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Safe sheep transport

She’ll be right! Wikipedia described this frequently used saying as expressing the belief that "whatever is wrong will right itself with time". This is a common attitude for us Kiwis, but when it comes to stock injuries, it’s usually best to play it safe. Recently one of our vets went out to examine an animal for a transport certificate. It had a healed injury, but there was no record of us seeing the animal for its initial problem. When it came to writing the certificate, it was very diffic...

Hogget mating: Getting it right

While some farmers consistently achieve good results with hogget mating, for others it can turn into a disaster. Poor scanning percentages, lambing difficulties, effects on future performance and longevity in the flock can be reasons why hogget mating is not for every farm or should be performed every season. However, hogget mating does have the potential to greatly improve your on farm productivity, with extra lambs on the ground. If you are considering hogget mating for the first time, or if y...

Drenching deer – what’s the latest?

For most deer farms the threat of internal parasites represents one of the most significant animal health issues that their animals and business will face. At this time of year fawns are beginning to eat significant amounts of grass and with it, they will be developing a worm burden. Having had a Spring and Summer that have been mild and wet, it is likely parasites will be around in heavier numbers than during the dry Summers of the last two seasons. Hence, some farms will need to think about a ...

Twisted gut in working dogs

Gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), often referred to as “a twisted gut” is a common, life threatening condition in large, deep chested dogs around the world. In NZ there is a high incidence of this condition in Huntaway working dogs. GDV is invariably fatal unless treated with emergency surgery, and even with the most advanced treatment some dogs do not survive. A gastropexy is a procedure in which the stomach wall is adhered to the abdominal wall in order to prevent the stomach from twistin...

How is your milk quality?

To state the obvious, dairy farming is about producing milk, and for the most part, the focus has always been that healthy cows produce quality milk. For some farms it is not always that easy, and somatic cell counts or mastitis levels can get out of control. Did you know that for about every 100,000 cells/mL lower your BMSCC drops, milk production increases by about 3 %? Did you also know that a single case of mastitis is estimated to cost around $200 and can also hugely impact on conception ra...

Reducing antimicrobial use with VetSouth

Responsible antimicrobial use is not always straight forward and requires enhanced communication between farmers and vets as well as advisory support when navigating the challenge of change on farm. As part of a knowledge exchange trip to New Zealand, I have been helping VetSouth with farmer and vet workshops to discuss animal health, wellbeing and reducing antimicrobial use. In the UK, we have reduced antimicrobial use (AMU) across the food producing sector year on year. There has been a 53% de...

Calf rearing debrief

At our ‘Wean Soirée’ events in Gore and Winton, some of our local calf rearers shared some of their challenges and key learnings. While many are out of their control - such as the weather - they shared a great list of things they do. The discussions, bubbles and food was great and an interesting challenge was the interference of fathers/husbands and grandfathers! The biggest takeaway tips and tricks suggested by the calf rearers were: Weak Calves Get poorly calves on electrolytes asap.Using...

Stock die due to copper toxicity

As we all know, copper is an extremely important trace element that has a large effect on many different parts of the dairy cow. A cows’ copper status impacts significantly on; fertility, growth rates, bone structure, liver and red blood cell health, immune system as well as many other systems. Because of this it is really important to get their levels right to have a highly functioning modern dairy cow. Typically we think of copper status having its biggest effect on subclinical disease e.g. ...

Development of farmer-led regional Sustainable Health Groups

Are you interested in driving changes in disease management on farms, with particular reference to reducing antimicrobial use in animals? This project centres on a participatory, farmer-lead approach, providing support to farmers who have taken on practical strategies to reduce antimicrobial use on farms. Farmers across the Southland and South Otago regions, across all sectors (dairy, beef, sheep and deer) will have opportunities to be involved to varying degrees. Farmers will be given the oppo...

Christmas vaccinations

Holiday Season is fast approaching and it’s almost time for us all to take a well-earned break – including your dog. Holiday time for your dog, whether it’s at the local boarding kennels or at the crib, sees an increased risk of exposure to diseases....

Cow scanning – ultrasound for pregnancy

Pregnancy scanning is a great management tool to work out which cows are empty for next season as well as aging pregnancies to create groups based on calving dates. Early aged scanning also allows you to get 3 and 6 week in calf rates which are key performance indicators for how your mating season has gone. It also allows for greater information to work out which areas need to be improved on for next season....

Animals and fireworks

While Guy Fawkes can be great fun, looking at the sky full of fireworks, the noise and reverberations can be really traumatic to pets. Tips for owners Reduce visual exposure and muffle sounds.Keeping a radio going can distract from the noise outside.Provide a safe secure indoor space. Keep calm and provide quiet reassurance, avoid inadvertent reinforcement of anxiety by excessive treat giving or making a fuss.Microchip your pet to ensure they can be returned home if they do run off and become lo...

Bull semen testing

Although it may feel like calving has only just started, already it’s not long until thoughts shift towards mating. Whilst it is important to ensure your cows are in good condition and have plenty of feed, it is also vital to remember the other key player in your mating success - bulls. Bulls must be in tip-top shape in order to achieve maximum success at mating time. Condition should be on target (BCS 6-7) and they should not be suffering from any disease or illness. In addition, all bulls sh...

Flea survey results

Check out the results of our 2018/19 survey on flea prevalence in Southland. TOTALS...

New protocol for non-cycling cows

This year there has been an exciting new study published about altering the prostaglandin (PG) injection in New Zealand dairy cows and that has shown some great results. Outlined below is the standard program that we have used for treating non-cycling cows in VetSouth over previous years....

Tailing lambs

Farmers are nothing if not innovative, and one of the privileges of working in the industry is working alongside people prepared to innovate and change and lead. Things have certainly moved on in the 20 years that I’ve been down in Southland, and change has been the order of the day. What’s been particularly good is the way farmers down South have front-footed change. Leading and setting the agenda in a system that we understand inherently is always better than having change forced on you by...

Oxidative stress in horses

Oxidative stress has become an area of increasing interest in research both in human and equine sports medicine. The importance of antioxidants for health continues to be popular in the media with numerous products claiming their additional antioxidant will enhance health and performance for both you and your animals. Basically speaking, the imbalance between of excessive oxidants and insufficient antioxidants, contributes to day-to-day and long term physiological conditions, through oxidative s...

Sheep bearing

What's happening in the world of ewe bearings? Unfortunately we are still limited to what we learnt back in 2001 about bearings in ewes from a trial carried out in Southland and the Hawkes Bay. The following have been associated with increased risks of bearings in ewes Access to salt in late pregnancyFeeding swedes late pregnancyModerate to steep paddocksTriplet ewes at highest risk, then twinsShearing in the first half of pregnancy You may be able to reduce your risk by keeping triplet (and twi...

WelCalf: Colostrum is key

Did you have issues with your calves last season? Did they get scours or not do as well as you wanted them to? Would you like to improve or optimise your calf rearing system? If so, we have the answer - WelCalf. There is a lot of new research about the importance of gold colostrum to newborn calves, with an estimated 33% of calves suffering from failure of passive transfer (FPT) in New Zealand systems, and 91.3% of tested samples having higher than the target threshold value of bacterial counts ...

Transporting cows

Ever wondered if a cow or calf is okay to be trucked? Want easy access to information about transporting stock? The ‘Fit for Transport’ app is perfect for you (it’s free)! This app was created by MPI to help farmers, transporters, stock agents and vets make the right decision for the welfare of animals in regards to transport. It is easy to use and provides information to help with decision making. Check it out here: Apple Store - Google Play(Android) Just click on the clinical sign or d...

Ewe condition

Body condition scoring is a really quick, cheap and easy way to assess how your ewe flock is going. It gives you the ability to compare your flock without having to worry about factors such as breed, live weight, frame, gut fill and stage of pregnancy. Done at key times during the year, it can increase your production significantly by increasing the kilograms and number of lambs weaned per hectare and increasing weaning weights of these lambs. Ideally you should be BCS every time the ewes are in...

Horse wound first aid

Wounds on horses, especially to their legs, are common. Being a ‘flight’ animal and choosing to run from danger, they are often involved in tangles with fences. Their long legs have little cover over the bone, meaning skin will easily be ripped, exposing any soft tissue structures below as well as the bone itself. Luckily most leg injuries occur on the front surface of the legs which don’t have as many important vital structures (like tendons) as the back surface. When veterinary assistanc...

Mating hoggets

The potential of hogget mating was realized as early as 1959. About one-third of the ewe hoggets are bred each year across New Zealand. Along with a number of benefits there are equal costs associated with hogget mating, for example, you get the benefit of more lambs on the ground, however, you need to have plenty feed available to feed the extra lambs. Therefore, it may not suit every farm. The following targets can serve as a guideline to help you decide whether or not hogget mating should be ...

Report bleak on antibiotic resistance

A report to the United Nations paints an alarming picture of rapidly emerging antimicrobial drug resistance with agriculture among industries being called on to invest more in developing alternative treatments and to collaborate with the human health sector. Antibiotics are typically the main antimicrobial drug class used against bacterial infection. The high-level report produced by the UN’s antimicrobial resistance group demands ambitious and immediate action on an issue it says will lead to...

Treating rain scald and mud fever

The onset of Autumn normally coincides with an increase in rainfall, humidity and the presence of ideal conditions for the proliferation of bacterial and fungal diseases. Skin conditions including mudfever and rain scald are common at this time of year and we frequently field phone calls asking for advice on how to treat mud fever and rain scald....