News & Advice

As winter tightens its grip, feed quality and availability drop, just as stags are coming off a nutritionally demanding period, and as hinds are heading into an increased requirement for foetal growth as well as setting themselves up for lactation during summer. Even when bodyweight does not change much through winter, the right balance of […]

In the context of increasing drench resistance, the adoption of more advanced diagnostic tools has become essential. You may be familiar with the Parasight Systems we have been using in clinic over the past several years; we are now in a position to share key findings from real world data collected from our client base. […]

Growing good fawns or weaner deer starts with decisions made the year before. When hinds calve earlier, they have more time to rear fawns that will be bigger at weaning. Earlier-born fawns have the benefit of getting off to a good start before pastures lose quality in summer. Hind body condition score (BCS) is critical […]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top global public health and development threats identified by the World Health Organisation. It is estimated that bacterial AMR was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths(1). By now most farmers will be familiar with the traffic light classification of […]

After collapsing at home on the couch after a vigorous velveting session down in Ward, Dr Nick Hansby noticed some little insects crawling around his arms. He was immediately evicted from the house. Over the last thirty years, many places have changed, from seeing a tick as being a rare occurrence to having significant outbreaks […]

A targeted performance boost for high-demand periods and, hopefully, an opportunity for some more deer data! Even with a good trace element programme in place, there are times when stock need a targeted boost to perform at their best. This is where MULTIMIN® comes in. It is an injectable trace mineral supplement, providing a rapid […]

Copper is an essential trace element required for animal health. In deer, like other species of farmed livestock, copper is critical in the formation of the collagen matrix that keeps bones strong. This is why animals that experience copper deficiency early in life can have bones that are weak and prone to fractures and deformities. […]

Vetlife is currently undertaking a deer copper survey amongst our clients, via liver biopsies on farms, to gain an understanding of how well their deer are emerging from winter. The preliminary results are interesting with a wide range of results being reported. 36% of groups tested (ten) are in the deficient range (less than 100 […]

This is a summary of a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2024 by Vetlife Scientific on behalf of the Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) Background Following concerns from deer farmers about a novel severe form of lameness in adult stags[1] a national cross-sectional survey was developed by the authors of this study to estimate the prevalence […]

Hopefully, the weaning process has gone smoothly this year and, despite the recent dry conditions in many regions, with careful planning and feed management, you have still achieved some decent autumn growth rates in the fawns. As the day length has now decreased into winter, the growth potential of weaners has also decreased, so realistically […]

This year has been tough for deer farmers, with uncertainties over continued access to overseas export markets, mixed pricing messages and an increasingly fragmented market. Vetlife recognises the challenges facing its farming clients and is committed to supporting animal agriculture in New Zealand for the long haul. Part of this undertaking includes continuing to invest […]

Contrary to that in the North Island, the Central Otago sunshine has been relentless since the new year. Driving around you can see the effect this is having on feed quality throughout the countryside. For hinds coming up to the rut, this may be particularly problematic.   Mating will be a tough time, especially for hinds […]