News & Advice

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. […]

Preparing ewes for mating involves several key factors. Ewe body condition (BCS) is the major driver of ovulation and conception, while flushing and good trace element levels follow closely behind. Hind body condition score (BCS) is critical to good milk production and early conception at mating. Hind BCS should be maintained around score 3.5 (BCS […]

Clostridial diseases remain one of the most significant preventable causes of sudden death in cattle. Conditions such as tetanus, pulpy kidney (enterotoxemia), and blackleg are widely recognised, but lesser-known diseases (including malignant oedema and sudden death syndrome) can be just as devastating. Unfortunately, treatment is rarely successful, due to the rapid onset of disease and […]

We all know drench resistance is now widespread on New Zealand sheep properties. While drenches remain an important tool, long-term parasite control and farm profitability increasingly depend on nutrition, grazing management, and the strategic use of forage crops. When used well, forage crops not only reduce worm challenge but also significantly lift lamb growth rates […]

Vetlife veterinarians have been testing bulls for breeding soundness for some years now, using jump tests and/or semen analysis under the microscope following electroejaculation. To advance our capabilities at Vetlife, we have recently purchased an iSperm machine. This cutting-edge device analyses sperm motility using a computer-assisted programme. Not only can iSperm assess bulls, but it […]

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 […]

The number of newborn lambs that survive to weaning is the single biggest driver of profitability on most sheep farms in NZ (fine wool farms being the obvious exception). Yet, so often, we leave the outcome to chance, and we fail to protect our investment by neglecting to use the very good available sheep performance […]

Managing Beef Cows Before and After Mating Getting cows in calf early and in good numbers is one of the strongest drivers of profitability in a beef herd. Two key performance goals are high pregnancy rates and a tight calving spread, both of which depend on how cows are managed in the weeks before and […]

Pain relief in sheep has been front of mind this year, with a focus on treating both shearing cuts and lambs at tailing. Reducing pain is great for welfare, but it also makes economic sense when it allows animals to return to normal behaviour in less time. Each season we are getting more information about […]

Bionic Plus CRCs are back after being unavailable for the last couple of lambings. For some sheep farmers, this absence removed an important tool from the toolbox for managing the effects of parasitism. Many of these farmers filled the void with persistent anthelmintic injections, e.g. Exodus LA, but a productive and sustainable sheep-breeding and lamb-growing […]

While much attention is given to the health and fertility of cows, the breeding bull is equally crucial in minimising the empty rate in the dairy herd. Thinking of the seasons where you have had unexplained poor heifer in-calf rates or a high empty rate following a good 6-week in-calf rate, it is more than […]

Think Johne’s disease, think cattle? Think again! Johne’s disease is a bacterial infection resulting in untreatable wasting and death of adult animals. It is a challenging disease to control due to its very long incubation period, poor test accuracy and long environmental survival. This has implications for disease management and means our only realistic target […]