Sheep & Beef

OUR APPROACH

We work with you to know your animals and your farm inside out.

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 optinal ewe performance, lamb survival and lamb growth rates is one of the ways we work closely with you. OviMax is a specially designed trace element monitoring programme, in which certain trace elements are tested at important times in the season to enable us to better understand what your stock may need or benefit from. Our veterinarians can provide beef farmers with 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 farm groups and discussions, and can provide up to date and accurate information for your farm and stock.

OviGold is a special discount programme which can provide you with up to 7.5% off many products in our shop plus reduced lab fees and free Faecal Egg Counts, post mortems and ram palpations.

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

Surge in salmonella

Salmonella in cattle is not usually common. In a typical season, we may only see one or two significant outbreaks and you might get the odd individual case. A farm might only have a case once in 20Read more

The recovery phase

Hopefully, when you read this, we have had a good stretch of weather that is a significant improvement on the hideous weeks we had during spring. Even if this is the case, there is still someRead more

Stress-free weaning: reducing the pneumonia risk

The most common form of weaning in NZ is abrupt weaning. This is the sudden and complete separation of the ewe and her lambs, avoiding visual, auditory or olfactory contact after weaning.  AbruptRead more

Pre-weaning drenching

To do or not to do? As always, it will depend on your farm system, pasture management and stock numbers. So, a quick chat with your KeyVet could help with deciding what will be best for yourRead more

Are your boys up to the job?

Bulls need to be in top shape in order to achieve maximum success. Their body condition should be on target – BCS 5+ for dairy bulls and 6+ for beef bulls – and they should have adequate traceRead more

Signs of facial eczema moving south

Facial eczema (FE) is a disease causing liver damage in pasture-grazing livestock that can result in reduced fertility, weight loss, lower milk production photosensitivity, sunburn and, in severeRead more

Animal health audits

Drug chart: We will email all details of Restricted Veterinary Medicines (RVM) drugs after your annual consult. Any RVM products not covered in this consult will be sold with a form providing theRead more

Managing mastitis in your flock

You’re a few weeks into lambing and just starting to get on top of your workload, when ewes start dropping their heads, or limping around the paddocks, and those bright, healthy twins they have areRead more

Rearing lambs

Here is a summary of conditions we recommend for best health outcomes for rearing orphan lambs. From day 1, the essential conditions and requirements are: Warm, dry, draft free and clean space!FreshRead more

Large breed puppy nutrition

Large breed puppies are prone to developmental orthopaedic disease throughout their extended period of growth and skeletal development. This is influenced by genetics, nutrition, and the environmentRead more

Top tips for assisted calvings

Last season, between July and November 2023, we were called out to assist with 665 calvings! Of these, 15 were for beefies (including 2 prolapses) and 650 were for dairy cows, with 67% of theseRead more

Inside the lamb 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 wellRead more
 

This product has been added to your cart

CHECKOUT