Episode
Ectoparasites with Dr. Will McCauley
- Podcast
- American Cattlemen Podcast
- Published
- May 7, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1463
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/american-cattlemen-podcast-6597360/episodes/ectoparasites-with-dr-will-mccauley/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-cattlemen-podcast-6597360/ectoparasites-with-dr-will-mccauley.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Dustin Hector, he's the Director of Business Development for American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Dr. Will McCauley, Director of Industry and Government Relations Manager for Medgene. In this episode, Dr. McCauley and Dustin will dive into everything ectoparasites including, some examples of ectoparasites, how they harm cattle, and some preventative measures producers can take to minimize their damage. A three-time graduate of Texas A&M University, Dr. McCauley earned his DVM and MBA in 2012 and 2010, respectively. His career spans clinical practice, regulatory leadership, and corporate relations, including his previous role as Director of Corporate Relations at the Texas A&M Foundation. He is heavily involved in professional advocacy, serving on the Texas Veterinary Medical Association Board of Directors and maintaining active roles with the AVMA and the Brazos Valley VMA. Dr. McCauley explains that ectoparasites cause harm in two primary ways: as vectors transmitting infectious diseases and as a direct drag on performance. He highlights ticks as a major economic concern, noting that they cause billions of dollars in losses globally, largely due to the diseases they spread rather than their feeding alone. A timely example is Theileria, a blood-borne protozoan transmitted by the invasive Asian longhorned tick, which is spreading across parts of the United States and producing clinical signs similar to anaplasmosis, including anemia, lethargy, respiratory difficulty, and jaundice. Ectoparasites also reduce productivity even when they are not transmitting disease. Horn flies illustrate this second category of harm. These flies are widespread and feed aggressively, biting cattle dozens…