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Rearing lambs

Here is a summary of conditions we recommend for best health outcomes for rearing orphan lambs.From day 1, the essential conditions and requirements are: Warm, dry, draft free and clean space!Fresh straw/hay and meal/muesli feed should be available from day 1.Tube 3 x 250ml colostrum feeds within the first 24 hours.If lamb is weak/comatose: inject dextrose into abdomen (this must be done before warming the lamb up), tube colostrum into the stomach and place in a warmer or under heat lamps.Spray ...

Gastroenteritis in your pet

Gastroenteritis is inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract (stomach and the intestines) and is a common condition in cats and dogs. There are many factors that can lead to the condition, including: Changes in intestinal floraA food allergy or sensitivityGastrointestinal (GI) ulcersForeign bodiesIntestinal obstructionGenetic disease or predispositionIngestion of spoiled or raw foods, or of non-food itemsViruses (parvovirus, distemper, etc.)Intestinal parasitesGI cancers Signs to look out for T...

Large breed puppy nutrition

Large breed puppies are prone to developmental orthopaedic disease throughout their extended period of growth and skeletal development. This is influenced by genetics, nutrition, and the environment - including exercise and trauma.Common diseases include hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, patella luxation (dislocated kneecap), osteochondrosis (skeletal disorders), panosteitis (growing pains), hypertrophic osteodystrophy (auto-inflammatory bone disease) and carpus hyperextension/ laxity syndrome (ex...

Equine worms of importance

Equine parasites are a complex subject, especially with the recent changes in the guidelines for keeping them under control. There are around 20 or more internal parasites that can affect your horse. Some of these feed on the lining of your horse’s intestines, some attach themselves to the gut and cause irritation, and some travel through tissues, blood vessels, the liver and under the skin. The main worms of importance are: AscaridsSmall strongylesLarge strongylesPinwormsBotsLu...

Developing a risk-based deworming programme

Resistance to equine parasite drenches is increasing, within New Zealand and worldwide, with up to 70% of equine properties in New Zealand now having some degree of drench resistance.  Currently, the drench families are: Macrocyclic lactones (MLs) - these are the ones that end in -ectin (ivermectin, abamectin, moxidectin); Benzimidazoles (BZs) - these end in -endazole (fenbendazole, oxfendazole); Tetrahydropyrimidines - Pyrantel is the only drug in this family that we us...

Worms, worms, worms – changes to equine parasite control guidelines

Up to 70% of equine properties in New Zealand now have some degree of drench resistance. This growth in resistance, which has been seen worldwide, has led to changes in advice around equine parasite management practices in recent years.  Most equine parasites are transmitted by horses ingesting the larvae from infected faeces while grazing. If present in large numbers, these parasites have the potential to severely affect equine health and can result in poor body condition, colic, and ...

Dumper the dog’s senior health check

In general, the most common health issues older dogs develop are hearing and vision loss, dementia, cancer, heart problems, kidney issues, obesity, gastrointestinal issues, incontinence, and joint problems such as arthritis.  Typically, dogs will begin to show visible age-related changes at about 7-12 years of age, depending on their size and breed. Even if they are not displaying any obviously noticeable signs, they may be experiencing age-related deterioration, which could be allevia...

Top tips for assisted calvings

Last season, between July and November 2023, we were called out to assist with 665 calvings! Of these, 15 were for beefies (including 2 prolapses) and 650 were for dairy cows, with 67% of these considered “normal” calvings. So, it pays to be prepared to step in when necessary. Here are some top tips to help you navigate calving difficulties: 1. If you have made no progress after 10 minutes, call your vet for a hand. 2. Head ropes - never place it around just the calf's jaw, as this...

Inside the lamb shed

Lambing is always hectic and once the season starts you won’t have the time to keep dashing out for essentials. If you are going to be rearing lambs this year, it pays to have your lamb shed well prepared ahead of time!Here’s a guide to setting up a suitable lamb shed, with everything you may need to keep any lambs you bring in as healthy as possible from day one....

Farm dogs and milk powder – a dangerous combination

Milk powders containing coccidiostats can be beneficial when feeding young animals, but can be lethal if ingested by our pets.Picture this: cold, early mornings, mixing milk powder and warm water for our lambs and calves to get a belly full of warm milk for breakfast. Your trusty farm dog sniffing around in the background. You are thinking about the long list of things you need to get done that day. What you don’t need is an unexpected trip to the vet clinic with a very sick dog!Using milk pow...

Minimising mastitis

A common disease after calving, mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland caused by bacteria getting into the udder.While sub-clinical cases don’t have any outward changes, only a high somatic cell count, clinical cases can be visually identified. An affected cow’s udder will be hot, hard, swollen, and sore. Her milk will look different – it could be thinner or thicker than usual, or an unusual colour. She may appear uncomfortable and, as it becomes severe, be unwilling to move arou...

Is your cat a 'Fat Cat'? Avoiding feline obesity

A trend of increasing numbers of obese cats has been seen worldwide, and New Zealand is no exception, with one in four cats here classified as overweight or obese.  This extra weight has an impact on our feline friends’ health and quality of life. Many health concerns are linked to obesity, for instance arthritis and diabetes. It is common for owners not to recognise when their pet is overweight, or the health implications of being “cuddly.” This is backed up by research tha...

Is pet insurance worthwhile?

We were recently asked about the value of pet insurance, so here are a few thoughts. As we all know, having a pet in the family is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and a privilege that comes with great responsibility. They give us unconditional love and loyalty, and in their time we all wish for them to receive proper care. Pet owning families hope that a serious accident or illness will never happen to their pet, but it often does. Pet insurance is a proven method to allow pet owners to be ...

Parvo in pups

Typical symptoms include vomiting, abdominal pain, and bloody diarrhoea, which results in the severe loss of body fluids and blood proteins, malabsorption of nutrients and increased secondary infections. Often there are increased case numbers in the summer months, but this year the rise continued into the autumn. Most of the infections were in unvaccinated puppies, but we also treated several unvaccinated young adult dogs.  Parvo is mainly spread through ingestion of the virus in ...

Effective lice control in sheep

The most effective lice control, using externally applied products, occurs when it is applied to sheep straight off the shears. That means within 24 hours of shearing when using a backline applied product. Some farmers favour using automatic jetting races but achieving full control with this method is difficult. If you are using a jetting race, do it as soon as possible after shearing, but expect that you may not get complete knock-down.  You may have heard of a new lice treatment...

Defying the odds: One dog’s amazing cancer journey

The week of his opening debut in West Otago Theatrical Society's production of Annie, Ruger, a 5-year-old Rottweiler, was diagnosed with the most aggressive bone cancer. Rather than "breaking a leg," Ruger lost a leg that week.  Amputation is the first course of action when it comes to bone cancer in the limbs; serving as both pain relief and an elimination of the primary lesion. The ability for animals to adjust is inspirational. Within three days after his surgery, Ruger was dragging...

Triple drench resistance is on the rise

Another faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) season has come to a close and we have had some concerning results, showing continued high levels of resistance to triple combination drenches and growing resistance to dual-actives. We performed a total of 10 reduction tests in 2024. Above is a graph showing the results (please note, not all farms tested for every drench). *It is also important to note that this is a small sample size and likely not fully representative of our area, but ...

Complete Calf Care: Growing great calves together

There is a lot of supporting evidence which shows that feeding calves well early on and getting them to target weights at key times will produce an animal that will repay you and more in the vat. While the financial impact is obvious, keeping animals in the herd for longer and having a single cow produce more also has a positive environmental impact, one which is currently a hot topic in the dairy industry.  Growing good youngstock is simple in theory. There are only a few boxes that m...

Rounding up repro results across the region

Thanks to all our dairy farmers who came out to help celebrate the wrap-up of the reproduction season at our two recent Repro Round-Up events in Gore and Winton. These evenings give us a chance to show our appreciation to our local farmers for using our services and being fantastic partners in the dairy industry. It was one of the best seasons we’ve had in a while, so it was great to highlight the results and come together for an awesome night off the farm ­– everyone scrubs up well!A key f...

Preventing zoonotic illnesses

They can be bacterial, viral, parasitical, or fungal. Below are some of the main ones to watch out for and ways to help protect yourself against them: ...

Arthritis in pets – how we can help

It affects one in five adult dogs and is even more common among older dogs. Cats can also develop arthritis as they get older, with around 90% of cats over 10 years old developing arthritis in at least one joint!  Many cases go undiagnosed because owners interpret the subtle changes in their pet to "slowing down" or "getting old". Unfortunately, arthritis is a progressive condition and there is no cure. However, you can work with your vet to design a treatment plan that will allev...

The importance of the transition period over calving

In my opinion, this is something that has traditionally been not well considered, and there are significant animal health and production benefits if prioritised!  Conversely, if done poorly, cows will enter into a negative energy balance, lose excessive condition and often enter a state of subclinical ketosis (SCK). Recent data has shown that, on average, 75% of cows within New Zealand are affected by subclinical ketosis at some stage during the calving period. There can be large ...

Could your pet have kidney disease?

Unfortunately, symptoms are often overlooked and put down to normal ageing. However, if kidney disease is diagnosed early, it can be treated, and its progression managed. The kidneys filter waste products from the blood and remove them from your pet’s body in urine. Their other functions include conserving water, releasing various hormones, controlling blood pressure, and regulating mineral levels, such as sodium and potassium. Some symptoms of kidney disease are very subtle, while o...

'Twisted gut' in working dogs

Gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), commonly called “twisted gut”, is one of the most important reasons that proven, hard working dogs are lost from your farm team. It has long been reported to be more common in deep chested, large breeds of dogs. It frequently happens in Huntaway dogs, but only occasionally in Heading dogs.Across all dog breeds, there is a higher incidence of GDV in male dogs than in females. Other predisposing factors leading to the condition include:Being underweight;...

Life without drench capsules – it is possible!

Long-acting drench capsules have been part of sheep farming history on some southern farms, and now we face a future without them. Some drench capsules are currently under review and we expect this to take some time. But, don’t despair - this change may save your bacon when it comes to drench resistance!There is no doubt that providing parasite control for 100 days during lambing and lactation supports ewes to make more milk, maintain their condition and grow bigger lambs. However, we can...