News & Advice

“Buyer beware” is a generic statement that is often used when it comes to purchasing anything. It is also a statement often bandied around (almost with a chuckle) when it comes to purchasing cattle, in particular heifers or female cattle, on the open market.  As a part-time farmer with a small-time cattle finishing operation, who […]

While I am sure everyone is fast awaiting summer’s arrival and hoping for some consistent grass-growing weather, we must not lose sight of those issues that arrive with the improved climate.   Flystrike will soon begin to rear its ugly head and, as ever, prevention is far better than cure. Maggots cause extensive damage leading […]

While we tend to see most lungworm infections post-Christmas, seasonal conditions may lead to it rearing its ugly head before we are expecting it, so vigilance is important. It usually affects calves under 10 months of age, and freshly weaned calves are very susceptible, but it can also affect older cattle.   Lungworm symptoms and lifecycle […]

Summer is upon us, meaning it is that time of year again for sorting through your ram flock in preparation for the breeding season ahead. Ram soundness exams are a critical and simple-to-perform step to ensure your rams are healthy and ready for mating. Rams should be palpated by your veterinarian at a minimum of […]

To celebrate our amazing pets (and their humans), we are giving you the chance to win a year’s worth of PD pet insurance or Hills premium pet food! We would love to see your pets out and about enjoying their best life. You can also visit any one of our Vetlife clinics and take a fun […]

Cut, compact, and cover – the 3 very important rules for making quality silage, especially in today’s expensive feed world.  I thought I would take the time here to discuss some of the important aspects of silage production that will ensure you can get good high-quality silage that is well suited as a supplement for […]

The current outbreak of canine cough (otherwise known as kennel cough) around the district is all too familiar to most of us, due to its similarities to COVID-19.  It is not related to COVID-19, but the principles are very similar i.e. highly contagious, various strains, requirement for isolation and vaccination. However, there is no requirement […]

Fully feeding your cows to improve their milk-producing performance, while simultaneously keeping them healthy, is about maintaining a consistent diet throughout the season.   ‘Consistent’ means feeding them optimum levels of dry matter, energy, protein, fibre, minerals, and vitamins up to their levels of production, but it also involves avoiding sudden changes in the diet composition. […]

The recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Indonesia has raised the profile of this highly contagious viral disease that causes vesicular and erosive lesions of the mouth, nose, teats and feet of all cloven-hoofed animals. It does not kill many adult animals, but the disease is particularly debilitating in cattle and pigs, […]

With an increasing number of cows in New Zealand wearing cow monitoring devices, we have an ever-growing number of animals available for data assessment.   The 24/7 data from cow monitoring devices provides a massive data pool. All this data gives us information for evaluating ways to fine-tune our established farming systems and veterinary advice […]

The transition period, often defined as the period from three weeks before until three weeks after calving, is a challenging time for the health and performance of a dairy cow. Metabolic and reproductive health issues within the transition period are common and can cause a reduction in productivity and increases in costs and losses even […]

Turbo Initial is a dual-active oral drench with the added benefit of prevention against coccidiosis; it is believed that Turbo Initial is the only product globally that has the simultaneous purpose of controlling internal parasites and coccidia at the same time. Turbo Initial also contains cobalt and selenium to assist with trace element supplementation. Turbo […]