Keep up to date with all our latest news, articles of interest, and case studies from the veterinary world around Hawke’s Bay.
Heifer teat sealing is one of the most effective interventions we can perform to improve animal welfare on farms across New Zealand. Heifer mastitis before or after calving, or during the first lactation, significantly affects udder health and lifetime milk yield. Heifers have been shown to have a higher risk of clinical mastitis…
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Incidence of lameness varies between herds and varies during the season. Smaller herds still have an incidence of 10% lame cows in the herd, larger herds often show higher incidences: up to 30%. Wet periods will boost the number of clinically lame cows, due to gravel being pushed into existing white line defects, softening of…
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Facial Eczema Pasture Spore Counting Facial eczema is a disease caused by the fungus Pithomyces chartarum; which produces a toxin (sporidesmin) resulting in liver damage and photosensitivity. It grows on dead plant material at the base of the sward and thrives in warm, humid conditions. A good way to determine the risk level of your…
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Farmers should target worm control in cattle at young animals and use oral drenches as long as they can. Article by Sara Sutherland, Vet Services Wairarapa. Sheep and cattle systems have some subtle differences with respect to drenches and drenching. For example, worm species are (mostly) different, the availability of pour-on drenches for cattle, the…
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Too hot to handle Crops are an integral part of many systems, supplying supplementary feed when pasture covers get tight during autumn and winter. Unfortunately, nothing in life is ever that simple with many of the popular choices for crop being higher risk for nitrate accumulation, placing us between a rock and a hard place…
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Growing young stock to their full potential involves many factors. The main focus should be great nutrition with all animal health considerations including trace minerals, vaccinations and parasite control covered. Even with all of that considered, aside from poor nutrition, parasites can often be the most growth limiting factor of young stock on pastoral farms…
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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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Our scanners enable us to quickly confirm a pregnant cow and the gestation of the pregnancy which gives you peace of mind and the ability to plan for the calving season ahead.
An update from each of the Vet Services Regions. WAIPUKURAU Camille Flack, Production Animal Veterinarian Group Leader We start the year quite differently compared to this time last year. Last year the first cases of Covid-19 were being confirmed in New Zealand and we were starting to get concerned about the dry. This year while…
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Having a good safe working facility on farm has lots of benefits – to you, your animals, and your service providers. Yards that are fit for purpose are a pleasure to work in and reduce the risk of injury to all users (animal and human alike). The following are some common things that make…
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There are three stages to calving: Stage 1 (should take around 6 hours): The fluid sac around the calf is visualised and bursts, the cow may have her tail up, be restless and isolate herself, may mother other calves, cervix gradually dilates Stage 2 (should take about 1 hour): Delivery of the calf. Stage 3…
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In New Zealand almost 1.5 million calves are reared every year. Many of those are reared on dairy farms, as replacement heifers, but about 500,000 bull calves are reared for the beef industry, often at specific calf rearing properties, as well as in backyards and on lifestyle blocks. When you decide to try your hand…
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