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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 combination of less fertiliser and prill application, and in some seasons fast grass growth means less mineral uptake.   These tables show a summary of recent results:...

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 them from getting infected by any TI or PI (persistently infected) animals that they come into contact with. This is not always done unfortunately. Because of this, it is up to you to look into the background of your bulls.  When you are buying in or leasing bulls, it is important that you confi...

In-clinic mastitis testing options

The DairySmart Jupiter machine, which has been available since last year, uses traditional agar plates and an incubator. However, it uses modern AI to detect what bacteria species are present. The Mastatest machine, which has been around for a few years, can run up to four cartridges for clinical mastitis or eight samples of subclinical mastitis, in a 22-hour turnaround period. Here are the pros and cons of both: ...

Wearables vs. non-wearables repro results

As we come to the end of another busy scanning season, we’re often asked how reproduction results are trending and whether farms using wearable technologies (like collars or tags) are performing any better than those without.  Below is a brief overview of the results so far from our farms in the East (Gore, Tapanui, Clydevale and Balclutha areas). Note: This doesn’t include data from our Winton clients....

Meet the equine team: Ariana

Welcome to our Invercargill team's newest graduate vet, Ariana Miller!Ari has made the trip all the way from the North Island to join us down in Invercargill. Originating from Christchurch, she’s happy to be back in the scenic South Island. Despite growing up in urban areas, you could guarantee every possible weekend was spent with horses.She graduated as a mixed veterinarian from Massey University in 2024 and is looking forward to getting involved with all aspects of equine and small animal v...

20 years of Sunni Southland days

On the 15th of March it’s 20 years since I started working at VetSouth. These days working at the same place for that long is a milestone. I’m a definite hen’s tooth you might say.  I have had many hours to ponder life, driving around the countryside looking for pus in cow’s orifices, so I thought I’d pen a reflection of how I got to where I am today. From a little brown, half-Indian, half-Kiwi, Aussie city girl to now, almost a legitimate Southlander! It’s a bit of a read,...

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 Gore A&P Show. We did provide some heifers as well, if needed.Do you know what backgrounds they came from?  They were from a mix of backgrounds. Some of the participants came from dairy farming families, but some came from more urban backgrounds. We’ve been helping them get involve...

Feeding senior working dogs

Senior working dogs benefit from special diets to support their aging bodies and ensure they have the energy for work and recovery.Ideally working dog diets should contain 25-30% carbohydrates, 25-35% fat and 30-35% protein. Dogs will metabolise carbohydrates as their initial energy source, then move to fat as demand continues or increases. Once these available energy sources have been used up, protein is utilised from muscle and other cells.Dogs that are consistently fed high-fat diets will con...

Salmonella impacts: A case study

A 550-cow dairy farm experienced a Salmonella outbreak in early May 2024. Over the course of the outbreak, they had five cows die and 12 cows abort. They treated 20 cows with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pain relief. During this period in late lactation, they also noted a 20% drop in milk in the vat. A rough estimation of how much this cost the farmer is outlined in the table below:...

Southern Salmonella update

This increase coincided with the wettest spring on record, and other factors such as changes in feed, waterlogged paddocks, cold weather, carrier cows and exceptional stress on cows (and farmers) all meaning some of these outbreaks were very severe. Interim data (see Figure 1 below) has shown there was almost 10x more cases of Salmonella in Southland in 2024 compared to the previous seven years! ...

Hind repro performance

Hinds on New Zealand deer farms normally reach puberty at around 16 months old. Hinds that have hit puberty by 16-months have a very good chance to conceive and calve at 24 months old.However, to be able to do this, R2 hinds have to be 70% of their adult body weight by their second autumn, regardless of their genetic composition. Failure to do so will delay puberty by at least a year.Keep in mind, if the average R2 hind weight across your herd is about 70% of their adult body weight, this ma...

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 rumen development and digestion of solid feed will be more efficient come weaning day. Additionally, if fed well early, skeletal and muscle development will be better, leading to an improved frame to build on later and fatten at the finishing stage.  Perform stressful procedures, such as disbuddi...

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 as well, to make sure they’ll be able to withstand the mating period.This is also a reminder to give these lads their clostridial vaccine and any other vaccines or mineral boosters they require now. As sperm production in a ram takes 6-8 weeks, ideally rams would then be left alone for the next six wee...

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, but is this working and are they the right ones?Key trace elements include copper, selenium, calcium, magnesium, iodine and vitamin B12 (cobalt). There are also other important ones such as zinc, manganese, chromium, and vitamin E. There are many methods of supplementation available. These rang...

Treating a lame cow

Secure the leg.  Clean the foot with a hose.  Feel between the claws and all around the foot. Look for trapped stones and cracks, and examine the skin above the hoof for infection or growths.  Use hoof testers along all areas of the sole to identify the problem claw and painful spot.  If a lesion is identified, ensure all under-running sole is removed by trimming with a hoof knife. Avoid bleeding as it will delay healing!   Transfer weight a...

Identifying lameness

New Zealand’s pasture-based dairy farming system, where cows graze in fields in all weather and walk fair distances along lanes to get to and from the milking shed, can increase the risk of lameness. We know farmers work hard to prevent and treat lameness, so we’ve put together a guide to help you determine what type of lame cases you might be seeing on your farm. ...

Worms more resistant

We completed nine reduction tests during the 2023-2024 season. All of the nine participating farms tested dual and triple drenches. Fewer farms tested single-acting and novel drenches. The graph below shows the overall results. ...

Reflecting on a Salmonella spring

With such bad weather leading to large amounts of dirty surface water, limited feed and increased stocking densities, overall infection pressure and stress was much higher than usual. This caused a many outbreaks. In sheep, there are two main forms of the disease: 1. Enteric form – caused by Salmonella Hindmarsh and S. Typhimurium: Mainly seen December-June.Cases mainly occur after a period of stress, such as yarding and transport. Signs to look out for are sudden death, sc...

Avoiding Yersiniosis

Yersiniosis is a highly infectious disease that is characterised by a green, watery scour which rapidly leads to death if untreated.  Recently weaned fawns in their first autumn are typical candidates, as the stress from weaning coupled with possible changes in feed, transport, parasite burdens and bad weather all create the ideal ‘perfect storm’ for this bacteria. Around weaning farmers should: Aim to reduce the effects of common stresses on fawns. Vaccinate twice w...

A recap of Johne's disease

It’s caused by a bacteria that damages the gut lining, leading to two main signs:  Watery “hose-pipe” diarrhoea.  Progressive weight loss.  Infection usually occurs in young calves. The bacteria then lies dormant in the cow for a number of years, with these clinical signs often not apparent until they are at least 3-4 years old. These later-staged diseased cows shed the most bacteria leading to a higher risk of transmission. Regular testing for Johne’s ...

Preparing for hot summer days

Keeping stock happy, healthy and productive in summer heat requires good preparation, here are some of our tips: ...

Are your boys up to the job?

We don’t need to tell you how tough this year has been! The season’s constant fight against some pretty terrible weather has taken its toll on farmers and stock alike. Now that we are finally starting to get a glimpse of the elusive Big Yellow, it’s time to start looking ahead to lamb finishing and next season’s tupping. With this in mind, let’s get your vet on-farm to get their yearly ram action!  The reason we insist on performing this annual ritual is to ensure your m...

Careful with pets and Christmas treats

Christmas treats are something we all look forward to, but for our furry friends, some of these can be extremely toxic, so it is important to keep them out of reach. If you have a pet with a penchant for opening gifts, this may mean not putting wrapped treats under the tree! Some festive foods to be cautious of around pets include: 1. Chocolate Why it's toxic: Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, which are stimulants of the central nervous system and heart. They also act as diuretics, wh...

Working dogs in summer

The summer brings some heavy workloads on farms and high energy requirements for farm working dogs. Feed them a high fat, high protein diet to reduce musculoskeletal injuries and increase endurance. Burning all that energy creates increased body heat which becomes more difficult for them to regulate in hot weather. They only have a few sweat glands, in the pads and nose, and depend on evaporative cooling of exhaled moist air, panting, and air movements over the body surface. All of these in...

Scanning season swiftly approaching

In cows, the best time to age a pregnancy accurately is between 42 and 90 days after mating. For this reason, we usually recommend two scanning sessions:A first scan in January to age the earlies and heifers.A second re-check scan a while later to confirm the empties and age the lates. Early age scans are used to figure out accurate calving dates and help you make informed decisions for your herd.If you have used a synchrony hormone programme for your heifers, an early age scan 6 weeks afte...