Small ruminant husbandry and regulatory issues

Overview of small ruminant husbandry and regulatory concerns for the general practitioner including antibiotic use, reportable and zoonotic diseases, nutrition, health inspections, and Veterinary Feed Directives (VFD).

This session was recorded during the AVMA Convention 2024.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 

• Understand the basic requirements of the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) and where to find necessary VFD resources.
• Identify key resources on reportable diseases and know the essential steps in the cases of a potential reportable disease in a small ruminant.
• Learn how to explain to an owner the importance of the routine core vaccinations for small ruminants.
• Discover how to design a basic housing and biosecurity recommendation plan for a backyard or small flock/herd.

Dr. Scully is currently an associate professor of food animal medicine and surgery in the department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine and the current President of the American Association of Small Animal Practitioners. She graduated with her DVM in 2011 and completed a food animal rotating internship in 2012 at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Scully completed her Theriogenology Residency, a Master of Veterinary Sciences at Oregon State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. She achieved board certification in Theriogenology in 2016. Small ruminant advanced reproductive techniques, pain management in food animals and preventative medicine for goats are her specific areas of interest. She has published in the field of ruminants, small animal, equine reproduction and has an appreciation for all aspects of theriogenology. Dr. Scully attributes all of her success to the mentors she has had in her life and is eager to serve others in a mentorship capacity.