Back to Blog

Pregnant ewe management to reduce bearings

We are not going to be in your letter box again with Field Notes until November, so here are some key points to be aware of to help minimise your risk of bearings this season....

Opportunities at scanning time

Scanning is a great opportunity to plan and review in the lead up to lambing. There are also lots of things that you can do while the ewes are handy to the yards - making the most of their time off feed....

Managing worm larval challenge in your paddocks

With the prevalence of drench-resistant worms on the rise among sheep and cattle in Southland, there is no time like the present to work on a sustainable parasite management plan for your farm.As well as ensuring drenches are used effectively, we can utilise pasture management plans to control the larval challenge that our animals are exposed to. Preventing the consumption of high larval burdens is critical to limiting the effects on animal health and productivity....

Dog vaccinations

A healthy working dog team makes life much more enjoyable and less stressful. Vaccination plays a key role in this. There are two key vaccines that we recommend your team stays up to date with. These are what we call the ‘core’ vaccine and canine cough. The ‘core’ vaccine helps to protect against:Canine distemperInfectious canine hepatitis Adenovirus respiratory diseaseParainfluenzaCanine parvovirus enteritis (parvo).Of the above, parvo is of most concern. A young pup that beco...

Horse vetting: The pre-purchase examination

Having a horse checked out, or "vetted", before buying is an age-old tradition in equine circles. It is a good idea, especially where you can't get to see the horse and you would like an independent set of eyes to check it over.It's also helpful if the horse has something you are not quite sure about and need an opinion on; like a melanoma in a grey horse.A pre-purchase examination by a vet can be reassuring to people who are risk averse, have had a bad experience with a purchase in the past, an...

The four pillars of optimal horse health

Teeth care is essential for horses to optimise chewing of their food. We recommend an oral examination at least once a year, unless you are advised to do this more regularly after your first visit. Horses’ teeth continually erupt throughout their life and due to chewing in a figure eight motion, as well as the greater quantities of concentrated feed horses consume these days, they can develop sharp points which can cause discomfort during riding. This can also lead to an unbalan...

The naughty pony – is it pain or just a game?

Over the last few months, we have been seeing an increasing number of horses and ponies that have started to display naughty behaviour. Some of these animals are newly acquired and therefore their ‘quirks’ are unknown. Others, however, are good, honest horses that have been in their owner's possession for some time, before gradually or suddenly developing untoward behaviour that is completely out of character for that animal. ...

Hoof abscess season is nigh!

There are several proactive measures we can take to help minimise the risk of hoof abscesses occurring in our equine friends.Important measures that aid in the prevention of hoof abscesses include maintaining excellent hoof health, and creating better environmental conditions for the feet.Many horses have shoes removed over the winter, but it is important that the feet continue to have regular trimming to prevent long toes, stretched white lines, and cracks - all of which provide paths of entry ...

Autumnal tones before the winter blues

It is a rare treat for Southland to have had two warm, dry summers in a row. Like last year, this summer seemed to never want to end...but then came a cold front, and the realisation that winter is approaching. The last few weeks have seen horses quickly grow their winter coats and after some much welcome rain, the mud has unfortunately made its return.Like other livestock species in the region, the dry summer has presented many challenges for horses from both a health and performance point...

Meet the 2023 new grads

Demand for vets is nothing new and it has been increasing annually.Our recruitment team is working relentlessly to ensure that our clinics continue to provide the excellent health care and services that we all expect for our animals.Each year, we welcome fresh faces to our veterinary teams. So, let’s meet the latest tranche of graduates who have joined our teams across Winton, Gore and Invercargill:...

Shining a light on our superstar techs

Vet technicians are fast becoming a highly sought-after addition to New Zealand veterinary practices. They were recently referred to as the “Teslas of the veterinary industry” (efficient and full of skills, yet difficult to replace if something goes wrong).Here at VetSouth, we are very lucky to have an amazing team of techs to support us and our clients.So, what do they do? Winton tech Brittany is getting prepared for the busiest time of year for techs, and shares her thoughts on t...

New retail head brings client relationships to the forefront

“In my first few weeks, I have learnt that VetSouth is a unique business in the amount of touch points it has with its clients. I see my role is to help the experience flow down through to the retail chain offering, so that clients know they are valued, are being looked after and will want to return.”Born and bred Southlander Steve Kelly has recently joined the VetSouth team as our new retail sales manager and has hit the ground running, with a passion for ensuring our clients get access to ...

Monitoring parasite burden

With a constant stream of decisions to make and work to be done on-farm, new technology that makes it easier for farmers to manage their animal health needs gets a thumbs up from us.We have just received some new faecal egg count machines that, once set up, will be able to give us results in less than 5 minutes, which we are pretty excited about!The Parasight system was born in Australia to combat the rise of anthelmintic (drench) resistance. The portable push-button machines show you an image o...

Value of a KeyVet

Our team is made up of specific vets, technicians and support staff who are your main points of contact. We believe that dealing with the same team helps us to build a “whole farm picture” and provides you with a better service. We want to get to know you, your staff, your animals and your goals and help you develop systems to achieve them.You have direct access to our team by mobile phone, but please still ring the clinic phone to book in visits, or for after hours emergencies (emergen...

Dairy cow nutrition at dry off

The dry period is an important time of the season for heavily pregnant cows, as it is a time for ‘restoration’ and ‘preparation’. Restoration: Milk glands in the udder need some time to recover in order to get ready for another year of milk production. Preparation: The cow can focus on putting more energy into her fast growing foetus in order to have a smooth calving that marks the start of another lactation year.There are a lot of changes that occur in a dairy cow around the time of dry...

Two-tooths: Less treating, more testing

It is well established within the farming community that mixed age ewes, outside of a few very particular sets of circumstances (drought/starvation), do not need to be drenched routinely.This is because a healthy ewe’s immune system should be perfectly capable of keeping her parasite burden well under control.We often find that older ewes who are losing condition have other diseases and comorbidities (more than one, often chronic disease), such as gut cancer, poor teeth or johne's disease, whi...

Fertiliser prices may have a bigger impact

We find ourselves in a very challenging farming environment. Our farmers are making significant strategic decisions every day to manage animal production and cash flow.If you are changing your fertiliser application schedule in light of increased prices (not putting on maintenance, reducing the area covered, etc), I urge you to consider how your stock will receive their selenium this season.We have seen in the past when selenium prills are missed - even for just one year - that the stock have be...

Preparing ewes for next spring

Next spring seems ages away, but your recent weaning weights will have given you the best indication of how last spring went, making now the ideal time to prepare for lamb growth in the 2023-24 season.Would you like to go into the winter with ‘guaranteed knowledge’ that you have sufficient feed and body condition to have a successful lambing and lactation season to look forward to?The supplementary feed situation for this winter is looking good, with lots of excess pastures being bailed up o...

How to maximise weaner growth

They have lower feed intake and low liveweight (LW) gain in winter, with shorter daylight length, and high intake and potentially high LW gain in spring and summer, with increased daylight length.Slow winter growth is a function of both lower appetite and greater need for heat regulation. To meet chilled season targets, deer need to gain a minimum of 185g/d over the autumn.Weaners are not as sensitive to day-length as older deer, so have the potential to grow well in autumn. There are, however, ...

Bearing prevention

Bearings have long been a sore point for sheep farmers (and sheep) in the South, with little scientifically proven about the cause of them.There are, however, some things that you CAN do now to help to reduce the incidence of bearings in your flock in late gestation....

Beef weaning tips

Weaning your calves is a big day for your business and for your stock. However, smooth and successful weaning starts long before ‘separation day’, and ensuring optimal cow and calf health continues long after it.Here are some tips for each stage to help you get the most out of your calves....

Scrotal mange in rams

Chorioptes mange, more commonly known as Scrotal Mange, is an important condition seen in NZ rams.The causative mite, Chorioptes bovis, lives and feeds on the skin of sheep, goats, cattle and horses. In sheep, ewes and lambs can both carry the mite, however it is most significant in rams.How does it present in sheep?Affected sheep usually haveThickened skin,Hair loss,Exudate (fluid that oozes out from blood vessels, especially as a result of a lesion or inflammation), andScabby formations on the...

Campylobacter always waiting in the wings

For West Otago farmer Richard Young, the mathematics was simple and pretty compelling. Do you risk a potential 5–10% loss in your lamb crop each year, or do you prevent that loss with a vaccination programme?...

Winton’s ‘rock’ becomes local shareholder

Production animal vet Keryn Cresswell has become the latest of our experienced vets to buy into VetSouth.Many of our Winton clients will recognise Keryn Creswell as a talented and dedicated production animal vet at VetSouth. After around 12.5 years of working with us, Keryn has decided to buy into the business, becoming the latest local shareholder and further strengthening our ties to the communities in which we work.Keryn started her vet career with us as a mixed animal vet, but now focus...

Combatting Campy with annual boosters

Many of our farmers are already vaccinating for Campylobacter in a bid to prevent abortion storms at lambing time. But, how many of you are topping up your flocks?With over half of M/A ewes shown to still be naïve to the bacteria, it may be time to rethink your vaccination plan to cover all of your flock (rather than just maiden ewes) and to introduce a third shot, or even an annual booster....