Sheep & Beef

OUR APPROACH

Let’s work together to boost your stock’s fertility, performance and overall health

There’s a long history of sheep and beef farming in these parts. Our involvement goes back generations too. We understand what it’s like to farm these parts and the nuances of the land and environment that affect the performance of your flock or herd. 

Keeping an eye on animal health parameters that influence optimal ewe performance, lamb survival and lamb growth rates is one of the ways we work closely with you. We provide full service to sheep and beef farmers including: 

  • Production and growth support, 

  • Trace elements testing, supplements and planning, 

  • Disease diagnosis, treatment, control and prevention, 

  • Parasite management (worms, fly and lice), 

  • Ram management, 

  • Lamb survival support, 

  • Body condition scoring, 

  • Advice and support for restricted veterinary medicines, 

  • Technical support and advice for animal health services and products.  

OviGold is our flagship partner programme for sheep (and beef) farmers. We want to understand your farming business and work with you to get the most out of your stock through regular animal health reviews, testing and targeted treatment plans. Along with Faecal Egg Counts, selenium tests, ram palpations and more, the programme also offers great savings on many animal health products and vet fees. 

For beef farmers, our veterinarians can provide BVD eradication and control programmes, tailored for your farm, which can then increase pregnancy rates and decrease stock losses. Specific animal health calendars can be formulated for your farm to ensure important vaccines, drenches and trace element supplements are not missed. We’re involved with many monitor farms and farm discussion groups, and can provide up to date and accurate information for your farm and stock. 

THE BENEFITS

Why VetSouth is a great choice

We're locals

We’ve been in the lower South Island for decades. It’s where we’re from and where we raise our families.

Wide network

We’re plugged into the Veterinary world and our team can call on expertise from all over the world, then deliver it locally.

Handy clinics

We’re close to you for consults, supplements, supplies...whatever you need. Pop on in or organise a delivery.

   

INNOVATION & RESEARCH

A never ending quest for improvement and advancement

Researching animal welfare and pathology is a passion we share, with our work being used by industry bodies such as Dairy NZ, the Sustainable Farming Fund and Beef & Lamb.

FURTHER READING

Latest news

Drench onto winter crop

A paddock that is 100% crop, fence to fence, with no gullies or unworked knobs, will only host worms if there’s grass in the crop. Any rough areas provide a great environment for parasites to thrivRead more

Lepto: Why vaccination is key

A whole range of livestock can be infected by Lepto, including cattle, sheep, pigs, and even horses. Wild animals such as rats and possums can also transmit the disease. The bacteria that causes theRead more

Hoggets in winter

Hoggets can often struggle in the colder months, especially if they're pregnant. They should still be growing well to ensure they hit their full mature weight as early as possible. For this reason,Read more

Drench check FECs

At this time of year, with weather still warm and plenty of moisture around, conditions are ideal for parasite growth. We provide quick in-house faecal egg count (FEC) testing. Faecal samples can beRead more

Building immunity in hoggets

Our hoggets are now around seven months old and building their immunity to parasites. The faster they do this, the quicker they’ll handle parasites and not require drenching. We need this toRead more

Oh no, don’t say, “Cheese!”

Cheesy gland (also called caseous lymphadenitis or lympho) is a chronic disease in sheep and goats caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.Read more

Selenium levels in sheep

Over the past 2-3 years, our vets have been seeing many sheep selenium test results coming back as either low (less than 4) or marginal (between 4-10).    Low levels can result from a combinationRead more

BVD in bulls

Transiently infected (TI) bulls will shed the BVD virus in their semen while they are infected, reducing the quality of the semen.  All breeding bulls should have been vaccinated to prevent themRead more

Staff focus: Showing cattle

How many children were in your class at the event?    There were 12, all under 14 years old.   Did they all bring a heifer from home?  Yes, most of them had heifers there to compete at the GorRead more

Winning at weaning

Here are some tips for each stage:  Pre-weaning  Make high quality feed available early on to encourage calves to transition onto this while their mothers are still around. This will help rumenRead more

The boys are back in town

If you haven’t, as March rolls in it’s the last call to finalise all your pre-tupping procedures. Your rams should be vet checked, body condition scored and shorn. Check their teeth and feet asRead more

Targeting trace elements

Vitamins and minerals have a big impact on the health of animals and their ability to perform to their best potential. Most farms will have a basic trace element supplementation plan for their stock,Read more
 

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