EWE MAIL · 2017. 7. 6. · fleas on your pet represent only 5% of the total flea popula-tion; the...
Transcript of EWE MAIL · 2017. 7. 6. · fleas on your pet represent only 5% of the total flea popula-tion; the...
EWE MAIL
MARCH 2017
Facial Eczema 2
Fly 2
Barber’s Pole worm 2
Stock yards 3
Laminitis 4
Fleas, Fleas and more Fleas 5
Inside What’s
It is hard to believe it is already March and we are now in-
to autumn. What a different summer we have had this year compared
to last year! Grass growth rates have remained steady which is great news
for stock owners around the district,
with many farmers only starting to feed
out supplementary feed in the past week
or two.
Last month SRVS entered a team in the
Taupo Great Lake Relay for the 4th time.
We had 18 staff/partners/kids running
legs from 5km to 14km. The team did
brilliantly in the worst ever weather
conditions and did us very proud!
We are still seeing small block holders getting caught out by high worm
burdens in their livestock – this is easily avoided by:
① Following current drenching recommendations:
→ Use an oral, combination (dual or triple action) drench every
28 days during late spring, summer and autumn
AND
② Using good grazing management to minimise larval challenge on
the pasture:
→ Keep a minimum pasture cover of at least 5cm – most
worms live in the bottom 2cm of the grass sward
→ Graze young animals ahead of older stock
→ Cross-graze different species
If you have concerns about worms in your animals, bring in fresh faecal
samples to the clinic and we can do a faecal egg count. This gives you good
information about the current worm status in your livestock and can be
used to guide decision making around drenching and pasture manage-
ment for the future. We need 2 grams of fresh faeces to perform a faecal
egg count.
233 State Highway 1, Bulls
48 Tutaenui Road, Marton
Email: [email protected]
www.srvs.co.nz
Tel (06) 3222 333
Find us on Facebook
Have you seen our Facebook page?? Find us on Facebook by searching
‘Southern Rangitikei Veterinary Services Ltd’
to keep up with the latest news!
Last year was one of the worst years for Facial Eczema that the Rangitikei has experienced since
the 80s. Fortunately so far this year the weather has been very different, however we are definitely not past the
risk period yet! If we get a ‘late summer’ through March and April then the Facial Eczema risk is still very high.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to zinc bolus your livestock to protect against Facial
Eczema toxins.
Keep an eye out for our spore count noticeboard when you come into the clinic to see what
the spore levels are doing for the week or on our webpage www.srvs.co.nz. Since the
weather has been more settled, the spore counts have been steadily increasing around the
district
We are getting many reports of flystrike in lambs and ewes – this is easily prevented with the use of a
dip or pour-on! For small block holders we stock Zapp Encore®, which is a pour-on product that both prevents fly
and lice and can also be used as a treatment for active flystrike. This treatment can be hired out
from either clinic or is available for purchase in 1L packs. Our technician Sian is able to assist if you
need a hand - Zapp can be applied at the same time as giving boluses, drenching etc. Don’t forget
an essential part of preventing flystrike is making sure your sheep are shorn, or at the very least
crutched.
Facial Eczema
Fly
Drenching of sheep and goats at this time of year
needs to be done regularly (ie. every 28 days) and
must be done with a drench that contains moxidectin
– please note Scanda® does not contain this active
ingredient!
Most drenches will say on the label that they kill
Barbers Pole Worm (Haemonchus contortus) however
only moxidectin has persistent activity against the
worm. Barbers Pole Worm reproduces very quickly
and in large numbers, so within 7-10 days after a
drench with a product that doesn’t contain moxidec-
tin there can potentially be enough worms sucking
blood in the stomach to kill a lamb.
We stock Exodus® (moxidectin) in 250ml containers
for small block holders. If you would like a faecal egg
count done for your livestock please bring in fresh
faecal samples and we can generally have a result for
you within 24 hours.
FLEAS, FLEAS & still more fleas By the time you see fleas on your pet
there is already a problem. This is because the
fleas on your pet represent only 5% of the total flea popula-
tion; the other 95% exist as developing stages (eggs, larvae
and pupae) in your pet’s home and garden environment.
They start off as eggs which roll off the coats of untreated
animals including your own pets, neighbourhood strays
and even wildlife. Pupae can survive in the ground or
carpet up to six months before hatching.
In the past fleas were thought of as a summer problem
because as the weather heated up pupae would start to
emerge and a flea infestation became evident. However,
we are seeing fleas throughout the year, possibly because
our homes are warmer than they used to be during the
cooler months and pre-existing immature stages in the
environment will continue to emerge as fleas and jump on
your pets. If you have to start flea treatment again it can
take weeks or even months to break the this cycle so the
safest and best advise we can offer is to
continue flea treatment all year round.
There is a whole range of products on the market and all of
them kill fleas—the key is to use them as directed. Many
owners treat once then forget to follow up—it has to be a
continual treatment plan to be effective.
The original flea treatments were flea collars, but these
became old news and the spot-ons became the option of
choice—these are very effective but for correct use it
means applying the flea treatment either monthly or 6 to 8
-weekly depending on the brand you choose.
In recent years Seresto® collars have come onto the
market. The main attribute is that the activity lasts for 8
months. They are water resistant and offer a “fit and
forget” option.
Also available is NexGard Spectra® - an oral chew for dogs
that is given as a monthly “treat” which kills fleas and
roundworms.
Bravecto® comes as an oral chew treat for dogs and a spot
-on treatment for cats and gives 3 months flea protection.
Broadline® is a complete flea and worm treatment
(covering both round worms and tapeworms) for CATS.
Prevention really is better than the cure
Visit us today to see the full range of flea and tick
control products, available in store now at The Flea
Station. We offer the service of a text or phone call to
remind you that your pet needs it’s next treatment, but
remember to treat before there is a problem—
don’t wait until your pet is scratching
and damaging it’s skin—then you will need
a vet consult.
Purchase Frontline, Broadline
or NexGuard Spectra and
Scratch & Win for an instant
prize and go into the draw to
win a $10,000 travel prize!
Barbers Pole Worm
If you are going to own livestock it is essential you have
facilities available that allow for the easy and safe
handling of these stock. What is required will depend entirely
on what sort of animals you own or wish to own, and how easy
and safe they are to handle. If you only have a few pet sheep a
simple holding pen may be all that is needed but if you plan on
running a couple of cattle for the freezer, some sturdy yards with a
race may need to be accessible.
Nearly all animal health procedures from drenching through to
assisted calving’s require some sort of restraint. Without the
proper facilities simple tasks can quickly become dangerous for either the handler or vet, or for the animal; or in
many situations, for both.
If you don’t have your own yards the first place to look may be your next door neighbours. Many farmers are very
willing to allow lifestyle block owners access to their yards in times of need. If this isn’t an option, then you will
need to think about whether you want to build permanent facilities on your property or would prefer to be able to
move/remove them if necessary.
There are multiple companies that make practical, portable steel
yards. Ranging from simple sheep pens through to cattle yards
with head bails and loading ramps. These can be very useful,
especially if you aren’t sure whether you will always have live-
stock or whether you will be on the property for long.
If you wish to build your own then my main advice would be take
your time, plan it out and seek guidance (e.g. from your vet, local
farmer etc.) about the design. Think about where you want
them: what is the area like in winter? How easy is it to access by
vehicle? Will the animals easily muster into this area? And so on.
There is nothing worse than trying to wrangle stock in a mud pit during winter, or spending hours trying to
entice a small flock of ewes into yards inconveniently placed in the middle of a paddock.
There are a number of routine procedures that require more than just a race for restraint. A head bale is a very
useful addition when dealing with larger cattle. Simple procedures such as dehorning and administering boluses
(e.g. Faceguard® for facial eczema) go a lot smoother and quicker with the use of a head bale. Dehorning large
cattle without one, for example, often means full sedation, which increases the risk for the animal, the cost for you
and the time taken overall.
It is your obligation as an animal owner to ensure your animals welfare is being cared for. When it comes to live-
stock, ensuring welfare standards are met nearly always involves routine tasks such as drenching, shearing, provid-
ing facial eczema and fly prevention as needed and enabling veterinary attention when necessary. None of which
can easily be performed, if at all, in the middle of the paddock, therefore if you wish to own livestock it is actually
an obligation to have the use of adequate yards’/handling facilities available. Your animals and our vets here at
SRVS will thank you for it !
Stockyards Laminitis Laminitis is a serious and painful disease that affects ponies, horses and
donkeys. It is caused by inflammation and weakening of the tissue between the hoof wall and the bone in the
hoof, which in severe cases can result in the bone dropping or rotating within the foot.
Signs your equine friend could have laminitis (or another cause of pain in their feet/legs) include:
Walking stiffly/ taking small steps
Leaning backwards, particularly with the forelegs out in
front
Shifting weight from one foot to another
Spending a lot of time lying down
All four hooves warm to the touch
One of the most common causes of laminitis is nutritional disturbances eg. a history of the animal eating excess
grain or lush grass. It can also occur as a side effect of nasty bacterial infections, being treated with steroids for
other medical conditions or being worked hard on firm ground. Some ponies that have recurrent laminitic prob-
lems may have a disorder called Equine Metabolic Syndrome (another sign of this is that they often don’t lose
their winter coats!). This can be diagnosed by testing insulin levels with blood tests.
Laminitis is serious and affected animals should be exam-
ined by a vet. Treatment includes administering painkillers
and providing a diet of high fibre, low starch feed—
generally this involves removing the horse from pasture
and feeding dampened hay or appropriate hard feed. If you
think you have a horse with laminitis please give us a call to
get advice specific to your situation.
Hi I’m Marieke Waghorn and am proud to be the new Commercial Manager at
SRVS. My husband and I have recently moved to the area together with our 3
children. I am a qualified veterinary nurse and have been working within the
veterinary industry for 25 years, most recently teaching veterinary nursing students
at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and working in small animal practice.
I am looking forward to working with you, so please don’t hesitate to contact me at
the Bulls clinic.
Introducing our new Commercial Manager—Marieke Waghorn