News & Advice

  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 […]

Drenching calves early in the season is a crucial practice that can significantly impact the health and productivity of your herd. The first drench given to calves should not be viewed merely as a treatment for the animals themselves, but rather as a strategic measure to prepare the paddocks for the entire season. By administering […]

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 […]

Calving will be well underway or finished for most farmers by now.  Therefore, mating is just around the corner, and we should be asking ourselves what key management decisions can be made now to maximise beef herd profitability. It is known that the productivity of the beef herd is predominantly influenced by reproductive efficiency.  More […]

Working dogs are an essential part of a sheep and beef farming operation. Vetlife partnered with Massey University to conduct a working dog study in New Zealand which collected data on: feeding, housing, general health practices, training and condition, disease and injury, career duration and risk factors for disease, injury and end of career. No […]

Harriet, a four-month old female greyhound, was presented to the Oxford clinic with the suspicion of a dislocated toe. Greyhound puppies are reared on their mothers until around 10 weeks of age, before being weaned with their litter mates and managed in small paddocks with kennel shelter. This puppy was apparently normal at weaning and […]

Congratulations to a local Fairlie family on their litter of adorable Jack Russell Terrier puppies born from a successful artificial insemination performed by Dr. Hillary Nicolson of Vetlife Fairlie. Teazel’s humans sought help from Vetlife after it became clear that Teazel was not having a bar of ‘standing’ for the baby daddy ‘Ace’, even although […]

MPI have a commitment to assuring New Zealand’s export customers that we are free from TSE’s (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, known as mad cow disease).  This helps keep exportation demand strong for local farmers. Biosecurity New Zealand offer financial incentives to help monitor animals which may present clinical neurological signs.  This financial incentive of $150 plus […]