Articles

Keep up to date with all our latest news, articles of interest, and case studies from the veterinary world around Hawke’s Bay.

black and white cow on brown field during daytime

Cattle Scanning – Bookings now open!

It’s that time of year again! Time for us to come out and scan your cattle with our BCF ultrasound scanners. Pregnancy scanning has many advantages when understanding your herd’s reproduction performance and planning ahead for the season. The earliest times for accurate testing following bull withdrawal is 49 days, this is especially important for…

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Equine HYSTEROSCOPY

We have an exciting new method of diagnosing problem mares at our fingertips this season and for seasons to come, with one of our vets attending a course 2022 and bringing back with her a technique that we can utilise – Hysteroscopy. Hysteroscopy is a procedure whereby our endoscope is passed into the uterus of the mare…

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two white cows during daytime

Common Diseases in Weaned Calves

Weaning is one of the most stressful event a calf will go through, which is why it can be the period when we see many disease related issues as the associated stress leads to immune compromise. Young cattle at weaning may also be going from a situation of being regularly observed to a less intensive…

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corn fields during golden hour

Barley Grass

Summer is nearly here which means our vets are starting to see an increase in grass seed related problems.  Barley grass has bristly seeds which stick to anything, anywhere, anytime! Because of their shape these seeds can burrow into fur and skin where they might become lodged. They can also enter nose or ears, get…

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Knowing your drench status.

Drench Resistance is the number one animal health issue facing farmers and their vets in the sheep & beef industry. We are very concerned – here’s why • We have no new tools in the box to tackle this issue. No new knowledge, no new drench families, and we have to work with what we…

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Facial Eczema and Alpacas

Alpacas are very susceptible to the toxic effects of facial eczema spores and high risk periods occur during the summer and autumn. The spores, produced by the fungus Pithomyces chartarum, are broken down in the digestive tract releasing the sporidesmin toxin. The toxin is absorbed into the circulation and reaches the liver where it is…

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Heat Stroke

Dogs do not perspire the way humans do; in fact, the only sweat glands that they have are on the pads of their feet. Dogs pant to cool themselves. If the surrounding air is not considerably cooler than the animals’ body temperature – as in the case of a hot, stuffy automobile – the cooling…

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brown sheep plush toy on gray metal rack

Parasite Management Strategies

  Monitor drenches used on farm annually by completing a faecal egg count check at 10 days after drenching. Do this for each different drench family that you use during the season. Try to complete as early in the season as possible.   Quarantine drench: On arrival at the farm, drench all stock with a…

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