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Hinds: weigh up the benefits

The first two years of a young hind’s life directly correlate to her lifetime potential and productivity, especially when it comes to her first pregnancy. Hitting weight targets early on will make all the difference at scanning time. Ideally R2 hind mobs should be achieving at least a 90% in-calf rate at scanning. There are a variety of different reasons as to why you may have a higher dry rate, however hinds not reaching their target body weight by mating appears to be one of the most co...

Ram selection: know what you want for your future farm

With ram sales around the corner, now is a great time to reflect on how well your stock are performing and where gains can be made.Time on the tractor can be well spent thinking about how lambing went, what you're expecting from your stock in the coming months and what factors you need to focus on.What you buy in genetics sets the bar for what you can achieve on your farm, so buy the rams that are best suited to your production targets. The outcome will be the result of what environmen...

Keep your pets out of the e-juice!

In the last few weeks, there have been 3 cases of nicotine poisoning associated with vape juice (the liquid used to fill e-cigarettes). Yes, vapes pose a potential health risk to your pets!...

Celebrating the stables!

Around 100 of our equine clients (and thirsty staff members) joined us at the end of April to celebrate the official opening of our new stable facilities at VetSouth Invercargill.Fairy lights lit up the barn and everyone enjoyed some drinks, tasty snacks and a natter while looking around the facilities, after clinical head Brendon Bell cut the ribbon to declare them open for your four legged friends.The new barn gives us some valuable extra capacity to accommodate the growing number of horses co...

Updated tetanus vaccination guidelines

Tetanus is a life-threatening disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. The bacteria can gain access to the body through 'risk events', such as wounds, hoof abscesses and surgical incisions. All ages of horses can be affected and it is recommended that all horses in New Zealand are vaccinated against tetanus....

The dangers of cross-species substance use

Over the last few years, we have seen sporadic cases of horses developing adverse reactions following the administration of drugs that were intended for use in other species. These have included:severe, potentially life threatening, myositis reactions from injectable vitamin and mineral supplementations (such as B12 and selenium injections),skin reactions from off label use of cattle pour-ons,abscesses developing on the neck from contaminated medication that had been stored incorrectly.&nbs...

The Lameness Detective

Lameness is one of the most common reasons our equine veterinarians are called to look at your horse. It can be a significant cause of pain or distress and may even be life threatening. Meanwhile, more subtle lameness can be performance-limiting, causing gait irregularities, affecting speed, or contributing to behavioural abnormalities. Fully investigating lameness in your horse requires some detective work, involving a combination of:a full clinical examination,palpation of the limbs ...

Advances in AI with frozen semen

The use of frozen semen when breeding compared to fresh and chilled semen has many advantages. The most obvious being the ability to pick and choose the sire from just about anywhere and access his semen before mating.However, there are also disadvantages. Frozen semen typically involves intensive reproductive management and expensive logistics for its storage and distribution. It is more fragile than chilled or fresh semen and needs to be inseminated close to ovulation, requiring a more in...

How to use a colostrometer

Good quality colostrum is vital for passive transfer of immunity to your foal (read more here).The first step to ensure your mare has good colostrum is to test it immediately after she foals. The easiest way to do this is with a colostrometer, or Brix Refractometer, which you can get from any of our clinics.Below is a handy guide on how to use the Brix Refractometer and how to interpret the results:Step 1: Collect a small amount of colostrum from the mare....

Colostrum: Liquid GOLD

Did you know that, hands down, the single most important thing you can do for your foal is to ensure it gets colostrum from its mother (or another mare)?The importance of colostrum to the foal's health and its ability to fight disease can't be understated. Newborn foals, like calves and lambs, get all their immunity from colostrum, which tides them through until they are able to produce their own antibodies at around six months of age....

Is ketosis robbing your herd?

One of the most widespread diseases preventing cows getting in calf in New Zealand is subclinical ketosis. There is no doubt it is impacting farms across our region, with 75% of cows within our herds falling victim in spring*.Subclinical ketosis is a ‘silent disease’ that cannot be seen visually but quietly exists, robbing cows of energy and compromising their performance and health.Recent NZ studies of subclinical ketosis revealed a staggering 7% reduction in 6-week in-calf rates**.Through ...

Why keep your cows “metri” clean?

With spring nearly in full swing, the small window of time for your cows to recover from calving and prepare for mating is upon us After calving, most cows’ uteruses will become contaminated with bacteria. While the majority of cows will clear these infections naturally, around 10-20% won’t and these cows will develop endometritis. Endometritis can delay the cycling of a cow, which will reduce conception rates. Sometimes, these infections can spread deeper into the tissues and cause me...

Cow wearables at repro season

Repro season is a critical period in dairy farming as it significantly impacts the productivity and profitability of the entire operation. As farmers approach this critical time, cow wearable technology becomes increasingly important for several reasons:...

Vet tech news: Disbudding

Believe it or not, it's that time of year again - the calves have arrived and it's time to disbud. This is my favourite time of year, as it's always great catching up on how calving has been going and checking out the future of the herd....

Mastering mastitis with Mastatest

Mastitis is the most common disease in New Zealand dairy cattle and it is known that the two weeks either side of calving is when a cow is most at risk.DairyNZ agrees that rapidly finding and treating clinical cases in the calving period reduces the likelihood of infections being passed to other cows and the development of chronic infections.The cost of mastitis across the New Zealand dairy industry is estimated to be around $180 million per year. So, being able to test milk samples, identi...

Keep an eye out for pink eye

Pink eye is the most common eye condition in cattle, affecting all breeds and ages, with calves being especially vulnerable. Although most animals recover, serious cases can lead to permanent blindness. Pink eye is also economically important to cattle farmers as disease incurs significant costs, including:treatments costs;disruptions to seasonal management of stock;production losses through reduced growth rates in young animals, and losses of milk production, weight gain and mating perform...

Slips: how many is too many?

You’ve probably all experienced the odd cow that slips once she gets to the runoff after a truck ride and maybe a couple who slip over winter, but how many is too many and what should you do about it?The short answer: Slips are very frustrating, not only for you, but for us as vets. As a general rule of thumb, if you have greater than 2% slips from when you dried off, then you should be concerned. It can be hard to assess how bad the problem is, especially when slips are just tr...

Improving cow fertility with MULTIMIN

The pioneer multiple trace element injection in New Zealand, MULTIMIN is a unique concept of supplementation for cattle, used by farmers throughout the country.Contains copper, selenium, zinc and manganese for immune support.Chelated formulation that is safe and tissue friendly.Absorbed into blood within 8 hours and transferred to the liver within 24 hours.Scientifically proven in New Zealand conditions to enhance reproductive performance....

Successful repro takes a team approach

Establishing a pregnancy is a step-by-step process that begins in the previous lactation. Fresh cows are uniquely challenged by the stress of calving and a suppressed immune system, at a time when their energy intake cannot keep up with demands. The result is a negative energy balance and a greater risk of metabolic and reproductive diseases such as metritis.Transition cow management is critical to prepare cows for calving, as well as providing the nutrients they need to improve their ...

Farm dogs and milk powder: a dangerous combination

Milk powders containing coccidiostats can be beneficial when feeding young animals, but can be lethal if ingested by our pets.Picture this: cold, early mornings, mixing milk powder and warm water for our lambs and calves to get a belly full of warm milk for breakfast. Your trusty farm dog sniffing around in the background. You are thinking about the long list of things you need to get done that day. What you don’t need is an unexpected trip to the vet clinic with a very sick dog!Using milk pow...

A tech’s guide to calf rearing

Winton tech Alice shares her many years of experience with calf rearing.Many of you will recognise Alice as one of our techs from the Winton clinic, but she's also got 9 years of calf rearing experience under her belt. Now contract milking on a local Winton farm with her partner, she raises 200 replacements each year, as well as 50-60 beefies. We caught up with her to find out her top tips and tricks for a successful season....

Johne's disease in ewes

Vet Emily looks at ways to reduce the threat of this chronic wasting disease.Johne's disease is an important cause of ewe wastage on sheep farms. It is a bacterial disease of domestic ruminant species, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. In sheep, it results in a chronic wasting disease....

Inside the lamb shed

A comprehensive guide to setting up a successful lamb rearing shed.Lambing is always hectic and once the season starts you won’t have the time to keep dashing out for essentials. If you are going to be rearing lambs this year, it pays to have your lamb shed well prepared ahead of time!Here’s a guide to setting up a suitable lamb shed, with everything you may need to keep any lambs you bring in as healthy as possible from day one....

Calf rearing Q&A

You asked, we answered. Vet Keryn tackles your calf rearing questions....

Winter nutrition for working dogs

Some key points for looking after your team through the winter and having them ready in the spring for another busy season.With another busy spring looming large in the farming calendar, your working dog team will need to be in optimum condition. Here is some key nutritional information to help you look after your dogs through the winter months, so they are ready for action when you need them....