News & Advice

Clostridial bacteria are widespread in the environment, both in the soil and water, and they commonly cause acute disease often followed by sudden death.   In cattle the main clostridial diseases we see are:   Tetanus  Blackleg  Malignant oedema  Black disease  Redwater  Sudden death syndrome (C. sordellii)  Diagnosis of clostridial disease can be tricky. This is generally […]

We are heading into a dry-looking March as I write this but, with a bit of luck, much-needed rain will have fallen by the time you read this latest copy of the Vetlife Rural Newsletter. Sooner or later it is going to rain, and there are a few health conditions that are worth considering when […]

Contrary to that in the North Island, the Central Otago sunshine has been relentless since the new year. Driving around you can see the effect this is having on feed quality throughout the countryside. For hinds coming up to the rut, this may be particularly problematic.   Mating will be a tough time, especially for hinds […]

Monitoring trace elements in your livestock through liver biopsies and blood sampling, is the best way to assess your herd’s status, giving you critical information to help tailor your supplementation programmes. Some of the key trace elements worth monitoring in the autumn are copper and selenium.  Copper: Copper is required for the function of enzymes […]

Lameness has a huge impact on the fertility, milk production and body condition of cows.  The result is large amounts of time and energy spent treating cases and increasing culling, and then a consequential decrease in overall efficiency on farm. Costs of lameness are estimated at between $200-$1,300/cow depending on the case, and, as you […]

Reviewing reproductive data can assist in providing more targeted outcomes for you and your business. It seems like only yesterday we started calving. Time has flown by, and now most dairy farms will be finished with mating and will have some scanning data available. To some, this information may not be used for much, but it […]

As calf weaning approaches, we judge the performance of our beef cow herds by deciding ‘how good’ this year’s weaners look. Are they a nice even line of calves, or are there a number of tail-end stragglers that will have to play catch-up?  Weaning good-sized calves depends on a lot of factors, including genetics, cow […]

As the breeding season approaches, ensuring your herd is in peak condition is essential for successful mating and maximising the reproductive outcome and growing offspring well. Proper management of both hinds and stags during this time can significantly impact fertility, conception rates, and the overall health of your animals. Below, we outline key strategies that […]

Summer is the time for PAR! In other words, you ‘Planned’ and ‘Acted’ and now is the time to ‘Review’. So, three simple questions to ask yourself and to discuss with your management team/business partners: Where are we and how did we get here? Where are we heading, and do we want to go there? If […]

An interview with Peter Gallacher, LAVT chair and veterinary technician Peter is a Senior Veterinary Technician at Vetlife for North Canterbury, based at our Oxford clinic, although you may see him helping out at other clinics as needed. Peter is also the President/Chair of the LAVT (Large Animal Veterinary Technician) committee of the NZVA (New […]

As a rule, non-return rates can be variable, but in general terms, we are mainly concerned about very high rates (as they may signal problems with your mating) and very low rates.    Non-returns are simply cows not seen to return to heat post mating, so they are either truly pregnant, have gone anoestrus again, have missed […]

It’s time for a deserved break, and then let’s start discussing the 2023/24 season!  After a wet and muddy calving and all the hard work put in through mating, most farmers and staff will be thinking about having a well-deserved break. Then when you get back, you will be refreshed and ready to start reviewing and […]