Vet mixes life's lessons

Once in a dairy practice with 50 veterinarians, Joseph Korn has brought some new ideas and is learning others as he settles in at Mid-Valley Veterinary Hospital in Orland.

Korn joined Gerald Aguiar and Michael Karle in the mixed small- and large-animal practice in July. Before that, the son of Holocaust survivors spent 12 years in Israel and 4 1/2 years in Togo, a small country in western Africa.

"In Israel, the focus is on monitoring metabolic diseases," Korn said. In particular, a stronger emphasis is placed on monitoring ketone levels shortly after dairy cows give birth.

He said veterinarians and dairy owners check cows 1-2 weeks after calfing. That way, if there are signs of ketosis, the disease is caught early and can be treated before becoming severe.

Here, Korn said, testing often is not done until symptoms appear — marked weight loss, decreased milk production and bad breath for example.

Ketone levels drop after birthing, resulting in ketosis, because the appetite decreases and cows do not get enough nutrients to meet their energy needs.

"It's an issue of energy balance" Korn said, indicating "a lot of energy" goes into making milk and cows "are not eating enough" right after giving birth.

Treating cases early can make a big difference in milk production and the cow's overall health, he added. So, he is talking with local dairy farmers about doing routine ketone tests in their cows.

Testing for ketosis is "very simple and not expensive," Korn said. Blood, urine or milk samples can be checked using testing strips that change color when the disease is present.

New to Korn since returning to the United States is doing ultrasounds for pregnancy just a few weeks after breeding, which, he noted, can save farmers time and money.

Of the cows he sees on his rounds in the Orland area, Korn said, "they are generally in good health. The dairymen here are very professional. ... They know their cows and they know when something's not right."

He also noted that dairy farmers have to be well-rounded.

"They are part doctor, part nutritionist, part computer expert, part mechanic and part crop farmer," he said.

Besides liking to work with dairy cows and dairy farmers, Korn enjoys treating small animals.

"I like it mixed," Korn said. "I like both. If I do just one, I miss the other."

Even while working in the large dairy practice in Israel, he had a small-animal practice on the side, he said.

Korn earned his veterinary degree from the University of California, Davis. From there, he worked in mixed practices in Kentucky and Togo.

Besides dogs and cats, he has worked with chickens, sheep, goats and other small animals, he said.

"I'm learning a lot. ... I'm getting into a broader range of treatments and medications," said Korn, who has been back in the United States after nearly 20 years. "It's real exciting."

While living abroad, flea and tick medicines were commonly applied to the back of the neck, like in the United States. But, Korn was surprised at how many more diseases can be treated in the same way.

Also new, he said, is a vaccine for melanoma recently was released for some animals, instead of radiation or chemotherapy.

Korn and his wife, Tamira, have two dogs and two cats — "all rescue animals."

He said he felt a special connection to Israel because of his parents. Both from Poland, his father, 87, and mother, 81, were liberated from separate concentration camps by U.S. soldiers.

They met and married in a refugee camp, then waited five years for a visa to the United States.

So, in part, having lived in Israel "gives meaning to my life," Korn said.

He and his wife returned to California because his now ailing parents live in San Jose. Tamira Korn's parents are in Kentucky.

As veterinarian, he likes being on call the least, he said. What he likes best is harder to narrow down.

"I like dealing with people," Korn said. But he also likes the "medicine part" — surgery, diagnosing, treating and seeing results.

"It's like being a detective."