Articles

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

Don’t get stung by a plant this summer.

Ongaonga (Stinging Nettle) (Urtica ferox) Adventuring in New Zealand bush is usually a fairly safe activity, aside from possible issues with weather conditions and navigation, we luckily don’t have to worry about snakes, spiders or predators. However, there are some plants that can pose dangers to human and animal health. Ongaonga is one of the…

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Dogs in Hot Cars – New regulations

New regulations are in force meaning that if you leave your dog in a parked car and it is showing signs of heat distress you can receive a fine and a broken car window. Dogs quickly suffer and die in hot cars, so please leave your dogs at home. If you leave a dog in…

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Doggy Donor saves young Rhodesian Ridgeback’s Life

Whisky was admitted in a critical condition earlier this month after eating a significant amount of rat bait. Upon arrival the 11-month-old ridgeback was lethargic, pale, coughing softly and refusing to eat or drink. He didn’t improve with initial treatments and urgently needed a lifesaving blood transfusion. Basil, a 7-year-old greyhound came to the rescue…

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Dog Run

Keep your team in prime condition with a Working Dog W.O.O.F (Warrant of On-farm Fitness).  Vet Services annual on-farm check-up includes a full health assessment, essential vaccinations, and tailored advice—right where your dogs work best.   CHB Run Starting July! Hastings Run in November 2025.   The Perks! It’s convenient: We come to you –…

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black and white cow calf

Disbudding – don’t leave it too late!

Dairy calves are thick on the ground here in Dannevirke and we are very busy with debudding! The optimal time to debud calves is when they are 2-6 weeks of age so horn buds are removed before they have a chance to attach to the skull, this makes the job quicker and reduces the risk…

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Desexing your dog – when’s the best time?

WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO HAVE YOUR DOG DESEXED? Recently, if and when to spay (female) or castrate (male) your dog has become a topic of debate and everyone seems to have slightly different opinions. The reason for this is that there is pros and cons of performing this procedure at different ages, and these…

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Dangers of calf feed!

  Over the last few weeks, we have had a series of dogs presenting to the Dannevirke & Waipukurau clinic with suspected ionophore toxicity, following ingestion of calf milk replacer or meal.   While these feeds are fantastic for rapidly growing young calves, the products can pose a very serious danger to dogs and other…

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Dairy Technician Services

WOPA Hoof Trimming Faster, Safer Hoof Trimming with the WOPA cattle crush, Teatsealing, Disbudding, Pregnancy Scanning and Reproduction Services. Fill in your details below and we will be in touch to make a booking Name(Required) First Last Farm(Required)Phone(Required)Rapid number of yards(Required) Street Address Address Line 2 I want to book or find out more about…

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white and black cow during daytime

DAIRY SEMINAR

Join us for our annual Spring Dairy Seminar. We are hosting a Dairy Seminar around the topic of spring calving, transition management, metabolic issues, and setting your farm up for spring performance. Free to attend with morning tea provided. We encourage you to bring along your workers, neighbours and mates (just remember to RSVP for…

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black and white cow on green grass field during daytime

Dairy Cow Lameness

Cows are amazingly stoic creatures, hiding their pain well from us.   Lameness is one of the ways they will show pain, and most of the time it has stemmed from a foot issue.  The corium is the layer of tissue inside the hoof that the hard hoof grows from, and when it becomes damaged it…

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