Keep up to date with all our latest news, articles of interest, and case studies from the veterinary world around Hawke’s Bay.
Sheep Performance Vaccines reduce the risk from deadly sheep diseases across most New Zealand farms. These Vaccinations need to be timed around the date you plan to introduce the ram to your flock. Please fill in the order form below so that we can schedule vaccinations for your farm. Name* First Last Farm Name Email*…
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Waipukurau Results (11-17 Jan). Not unexpectedly with so much long, rank grass beginning to build we are seeing our first FE spores of the year. The warm, humid weather is also a concern. However counts at this stage are thankfully low and so not require any immediate intervention. Nonetheless the season has just begun and things are…
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At the end of November, Vet Services General Manager Richard Hilson, and Senior Veterinarian Roger McKinley will hang up their stethoscopes after providing Central Hawke’s Bay with over 30 years’ veterinary care. Richard has made an enormous contribution to Vet Services over the last 30 years, as a Vet, Director and latterly General Manager. His…
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Last month Roger McKinley saw his last ever patient, hung up his stethoscope and left our Hastings Clinic to begin a happy retirement after providing our community with a whopping 37 years of veterinary service! When Roger began working in our original Hastings Clinic in 1983, he was one of just two veterinarians. (Vet Services…
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Christmas is fraught with potential dangers to your pets. Items safe and enjoyable for humans can be dangerous for our furry friends. Here are the most common potential hazards. Chocolate. Wrapped up easily accessible under the Christmas tree, the festive season is the most common time to see chocolate toxicity in dogs. Containing theobromine, which…
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The old saying goes; “the eyes are the window to the soul” and I’m sure most, if not all, pet owners could probably attest to this when their little critter stares deeply into their own, especially around dinner time. Which is why we need to make sure we look after our companions’ eyes this summer…
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What is Flystrike? Flystrike is the most significant ectoparasitic disease of sheep in New Zealand, both from an economic and animal welfare perspective. The main flystrike challenge is during warm humid conditions, normally from November through to March, however this can vary seasonally and in some cases the challenge period can occur from October through…
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Mastitis in ewes is something I’m sure many of you have battled with over the years, it is a condition we are very familiar with in cattle, especially in the dairy sector, but we are less accustomed to treating it in our ewe flocks. This season we have had a few more cases presented to…
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Do you know whether that drench you just gave your stock is working? They may look to be free from signs of parasitism, but a drench can have lost a significant amount of its efficacy before you will notice any clinical impact. Continued use of a poorly effective drench is a perfect recipe for building…
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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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Dogs are natural scavengers and even during a hard day’s work (or play) can usually find a moment to snack on tasty morsels they may come across. Recreational areas such as rivers and bushland are not always entirely safe as possum and rabbit control measures utilise baits which are attractive to dogs. We commonly see…
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In the words of the old song, can a pet “take a trip and never leave the farm”, even in this Covid-19 era of travel restrictions? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. More and more frequently we are presented with dogs who are acting strangely and who are known to, or suspected of having ingested, someone’s…
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