News & Advice

      In December 1984, on a farm in Sussex, suspicions of a new disease in cattle began to develop. In the following year, a postmortem diagnosed Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, or Mad Cow Disease). This was the beginning of a public crisis in and for the United Kingdom. This crisis cost 177 human […]

Ensuring optimum animal health in youngstock going into the autumn period can help maintain growth rates, hit liveweight targets for mating and minimise illness and disease. At this time of year, it is important to consider all aspects of health and feeding. Health issues of importance include parasitism, yersinia and trace element deficiencies. Feeding will […]

One of the problems with managing hinds over the summer is that the fawning of hinds does not match feed supply and demand as well as sheep and cattle lambing and calving in the spring. Hinds fawn after grass has gone reproductive and has largely lost its best feed quality. Deer are programmed to make […]

Going into a dry spell, it is essential to make early decisions. Matching feed supply and demand in advance through feed budgeting is critical. Knowing what feed you have on hand, on a megajoules of metabolisable energy (MJME) basis, means you need to know the weight and energy content of the available forage types. These […]

On most New Zealand sheep farms there are “normal” pregnancy losses of around 1-2% from scanning to birth; any pre-lambing losses higher than this are abnormal and should be investigated to identify the cause of abortion. In any one year, up to 5% of the farms in New Zealand can experience an “abortion storm” with […]

Plan well ahead (1-2 years) with Vetlife so that your NAIT number qualifies on animal health requirements. The live exporting of both dairy and beef cattle to destinations such as China continues. Part of the strict legal requirements is for the exporting farm (NAIT number-based) to have suitable animals, based on the health status of […]

When it comes to pasture parasite contamination, we usually think of lush pastures, with moist conditions that allow worms to thrive. But unfortunately, drought conditions present a significant risk, especially after rain. It is well known that intestinal parasite eggs require moisture in order to hatch and develop into infective larvae. The larvae tend to […]

Bloat in dogs, medically known as Gastric Dilatation and Volvulus (GDV), is a life-threatening condition involving the bloating and twisting of the stomach. It most commonly affects large, deep-chested breeds such as Great Danes, St Bernards, Weimaraners, Setters, German Shepherds, and Boxers. In GDV, the stomach fills with gas, food, or fluid and then twists on itself. […]

With only 15% – 20% of pets insured in New Zealand (NZ), it is part of our duty of care within veterinary teams to encourage our clients to consider their options (Money Hub, 2025). Companion Animals New Zealand recently reported that an estimated 63% of households share their home with a companion animal. There are […]

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 […]