http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.vetsouth.co.nz en-us Tue, 10 Nov 2026 04:04:34 +1300 Rocketspark http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/172009/displaced-abomasum-the-early-lactation-ping-problem/ Cow 804 is a moderately sized kiwi cross in your herd that milks around 500 solids. She calved two weeks ago, and although she had milk fever, she’s already on track for exceeding her production history this season. You noticed that she had less milk yesterday afternoon, and this morning her production is still down. Your phone alerts you that her ruminations are low and by afternoon, you get your vet out and she’s standing next to 804 with her stethoscope on listening for a ‘ping.’ What... Wed, 28 Oct 2026 11:57:04 +1300 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post172009 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/171407/maximising-conception-rates/ Transition management sets the foundationTransition management is a key first step, and a well-considered transition from winter feed for your springer mobs is critically important. Poorly transitioned cows will be slower to recover rumination rate post calving, and this could potentially lead to a higher incidence of hypocalcaemia or at least subclinical hypocalcaemia. Poorly transitioned cows will have more endometritis and, as such, will return to oestrus later. Carrying out energy checks to ... Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:37:28 +1300 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post171407 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/171341/deer-fawning-the-importance-of-hind-condition-and-nutrition/ The target body condition score (BCS) of hinds throughout pregnancy and into fawning is 3.5. A BCS of 3 is moderate and 4 is good. Hinds should not be fat (greater than BCS 4.5) at fawning, as this will increase the risk of dystocia (fawning difficulty).Conversely, hinds that are thin at calving (less than BCS 2.5) may fail to rear a fawn or even survive. They certainly will not produce the quality of colostrum and quantity of milk required to maximise the growth potential of their fawns.Buildin... Wed, 07 Oct 2026 19:29:19 +1300 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post171341 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/171340/phantom-scanning-find-the-empty-cows/ Of the cows mated early, some farms can have phantom rates of up to 20%. Some of these cows will eventually have a very long return to heat, while others end up on the cull list.So, what can you do about it?Phantom cows will occur in all herds. The key is to find them early, while there is still time to get them back in calf. Cows that have not returned to heat can be scanned 5+ weeks after AI to confirm whether they are genuinely in calf. If they are empty, we can intervene and get them cy... Wed, 07 Oct 2026 19:20:16 +1300 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post171340 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/171339/weaning-dairy-calves-rumen-development/ When calves are born, the rumen is small and inactive; the abomasum is the main stomach being used at this time. As calves begin consuming meal, roughage and water, the rumen begins to develop. The rumen microorganisms grow rapidly when fed a high-quality meal and they produce volatile fatty acids, butyrate and propionate which help develop the rumen papillae.For a visual comparison of rumen development under different feeding regimes, see the photo series published by Penn State Extension. The ... Wed, 07 Oct 2026 19:09:07 +1300 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post171339 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/171337/pain-relief-at-tailing-and-castration/ Tailing is underway already for some, and demand for pain relief at painful procedures keeps growing, not just for merino contracts. Best practice is for all lambs to get some form of pain relief. As an industry we are working through what methods are both effective and safe, and there is no one easy answer as yet. This year, your veterinarian will sit down with you to work out the right approach for your farm.What we learned from last seasonMethods used across the country in 2025 included subcu... Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:36:54 +1300 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post171337 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/171187/preparation-for-beef-cow-mating-season/ It is a super quick turnaround for these girls to maintain a 12-month calving pattern, so they must be set up for success.  Feeding is a huge factor, but with calves at foot and a cold, wet spring, we have few options. Just keep in mind that they are more likely to conceive if they are in good condition and are consuming enough for lactation and maintenance (or above). If you can feed one group better, choose your first calving heifers as they will likely need the biggest boost.&n... Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:04:01 +1300 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post171187 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/169435/why-humerus-fractures-are-no-laughing-matter/ The catastrophic fractures occur when bones become weakened by decreased bone mass and increased bone resorption. They are typically seen at two key times: in the seven days either side of calving, or during peak lactation.An estimated 4,500 heifers are affected in NZ each year, and outbreaks can affect up to 10% of a single farm’s herd!For a long time, copper deficiency was thought to be the main culprit. This was due to affected animals being found to have low levels and the important role c... Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:28:13 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post169435 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/169288/twenty-years-of-swede-safari/ Some 20 years ago, when I was a fresh-faced new-grad vet, Mark came to a few of us with the words: “I’ve got an idea you could help me with…”There have been times I’ve regretted saying “yes” to a Mark Bryan idea. This definitely wasn’t one of them. The concept was two-fold. Wintering and farming stock in Southland is very different from what most vet students experience in the North Island. Meanwhile, Southland is a long way from New Z... Wed, 26 Aug 2026 14:25:40 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post169288 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/169274/plan-ahead-for-post-weaning-growth/ Now is a good time to think about weaning. I do realise that it's only September, but there are some things you can be thinking about now that will benefit post-weaning growth rates for your lambs. While you won’t be able to do this for all of them, you might be able to for some… In an ideal world, we would wean lambs onto pasture that has not had ewes lambing on it.  These pastures would have lower parasite challenge, and we know that is a big factor in achieving good lamb growth ... Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:05:40 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post169274