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Mating hoggets

The potential of hogget mating was realized as early as 1959. About one-third of the ewe hoggets are bred each year across New Zealand. Along with a number of benefits there are equal costs associated with hogget mating, for example, you get the benefit of more lambs on the ground, however, you need to have plenty feed available to feed the extra lambs. Therefore, it may not suit every farm. The following targets can serve as a guideline to help you decide whether or not hogget mating should be ...

Report bleak on antibiotic resistance

A report to the United Nations paints an alarming picture of rapidly emerging antimicrobial drug resistance with agriculture among industries being called on to invest more in developing alternative treatments and to collaborate with the human health sector. Antibiotics are typically the main antimicrobial drug class used against bacterial infection. The high-level report produced by the UN’s antimicrobial resistance group demands ambitious and immediate action on an issue it says will lead to...

Treating rain scald and mud fever

The onset of Autumn normally coincides with an increase in rainfall, humidity and the presence of ideal conditions for the proliferation of bacterial and fungal diseases. Skin conditions including mudfever and rain scald are common at this time of year and we frequently field phone calls asking for advice on how to treat mud fever and rain scald....

Christchurch victim memorial veterinary scholarship

Leading New Zealand veterinary company VetNZ has pledged $10,000 toward the establishment of a memorial scholarship for prospective students at Massey University’s School of Veterinary Science. The scholarship is named in honour of one of the victims of the Christchurch Attacks. Hamza Mustafa, 16, and his father, Khaled Alhaj Mustafa, were killed at the Masjid Al Noor mosque in the Christchurch Attacks. Hamza was an aspiring veterinarian and talented horse rider, and his father Khaled was a va...

Duck shooting: Protect your stock

It’s that time of the year again when many farms will be having visitors for the duck shooting season, both two and four legged. To reduce the risk of an unpleasant surprise on kill sheets in coming months, sheep farmers who have duck shooters coming onto their farms are advised to establish some requirements before the visitors bring dogs with them. To protect stock, farmers need to make it clear to any duck shooters bringing dogs, that the dogs need to be treated for sheep measles at least 4...

Pet insurance

If you have been watching any of the overseas television programmes about companion animals, you will be aware that with the ever increasing levels of technology and knowledge, the standards of veterinary care offered for pets continues to rise. With the demand by pet owners for the best care available for their pets, there comes an increase in the cost of treatment. Pet owning families hope that a serious accident or illness will never happen to their pet, but it often does. There is no public ...

Growing youngstock

This time of the year we may get called out to graziers and farmers’ run off blocks to look at poorly doing youngstock. In some cases we might find “interesting” disease cases but in many cases we see underlying issues caused by one or a combination of the following: Poor drenching intervals and/or “wrong” product use for age/stage of animal.Animals arriving underweight at grazier (weaning too young/too light).Animals not being fed enough leading to weight loss and low growth rates.No ...

The case of the drunk calves

Staggering home from a night on the “turps” might be a common sight amongst some of us Southerners. Seeing your calves stagger around in a similar manner is not so common. This case of comatose calves began on a mild sunny day in September. The farmer had fed the calves in the morning and returned a few hours later to find two pens of the youngest calves asleep and the rest staggering around with their tongues hanging out (as if they had been drugged up on xylazine). On examination, the calv...

Using too many antibiotics?

Our clients have just received their first AMU Dashboard and summary sheet....

Are your ewes skinny?

Light ewes at mating will have worse lambing performance come Spring. Ewes should be at condition score 3 to 3.5 for mating – this is not a “fat” ewe. What does 3-3.5 look like? Well if there is more than 6 weeks wool on the sheep, you will have to FEEL to get the full picture. To do this; Step one: Place hand with thumb on top of spine and fingers along the short ribs (flank area).Step two: With your thumb, you should be able to feel the spine but, find it hard to count the bones.Step thr...

Sheep bearing prevention

Bearing prevention – what can be done now? You all know there is no silver bullet. However, a couple of things to think consider at this time of year may help your outcome in Spring. The known risk factors for bearings are; ewes putting on weight between mating and scanning. If your ewes need to gain some weight, the best time is before mating – for multiple reasons: This will improve the conception rate.It is easier to put weight on a non-pregnant animal, so she has reserves at lambing tim...

Service and assistance dogs

“A dog is a man’s best friend.” A dog will give a lonely person a reason to get up every day and even go for a walk. A dog provides company and many of us could not imagine a life without a dog. But some dogs are more than just a pet. There are many dogs who are a specifically trained to do a job every day. Mobility dogs and Assistance dogs provide people with disabilities with independence, and a chance to live a more fulfilled life. The bond between the mobility dog and a disabled person...

New teeth and a new lease on life

Many owners of geriatric pets can be reluctant to do much in the way of treatment for their pets, usually out of fear of something going wrong due to their age. Bounce belonged to one such owner. An 11 year old Jack Russell Terrier, Bounce had been relatively issue free throughout her life, aside from a cruciate repair surgery done when she was younger. Having always been an enthusiastic and energetic dog, her owners started to notice a decline in her willingness to do anything. Putting it down ...

Sedating rams for shearing

For safety reasons, the sedation of rams over 75kg has become a common request from shearing contractors. It has been found that the light sedation of rams prior to shearing can have the following benefits: • Reduced risk of shearer injury, both musculoskeletal injury and hand piece cuts.• Fewer shearing cuts to the ram.• Better shearing job.• Quicker shearing, leading to less stress on the animal.• VetSouth’s preferred sheep sedative is ACP (acepromazine) which is a mild sedative an...

Does Southland have fleas?

It has been common knowledge that we do not have a flea issue in Southland. As a result it is often stated you don’t need to treat your pet for fleas. But what is this knowledge based on? I could find no evidence that any surveys have been undertaken on the prevalence of fleas in Southland. Our collective belief appears to have been solely based on anecdotal evidence with comments like “if my pet had fleas I would know as I would be bitten”. Fleas prefer cat and dog blood well above human,...

Relief for your dog's itchy skin

The most common causes are fleas and mites and these are easily treated by use of various treatments available over the counter without the need to see a vet. Some are spot on preparations and others are in tablet form. Depending on what treatment you choose, it will either cover just fleas, or a combination of fleas, lice, mites and some even treat for internal parasites. Keeping up to date with worm treatment is just as important as it maintains and strong barrier between the in...

VetSouth to join forces with University of Otago on M. bovis effects study

The University of Otago is to carry out a study on the emotional, social and psychological impacts of mycoplasma bovis on Southern farmers and farming communities. VetSouth Veterinarian and Director, Mark Bryan, is to play a leading role in the research and will continue the work of VetSouth in the response to the M. bovis outbreak. Read more here....

Sustainable worm control

Sustainable worm management is a consistent message the sheep and beef industry has been emphasizing for some time. However, resistance to drench actives is continuing to accelerate on our farms, insinuating that what we are currently doing, as far as worm control goes, is simply not working and can not be sustained. What we do know is if we rely on drench alone to solve all of our wormy issues, there is a high chance that eventually we are likely to fail. Every farm should be considering the fo...

Cat vaccination at Christmas

At Christmas time, your cat may be heading to a cattery, staying with a friend or going with you to the crib. These situations are going to increase their risk of coming in contact with certain diseases and this is a great opportunity to check their vaccination status to ensure they are up to date. Catteries will insist on your cat being protected from the core viruses to allow them to stay. A three yearly vaccination in adult cats is usually sufficient to provide protection, but at peak times l...

Cheesy Gland

For a lot of farmers this disease is unheard of; but this annoying bit of pus can be costing more than you think. Cheesy gland is a bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. This bacterium causes abscesses in lymph nodes and internal organs, mainly the lungs. A problem may exist on farms when shearers report more abscesses then usual, carcasses are being trimmed or condemned (the works often write “lympho” on kill sheets which refer to this disease), wool is being deg...

Cobalt B12 for lambs

We all understand the importance of B12 for optimal growth and performance of our fattening and replacement lambs. Early indications from liver biopsies done in young lambs so far this season, is that B12 levels are looking marginal-low. Mineralised drenches will provide small doses of cobalt. However, these are short-acting and often injectable B12 is needed to keep liver and blood levels sufficient for optimal growth. It is thought that when lambs are injected with Vitamin B12, there can be an...

Dog vaccination at Christmas time

As we approach the holiday season and the promise of a well deserved break don’t forget about your dog. They may be heading to a kennel or going with you to the crib. These situations are going to increase their risk of coming in contact with certain diseases and this is a great opportunity to check their vaccination status. Kennels will insist that your dog is vaccinated for the core viruses and Canine Cough (kennel cough) if they are not up to date, they will not let your dog stay and this ...

Pesky flies

What a year we had last year! We are all hoping that there will not be a repeat of the high level of fly strike in our stock. It is such a huge stress to the stock and the farmers alike. So what is going to happen this year? Well I don’t know for sure, but we do know some things… • When soil temperatures get to 15 degrees the larvae will start to hatch.• Flooding and trampling over winter will reduce fly populations from one year to the next.• Pupae will have been dropped into the...

Heatstroke in dogs

Some areas of the country, especially Central Otago are forecast to have some particularly high temperatures again this summer.This will increase the incidence of heat stress related illness and heatstroke emergency cases in our veterinary patients.Heatstroke is the severe illness that can occur when the animal’s body temperature goes above 40 degrees C, causing neurological and cardiac depression. This may rapidly progress to multi-organ failure and death.Be especially careful not to leave a ...

3-week submission rate target on track?

How many cows are you putting up each day? Do this quick calculation: No. of cows in your herd x 0.9 21 days = target no. of cows per day If you are not getting as many cows up per day as you should then call your keyvet to discuss. It is very difficult to achieve a 6 wk in calf rate target of 78% if you do not get enough cows up in the first 3 weeks. The average SR last season for 240 dairy farms in our area was 80%, with only 21 farms (<10%) achieving 90% Below shows data from the 2017/18 s...