http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.vetsouth.co.nz en-us Fri, 17 Jul 2026 01:50:57 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/166944/ionophore-toxicity-risks-for-dogs/ Ionophore coccidiostats are a class of compounds commonly used in livestock feeds, particularly calf rearing meals, to improve growth rates and prevent certain diseases such as coccidiosis. Dogs are particularly susceptible to ionophore toxicity because their bodies lack the special digestive systems and metabolic pathways that help ruminants break down and detoxify these compounds. As a result, even small amounts of ionophores can cause severe, and sometimes fatal, health effects in dogs, incl... Mon, 29 Jun 2026 11:46:50 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post166944 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/166942/learning-from-lamb-losses-the-value-of-post-mortems/ Often, this is put down to the storm that inevitably comes through in the middle of lambing every year, but are there other areas where we have some more control over this wastage? By performing simple post-mortems on 10-20 lambs – collected across the lambing period (and stored appropriately) – that were either born dead or died soon after birth, you might find there are some levers you can pull to reduce this. In many cases, lamb deaths are multifactorial, but understanding the main driver... Mon, 29 Jun 2026 11:38:49 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post166942 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/166663/dental-care-alpaca-style/ Not something our vets see every day; our South Otago team polished up a herd of alpaca’s dental health!Just like many other species, dentals are an important aspect of routine care for alpacas. They have continuously growing teeth that can develop sharp points or uneven wear over time. These dental abnormalities can make chewing uncomfortable and affect an alpaca's ability to eat properly and keep weight on. So, their teeth are not to be overlooked.Signs that an alpaca may have teeth issues i... Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:01:06 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post166663 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/166662/trace-elements-ahead-of-calving/ While most dairy farmers have a trace element supplementation routine, as we reset for another season it’s worth asking: are you supplementing the right trace elements at the right time?Trace element deficiencies can affect fertility, immunity, milk production, and overall performance and wellbeing. However, without testing, supplementation is a guessing game. Some herds may be being silently impacted by deficiencies, while others could be receiving minerals they don’t need (draining your wa... Wed, 24 Jun 2026 08:50:12 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post166662 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/166650/from-data-to-decisions-using-wearables-to-guide-transition-management/ During the 2025-26 season, one of VetSouth’s Southland dairy farms used data derived from their wearables and the CowSmart service to monitor transition performance, cow recovery, and reproductive outcomes.Regular reviews of rumination, activity, and heat data enabled farmer and vet to work together to assess cow nutrition, evaluate transition performance, plan for mating, and monitor overall herd performance.A key focus for the farm was rumination recovery following calving. Trends in ruminat... Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:28:22 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post166650 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/166644/give-your-calves-a-great-start/ Good care in the first few months sets calves up for strong growth, disease resistance, and long term performance.Give them the best start at birth by ensuring each calf gets a minimum of 10% of their body weight in high quality (>22% on a Brix refractometer) gold colostrum – ideally within the first two to six hours of life.Take good care of navels to prevent infection, including spraying them with iodine and keeping pens clean and bedding fresh and dry. It’s also important to ma... Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:21:55 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post166644 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/166640/hill-country-tech/ Kaizen – a Japanese philosphy focusing on continuous improvement – and a desire for efficiency is driving sheep and beef farmers Nick and Alexis Wadworth to embrace technology on their farm in the Hokonui Hills. Having first got a drone back in 2018 to help reduce labour during lambing, the couple have since upgraded their model to one with a zoom camera and are about to head into their first spring using Halter collars on their Hereford breeding cows.&nbsp... Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:46:15 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post166640 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/165490/repro-results-round-up/ The highlight of these events was sharing the strong reproductive results achieved by our farms this season.The average 3-week in-calf rate across all VetSouth farms was 50%, against an industry target of 53% (which is what the best herds in New Zealand are expected to achieve).... Wed, 27 May 2026 11:21:25 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post165490 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/165488/the-case-of-a-locked-leg/ I was recently on-farm for a routine visit, when the farmer mentioned that he had an odd lame cow that hadn’t yet responded to any treatment.When we looked at her, she was dramatically lame, with a back leg that swung to the side wildly as she walked. The lameness seemed so serious, it nearly caused the farmer to euthanise her rather than getting a veterinary exam – but luckily I was already coming out to the farm for another job.On physical examination, I found that the kneecap was locked ... Wed, 27 May 2026 10:34:25 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post165488 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/post/165430/are-summer-crops-reducing-worm-burdens/ We’ve seen plenty of lamb fattening crops planted across Southland this season, often driven by the need for ‘cleaner’ feed with lower parasite contamination, increased feed value and a desire for better lamb yields. For some farms, they’ve also been used to help lift ewe performance. Below are three sets of 10 individual faecal egg count (FEC) results. They are from lambs that have been grazing crop (kale and clo... Tue, 26 May 2026 11:11:56 +1200 http://www.vetsouth.co.nz/blog/#post165430