News & Advice

Bloat in dogs is medically known as GDV (Gastric Dilation and Volvulus). It is the bloating and twisting of the stomach that most commonly occurs in large breed, deep chested dogs, like the Great Dane, St. Bernard, Weimaraner and Setters to name the top 4. GDV can rapidly progress to severe illness and death in […]

Having to take an unexpected trip to the vet feels a little like needing to go to the dentist, we know we will get a quality professional service to help fix the problem, but we may leave with our wallets a little, or a lot lighter. In New Zealand we are fortunate to have access […]

Do your pets get scared when they hear fireworks? While holidays like Guy Fawkes Night and New Year’s Eve are perfect for celebrations with family, friends, BBQs, bonfires, and fireworks, they can cause anxiety for both pets and pet owners alike. It’s not unusual for dogs, cats and even livestock to become extremely frightened by […]

  Around April/May, we begin seeing working dogs ‘slow up’. Common causes for early retirement of working dogs are cited as “slowing down, getting old, unable to jump on the back of the truck anymore…”. These behaviours of “slowing down” can be a sign of your dog being in pain and discomfort. Dogs with chronic […]

From Christmas through the autumn – does a bit of green on the rear end mean anything? Every year we support some clients dealing with scouring calves through the 0-3 month period. However, calves that scour from Christmas onwards through the autumn are often ignored, invariably on the basis that “this is normal, the grass is […]

  Meeting target live weights of heifers, from weaning through to their first lactation, can mean more milk in the vat. Research conducted by Rhiannon Handcock from Massey University in 2019 is represented in the graph below. The blue line on the left shows how much milk heifers produce in their first lactation in relation […]

Numnuts are coming! A new and novel rubber ring applicator is set to adorn our stores by spring 2021. This will be good news for lambs, as the world-first device has been shown to deliver close to 70% pain reduction in lambs after ring application, leading to faster mothering-up, less mismothering and smoother paddock return […]

The first drench given to calves can set the scene for the rest of the season. The first drench should not be seen as a treatment for the calves – more as a treatment for the paddocks for the season to come. Drenching calves early in the season, with a highly effective drench, reduces the […]

Non-cycling cows in dairy herds can have a significant impact on the reproductive and economic viability of a herd. It is important to identify and treat these cows early as they often have reduced submission and conception rates, and these can result in reduced in-calf rates, a prolonged calving period and fewer days in milk […]

Hind nutrition and body condition, along with the environment of the fawning paddocks, are the important determinants in the success of fawning. The target body condition score (BCS) of hinds throughout pregnancy and into fawning is 3.5.  A BCS of 3 is moderate and 4 is good. Hinds should not be fat (greater than BCS […]

Your heifers are genetically the best animals in your herd, so why wait another year to have them produce replacement heifer calves? Synchronising your heifers for AI ensures they are ready on day one of mating, meaning they are more likely to get in calf early and then have more opportunities to get in calf. […]

Worming, or “dosing “dogs for control of internal parasites, has been part of farming husbandry for years.   Control of roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms affects the health and wellbeing of our four-legged work mates, but the control of dog tapeworms is also important in meat hygiene and human disease. Hydatids disease, caused by the dog […]