Jason Koski/University Photography

During a Dec. 8 hospital tour, Dr. Thomas Divers talks about Stella, a fistulated cow that has undergone surgery to create an external opening into the rumen, the largest of the cow's four stomach compartments. Animal care support staff Maria Lant, left, and Hannah Hottel, right, DVM Class of 2010, assist with the tour.

The Farm Animal Hospital of Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine hosted a free, one-day seminar Dec. 8 to inform dairy cattle owners about diagnostics and treatments available at the hospital.

Cornell's animal hospital is a referral hospital intended to provide tertiary care for valuable cattle that cannot adequately be treated on the farm.

The seminar was attended by 24 dairy cattle owners and farmers, referring veterinarians and the local media. Participants discussed services available at Cornell's Farm Animal Hospital, including intestinal surgery, fracture repair, downer cows (those that have fallen ill) and the costs associated with the most common referrals.