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Joining the herd: Kate

Hi there, I'm Kate. Originally from Wellington, I first left to pursue a career with horses, initially in NZ, then further afield in Australia and the UK. I was fortunate to work across various equine industries, including stud, stable, tourism and veterinary nursing.Twenty years ago, an opportunity arose to become involved in the dairy industry. This led to several years on dairy farms, then back into veterinary clinics, in a number of roles.For the past 10 years, I have been managing a ru...

Tackling liver fluke

Liver fluke (fasciola hepatica) is a parasite of the trematode family. It affects a whole range of animals - not only cattle and sheep, but also people and horses! It has a very complex life cycle, requiring the mud snail as an intermediate host. Because of the mud snail, it requires a wet and humid environment, which is why it is only really prevalent in New Zealand here on the West Coast and up in Northland.Once the immature fluke leaves the snail, it waits on vegetation to be ingested by...

Managing nutrition during the transition period

Although this season has officially not ended yet, we must look to next season already. There are diet changes ahead and every change requires time for the rumen to adjust. The first upcoming diet change is going from a milking diet to a dry cow diet and then, a month or two later, back to a milking diet. These changes must be done slowly and in little steps. Adjusting to the new diet takes about 2 weeks and, if not done properly, you will have down cows, lame cows, slips and...

Scours vaccines

Before we have even finished drying off, it is time to start looking ahead and getting prepared for next season.At an already stressful time of the year, sick and scouring calves is frustrating and demoralising. Extra time spent having to look after these calves means:Less of a break for the calf rearer.Less time spent putting your energy into the healthy calves.Lower growth rates in calves.Potentially less replacements than required due to deaths. Calves are born with no immune system, so ...

Growing great girls!

As the dry period looms, it is important to be thinking about how to maintain or improve the body condition of your herd to meet spring targets.Body Condition Scores (BCS) are a great indication of the fat reserves and overall health of your cows. The team at West Coast Vets are accredited body condition scorers and can come out to BCS your herd prior to dry-off.You should be aiming to have your herd at a BCS of 5 in spring. There are several strategies that can be adapted to achieve this, ...

Keep your furry friend smiling

Nothing warms your heart more than your happy, smiling dog welcoming you home at the end of the day. Just like us, to keep that happy smile, cats and dogs rely on healthy teeth and gums for their overall health and wellbeing.The build-up of dental plaque (a sticky film of bacteria that constantly forms on the teeth) can lead to oral health issues in your pet, such as gingivitis, periodontal disease and tooth loss....

Lameness: Part 3

For the final instalment of the lameness trilogy, we are going to look into the last couple of conditions commonly seen and a procedure to remove incurable toes....

Joining the WCV herd: Molly

Hi,My name is Molly and I’ll be hanging out on-farm with the vets as their new tech.Before I took this job, I was working as a barista in one of the local cafes and as an AB assistant and technician -I generally washed my hands in between :-).Outside of work, I enjoy playing netball. My mood on a Monday may depend on whether or not we won on Saturday!I’m also a very crafty person, so don't be surprised if you see me knitting in the WCV utes.Looking forward to getting to know you all on-farm ...

Prevent down cows at the works

With cull cow season in full swing, now is a good time for a refresher on some essentials your animals need, before being loaded onto a truck, to avoid down cows on arrival at the works. The local works has already had some cases of down cows, despite relatively short travel distances! The local MPI vet has sent through the below reminder:...

Salmonella vaccination

Salmonella is a zoonotic disease, which means it not only affects cattle, but can be passed to humans too. Immuno-compromised or pregnant people are the most at risk of infection.There are four main strains of salmonella that can affect cattle: S. Typhimeriem (gut),S. Bovismorbificans (gut), S. Brandenburg (abortions) S. Give (gut). This is a newer strain, discovered in 2019. Nationally, cases were on the rise until 2021, after which they started to slightly decrease....

Bulk milk somatic cell count and cow health

The bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) refers to the concentration of white blood cells produced by the entire herd into the vat. Cell counts above 400,000 cells/ml are regarded as unfit for human consumption. BMSCC's are correlated with the occurrence of mastitis in the herd. As a (rough) rule of thumb:Herds with BMSCC of 400,000 cells/ml have (clinical and/or subclinical) mastitis cases in 40% of cows.Herds with BMSCC of 300,000 cells/ml have mastitis cases in 30% of cows. Her...

The end of an era!

As some of you will be aware, Harold has been reducing his days at West Coast Vets for the last few years and has now decided to step back and retire from his role in the retail team. He is still intending to stay on the Coast, but is keen to spend a lot more time with his grandchildren in Christchurch and Nelson, as well as making the most of the sunny days on his bike with his wife Mary.Harold has been a constant presence at the Greymouth clinic since the 80s and the days of 'Grey Vets', ...

A new leptospirosis vaccine

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, caused by a family of bacteria, that can infect multiple species, including people. Three groups of people who are at high risk of contracting lepto are:Meat workersFarmersHunters. Lepto is spread through contact with infected urine or waterways. Once the bacteria gets into the body through the mouth, nose or eyes, it can lead to flu-like symptoms and, potentially, kidney failure. In people, the disease is known as Weils disease.With the high risk t...

Can cows have a Christmas hangover too?

The time after Christmas is for recovery, as our stomachs recover from too much food and our livers from being too merry! Every year, this seems to become harder and take longer. Do cows have these problems after the festive period too?Yes! Cows do have problems with recovering their livers from Christmas onwards and, sometimes, this lasts till March! Unlike us, this is not because of too many mince pies and bubbles, but from eating too low down in the sward where the spores of the facial eczema...

Foot rot and white line disease

Continuing on with our lameness theme started in the last newsletter, we will look at two of the most commonly seen causes of lameness on the West Coast:...

Preventing Polio (B1 deficiency)

Polio, short for bovine polioencephalomalacia, is a disease of the brain most commonly caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. It is something we see sporadically each year (we have already seen a couple of cases this season, just before Christmas).Cattle rely on bacteria in their rumen to produce vitamin B1 daily. If factors upset these bacteria, it can lead to either less thiamine being produced or an increase in specific thiaminase enzymes that destroy the thiamine already prese...

Minerals: you can't improve what you don't measure!

Our advice is to check the mineral status of your herd before mating, to which the common response is often "but I haven’t changed anything", or, "our results have always been ok". Unfortunately, each season is different and, therefore, results can be different. This season was very abnormal!We took liver and blood samples from different farms and the milk production varied from 300 to >500MS/cow. The results showed: 38% of farms had a deficiency in copper;31% had&n...

Managing internal parasites in calves

Internal parasites (worms) can have a large effect on calf growth rates if not managed correctly. Drenching your calves is important to help reduce worm burdens, but it is just one tool that we should be using in combination with other management strategies.Maintaining animal health is one of the most important things for ensuring they are able to fight off worm burdens; this includes good nutrition and ensuring trace element levels are correct.The main roundworms that affect our youngstock are&...

Lameness - no tip-toeing about

Lameness is a painful condition that can rob your herd's productivity, health, welfare and fertility, as well as your back pocket! ...

Chicken care 101

Recent regulatory changes banning battery cages for layer hens in NZ mean supermarkets are now only accepting cage-free eggs. This is a great win for our feathered friends, who now have the room they need to be happy and productive, but it has left our egg shelves a little bare! In a bid to ensure we have eggs to go with our bacon, there has been a dramatic rise in Kiwis taking matters into their own hands and buying chooks.TradeMe reported a whopping 190% increase in searches for...

Chocolate - the sweet but deadly treat

Chocolate is delicious - to both humans and dogs. Unfortunately, dogs are much slower to metabolise theobromine, one of the chemical components in chocolate, making even a small amount potentially toxic for them.While at the time it might seem funny that Fido the golden lab has had a good nosh on the block of chocolate left on the table, within a few hours, we might not be laughing so much. ...

Weight management for pets

Weight management is a crucial part of taking care of your dogs and cats. Ensuring your pet maintains a healthy weight minimises the risk of disease or injuries that can be associated with obesity or malnourishment. As a society, we are accustomed to seeing overweight pets as healthy pets, which means obesity is now becoming a major problem. Over 40% of dogs and over 30% of cats in NZ are at least 10% over their ideal weight.We weigh your animals every time they come to see us, which c...

A healthy guide to feeding pets

When feeding your beloved pet, whether it be a new puppy or kitten, or an older cat or dog, there is such a thing as ‘loving them too much’. Overindulging your pet can lead to health problems if they become overweight, so knowing how much, how often, and what to feed them is important.Pet food bags have feeding guides on the back which help you with the ‘how much’. This healthy amount of food can be tailored to suit your pet and could be split up into many feeds throughout the day, depen...

Protect your calves with Covexin10

Clostridial disease is an easily preventable deadly disease in cattle and sheep. We know vaccination works really well in preventing death in animals. Last season we introduced the use of Covexin 10 at disbudding time. This year, this is on offer again....

Winter tips for pets

The seasons have changed, and the togs have been replaced with jackets and hats. Not only do we feel the change, but so too do our pets. During this time please consider what you can do to keep your pets happy and healthy.Here are some key things to keep in mind for our pets this winter.Older Pets: Senior pets are likely to struggle more, particularly if they have joint issues such as arthritis. Keep them warm and comfortable in a snug bed with extra padding. Check-in with a veterinarian if you ...