News & Advice

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 […]

It has been just over a year since Lepto 4-Way™ was introduced to the market. To recap, a nationwide survey of dairy farms revealed a new strain of leptospirosis present on many farms across New Zealand. In response, Lepto 4-Way™ was developed and launched. The uptake from Vetlife clients has been excellent, with many making […]

Wondering what FPT is? It stands for ‘Failure of Passive Transfer’. When calves are born, unlike people, they have not received any antibodies to fight disease via the placenta. To get these antibodies, they need to absorb them through the gut by drinking their dams’ colostrum. Unfortunately, there are many reasons why this does not […]

Regular dental check-ups are important for two reasons. Firstly, like people, to assess dentition and wear and secondly, because we ride them with bits and bridles, so it’s important to make sure (normal) sharp dental edges aren’t interfering with the cheeks or tongue when wearing tack.   A routine dental procedure, now more commonly performed with […]

We often hear about the importance of enrichment for our pets. But what exactly is enrichment, and why is it so crucial? While all pets need some form of enrichment, let’s focus on man’s best friend – our dogs. Dogs have natural instincts that have been honed over thousands of years. When humans domesticated dogs, […]

Bionic Plus® sheep capsules will again be available for the 2025 season. Bionic capsules were removed from the market, along with all other controlled release capsules, as part of a requirement by the regulatory body, the ACVM, following some variabilities being detected in some products. Bionic Plus has since undergone rigorous testing to show its […]

Why should adult cows be vaccinated for 10 strains of clostridial disease? Clostridial diseases are caused by bacteria that live predominantly in the soil, but some strains are found as part of the normal gut biome of the animal. In both cases, infection can result in sudden death, affecting any number of animals, from just […]

Can wearable technology help predict heat stress? Heat stress is a major concern for dairy farmers, particularly in regions where high temperatures and humidity levels persist for extended periods. When dairy cows are exposed to excessive heat, their ability to regulate body temperature becomes compromised, leading to reduced feed intake, lower milk production, and increased […]

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. […]

Weaning can be a stressful time for young cattle. It is important that we minimise the stress of transition, focus on keeping daily growth rates on track, and ensure animal health is a priority. Weaning is also a convenient time to administer preventative animal health treatments going into winter. We are talking about worms, trace elements, and […]

Last season, the reproductive figures for dairy herds were the best we have seen since we began ageing pregnancies. The average 6-week In-Calf Rate (ICR) rose to 69.3% for 2023/24, compared with 65.8% to 67.8% over the previous 10 years. The average Empty Rate (LIC’s Not-in-Calf Rate) decreased to 14.9% for 2023/24, down from an […]

During this year’s mid-mating scanning, we leveraged collar technology to enhance the insights gained from traditional ultrasound scanning. By reviewing collar data on heat activity, we were able to gather valuable information about cows that were identified as non-pregnant at the time of the scan. One key discovery was that some cows had a heat […]