Weekly Livestock-Equine News: January 19, 2026

New SoundByte: DectoGard™

DectoGard™ (doramectin topical solution) is the first generic doramectin topical solution approved by the FDA. An easy-to-deliver pour-on available in multiple sizes, DectoGard treats and controls gastrointestinal roundworms, lungworms, eyeworms, grubs, biting and sucking lice, horn flies, and mange mites in cattle. Find more in the SoundByte from Veterinary Advantage.

South Africa struggles with food-and-mouth disease outbreak

Farmers in South Africa are calling for the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak to be declared a national disaster, enabling the government to rapidly deploy supplies, equipment, vehicles and facilities to affected areas. It would also strengthen vaccination campaigns, as well as roadblocks, checkpoints, disinfectants, and the overall response capacity. Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen announced plans to vaccinate all cattle in South Africa starting in February.

New AI tool can take cattles’ temperature with a photo

CattleFever, a new tool from the University of Arkansas’ Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision Lab, uses artificial intelligence and thermal cameras to estimate the body temperature of cattle. Through ablation studies examining different facial-landmark combinations, the researchers realized the temperature of the animal’s eyes and nostrils were closest to the reading of the rectal thermometer. The next challenge is to handle cattle faces captured from diverse angles.

USDA scientists identify protocol to reduce antibiotic use in feedlot cattle

Scientists at the USDA’s Agriculture Research Services reported a study showing the effectiveness of metaphylactic antibiotic intervention on as few as two-thirds of cattle in a group, thereby reducing antibiotic use by one-third. Metaphylaxis is the process of treating a group of animals with an antibiotic that shows no signs of disease but have been exposed to an infectious disease.

Ohio State to open animal learning complex on campus

Ohio State University is preparing to open its Multispecies Animal Learning Complex on its Columbus campus in late January. The more than 100,000-square-foot facility will bring swine, equine, poultry, goats and sheep together in one complex, and it will offer scheduled, guided tours for K-12 groups and community visitors. An autonomous dairy will feature robotic milking, automated feeding and robotic manure-handling systems.

New foot-and-mouth disease vaccine could transform global livestock resilience

A foot-and-mouth disease vaccine developed at Diamond Light Source in the UK could deliver over $1.3 billion in annual benefits and transform global livestock resilience, according to economic research institute CSIL. Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national nonprofit synchrotron, offers advanced X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy capabilities, the ability to carry out in-situ data collection directly from sealed crystallisation plates, and a skilled scientific and technical workforce.