus on targeted animal welfare. We believe this assessment is best carried out through dialogue in the barn and by observing the animals in their familiar surroundings.

Based on a sample of the herd’s cows, we review, among other things, the animals’ behaviour, medicine use, mortality and hygiene. This provides a clear picture of conditions in the herd and makes it possible to identify both well-functioning areas and points that require extra attention.

The welfare visit is not only about recording conditions. The purpose is also to create a practical basis for further advisory services, so that observations can be translated into concrete and realistic actions.

Reporting and action plans in VetStat

After the welfare visit, a welfare report is prepared. The report can be used to document the herd’s work with sustainable production and animal welfare to, among others, the bank and ESG consultants.

Action plans in the area of welfare are recorded in VetStat, Denmark’s veterinary medicinal products and veterinarian register. The registration forms part of the work with the animal welfare label and makes it possible to follow up on the agreed measures.

An action plan may, for example, include targets for hygiene, medicine use, calf health or other relevant areas. At subsequent visits, we assess progress and adjust the effort if needed.