​SUNRISE VETerinary SERVICES
​CATTLE  Producer ​NEWSLETTERS​

​CURRENT INFORMATION THAT YOU CAN USE
​TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS
REGARDING YOUR HERD'S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.

Sunrise Vet Services  May 2019 Producer Newsletter ​​
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      Oh yes! Dr. John may have been the first farmer to have his corn planter in the ground this year!  March 31st at 8 am that planter was solidly in the ground ready to go to work! Granted the flat tire helped a lot with the solidly on the ground part and the ground was inside the shed, but that’s just minor details.  The red tractor nearby was ready to go pull it at top speed! By the way… John says that the little bit of oil that blows off his red tractor is to help cover up the green paint on other tractors in the area!

Now on to issues that you might care more about… “Minimizing Your Deads”
      Dr. Matt Boyle from Zoetis had another point from his client talk that he gave for Sunrise clients that we would like to touch on;  Dead cattle make no money. “Really John?  You don’t think farmers know this?” Well, how can we minimize death loss on farms? Early diagnosis of problems is essential and it all starts with good record keeping. Noting a cause of death is very important.  If most of the deads are from injury, how and why are they getting hurt?  Or maybe it’s from a bunch of toxic mastitis? Are cows getting vaccinated properly for mastitis?  Has the milking equipment been looked at lately? Are proper milking procedures being followed? Again, early diagnosis of problems is key to lowering your “deads” number.
      Also, a thermometer is a cheap investment that can provide a lot of information.  If an animal is running a fever (>102.5℉), what is causing it?  What is the appropriate treatment for the problem? What are the meat and milk holds for treatment?  Sunrise tries to use the short meat hold products. (Ex: Naxcel or Excenel that have only a 5 day meat hold) Short meat holds will give us options to ship the animal if necessary.  Or… Should you actually even treat the animal? Sometimes we recommend shipping the animal instead of treatment. Why would we do this?  If we feel the chances of treatment success are minimal and you have the chance of getting some money for this cow, then we would recommend that you go with that option. What it comes down to is you want to ship out cattle if you can to get some money for them versus having them die on the farm.  

       Speaking of dead cattle; as many of you know, Bailey Farms is no longer answering their phone or even in business to remove dead stock. What does this mean for you? Well, rendering companies have been able to charge what the market will bear, and you have not been able to do anything about it. We are suggesting that you do have a valid alternative to calling a rendering truck. Composting dead animals is a great way to ensure you can manage where your dead stock goes to. Here are the 5 easy steps to composting:

1. Provide base material i.e. base material being straw, sawdust, etc.
2. Place dead livestock on top of base material
3. Cover with bulk material, i.e. bedding pack manure cover with at least 1-2 feet of material all the way over the carcass.
4. Cover with more base type material
5. Turn every few months

Some great places to look up more info are:  
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/10-063.htm  
https://wood.extension.wisc.edu/files/2010/05/CompostingFactsheet.pdf
https://wpt4.org/wpt-video/university-place/university-place-composting-animal-carcasses/
https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/smallfarms/2015/01/08/composting-mortalities/
https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Recycling/Farms.html
 
We did receive info on someone else doing dead stock removal and we’ll have their contact info at the office. Also, Jill is trying to work on putting together a composting on the farm demo for down the road.  

      Oh!, guess what? Pinkeye has started to be seen!  Yes, we’re seeing animals of different ages with pinkeye. Our autogenous vaccine made from our samples from last year is ready and available. Two shots of the vaccine are required each year as we alter the key components. The good news is we feel the vaccine keeps getting better each year with more samples coming in.  If you have pinkeye in your cattle, either we can come out to sample it, or we can provide you with testing material to obtain samples that we can send in. Now’s the time to get the vaccine into the animals before the pinkeye pressure gets too bad.  

      For those of you in search of breeding bulls for the upcoming season we have several people who do sell bulls and one individual who rents out bulls.  Feel free to contact John for contact info.

      In our March newsletter we informed you all of many items that are no longer being manufactured.  One of these items was urea boluses for uterine infections. Now a few of you may be wondering what am I supposed to do with a cow who doesn’t clean or gets metritis?  Should I flush the uterus? Should I put antibiotics in there? The simple & true answer no, nothing goes into the uterus.
      Scientific studies have been done to determine whether uterine flushing with dilute betadine or chlorhexidine solution helps heal the uterus faster.  The actual results show no difference in the resolution of metritis when comparing a flush to no treatment.  How about that!  You also risk dragging something in from the outside to make matters worse when putting anything into the uterus.
      So what about antibiotics?  There are many options out there that we use to treat metritis, BUT they are NOT meant to be infused directly INTO the uterus!  Some examples would be Excenel/Excede, Oxytetracycline/LA 200, Polyflex/Ampicillin, and Penicillin. Next, we would like to point out that in the case of Excenel/Excede, we as veterinarians and farmers are bound by FDA regulations that make it ILLEGAL to use those in a route, dose or duration different than what is printed on the label.  We have to follow this regulation, no exceptions.   If you get caught with a residue from this, we cannot help you as we have never recommended this treatment regimen.
      We also mentioned in our March newsletter some new information regarding Oxytet foot wraps for warts leading to a possible positive test on the bulk tank if you are wrapping enough feet in your herd.  So say that you decided to put a tetracycline bolus into the cow’s uterus… How much of that antibiotic is going to show up in the milk? The answer is a lot more than what you put onto a heel wart.  And how long until her milk is clear? We don’t know. None of these antibiotics are tested for withdrawal periods when used in this way. If you need another reason not to use this product inside a uterus, please note that tetracycline medicine is quite caustic and can cause microscopic and macroscopic damage to the lining of the uterus. Please don’t damage the inside of the uterus any further.
      What about Penicillin/Ampicillin you say? Funny you should ask. Aside from that astronomical withdrawal period, Penicillin and Ampicillin are inactivated by organic matter.  A uterus full of infection does not lend itself to topical treatments.  We need to use the correct medicines in appropriate ways. If we haven’t answered all your questions here on uterus infusions please feel free to ask us!

      Lastly, we want to talk about treatment logs.  When we are on your farm treating animals, we should be asking you for a treatment log to write our notes in.  If you don’t have one, tell us and we will get one for you.  Every farm should have a written record of what treatments were given to what animal, how much was given, and withdrawal times for drugs used.  This is your insurance policy that you are using drugs appropriately. You can use it as proof, should you ever need to.

      Now… about this rain. John is volunteering to work on your ducks should you have any of those running around enjoying this weather!!!

​Sunrise Vet Services  April 2019 Producer Newsletter ​​
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     Oh yes! Spring has sprung!  The ice and snow has disappeared. John has finally washed his winter cap. (First time this year…He couldn’t work without it!) But don’t worry. John is limiting his tanning time to just working with his hat off!  However, shining up the red tractors may get him a little warm in the sunshine, so he may be seen in short sleeve shirts soon!  Look out May, then the shorts come out!

     To know is one thing, but to understand is another. Well, with our latest dairy producer meeting sponsored by Zoetis, Dr. Matt Boyle presented several points compiled by Compeer that if done well enough, can help a dairy farm turn a profit. Although many producers may have had some of this knowledge already, Dr. Boyle hopefully made people better understand how and why these factors can have a huge impact on a dairy’s profit when added all together. Our wish is that you take a little closer look at ways you can fine tune your procedures and that you make a commitment to always staying on top of these issues. In case you weren’t there or if you need a reminder, John took notes and we’ll be covering one point at a time for each of the next several months.

      Somatic Cell Count: What should your goal be?  If you are above 1,000,000 count, you are likely not shipping milk to any plant, and won’t be for a while.  Most plants want the SCC to be below 350,000. Do you get any premiums for having your SCC under different levels?  That depends on which plant you ship to.  However, even if you do not get a premium for having a low SCC, it does help substantially with total milk production.  The higher the SCC, the less milk the cow produces... plain and simple.  Every 100,000 decrease in SCC means 5.5 lbs more milk per cow!  An extra 5.5 lbs of milk per cow per day?... This is real money on the table! How do you get your SCC to be reduced?  Milking procedure is a great place to start.  

• Wipe the teat to really clean it and start the clock running. Your goal is to have the milking unit on the cow in 60-90 seconds after the wipe stimulation which is causing oxytocin release.
• After the wipe, strip each teat 2-4 times to express milk onto the floor.  This will cause any bacteria that was residing in the end to the treat to be put onto the floor, and allow the milker to examine the milk to see if anything is abnormal.  
• Next is the pre-milking dip with a commercial dip product. Ensure the dip is on long enough.  
• Finally, is the pre-milking wipe to clean off the pre-dip. You want a clean dry teat to ensure minimal chances of bacteria gaining entry into the teat.  Always use a clean dry towel for the wipe.

       With the discontinuation of urea uterine boluses, people have asked about what to use instead.  Well, we are kind of up a creek without a paddle here!  There are no other intra-uterine products available, and I don’t foresee any companies jumping into this market either. The options we have are Excenel or Excede.  These antibiotics are labeled for metritis and must be injected per label directions.

• Excenel must be used at 2cc/100lbs IM or SC for 5 days with no more than 15 cc per injection site.
• Excede must be used at 1.5 cc/100 lbs and repeat dosage in opposite ear in 72 hours (3 days after first dose).

      Foot Wraps; How many could cause an issue?  With hoof trimmers applying tetracycline to hairy heel warts and the ability to test milk to find even smaller levels of antibiotics, do we need to be worried about having a hot load after the hoof trimmer comes? Based on what we have looked at and discussions we have had, we are saying the answer is no. But remember if a cow has two or more feet wrapped, we suggest keeping her milk out of the tank until the wraps are off.  If you have 15 cows with foot wraps, but they have only one foot wrapped, you should be fine.
    
       Having seen several calves this spring with white muscle disease, it is a reminder that it’s very important for cows to be receiving the correct amount and correct type of minerals, and/or to give your newborn calves a shot of Multimin 1cc/100 lbs at birth.  Selenium deficiency will cause white muscle disease that manifests itself as unthrifty calves that are unable to stand or nurse very early in life.  

      Recently we received information from the Sauk County Health Department regarding a “Partners in Health” initiative. The department has gotten a grant from Compeer to help farm employers and their workers with the recent concern over TB on dairy farms. For free, you may be able to have the health department come to your farm 3 times to consult, test, etc. Because of the nature of patient confidentiality, they assure us that worker information is safe and that participation will not put farms or workers at risk. We have information on our website, a link on facebook, letters on the doctors trucks, and letters at our front desk with many more details. Or you can contact Diane Haley, the Sauk County Public Health Nurse directly at 608) 355-4303.

Stay healthy out there!

​ ​Sunrise Vet Services  March 2019 Producer Newsletter ​​           

      Well, winter still has not let go of us.  Snow and cold is forecasted for as far as the weather person can predict!  Well, with red tractors at my disposal, I’m not really worried. Now, if they were green or orange, well, then I would be very worried!  I think they are allergic to tough weather! 

PRODUCER MEETINGS:
      A big thank you to Dr. Kurt and Krysty, our sponsors at Boehringer Ingelheim, and to all those who attended our Calf Meeting held on Feb. 19 at the VFW Post hall. We covered calving and post calving management and it was great to see such a high turnout… 77 people! This just goes to show what a high interest our clients have in increasing their knowledge base! 
Some in the crowd appreciated John’s ability to actually demonstrate a calving.  It was a worthy performance. According to John, it was, “Damned good!” Yup.

​Dr. Kurt had several very good points during his presentation:

• Keep Baby Calves Clean, Dry, & Out of the Wind. Two out of these three is acceptable.
• ​The calf needs high immunoglobulin colostrum within the first several hours of birth. If it isn’t nursing adequately, feed 10% of its body weight in colostrum (Approx.1-1.5 gallons)
• Feed ASAP due to gut closure. By 24 hours gut closure is complete.

John demonstrating a normal birth presentation.

John demonstrating an abnormal birth presentation.

​      Next Producer Meeting: 6 Factors of Dairy Financial  Success will be a lunch meeting at 12:30 on March 19th at the VFW on the east side of Reedsburg. We will review six specific dairy production factors that drive success on a dairy as measured by net farm income. This is very important information that can seriously impact your bottom line. This meeting is sponsored by Zoetis and will feature Dr. Matt Boyle as our speaker. This should be an especially great meeting for dairy producers! So we can plan for food, please call to RSVP by Friday, Mar. 15th. (Jill thanks you!)

      Foot Wraps with Possible Milk Residues
Dr. Darren recently read an article where researchers examined how levels of tetracycline powder in foot wraps could potentially cause a milk residue. In Canada the allowable limit of tetracycline in milk is 100 ppb, however in the US it is 300 ppb.  In this study, with two feet wrapped with 25 grams of powder, the level of tetracycline was 244 ppb, which would be a violation in Canada; however, it would not be a violation in the US.  What does this mean for you? The advice we are giving at this time is: If you have a cow with 2 or more feet wrapped with tetracycline at the same time, we are recommending a hold on her milk for as long as the wraps are on.  
You create a healthy wonderful product which is turned into a multitude of additional items used by both people and industry.  Every load of milk is tested for antibiotics at the farm and plant. It is a very safe product. Can you have a hot load from feet wraps?  If you had a cow with severe foot rot or hairy heel warts on 2 or more feet and tetracycline was used, although unlikely, it is possible.
✸It is noteworthy that treatment with tetracycline has not been effective in curing John of his toe fungus issues. Just sayin.

      March Farm Cat Special: Now is the time to call to get your cats fixed.  Got to many? Spay and neuter them with our Farm Cat Special for SVS clients only.  Male Neuter = $30.00, Female Spay = $45.00
There are a few stipulations for the Farm Cat Special:                                                                                                        

1. All cats must be in a carrier or a "Live" trap
2. Any fleas or internal parasites noted at the time of the procedure will be treated at an additional cost to the owner. (Approximately $17/cat)
3. A surgical appointment is required to be made so we can save you a spot.
4. To keep costs low, no pain medications will be included in the price of surgery. Owners may elect to have their cats receive pain meds at an additional cost based on the cat’s weight.
5. Proof of Rabies Vaccine needs to be provided. If no vaccination has been performed, the cat will receive a Rabies Vaccine on the day of surgery at a reduced cost of $5.
6. A $10 Distemper Vaccine can also be administered to your cats on the day of surgery if you choose. If this is their first vaccination, a 2nd distemper booster should be given 3-4 weeks later. The booster vaccine can be dispensed to you, for you to administer at home.
7. To receive this special pricing, payment for these services is required at time of service.

★Note: Bring in 3 or more cats on the same day & receive an additional discount of 10% off your cat’s surgical bill.
BSE: What Is It and Why You Should Do It.

      A BSE is a Breeding Soundness Exam that is done on breeding bulls.  We can do them on either beef or dairy bulls of breeding ages >12 months old.  We evaluate the bulls physical structure, feet, legs, and reproductive tract. The testicles will be measured and we collect semen to examine through a microscope. Which bulls should be tested?  All of them!  Young virgin bulls can fail their BSE just as a mature bull can fail. And just because a bull passed last year does not mean that it will pass this year. This is a test that should be repeated annually. Age or outward physical appearance does not correlate with passing/failing a BSE.  When we test, the bull can either pass or it can fail, in which case we might suggest retesting them.  If the bull does fail, although we can retest them, we’d suggest getting a fertile bull right away versus waiting to see if the one you have will improve.  
How much does a BSE cost?  We charge $25 per exam. That does not include our time or chute if needed. Total cost is usually about $100-150 for a single bull.  Will doing a BSE give you a good return on your investment?  How much does a herd of open cows cost? A cow needs to wean a calf every year at 500 lbs for $1.50 per pound = $750.  Let’s say you have 6 out of 25 cows open. That’s a loss of $4,500 for this year. Spend $150 to make $4,500. Makes sense doesn’t it? Some people say it’s a bull insurance policy.  However you look at it, test those bulls. Stay ahead of the game. When we come out to preg check your herd, if we find open cows, we might suggest a BSE on the breeding bull, but by then valuable time and money are already lost.  

Drug Updates: Some products are on backorder and other products are not being made anymore.  
On Manufacturer Backorder: Cystorelin, Penicillin, Xylazine tranquilizer, and Polyflex.  We may have some of these coming in, but availability is very limited and we do not have a definite time when they will be available again. Just check in with us.
Items Not Being Made Anymore: Aspirin, Urea uterine boluses.
These are all beyond our control. We just want to try to keep you in the loop for your information.  

If anyone has any thoughts regarding John and his toe fungus issue, by all means let him have it.  :)

​Sunrise Vet Services  February 2019 Producer Newsletter ​​   

      Great googly moogly it was cold the last few days! WOW, even my head got cold while I was talking.  That much hot air and I still couldn’t keep the noggin warm!  I did learn several things in the ultra cold weather.
1. The mighty Chevy diesel did just fine. It just ran for 72 hours straight without being shut off… not kidding.2. I set a new personal record of -40 degrees outside temp while I worked (outside that is of course!)
3. I never knew nose and ear hair would respond to such cold weather with such explosive growth! Too bad it’s not working for the top of my head!  :(

      Hopefully everyone got through the cold blast with minimal problems, i.e. frozen pipes, equipment breakdowns, etc.  If any of your cattle did get frostbite, it may take several days to a week to have the damaged tissue show up.  Unfortunately there is nothing we can do to correct frozen tissue.  A calf can live without ear tips or even missing some of its tail; however, they need to have 4 good feet to walk on and grow properly.  If the damage is too severe, the animal should be put down to ease its suffering.  
 
Producer Meetings Update:  

• We have a dinner meeting set for Tues. Feb. 19th at 6pm at the VFW that will be featuring a panel of the Sunrise Vet Doctors!!! They will be discussing Calves & Calving with information that you might not be aware of but that the doctors WISH everyone knew. This meeting is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and will also feature Dr. Curt Vlietstra discussing the 5 "C"s of calf care as well as vaccines. This would be a great meeting for both beef producers as well as dairy folks.
• We have a late lunch meeting set for Tuesday, March 19 at 12:30 at the VFW on 6 Factors of Dairy Financial  Success. We will review six specific dairy production factors that drive success on a dairy as measured by net farm income. This meeting is sponsored by Zoetis and will feature Dr. Matt Boyle as our speaker. This should be an especially great meeting for dairy producers!
• Please call to RSVP at least 2 days before each mtg so we can plan for food. (Jill thanks you!)

 
BQA: Beef Quality Assurance program.  
BQA promotes beef (all types beef and dairy beef) by several means. With added training, producers are making a quality product even better.  Beef consistency for eating, tenderness, cuttability, and taste is being improved.  Residues continue to be reduced with better record keeping. By having a better product I hope you get paid better.  Several sale barns/buyers are requiring BQA certification to be on file when selling cattle. You can take classes online (BQA info: https://bqa.beeflearningcenter.org/ ) and several counties are offering in person training also. The Sauk County Ag agent is hoping to have an in person class in April. You can call the Sauk County Extension office at 355-3250 and ask for the ag agent once we get farther into spring for more info on that class. I took the class online and it didn’t take very long. Once you finish, you can print your certificate and send or FAX it along with your consignment information to your sale barns of choice.
 
4-H Farm & Tractor Safety Course: Do you have anyone in your family between the ages of 12 and 18? If so, you might be interested in this 4-H program being offered. For under age individuals to be able to legally drive a tractor off farm, other than immediately across the road, they must have
received tractor certification.  Also, If you will be driving on the grounds of the Steam & Gas Show,
you have to be certified. So the Sauk County Extension program is offering a 4-H Farm & Tractor Safety Course which is open to anyone 12 years old and up.  The classes will
be held at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 325 Mill Street, Loganville every Tuesday evening from
4:30PM to 8:30PM February 5 through March 12, with the final driving test on March 16. You must attend all classes; 24 hours of education-training is a certification requirement. To register contact the Sauk County UW Extension Office at 608-355-3250 by January 28. (Cost is $25/ person with checks written out to Sauk County 4-H & mailed to 505 Broadway, Baraboo, WI  53913.
 
As a thank you to just OUR farm clients, Sunrise would once again like to offer low cost spays & neuters for your barn cats on Thursdays during the months of MARCH and again in AUGUST 2019. We will not be advertising this service to the public; It will only be available to you, our dedicated clients. If you’d like to bring in a cat or cats for surgery, just give us a call at the clinic so we can get them scheduled into a surgery slot before we get booked up. Because we will continue regular business at our small animal hospital during this time and because we need to assure that all of our clientele, staff, and patients stay safe and healthy, there are a few stipulations:

1. All cats must be in a carrier. Live traps are acceptable.
2. Any fleas or internal parasites noted at the time of the procedure will be treated at an additional cost to the owner. (Approximately $17/cat)
3. A surgical appointment is required to be made so we can save you a spot.
4. To keep costs low, no pain medications will be included in the price of surgery. Owners may elect to have their cats receive pain meds at an additional cost based on the cat’s weight.
5. Proof of Rabies Vaccine needs to be provided. If no vaccination has been performed, the cat will receive a Rabies Vaccine on the day of surgery at a reduced cost as part of this promotion. (See prices below)
6. If you choose, a Distemper Vaccine can also be administered to your cats on the day of surgery. If this is their first vaccination, a 2nd booster vaccine should be given 3-4 weeks later. The booster vaccine can be dispensed to you, for administration at home.
7. To receive this special pricing, payment for these services is required at time of service.

Special Prices for Farm Cat Surgeries:  Female Spay- $45.00    Male Neuter- $30.00
Vaccine Prices for Cats Participating in the Farm Cat Surgery Special:  Rabies $5.00   Cat Distemper $10.00
★Note: Bring in 3 or more cats on the same day & receive an additional discount of 10% off your cat’s surgical bill.
 
Thanks to all those who made and bid on items for the United Fund Radio Auction!!!  My sweet tooth has been satisfied for the next several weeks. Hats off to Gavin Bros. for trying to keep up with my auctioneering skills.  I thought I heard them saying something after the auction on how “special” my auction technique was.  If that’s not a complement, I don’t know what is!

 

Sunrise Vet Services  January 2019 Producer Newsletter ​​

​      Alas, 2018 has come and gone.  Well, what did I learn during this past year?  
Lesson 1:  Boy, I am just too damn good at the naked rain dance.  I think I may be in a 
league above “Supreme Professional” based on my results! 
Lesson 2:  When it rains for 6 weeks in the fall, it’s darn tough to make corn silage. ​
Lesson 3:  2018 was a tough year for everything in agriculture; dairy, beef, corn, beans, even for picking rocks it was a down year! 
Lesson 4:  In my many visits with farmers, no one is sad to see 2018 go into the history books.
Lesson 5:  We lost some good people and farms this year, but we also met new people and gained some fantastic farms, and we’ve enjoyed new babies coming into this world.

      Producer Meetings Update:
We are currently trying to nail down dates on two meetings, but this is what we are tentatively looking at: 

1. Thursday Feb. 28: Dinner Mtg on Calving: What We Wish You Knew & the 5 C's of Calf Care. From labor signs to watch for to delivery and afterwards. Sponsored by BI: Speakers will be Dr. John and Dr. Kurt Vliestra.
2. Tues. Mar. 12: Noon Mtg on Financial Benchmarks and Management Strategies of a  Successful Farming Enterprise Sponsored by Zoetis: Speaker will be Kevin Boyle.

      Just a Reminder:
As of Jan. 1st, we need to have all pet services paid for at the time of service in the clinic. If seen on the farm, you will receive an invoice right away that needs to be paid for separately from your farm invoice that is sent at the end of the month.

      Farm Transition Planning: Get started now! Don’t delay! I recently had a talk with a client about this.  Her parents are both in their early 90’s and have been living on the home farm.  The elderly wife had to go to a nursing home because of health reasons. Their out of pocket cost is $9,000 per month.  Yes that is $108,000 per year! In talking with her dad, he said, “I wish we had done something 5 years ago to help prepare for this.”  I believe nursing homes also have the right/ability to go back for up to 5 years to garnish your money that you have to pay for your stay at the nursing home. Your farm is the largest asset you will have in your lifetime.  It is well worth spending time with a lawyer and accountant to set up a plan for what will happen with the farm, equipment, cattle, etc.  If it costs you $1,000 for their time, but you save $30,000-$100,000 in the long run, then that is a fantastic return on investment. Please take the time to set everything up the way you want.  Once you’re gone, if you did not have your wishes written down and legally recorded, no one will be able to read your thoughts and fulfill your wishes.

      Even with the weather acting the way it has, pneumonia has not raised it ugly head lately. However, remember that your cattle live outside 24/7, and if they live on a bedding pack, the warmer the weather, the more the pack will break down and create ammonia.  And the presence of ammonia leads to pneumonia. Clean, dry, and fresh air helps keep the vet away. Manage your curtains daily to help control moisture levels in your buildings. It hasn’t been terribly cold this winter yet, so keep moving those curtains up and down as the temperatures change.  

      By the way, we will soon be launching our “Sunrise Attire Photo Contest” on Facebook so we encourage you to use your imagination and to post some interesting poses in some interesting settings while showing off your Sunrise Veterinary Services articles of clothing. Ham it up… Funny is good... And the winner will receive a free Kwik Trip dinner on John! (P.S. Don’t get too excited. It’s not an “all you can eat” dinner after all.)

      Oh, by the way; No one got me anything from my Christmas list, but I was lucky enough to get a lump of coal from everyone at the office.  I told them that with enough heat and pressure, I am going to turn that coal into a diamond! I’m thinking it will be about 12.75 carats when I am done with it.  So if you see me sitting in my truck with a serious look of concentration on my face, please don’t interrupt me as I am probably busy applying pressure and heat to my lump of coal! After all, everyone knows that I am but an unpolished diamond on the inside, right?