Articles

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

Dairy Scanning 2025

These days it is routine to use our ultrasound scanners for pregnancy testing. We can check all cows that are scanned empty by manual palpation to maximise accuracy and check for problems. Our scanners work well either in the dairy or down races with a catwalk in cattle yards. During milking works fine in most Rotary sheds. Heifers are best done in cattle yards, or they will need training to run through the shed. Having good facilities and plenty of help ensures the job run smoothly on the day.
Earliest testing times after the end of the mating period:
Manual: Heifers 42 days | Cows 56 days, Ultrasound Scanning: Heifers & Cows 35 days
Best aging window: 35–100 days from conception (earlier is more accurate)

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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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Croeso’n ôl Steve!

  Sheep pregnancy scanning has become an annual pilgrimage for Welshman Steve.  Steve Lloyd has been pregnancy scanning ewes for over 25 years. He has scanned in the UK, Norway and across New Zealand for the last 20 years. 2023 is his 6th season with the Vet Services team. Steve loves returning to Hawke’s Bay…

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COUGHING AND WHEEZY HORSES

The classic ‘coughing horse’ is a common sight and sound at this time of year, and often transient viral respiratory disease is to blame. But as much as we love to blame a virus, they are not always the cause! This year has seen an influx of allergy associated disease in all classes of stock…

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Community Day competition winners

Congratulations to the winners of our Community Day ‘Name the Kitten’ and ‘Colouring’ Competitions   The winning kitten name was “Digger lightspeed” – entered by Ben and his sisters. Freya Cameron won the 5 years and under Colouring Competition Addison Jones won our 6-12 years Colouring Competition                …

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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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COLIC – WHAT A PAIN!

Colic, a word that strikes fear into the heart of every horse owner! But what is it and what can we do? In the simplest sense, colic is a broad term used to describe abdominal pain and the behaviour that we see associated with that pain. This is most commonly associated with the gastrointestinal tract,…

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Christmas Hours

EMERGENCY CARE AVAILABLE OVER HOLIDAYS. Christmas is fast-approaching and our clinics have been busy as most people get ready to enjoy a few days off with friends and family.   Our clinic doors will be closed on the public holidays (25 – 27 December and 1-3 January) but our on duty team are just a…

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Christmas Ham or Angus Cube Roll with qualifying purchases

We’ve got Christmas covered! Receive a Christmas Ham or Angus Cube Roll when your purchase your qualifying parasite control combinations from Vet Services this season. Talk to our friendly and knowledgeable retail team today to score yours! Exclusive to Vet Services Hawkes Bay & Dannevirke, while stocks last.

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Chickens & Red Mites

Red mites are small external parasites of chickens that live in the cracks and crevices of poultry housing.  They are blood feeders and mainly feed at night but if there are large numbers they may be seen during the day.  They then return to the housing during the day where they lay their eggs.  They…

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CHB Farmers Veterinary Club’s 75th Jubilee AGM & Celebrations.

Join us in celebrating a very special milestone – the CHB Farmers Veterinary Club’s 75th Jubilee! 📍 CHB Municipal Theatre, Waipawa📅 Thursday 9 October The evening will be filled with history, connection, and CHB spirit as we celebrate 75 years of supporting farmers and their animals. AGM starts 5.00pm Refreshments from 5.30pm Jubilee Event will…

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