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Tackling lice in your flock

Earlier this year, some of our vets attended the 2022 New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) conference in Hamilton. One of the topics was louse control and below is a brief summary of some of the key points covered in controlling lice in sheep. Shearing removes 50-90% of lice from your sheep. While extending your shearing interval might make sense with the current wool prices, it is worth being prepared for an increase in the number of lice on your sheep.You will have to do some thorough mus...

Scanning for success

For our team at VetSouth, scanning time is an exciting and rewarding part of the dairy farming calendar, but also one of the most physically demanding seasons. With the twisting, turning and having to concentrate on many numbers - typically all while the platform is spinning and your team is milking - it’s quite the task. We have physio sessions and bootcamp prior to scanning to ensure our bodies can keep up! As well as physical preparation, we invest in the best technology to ensure our ...

Cow technology and scanning

Cow sensors are running 24/7 and are continuously collecting data from the individual cow’s behaviour. Over mating, the programmes behind these sensors will calculate the perfect timing for insemination, making heat detection simple. Once a cow is inseminated or mated and is not coming back to heat after, the technology assumes this cow has held on to her pregnancy and is now in-calf. This is quite a big assumption to make. In the majority of cases, these cows are probably in calf, but there a...

Calf drenching: do’s and don’ts

Worming is an essential stage of weaning to control the exposure of calves to several roundworm species, as well as lungworm commonly found on our pastures. Cooperia, which live in the small intestines, and Ostertagia, which live in the abomasum, are the two most common roundworm species affecting our youngstock here in NZ. The larvae live in the lower 2.5cm of grass and top 1cm of the soil, requiring warm, wet conditions to survive. Calf growth rates can be limited by up to 30%, if burdens...

2022 Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test Results

Our Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) results for 2022 showed that drenches were not working effectively in over a third of cases.  Almost half of the single-acting drench tests showed resistance or suspicious results, compared with 33% in the double-acting group and 11% of the triple-acting/novel drenches. All the more reason to check your flock this season to ensure your drenches are doing the job. ...

Weathering the… drought?

At our most recent sheep, beef and deer in-house training day we were lucky enough to have a representative from Environment Southland come and speak to us about climate change. Specifically, about what to expect in our neck of the woods. I cannot pretend to be an expert in this field, but there were some interesting key points that I was able to note from this talk. The main impacts of climate change expected in Southland are: Warmer wintersDecreased frost frequencyLonger growing seasonPossible...

Are your boys up to the job?

With the year moving so quickly it will be no time at all before you will find our sheep vets crouched down behind your ram team getting their yearly testicular fix! I promise the reason we insist on performing this annual ritual is not for our own perverse enjoyment (although for most of us it is a favourite time of year), but to ensure your mating season runs smoothly, with no nasty surprises at scanning time. Some of the most common issues we find that can cause issues with your rams’ ferti...

SheepIQ does lambing

Well, it’s been an interesting few months since our last update. We have collected the data from scanning and lambing from our very own VetSouth trial flock of two-tooths....

Breeding for better: Working dogs

Some of the key goals when breeding working dogs are increasing the number of good working dogs available and improving their welfare. Selection criteria can identify ideal candidates for enhancing performance, with improvements in their breeding, training and care. There can be significant time lost with training young dogs that are often not deemed proven until 1-2 years of age. When deciding which dogs to train, you must take into account their temperament, natural behaviours, genetic factors...

Combatting Campy with annual boosters

Many of our farmers are already vaccinating for Campylobacter in a bid to prevent abortion storms at lambing time. But, how many of you are topping up your flocks? With over half of M/A ewes shown to still be naïve to the bacteria, it may be time to rethink your vaccination plan to cover all of your flock (rather than just maiden ewes) and to introduce a third shot, or even an annual booster....

Are self-shedding sheep the answer to your prayers?

The reality of increased shearing costs and a continued poor return for crossbred wool has led to more interest in self-shedding breeds such as the Wiltshires and Aussie Whites. The introduction of self-shedding stock decreases the labour requirements around shearing, crutching, dagging and the associated yarding. But, do the benefits of transitioning your flock outweigh the costs? With little data on transitioning flocks and the resultant production outcome, Professor Steve Morris from Massey U...

Parasite management planning

We have created a practical planning tool to help you keep those pesky parasites at bay.Controlling parasites is an important part of your flock’s annual health management and is also key to ensuring optimal production. Below is a list of things to prioritise and avoid in relation to parasite management when planning your farming activities. Staying on the ‘prioritise’ list will boost your production and help protect the effectiveness of drenches so ...

Refrigerator for vaccines: Protecting your investment

Large animal vaccines are often stored on-farm, in a refrigerator, prior to use, but the storage conditions during this period are barely talked about.  When I am delivering to farms, I often drop off to the specified fridges and notice the temperature is less than ideal. Would it keep the beer cold? If not, it's time to buy a new fridge.  Don’t bring the old unreliable fridge down to the shed from the house. A brand new fridge/freezer (for your slicker pads/ice packs) can start...

Waisake- A weight loss journey

Waisake is a 3 year old big Labrador that never looked “overweight”, but over time, he started to change. His owner Hallie tells us about his weight loss journey over the past few months. Things that he once did with such ease became a bit more of a struggle. He was sleeping a lot more, and was no longer so keen on walks, or able to sustain his energy for his usual distance. He had just lost his inner bounce and spark. When he could no longer jump up on the back of the ute, I realised t...

More kilos at the gate: Animal health for heavier lambs

Now that we are at this stage of the season, let's focus on keeping them alive, and growing them well. We see more lamb deaths from clostridial diseases than from anything else during the weaning and growth season.  Vaccinations are very effective at preventing these deaths and there are many options that provide a broader range of protection if you feel the 5in1 is not sufficient.  Timing is important and can be manipulated according to your risks. If you see any CLA/Ch...

Meet Ebony Turner

Meet Ebony Turner, another one of our fantastic Equine Techs at our Findlay Road clinic. Ebony joined the team in early July and we caught up with her to learn a bit more about her and why she loves her job!...

A healthy guide to feeding pets

When feeding your beloved pet, whether it be a new puppy or kitten, or an older cat or dog, there is such a thing as ‘loving them too much’. Overindulging your pet can lead to health problems if they become overweight, so knowing how much, how often, and what to feed them is important.Pet food bags have feeding guides on the back which help you with the ‘how much’. This healthy amount of food can be tailored to suit your pet and could be split up into many feeds throughout the day, depen...

Get your R2 heifers in shape for Round 2

If your heifers were properly managed to this point and had a successful first-calving, then things should be easier. But, it is still important to carefully manage this critical ‘post-partum interval’ to ensure they cycle early.   Nutrition is key to help boost lactation and growth, but can be challenging at this time of year. Priority-feeding your R2 heifers right up to mating is important to ensure they get the required nutrition for cycling. It is also recommended to leave enou...

Feed associated toxicities in horses

What’s good for one species may be deadly for another!Many of our horses live on properties that are shared with other animal species. The pet goat that steals the horse’s breakfast, the nosey sheep that licks the horse’s yummy molasses block, and the pokey pony that breaks out and finds his way into the calf feeders, are all too common.Unfortunately, many formulated feeds are manufactured for a specific species, with additives selected for that animal's needs. For some animals, unint...

Teat sealing across the ditch

Every year our intrepid techs tour Southland and Otago, carrying out technical on-farm services such as teat sealing. In July this year, two of our techs went a bit further. Here's what they got up to in Tasmania.Rebecca Herzig and I were packed up for a last minute rescue mission to Tasmania to teat seal at The Vet Group Tasmania (TVG). They needed some extra support to manage the influx of farmers showing an interest in the process. This meant we found out late on a Friday night that...

The importance of body condition scores for mating

Body condition scoring (BCS) is a tool to help assess and quantify an animal's body reserves or accumulation of fat. Assessing changes in BCS over a time period is a reliable measure of the nutritional status of an animal. Minimising body condition loss between calving and mating and having animals at target BCS has been shown to enhance reproductive parameters including increased 6 week in-calf rates. DairyNZ provides some targets for BCS at calving to optimise reproductive performanc...

Are you losing 7%? The silent impact on in-calf rates

Rumenox can help your animals avoid subclinical ketosis.Managing successful reproductive performance remains one of the most challenging aspects of dairying. Get it right, and it can make a sizeable impact on your bottom line. Get one piece of the puzzle wrong and you pay the price with lower in-calf rates, poor cow condition, and exposure to disease.One of the most widespread diseases preventing cows from getting in-calf is subclinical ketosis. There is no doubt it’s impacting farms across th...

Umbilical hernias in foals and yearlings

Foals born with umbilical hernias are a common occurrence. A hernia is essentially a hole in the body wall that is discovered by owners when a small lump appears in the belly button region. Some foals may have the defect since birth, or it may not show up until later.Treatment is not usually urgent, however, it is advisable to get them fixed at some stage. This prevents the risk of the intestine becoming entrapped in the hernial ring and causing colic....

New equine barn nears completion

At the time of writing, our new barn stable complex is nearing completion and we are excited to see it finally finished....

Lower respiratory tract disease in horses - more than just a ‘cough’

Respiratory diseases are second only to problems affecting the musculoskeletal system when it comes to limiting the ability of a horse to perform to its maximum potential.The respiratory system supplies oxygen to red blood cells and removes carbon dioxide from the blood. Without adequate oxygenation, working muscles and organs enter a state of anaerobic metabolism, resulting in a build-up of lactic acid that will ultimately limit performance.Horses can only breathe through their nose and can onl...