Keep up to date with all our latest news, articles of interest, and case studies from the veterinary world around Hawke’s Bay.
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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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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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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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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What is it? Facial eczema is a disease affecting sheep, cattle and alpacas, and is caused by a toxin called sporidesmin. Sporidesmin is produced by the spores of the fungus Pithomyces chartarum growing on pasture. The fungus grows in the base of pasture in warm moist conditions found at this time of year. When ingested…
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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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With the typical Hawkes Bay summer weather upon us it is time to start thinking about the wind-up of this milking season. There are many aspects to consider when it comes to drying off your herd (think BCS, long term weather forecasts, expected calving dates, production goals etc), but on the top of the list…
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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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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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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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