http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.vetsouth.co.nz en-us Sun, 03 May 2026 00:42:44 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/164006/salmonella-in-dairy-cattle-on-the-rise/ There are around 2600 strains of Salmonella identified worldwide. The most common strains seen in cattle in New Zealand are S. Typhimurium, S. Give, S. Bovismorbificans (primarily affects the gut) and S. Brandenburg (primarily causes abortions).In spring 2025, numerous outbreaks due to these serotypes were seen on both the South Island and the North Island. Last year, MPI reported the most cases of Salmonella in cattle ever recorded in New Zealand (see Figure 1 below).... Wed, 29 Apr 2026 15:55:13 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post164006 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/163997/bull-sales-key-considerations-before-you-buy/ Here are a few things to consider to help you select the right bulls for your herd and ensure they’re in top health:  The bull sale catalogues will be in mailboxes and online now. Take your time to read up about the stud breeder you’re looking at and make sure they are focused on the same things you need from your cows. It’s a good time to give them a call to discuss their philosophy and how they go about running their stock. &nbs... Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:05:41 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post163997 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/163996/protect-your-pack-essential-vaccinations-for-working-dogs/ Keeping your team healthy, happy, and ready for the job is a top priority. Following a simple vaccination programme is one of the most effective and straightforward ways to prevent serious diseases that can sideline your best animals.  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.    ... Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:55:50 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post163996 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/163985/improving-milk-quality/ You’ll be hoping that the Dry Cow and/or teat seal you put in is going to do its job over the dry period and they’ll come back all cleaned up of any infections.However, as much as we’d like to think that will happen, it’s not always the case. Wishful thinking doesn’t amount to much when it comes to mastitis! So, if you want to have less mastitis to deal with and better results next season, now is a great time to make a plan.Improving milk quality does not have to be complicated or expe... Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:56:07 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post163985 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/163984/analysing-phantom-cow-results/ Across all the regions we service, we’re seeing a big increase in dairy farmers wanting to do phantom scanning.In our East and South Otago hubs (which includes our Gore, Tapanui, and Balclutha clinics), we had 18 farms do at least one phantom scan this season – and several did up to four scans to catch as many phantoms as possible!The outcomes from these scans:... Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post163984 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/163991/prepping-ewes-for-the-winter/ So much of the farming year is about preparing stock to winter well.We work on crops, supplementary feed and body condition in almost every month of the year to help ensure they can handle whatever the southern winter throws at them.... Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post163991 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/163993/what-the-fec-testing-up-38/ This year (July 2025 - April 2026), we have done 663 FEC tests through our Parasight machines across our clinics. That is a 38% increase on the 2024-25 year and covers both individual samples and composite tests for sheep, beef and dairy animals.Testing is an important part of an effective parasite management programme and we are happy to see more farmers checking on the status of their stock instead of just blanket drenching.As well as helping to prevent drench resistance, testing can be benefi... Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post163993 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/163992/what-the-fec-a-mixed-bag-of-results/ Some samples coming through from drench checks have been very good, but only a handful. The majority are showing some leakage, through to high egg counts after drenching. This means looking at the drenching procedure, checking drench guns and further investigation on drench effectiveness.We’re also seeing a wide range in 28-day FECs. Some lambs on crop still need drenching, while others don’t. Meanwhile, those on permanent pasture are also showing a mixed bag of results. It’s great to see ... Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post163992 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/162518/new-crypto-vaccine-for-the-toolbox/ Calf scours are one of the most frustrating problems on-farm to manage. Not only do they result in reduced growth rates and more calf deaths, they also increase the workload of calf rearers and can be disheartening.There are many infectious causes of scours in calves.  The most common one down here in the South, which most farmers will have experienced, is Rotavirus. Another nasty one that can crop up is Cryptosporidium parvum (Crypto), a gastrointestinal paras... Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:15:50 +1300 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post162518 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/162517/baleage-wrap-a-cautionary-tale-of-two-cows/ Please note, this article contains medical photographs taken during post-mortem examination.A short while ago, I was asked to carry out a post-mortem exam on a cow that had bloated and died earlier in the day.This was a cow that I had seen before for a severe pinkeye infection, and she was quite blind in both eyes. However, she was not expected to die from that! She had been pregnancy scanned the day before, so I also had to consider the possibility of a perforated rectum.When I opened the abdom... Wed, 25 Mar 2026 14:55:25 +1300 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post162517