Farmfirst vets News

2012-05-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

Farm First Newsletter – May 2012

IBR Vaccination Offers

For those of you who didn’t make it to our meeting last week, there has been new research on IBR vaccines which has shown that the best protection for herds is given by following the protocol below:

1st dose - IBR Marker live (either IM or intranasal)

2nd dose – (within 6 months) IBR marker inactivated (IM). The inactivated dose is then repeated annually. To get the best protection all animals (heifers and cows) should have the same course of vaccines, with heifers started before they go to the bull.

The usual (pay at time) prices for these vaccines are:

IBR Marker live 10 dose £25.31-£2.53/dose,

IBR marker live 50 dose £126.-£2.52/dose

IBR marker inactivated £25.19- £2.51/dose.

Pfizer, one of the companies that makes an IBR vaccine has some offers available on the above vaccines which reduce the price significantly, so if you are interested please phone the practice to discuss

Calvings - When to Call the Vet

There are unfortunately no fail-safe rules that indicate that a calf will have a normal delivery, but here are some rules that might help decision making. The calf may be too big to deliver if:

1. The body of the calf will not enter the pelvic canal, especially if the bone of the calf is pressing against the bone of the cow.

2. The front legs are forced to cross over as they enter the pelvic canal, due to the size restriction of the canal.

When coming forwards, it is a good sign if there is room to put your hand above the calf’s head as it enters the pelvic canal.

If the calf is coming forwards, it’s best if two people pull on a rope, pulling one leg at a time. If BOTH legs can be pulled out so that more than a hands breadth above the fetlock are sticking out of the vagina, then the calf should come (using the jack).

If the calf is coming backwards, if both back legs can be pulled out by two men so that a hand’s breadth above the hock is visible outside the cow’s vagina, then it should come (always check other signs as well).

Other things to check:

• If coming backwards, check that the calf’s tail is tucked down between its legs and not sticking upwards.

• If the soft tissue ring of the cervix is catching on the calf (usually on the head if coming forwards), see if you can push it back over the head with your hand, rather than just pulling against it.

• If unsure, do not risk the cow going down in the crush.

• For big calves coming forwards, rotate the calf 45 degrees after the chest has been delivered, to reduce the chance of the calf’s hips getting stuck in the pelvic canal.

• Calving may be easier when the cow is lying down.

• Use plenty of lubricant.

Remember a healthy non-traumatised calf with good vitality should;

a )be active and able to lift his head within a few minutes of birth

b) should be able to achieve sternal recumbancy within 5 minutes(sit up on his chest)

c) should be attempting to stand within 15 minutes and standing within 1 hour

d) suckling should commence within 2 hours(and ideally sooner!)

Ram Vasectomies

A vasectomised (teaser) ram can be used to bring your ewes into season before your tups go out. Not only does this enhance fertility it can also be a great way of tightening your lambing period. The ewe flock is isolated for at least one month from sight, smell and hearing of rams or wethers, after which a vasectomised ram is put with the flock for a period of 12 days. The ram is then removed and replaced by normal rams. Provided the ewes were on the point of cycling, this results in a close compacted lambing, usually in two peak periods some six to eight days apart.

Once a ram is vasectomised he should not be used for at least 8 weeks as he may still be fertile, so if you want a ram to be vasectomised for use this year, we should be operating on him in the very near future. Vasectomies can be performed on farm or at the practice. The cost is £74 + vat, with significant reductions for multiple vasectomies

Farming Connect

Just a reminder that if you register your farm with Farming Connect you can get 80% funding for up to 5 days consultancy on your farm. Rob, Andrew and Jane are all registered consultants with the scheme and so far our clients have used the grants to fund DairyCo mastitis and lameness investigations and Beef and Sheep Health Plans. We are keen to make the most of this funding while it is available, so if there is an issue on your farm that you would like to get to the bottom of, please give us a ring to discuss how we can help. It’s worth just registering with Farming Connect even if you are in no hurry to access the funding, because if you hit a disease issue for which we could utilise the funding, it speeds up the application process considerably.

Meetings

Rob will be speaking at a meeting on June 13th at the Hogs Head at 7.30 pm. The subject of the meeting is “Worming Strategies for Beef and Sheep Farmers”.

Breaking Practice News

Andrew has just announced that he and his wife Ana are expecting their third baby. I know you will all wish to join us in congratulating them both! We think they might be going for a rugby team. Robert has decided that he obviously isn’t working Andrew hard enough so if any of you have any castrating or dehorning(especially of adult animals)you would like done, please could you ring in and we will get Andrew to come along do the necessary(that should sort him out!-Rob)

2012-04-03T03:30:00.004-07:00

Farm First Newsletter April 2012.

Schmallenburg Update
Schmallenberg virus (SBV) infection has been identified on 235 farms in GB. Twenty five of the positive cases have been diagnosed in cattle, 210 in sheep, and none to date in other species such as goats, camelids or deer. Currently, SBV infection has only been identified in areas predicted to be at risk of midge incursion from Northern Europe during summer / autumn 2011. The possibility that domestic (local) midges may have transmitted SBV within the affected areas cannot be ruled out according to AHVLA. The figures are correct as of 30 March 2012. The virus causes stillbirths and deformities of foetuses. It is almost certainly transmitted by biting insects, so control is problematic. A stringent fly control policy will be the best way (though by no means foolproof) to try to reduce transmission via the insect population. The main fly control products have an 8-week period of persistency, and ideally they should be applied earlier than normal this year and reapplied at the 8-week intervals throughout the spring and summer.
We would urge all producers where a suspicious case arises, to take advantage of the confidential reporting service offered by AHVLA. Information on the current disease situation in Great Britain is published on the AHVLA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla/news Please contact us at the surgery for more advice.

Milk Fever Prevention and Bovikalk Offer
Clinical milk fever is thought to affect between 4-9% of the UK’s dairy cows, while evidence suggests the subclinical form (hypocalcaemia) can affect up to 39%. It is also seen regularly in beef cows, especially in older cows originating from a dairy herd. This need not be the case however as milk fever is preventable. Clinical cases serve as an indicator that other cows in the herd could be suffering at a sub-clinical level. Hypocalcaemia has numerous links to health and productivity post-calving e.g. milk fever increases the risk of dystocia by three times and increases the risk of mastitis in the following lactation by eight times.
Clinical and subclinical milk fever can, to a large extent, be prevented through dietary management and nutrition. However there are situations or cases where the risk of milk fever is increased. High yielding multiparous dairy cows and those with a previous history of milk fever are counted amongst this at risk group. For these individuals oral calcium can be supplied prior to the risk period. Bovikalc® is an oral calcium supplement bolus containing calcium chloride and calcium sulphate. Each bolus provides 42g of available calcium, in rapid release and slow release forms, as well as having an acidifying effect to help the cow to mobilise her own calcium reserves.
How to use Bovikalc to reduce the risk of milk fever in “at risk” cows: Around the time of calving: Give the first bolus immediately prior to calving, give the second bolus immediately after calving and follow up with 2 further boluses at 12-15 hour intervals as necessary .
Following treatment of a clinical case: Give the first bolus 2-3 hours after calcium injection, give the second bolus 12-15 hours later.
Bovicalk boluses should be given with the Bovikalk metal applicator, and there is currently an offer on Bovikalc Farmer Spring Pack. These contain 6 packs of 4 boluses and a FREE METAL BOLUS GUN. Cost for one of these Bovikalc Farmer Packs is £110.81+VAT (pay at time or contract price).These packs are limited in number, so reply quickly to take advantage of the offer.

Fluid Therapy in Lambs
Unlike scouring calves, lambs are rarely given oral rehydration therapy (ORT). The benefits of ORT are replacement of electrolytes lost in diarrhoea and reversal of acidosis, both of which contribute to deaths in these lambs. There is now a product, REHYDION, which can be added to milk fed to lambs and the milk will still clot. Adding 2ml per 100 ml of milk (20 ml/litre) helps maintain electrolytes and acid-base balance, whilst the milk provides the fluid and energy requirements. One bottle contains 320 ml, enough for 160 administrations. It is easy to use and costs less than 10p per dose. As well as for scouring lambs the product can also be used in the treatment of watery mouth.

Risk of Staggers
Just a reminder that we're coming up to the peak risk period for Staggers, and that cows should have a constant, daily supply of magnesium at turnout. It is also useful to have a couple of bottles of magnesium sulphate to hand in case any cows are affected, as rapid deaths can occur. A bottle should be given under the skin in several sites to allow for faster absorption, whilst you are awaiting the arrival of a vet.

Dates for Your Diary
There will be a talk on IBR for our dairy clients at 12.30 pm on Thursday 26th April, at the King of Prussia. Please contact the surgery to book your place.

Rob and Jane will be doing a talk for Farming Connect on “The Responsible Use of Medicines”at The Huntsman, Shirenewton 7.30 pm on the 19th of April.

Rob will be doing a talk for Farming Connect at the Hogshead Pub on the 13th June on Worming Strategies for Beef and Sheep(7.30pm start).

For any goat owners there will be Health and Welfare Workshop at the Royal Welsh Showground on Wednesday 2nd May .Please contact Sian Lloyd on 01970 617309 or Lynne Holmes on 01522 751374 or email sian.lloyd@adas.co.uk

***************************Newsflash ***************************

Free coccidiosis testing for dairy calves and lambs. Please contact the surgery for details.

Practice Organisation
I would like to inform all our clients that from the beginning of April Jane will become a shareholder and director of Farm First Veterinary Services Ltd. Jane and I have worked on and off together for several years now and I hope that together we will continue to grow and improve the business. You may notice over the coming months that Jane becomes more and more grumpy, though I hope (for her sake) that the stress doesn’t make her as bald as me! As part of her preparation for management, she has also recently attended an assertiveness course, so watch out you lot!
Rob

2012-03-13T07:15:00.002-07:00

FARM FIRST NEWSLETTER MARCH 2012

NSAIDS-Pain-Killing and Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
These drugs have many uses in farm animals and we have several products licensed the cattle in stock. Unfortunately none of these products are licensed sheep, but they are widely used and the prescribing cascade. At this time of year ewes will benefit from treatment with NSAIDs after difficult lambings, or after having prolapses replaced. The reduction in swelling and discomfort will improve feed intake and therefore milk production, and help mothering behaviour. There is also evidence that one of the drugs, Flunixin, helps in the treatment of Twin Lamb Disease, although the mechanism for this is not known. NSAIDs are also beneficial in the treatment of mastitis in both cattle and sheep, and in the treatment of pneumonia. Rapid administration of NSAIDs as soon as the first signs of pneumonia are seen will help to reduce lung damage. The other main area where these drugs are indicated is in cases of lameness, when the reduction in pain will help to maintain mobility and feed intakes, and therefore production.
DRUG Dose Rate Cost /dose (75kg) Milk Withold
CATTLE CATTLE
FLUNIXIN 2ml/45kg i/v daily for 3-5-d(or IM ) £0.57 36 hrs

METACAM 1ml/40kg s/c single dose £1.86 (7days IM)

RIMADYL 1ml/35kg s/c single dose £1.84 120 hrs

Please note that as none of the products is licensed for use in sheep a standard withdrawal of 28 days for meat withhold must be applied. We advise using the same dose for sheep as you would in cattle and we are assuming the length of action is similar

Casualty stock
With the main lambing season about to begin dealing, with casualty stock inevitably becomes more commonplace. Treating casualty stock humanely is a legal requirement and in addition dealing with cases sensitively and responsibly is an essential part of maintaining the image of our industry. It is worth bearing in mind that Spring is a time when the public start to get out into the countryside more and in many cases we have casual labour helping out with lambing duties that may be entirely new to farming activities. Please follow this link to a very useful document produced by the Sheep Veterinary Society http://www.sheepvetsoc.org.uk/docs/Casualtysheep.pdf and remember that if dispatch is necessary then this should be done as humanely and compassionately as possible, with carcasses being kept secure and out of contact until disposal.

Leptavoid –H Boosters
Just a reminder that in herds which vaccinate against leptospirosis, cattle should be given their annual boosters before turnout in the spring. Any youngstock which have not been previously vaccinated require two doses to be given four weeks apart, and all replacements that are likely to be served this year should receive these two doses prior to turnout

FOOT TRIMMING COURSE
We are planning to hold a three day herdsman's trimming course in the near future on one of our clients’ farms. If you are interested in attending this course (or in hosting the event), please contact Andrew at the surgery for further details. Farming Connect grants of 80% will be available to cover the cost of the course fees.

Ram and Bull Fertility Testing
I’m sure ram and bull care is not top of your list of priorities at the moment as calves and lambs are hitting the floor with a vengeance, but just a reminder that Farming Connect are subsidising the cost of these checks to the value of £70/test for bulls and £50/test for rams. Every famer is entitled to one subsidised test per ram and bull per year for each registered CPH number you have. All you have to do is have the test done and then send a copy of the invoice in to Farming Connect and the money will be refunded.
Various studies have shown that 20% plus of bulls are subfertile or infertile. If a bull is subfertile then this will obviously have a marked effect on your calving spread even if you rotate bulls. In rams and bulls we examine them to ensure that they are healthy and there are no abnormalities of the important bits. We then electroejaculate them to get a semen sample which is examined under the microscope. In bulls, the test is relatively easy to carry out, we only require a good crush (one where we can access the bulls sheath) and a nearby shed with electricity to set up the microscope to examine the sample. The whole process only takes about 45 mins to an hour and initial results are available straight away. The cost is £80(+ vat) for the first bull examined and £60 for any additional bull tested.
A similar situation occurs with rams, though it’s not so easy to identify the problem ram as rams often work in groups. Fertility testing in rams involves a trip to the surgery and is similar though obviously much more straight forward. The cost is £55 for 1 ram and then £40 for each additional ram.
Hopefully if ram and bull fertility is up to spec then this will help you to have even more lambs and calves to contend with next year! Please phone and speak to Robert at the surgery if you are interested.

MEETINGS
Rob will be giving a talk on BVD and Johnes Disease in the Beef Herd organised by Farming Connect.. The meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Wednesday 14th March at the Star Inn in Llansoy.
On 21 March the Dairy Development Centre has organised a specialist event for dairy farmers on Johnes disease, which will be held at Cardiff City Stadium from 11 am until 3 pm. For further information please telephone 01554 748592.

TB Tests
AHVLA have informed us that they will be carrying out field audits at TB tests in Wales in the near future, to ensure that tests are being carried out according to official instructions. It is likely that AHVLA vets will turn up unannounced at some of our tests in the next few weeks.

2012-02-07T04:50:00.000-08:00

Farm First Newsletter February 2012
Treatment of Hypothermia in Lambs
Hypothermia results from a combination of heat loss and starvation. Adequate shelter should be provided outdoors, and indoor pens should be draught-free. Severely affected lambs have an arched back, hollow flanks and a lowered head, with a rectal temperature below 37 °C. If less than 5 hours old these lambs can be dried, warmed to 37°C, fed colostrum, warmed to 39°C and returned to the ewe. However, if they are over 5 hours old they will need an intraperitoneal injection of 20% glucose at a rate of 10ml/kg to help them recover. After this they should be dried, warmed and fed as for the younger lambs.
For further information in this subject, including how to perform intraperitoneal injections, please contact us at the surgery on 01873 840167 or call in for a fact sheet.

Managing the Calf in Cold Weather
Calves which are underfed and energy deficient are at high risk of developing common diseases such as scours and pneumonia. This is because at low or negative growth rates the immune system will no be maturing rapidly enough to provide adequate protection from infectious disease. Calves can be body condition scored (BCS) by feeling for the amount of tissue covering the bones of the back and pelvis. If the BCS of healthy calves 2-3 weeks old is less than a newborn calves, it is likely that they have been energy deficient due to inadequate feeding.
Calves need energy for both maintenance and growth, and energy requirements increase significantly in a cold environment. The Lower Critical Temperature (LCT) is the environmental temperature at which animals start using extra energy to maintain normal body temperature. Calves under three weeks old have an LCT of 20°C, below this they will be using energy to keep warm and when temperatures drop to the 0°C they require 40% more energy for maintenance.
The volume of milk required for maintenance increases significantly as temperatures decline. A calf fed 2l twice-daily at 16°C will gain weight, but below 4°C it will start losing weight. Therefore, more milk must be given during cold weather particularly to younger calves which are only consuming small amounts of solid feed. The energy content of milk depends on the level of milk solids it contains, and the total quantity of milk solids that is fed can be increased in the following ways:

• increase the volume of milk given at each feed or add an extra daily feed
• increase the dry matter content of the milk e.g. mix milk powder at 160 g/l rather than 125 g/l
• feed milk from cows for the first four days after calving to the youngest calves
• use a milk replacer with adequate fat content (20%) in winter
• larger calves require more energy than smaller calves, so feed accordingly
The energy requirements of calves can be reduced with well-designed housing. It is important to strike a balance between providing good ventilation and avoiding excessive air movements at calf level. Provide clean dry straw so that they can "nest" down into it, as body heat is lost rapidly when lying on a damp, poorly-drained bed. Sick calves require additional energy to overcome infection.

Metabolic Profiling of Ewes
If sheep are blood sampled in the last 2-3 weeks before lambing to check their energy/protein and mineral status, the feeding of ewes in the last weeks can be adjusted to better suit energy requirements and avoid problems The BHB levels in groups of 5 ewes carrying singles, doubles and triplets should be sampled to allow increases (or decreases) in concentrates in the last weeks before lambing to be accurately defined. This results in more economic use of concentrates, optimum birth weights and good lamb viability, and allows early identification of ewes at risk of Twin Lamb Disease. Protein feeding in late pregnancy has a significant effect on milk production and therefore lamb health and growth rate. Blood testing will monitor both the longer-term aspects of protein nutrition, and the more immediate question of rumen degradable protein shortages, which are increasingly common in housed sheep.
Blood sampling should be done 2-3 weeks before lambing is due to start so that dietary changes can be made in time. The lab. Fees for testing up to 20 ewes are only £85(including post, packing and interpretation). Magnesium and copper tests are included in this package.

Schmallenberg Virus
This virus has now been reported on four sheep farms in Norfolk, Suffolk and East Sussex. Congenital defects have been seen in aborted and newborn lambs, calves and goat kids. Affected animals have had twisted joints, limbs and neck and are usually born dead or die soon afterwards. Some animals have shown signs of in coordination, paralysis and dullness due to fluid filled sacs in the brain. In adult cattle, fever and reduced milk yield of up to 50% for a week has been reported, in some cases with severe diarrhoea. If you have animals with the suspicious signs on your farm please contact us at the surgery or AHVLA.

Orf Vaccine
If Orf is a problem on your farm now is the time to consider vaccination. We have been informed by the manufacturers of the vaccine, Scabivax Forte, that there are no supply problems this year. The vaccine should only be used if there is a history of Orf on the farm. The vaccine is administered by a special applicator which scratches the skin and injects. A scab should be formed at the site of vaccination within 14 days – if not then they may have not been vaccinated correctly.
In an infected flock, pregnant ewes should be vaccinated not less than 7-8 weeks prior to lambing. If only baby lambs are vaccinated there is a small risk of spread to un-vaccinated ewes. If Orf is a problem in older lambs they can be vaccinated at turnout, or even later. Immunity lasts 6-8 months so the flock should then continue to be vaccinated once a year. The vaccine costs £27.27 + VAT for 50 doses (includes 10% pay at time discount).

Alamycin LA
If you have not vaccinated your ewes against Enzootic Abortion and have had the problem diagnosed in your flock, Alamycin LA can be given between day 90 and 120 of gestation to reduce the number of abortions and shedding of the organism. The dose is 1ml/10kg and a 100ml bottle costs £11.54 +VAT. There is a 10% discount for payment at the time, with larger discounts applied for the purchase of greater volumes.

2012-01-17T02:25:00.000-08:00

Farm First Newsletter January 2012
ARE COWS THIN BECAUSE THEY ARE LAME, OR LAME BECAUSE THEY ARE THIN?
So which do you think is correct?! A recently reported study by Bicalho and colleagues from Cornell used ultrasound to measure the thickness of the digital cushion, which is the pad of fat between the pedal bone above and the horn of the sole below.

They scanned 500 cows and found at high correlation between
1. the fat pad thickness and the presence of sole ulcers and white line abscesses (thin fat pad gave more disease)
2. fat pad thickness and body condition score – thin cows had thinner fat pads
3. fat pad thickness and stage of lactation. By 120 days the fat pad was at its thinnest (as were most cows) and hoof lameness at its highest.

This does not mean that changes around calving are no longer thought to be important. The poorer suspension (and subsequent increased movement) of the pedal bone inside the hoof just before and just after calving increases the risk of coriosis and this leads to the subsequent production of defective horn. A thinner fat pad exacerbates these effects.
Conclusions – take extra care over the comfort of your cows around calving (and yes, thin cows get more lameness!). We at last seem to be getting away from the obsession by some that lameness is primarily a dietary problem (although it is accepted that acidosis can lead to low biotin and subsequently increased lameness). In fact the authors concluded that diet can at most be only a contributory factor in most herds, although they did acknowledge that high yielding cows would lose more weight, lose more thickness of the fat pad and then develop more lamenesss.
Use of Elastrator Rings in Calves
Recent submissions to AHVLA regional laboratories indicate that the illegal practice of applying rubber elastrator rings to the scrotum, particularly of purchased, entire calves aged over seven days, is occurring. Legislation prohibits the application of a rubber ring or other device to constrict the flow of blood to the scrotum of cattle older than seven days of age. The Veterinary Surgeons Act (1966) allows persons over the age of 18 (17 for supervised animal husbandry students) to carry out castrations on calves less than two months of age using for example a burdizzo. Only a veterinary surgeon can carry out castrations in calves over two months of age and an anaesthetic must be used. In all cases the procedure used must minimise the pain and suffering to the animal, be performed in good hygiene conditions, and in accordance with best practice.
In addition to the practice being illegal, it is likely that the calves which had the elastrator rings applied at greater than seven days of age would have been subjected to prolonged discomfort which would have reduced growth rates, and increased their susceptibility to disease.

New bovine and ovine illness in Germany and Holland
What appears to be a new virus has been discovered in the North Rhein Westphalia district of the west of Germany, and in Holland. It has been named Schmallenberg virus after the small town where it was first discovered.The virus was originally seen in cattle, from August to October, when it caused a moderate fever, with temperatures up to 40 degrees centigrade, inappetance, loss of condition, diarrhoea in some cases, and a drop in milk yield of up to 50%. All the cattle recovered, BUT there is a considerable sting in the tale in that in the last few weeks, many of the affected cattle have either aborted, or had stillborn calves. Typically these calves have limb deformities, stiff limbs, crooked necks, sometimes a twisted spine, or hydrocephalus. Numerous calves born alive to affected cows have failed to live longer than a day or two. They have severe brain damage and appear to be “Dummies”, which are unable to suck.
At the same time, there have been numerous reports of similarly deformed lambs being born, mainly in Holland, again put down to Schmallenberg disease. Research is at a very early stage and the virus has yet to be isolated, but DNA sequencing shows it to be an orthobunyavirus. In Australia, the best known of these viruses is spread by midges, but it is yet to be shown whether this will happen in this case.
If you have any lambs or calves born with these typical deformities, AHVLA are interested in sampling affected animals. Equally, if you're experiencing unusually high levels of abortion in either cattle or sheep please contact us to discuss how we should investigate, for either this or more common causes of the problem.Meetings
Farming Connect are sponsoring a meeting to be held on 19 January at 7:30 pm. Subject of the evening's discussions is “Lameness in sheep, the causes, treatment and prevention”. Please contact us nearer the time for details of the venue.
Anyway hope you all had a good Xmas and wishing you all a prosperous 2012!

2011-12-05T06:46:00.000-08:00

Farm First Newsletter December 2011
Conception Rates in the Dairy Herd
Conception rates (CR) in dairy cows have fallen from 50% to 25% over the past 25 years. Factors which affect CR include bull fertility, accuracy of heat detection (a cow served at the wrong time will not conceive), and semen handling. Research has shown that 90% of cows served correctly when on heat will be carrying a live embryo 7 days later, but approx. 55% of these will subsequently die. If this occurs at day 6-16 it is seen as a return to heat, after this it will be seen as an irregular heat or an abortion. So, as early embryonic death is a major cause of the low conception rates we currently see, what can we do about it? We know that low progesterone levels are associated with embryo loss by several mechanisms, so we need to manage cows in ways to keep their progesterone levels high. Liver blood flow in lactating cows is 40% higher than in dry cows, and it rises by a further 20-30% after feeding. As more blood filters through the liver, blood progesterone levels fall by 30%. If the feeding interval is extended or extra large meals are fed there will be an even greater rise in liver blood flow, and fall in blood progesterone, reducing the likelihood of producing and maintaining viable embryos.
To avoid a negative effect on progesterone concentration cows should eat a meal every 2 to 2½ hours or 10 meals a day, each comprising of 2 to 2.5kg of DM. This requires good levels of cow comfort to allow the cow to express normal patterns of behaviour. This means adequate nutrition, feed access, ventilation, light, water, feed push-ups, good mobility, correct stocking density and only short periods away for milking (1hour).Patterns of cow behaviour are established early in lactation, so good transition cow management is vital.
Mobility Scoring
Many of our dairy clients have contracts with their milk buyers which require them to have Locomotion Scoring done by an independent person. We can now offer you this service at a cost of £35 per hour (+visit), and it will be carried out by Simeon or Ferenc, our TB testing vets. A summary report will be provided following the visit. The scoring can be carried out at an afternoon milking, when the vet will want to see all the cows on their way into, or out of the collecting yard or milking parlour. If you are interested in this service please ring us to discuss a suitable time and date.

Agger’s Proliver – Treatment for Fatty Liver Disease
We have a new product on the shelf designed for the prevention and treatment of Fatty Liver Disease. This is commonly seen in dairy cows, usually within a week of calving, when too much fat has accumulated in the liver. This impairs liver function and these cows lose condition rapidly and may be unresponsive to treatment of other diseases. It is often seen in “runs”. Agger’s Pro-liver contains mono-propylene glycol as an energy source, vitamins, enzymes and minerals which support liver function, promote fluid intake and provide energy. The product comes as a drench and costs £7.14 +vat per bottle. The suggested protocol is 1 bottle every 12 hours for 4 days, for 2 days before calving, to 2 days after calving. If handling is an issue, 1 bottle administered every 12 hrs for 2 days will significantly benefit the cow. For cows with Fatty Liver disease one bottle should be given every 12 hours along with half a bottle of Agger’s Glycerol.
Kling on Blue – Long Acting Footbath for Sheep
This is now available in an easy-to-mix form which is ready in minutes. The product contains copper sulphate, zinc sulphate and organic acid in thick solution which sticks to the foot, and gives increased zinc penetration to the hoof. It is effective in the control of scald, footrot and CODD. As the solution sticks to the foot, sheep only need to be bathed once for scald, 1-3 times for footrot, and once weekly for CODD, for a minimum of 3 times. Good footbathing facilities are required for any treatment to work well. Ideally sheep should walk through a bath of clean water first. One 7kg bucket costs £60 + vat will mix into 120 litres of footbath, and is sufficient to treat 250 sheep once. The costs drops to £55+ vat if 2 or more buckets are purchased at once.
Closamectin Pour-On
Although we do not often promote the use of combination products (a targeted approach to parasite control is better), this is the time of year when there is a place for this combined flukicide and wormer. The closantel in it will kill adult fluke and immature fluke from 7 weeks of age, and the ivermectin is effective against most worms, lice and mange. Beef cattle can be treated at housing, but may need a second dose if housed early, or if pasture contamination is high. If outwintered, a treatment should be given in late autumn and possibly repeated in early January. The withdrawal time is 28 days for meat, and it can be used in dairy cattle which are more than 60 days away from calving.
Farming Connect Meetings
We have been approached by Farming Connect to give a series of talks at meetings in this area. The first of these is on the topical subject of “Pneumonia in Cattle –Causes, Control and Prevention”, and will be held at Alice Springs Golf Club on 8th December at 7.30 pm. The subject of the following one will be “Lameness in Sheep”, to be held on 18th January.
Merry Christmas
Finally, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The opening times over the holiday season are as follows:”
Friday 23rd December- office closes 1pm.
Monday 26th December – office closed.
Tuesday 27th December – office closed.
Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th - normal office hours
Friday 29th December – office closes 1 pm.
Monday 2nd January – office closed.
Tuesday 3rd January – normal opening hours resume.

During the holiday period we will of course provide our normal 24 hour emergency cover. If you require drugs urgently (that is veterinary drugs!) during the holiday period please ring the emergency number and the duty vet will arrange for them to be dispensed.

2011-11-10T03:56:00.000-08:00

Farm First Newsletter – November 2011.
TB Testing
If you are aware that you need a TB test of any sort, please can you contact as early as possible, so that we can fit you in at a time to suit you. We are still very busy testing and have employed Simeon as an extra full-time TB tester, but many slots are still fully booked weeks in advance. We will try our best to accommodate your needs, but to do this we do need some notice. On the same topic, if your test is to take place at more than one site please can you give us the details of this when you book the test in, including the time taken to move any equipment. This will help us to be on time for the next call, as we try not to keep people waiting around.

Pneumonia Meetings
We will be holding two meetings on farms on 22nd November kindly sponsored by Pfizer. In the morning we will hold a meeting for dairy clients at Greenmoors Farm, Llanddewi Skirrid, at the kind invitation of David and Mandy Jones. In the afternoon we will move to Doug and Greg Willis’ beef unit at North Fleet, Penperlleni where we will welcome our beef clients. The emphasis of the meeting will be risk factors for pneumonia and assessment of the environment. Please contact us at the office if you would like to attend either session.
Pneumonia Vaccines The table below shows the options available and the costs for vaccinating calves against pneumonia this year. Is it worth it? The answer is yes but do not expect vaccines to prevent all pneumonia. They are a significant advantage only if the conditions are right. Nothing will overcome poor housing, feeding and ventilation.

Vaccine
Past
IBR
RSV
PI3
BVD Earliest age for vaccine No. doses Cost per dose(10% disc) I/m, S/c or I/n (nasal) Duration of protection
RISPOVAL INTRANASAL - - + + - 9 days 1 £6.06 I/n 9 weeks
RISPOVAL P + - - - - 3mths 1 £5.03 I/m 17 weeks
BOVIPAST RSP + - + + - 2wks 2 £5.41 S/c
BOVILIS IBR - + - - - 3 months
(4 weeks) 1
(2) £2.44 I/n or I/m 6 months
RISPOVAL 4 - + + + + 3 wks.
(>3mth) 2
(1)
£6.77 I/m

6 months
RISPOVAL RS - - + - - 7 days
(> 4mth) 2
(1) £5.99 I/m 4 months

Funding for Bull and Ram Fertility Testing
Did you know that one in every three bulls don't come up to the mark when it comes to fertility? Bull fertility problems are not as unusual as you might think. If a bull under performs this can affect the number of calves born as well as the calving pattern. Farmers can reduce the risk of poor results by doing some simple checks on bull fertility before mating gets underway. To get cows in calf a bull has to be ready (good physical shape), willing (good libido) and able (good semen quality). You will be able to observe all of these points except for the semen quality which can only be done under the microscope. HCC are offering £70 towards the cost of semen testing your bulls (only one claim per year). To claim this funding you will need to arrange a date with Rob to complete the fertility test and then send in the claim form( on HCC web site) with a receipt from us and the results of the test.
HCC are also offering £50 towards the cost of semen testing your rams (only one claim per year). It is probably too late for most of you to take this up this year, but it is worth remembering for next year. If you do have disappointing results at ewe scanning or lambing, please contact us, as there are several possible causes that we can investigate.

Cat and Dog Flea and Worm Treatments
In response to requests from some clients we are now keeping a range of routine dog and cat treatments on the shelf. It especially important that farm dogs are regularly wormed with a product effective against the tapeworms involved in hydatidosis, and we will continue to stock Drontal Plus for this. We will stock Frontline Combo as the main product for flea and tick control. As well as killing the fleas this product has an extra active ingredient in it, which breaks the flea life cycle by acting on the life stages which survive in the animal’s bedding.
On request we will also order Profender, a spot-on flea treatment and wormer for cats, and also medication for arthritic dogs, which would benefit many older working dogs. If you have a dog which you think would benefit from this type of medication, please speak to one of the vets. You may be able to give your old dog a new lease of life.

Prices for these products are listed below. A 15 % discount will be given if you purchase a year’s supply.
Drug Dose Rate Price ( ex VAT)

Drontal Plus Tablet 1 per 10kg £1.99
Drontal Cat Tablet 1 per 4 kg £2.04
Frontline Combo Large Dog £20.50 ( for 3 pack)
Frontline Combo Med Dog £18.95 ¨
Frontline Combo Small Dog £17.20 ¨
Frontline Combo Cat £13.41 ¨

Vicki Scoops Stock Judging Award
Last week our new vet Vicki, much to her surprise (and Andrew's, who when told appeared incredulous), won a YFC fat lamb stock judging competition. She didn't do much for client relations, when prior to the competition starting she exclaimed to fellow competitors 'If I win anything in this, you lot must be crap'.
Rob has awarded Vicki another prize this month, it’s the 2011 FF Public Relations award!

2011-10-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

Farm First Newsletter October 2011

Liver Fluke Treatment in Milking Herds
We have recently been made aware that Trodax should not be used at all in milking cattle, not even at drying off, as it can be detected in the milk post calving. Listed below are the products which are available for use in milking cows. Recently, one of our farmers had a bulk milk sample taken from his tank by an Animal Health veterinary surgeon whilst retesting an inconclusive reactor on farm. This was then tested for the presence of fluke medication. Please ensure that you use them according to the data sheets.
Drug Name
Active
Agent Milk
withhold Meat
withhold Stages of fluke effective against
Fasinex 240 24%
Drench Triclabendazole 60 days 52 days Immature to adult
Ovispec S &C
10%
Drench
Albendazole 60 hours 14 days Adult
Virbamec
Super
Injection
Ivermectin
And
Clorsulon 60 days 80 days Mature and
late mature
Closamectin
Pour-on

Ivermectin
And
Closantel 60 days 28 days Mature and
late mature
Closamectin
Injection

Ivermectin
And
Closantel 60 days 49 days Mature and
late mature

Ubro Yellow
We are pleased that one of our most popular antibiotic tubes for treating mastitis has returned to our shelves. The product is unchanged and the recommended treatment regime of 1 tube daily for 3 days has a milk withhold of 132 hours. The cost of a box of 24 tubes is £52.57 + vat. If you would like to discuss treatment of cows with mastitis, or your choice of antibiotic tube, please ring the surgery and ask to speak to one of the vets.
Staggers
The current weather conditions are conducive to grass growth and we may well see a flush of autumn grass. At this time we often see a few cases of staggers (hypomagnesaemia). Remember that cattle cannot store magnesium in their body, so need access to it daily. Magnesium boluses, in-feed minerals or magnesium chloride in the water are supplementation methods which ensure each animal gets some daily, whereas blocks work in many cases, but risk some animals not taking in their daily requirement. At this time of year always have a bottle of magnesium ready to treat any affected animals.
Flutter valves that do not work are a constant headache and the introduction of the new silicone version seemed to be a massive improvement. However there are problems with the silicone tubing accumulating crystals of calcium causing blockages. Be sure and flush the tube out with clean water immediately after use to remove calcium/magnesium residue.

TB testingWe have just received new instructions from AHVLA which require us to record the reason why an animal listed on CTS system has not been tested. Usually this happens because animals have been sold, died or tested within the last 60 days and the CTS system has not been updated. To help us comply with this and to save you time on testing days, please could you try to ensure that your herd details are up to date with CTS before we come to TB test. Remember Deb usually prints out the charts for us about 1 week prior to your test date.
Students
Please note that you will not be charged for any extra time which results from us bringing a veterinary student along with us to your farm. The experience these students gain whilst “seeing practice” is invaluable to them, and the only way that we are going to train the farm vets of the future in the practical skills that they will need when they qualify. We are very grateful to you for allowing them to gain experience with your livestock, and make sure that we take any extra time off the visit when booking the work.
Staff News
By now, many of you will have met Vicky, our new vet, who we introduced in the August newsletter. In the very near future we will be joined by Simeon Konsulov, a Bulgarian vet who will be carrying out TB testing duties. He has worked for a number of years on a dairy farm in the UK, and most recently has been working for the Meat Hygiene Service.
FF Joke of the month.
Paddy is passing by Mick's hay shed one day when through a gap in the door he sees Mick doing a slow and sensual striptease in front of an old blue Ford Dexta. Buttocks clenched he performs a slow pirouette and gently slides off first the right welly, followed by the left. He then hunches his shoulders forward and in a classic striptease move lets his braces fall down from his shoulders to dangle by his hips over his corduroy trousers. Grabbing both sides of his checked shirt, he rips it apart to reveal his tea-stained vest underneath and with a final flourish he hurls his flat cap on to a pile of hay."What the feck are you doing Mick" says Paddy." Jeez Paddy, ye frightened the livin bejasus out of me”, says an obviously embarrassed Mick, "but me and the Missus been having some trouble lately in the bedroom department, and the therapist suggested I do something sexy to a tractor"

2011-09-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Farm First Vets Newsletter September 2011Join us for Colostrum Awareness Month
We are participating in XL Vets Colostrum Awareness Month which is sponsored by Locatim®. Locatim® is the only licensed standardised immunoglobulin treatment proven to reduce mortality in the calf.
As you are already aware the acquisition of high quality colostrum is a very important factor influencing neonatal calf health. Studies have shown that as many as 38% of calves have insufficient levels of immunoglobulins to offer protection in the face of an infectious challenge. A wide range of maternal and neonatal factors may affect the passive transfer of immunity. Calves of high yielding, intensively managed dairy cows are likely to ingest an inadequate quantity or quality of colostrum if left to suckle from the cow. . In beef herds, large calves which have had a difficult calving may be slow to get up and suck, while heifers may be reluctant to stand still for a calf. Large teats and low udders on older cows can also prove awkward for calves, and therefore reduce their colostrum intake. Current advice is that a calf should take in 3 litres of colostrum within the first 6 hours, split into two feeds if necessary.
Managing colostral intake can be tricky for farmers. Most cows calve at night, and few herdsmen relish the thought of helping a batch of newborn calves suckle, or stripping cows out and bottle or tube feeding at four in the morning before milking. Even on farms where calves do drink enough colostrum, quality may be an issue. Solutions include keeping a store of frozen colostrum from healthy cows which have some to spare, and the use of artificial colostrum replacers.
It is useful to remember the four Qs of colostrum feeding – Quantity, Quickly, Quality and Quietly – it has been shown that stressed calves absorb the antibodies in the colostrums less efficiently.
The concentration of IgG in good quality colostrum from a fit, healthy cow at calving is about 60g/litre. However, if she had mastitis when dry, or suffered a peri-parturient metabolic disease, the concentration could be much less. First lactation heifers produce less colostrum while high yielding Holstein Friesian cows tend to produce more dilute colostrum.

What does colostrum awareness month involve? We are offering a colostrum management audit on your farm. One of our vets will do a visit and have an in-depth discussion on how colostrum is currently managed on-farm and discuss any improvements that could be made. The vet will complete a colostrum management audit and take a colostrum sample(s). The colostrum quality will then be tested using a refractometer. This will be followed up by a discussion on how the colostrum management could be improved. We will also be holding a farmer meeting on the 20th September at 7.30pm to be held in the King of Prussia for a session on ‘Colostrum Management in the Newborn Calf.’
How do I get involved? If you think colostrum management is an area that could be improved on your farm, please ring the surgery today to arrange an on-farm audit or to book your place at the farmer meeting.
Price Restructure
As a result of listening to feedback from some of our clients, we have restructured our fees in two areas.
1. There will now be a single rate for veterinary time of £77/hour + vat, regardless of which vet is carrying out the work.
2. The charges for emergency call-outs remain unchanged, but they will be categorized as follows:
Emergency call-out - any out-of-hours visit to farm before 11pm
Emergency call out after 11pm - out-of-hours visit to farm after 11pm
Emergency call back to surgery – again, will cost more if after 11 pm.
These changes will come into place from the September 1st 2011 and we hope that they will make our fees structure easier to understand. Please note Saturday mornings are not categorised as out-of- hours. If you require drugs to be left out on a Saturday morning, please ring the emergency number and the duty vet will arrange to call in and leave the drugs out (at no extra charge).
Booking TB tests
Debbie has asked that you book your TB tests as soon as you are aware that you require one. TB testing will get very busy now in the next few months so book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Usk Show 10th September
We will be at Usk Show once again this year and look forwards to welcoming to the stand. Please come and find us for a chat and a cup of tea.
Robert’s Festival Experience
Many of you may have noticed that Robert is going through a midlife crisis. He decided recently he should attend the Green Man festival in Crickhowell. Thursday afternoon he went down and pitched his tent and went off to enjoy the bands. Unfortunately, Tim who was on duty, got into trouble with a calving so rang Rob for assistance. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, Rob decided he would have to go and help. The problem was, Rob had parked his car some distance from the concert, as he had to work the next day. It was after 9pm but he decided he would leave the concert and run along the road to his car. He hadn’t got very far along the dark lane when an old transit van from the festival pulled up and the occupants asked Rob if he needed a lift anywhere. ‘Yes’ he replied and got into the back of the van, disappearing into a haze of marijuana fumes. The driver and his friends asked why he was jogging along the road after dark and he replied that one of his colleagues was having trouble with an emergency calving so he was on his way to collect his car to go and give him a hand. This obviously bemused them and after a few odd looks, one of them said ‘what do you mean, an emergency carving? Is he having problems with a sculpture?’ These boys were road crew for a London band and thought Rob was rushing to an ornament emergency!

2011-08-02T07:05:00.000-07:00

FARM FIIRST NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2011
Nil Milk-Withold Painkillers for cattle
Anti –inflammatory drugs, such as Metacam and Flunixin are now commonly used in cattle as the benefits of their effects are recognised more widely. They reduce pain, swelling and bring down temperatures, enabling livestock to return to normal feed intake more quickly after an illness or injury. We have recently heard of farmers who have had these drugs detected in their bulk milk tanks and had penalties applied. For this reason we have decided to stock Rimadyl LA, a similar drug to Metacam and Flunixin, but with nil milk withhold. A single dose is given under the skin or I/V and costs £16.75+vat for a 700kg cow. This compares with £16.59 for Metacam and £19.47 for 2 doses of flunixin(30 ml/day). It is most likely to be useful when treating animals which need pain relief, but no antibiotics, such as lame cows
Zolvix – a new class of wormer for sheep
This wormer is in a different group (orange) to the white (bz), yellow (lm) and clear (avermectin) drenches that we are familiar with. It has been shown that worm resistance to some, or all of these existing wormers is present on many sheep farms in Wales. The strategic use of this new product will help to prevent resistance becoming a problem on your farm, as currently it kills 99.9% of the roundworms in sheep. It should be used as a quarantine drench, in conjunction with Cydectin, for all purchased sheep. The other time to use it is in lambs at weaning, when it will remove their entire worm burden and help to maximise growth rates to finishing. The meat withhold is only 7 days, and the cost is 56p/dose for a 40 kg lamb. At the moment we have an offer running which means that if you purchase 2 litres or more of Zolvix, you get a free Zolvix Optilive Drenching Gun worth £53.30. Please contact the office if you want more information about the use of this drug or the special offer.
Caesarian Sections
We are finding that, as a practice, we are carrying out more and more caesarean sections in cattle. We are currently running a clinical audit to look at which techniques are most successful and which factors may lead to more post- operative problems such as wound infections, or failing to pass the cleansing. So if you have a caesarean section on one of your cows, please do not be surprised if you receive a series of phone calls from Tracy, asking a list of questions. We want to know about whether these cows breed again, as well as their short term recovery, so if you can make a mental note of any details that may be useful to us, please do so and pass the information on to Tracy when she contacts you.
Farming Connect
As many of you will know, we have been carrying out Whole Farm Plan visits for Farming Connect under the umbrella of Welsh Lamb and Beef Producers. We have carried out advisory work such as Health Plans, mastitis investigations and lameness investigations, and our clients have been able to claim back 80% of the cost from Farming Connect. We have heard that there may be a problem with us getting future funding through these channels, so if you want to register for us to carry out any of this type of work for you, and to take advantage of the 80% grant, you need to return the registration form to Farming Connect before the 31st August 2011. Please contact Jane or Rob if you want more information about this scheme.
Staff news
We are pleased to announce that a new permanent member of the veterinary team Victoria Fisher will be joining us in the middle of August. Victoria comes from a dairy and sheep farm in the south-west of Scotland and has just graduated from the University of Glasgow with honours. She has a particular interest in calf rearing and has carried out a study in this area. She lists her hobbies as horse riding, football and Young Farmers (in that order), so sorry Rob – yet more horse talk in the office.
Congratulations
We would like to congratulate one of our dairy clients, Alun Thomas from Upper Pendre Farm in Llangorse on winning the Welsh section of the National Grassland Management Competition. We wish him luck as he now goes forward to represent Wales against the other regions of the UK.
Congratulations are also due to two of our office staff, Natalie and Tracy who both won gold medals with their horses at the Royal Welsh Show, and to our clients (too numerous to mention) who also had a successful time at the show.
And Finally...
At a recent practice meeting some of our female veterinary staff were complaining about the position of the Farm First logo on practice clothes. It was felt that the present position of the logo meant that clients (especially short sighted or new ones) spent a great deal of time staring at ladies' chests trying to read what it said. For future reference the logo says ' Farm First Vets' and has a picture of a cow's head. I hope this clears up any confusion. A discussion then followed as to where on the uniform the logo should be placed or moved to. One suggestion (from a male member of staff - mentioning no names Jon) was that the logo should be placed on the rear trouser pocket. Discussions are ongoing!

2011-07-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

Farm First July 2011 Newsletter
Botulism

Botulism in ruminants was an extremely rare disease in the British Isles until the beginning of the current millennium, since then many outbreaks have been reported in the UK and Ireland with 168 cattle and 19 sheep incidents detected in England and Wales from 2003 to 2009. Their investigations have revealed that a key factor in all sheep incidents, and in 95 per cent of cattle incidents, was proximity to broiler chicken litter. Botulism is caused by toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. These organisms are commonly found in the environment and will grow to high levels in decaying organic matter, including animal carcases. It is believed that contamination of broiler litter with the carcases of chickens that have died during production can render the litter dangerous for ruminants. However, the reasons for the recent increase in the incidence of botulism in cattle and sheep associated with broiler litter are unknown. One theory is the reduction in the use of antibiotics in rearing poultry in recent years.
Clinical signs of botulism may initially appear similar to milk fever, and include, muscle tremor, weakness, recumbency and ultimately death. Fortunately the risk for human health from botulism in cattle, sheep or goats is very low. While meat and milk from clinically affected cattle, sheep or goats should not enter the human food chain, there is no need for restrictions on clinically normal animals in affected herds.
To prevent incidents of botulism in ruminants, poultry farmers should observe strict biosecurity .The carcases of any chickens that die during production should be promptly disposed of by incineration or rendering. No vaccine is available under general licence in the UK for the protection of ruminants against botulism. However, veterinary surgeons may apply for a ‘special treatment certificate’ to import vaccine to protect animals at risk. Although botulism vaccines are highly effective, vaccination should not be used as a substitute for effective biosecurity measures. Poultry manure should only be spread on land that is going to be ploughed up and used for arable crops and livestock should never have access to ensiled poultry manure.

Jejunal Haemorrhagic Syndrome (JHS) in Dairy Cattle
Jejunal Haemorrhagic Syndrome (JHS ) is a recently recognised disease of dairy cattle which had been seen for several years in high yielding herds in North America but has now been confirmed in the UK and elsewhere in Western Europe. JHS typically presents in high yielding mid lactation dairy cows as a sudden onset disaster.Clinically JHS causes severe shock with no increase in temperature, dark blood-stained faeces and distension of the right flank, the cow will often be recumbent and if untreated will die within a few hours. The cause is currently unknown, although some suspect clostridium bacteria may be involved, while others suggest the mould Aspergillus could be involved.
Unfortunately many affected cases die within 24 hours, but giving large volumes of intravenous fluid and painkillers (metacam/flunixin) will increase survival chances. In valuable animals’ surgery can be attempted in the early stages of disease, but recovery rates are likely to be less than 50% disease.
As the cause of JHS is unknown it is difficult to advise on preventative measures. It is likely that the steps taken to prevent abomasal displacement (DA) will help to prevent JHS. Removing any mouldy feed would also be advisable. Vaccination against clostridial disease may also be useful.
Dairy Co Healthy Feet Programme
Andrew recently attended a course to become a Dairy Co Healthy foot mentor. The programme is similar to the Mastitis Control Plan which Jane is involved with. The programme has just recently been unveiled and it is likely that in the future the supermarkets will insist their farmers are enrolled. The programme will initially involve three individual visits to identify the main causes of lameness in the herd and produce an action plan to reduce the problem. As part of the programme the herd needs to be mobility scored. If you have never mobility scored your herd before and would like to start please speak to Andrew. He will be happy to score the herd for the first time free of charge and give you further details of the programme.This is a limited offer and ends on the 31st August 2011.
Naxcel – antibiotic with nil milk withold
Naxcel contains the same antibiotic as Excenel and Readycef. It is only licensed for the treatment of foul in the foot in cattle, but we have used it to treat metritis and it is likely that it would be effective in other situations where Excenel/Readycef would be the drug of choice. There are two advantages in using this drug, the first being that one single injection in the back of the ear gives 7 days of antibiotic treatment. This prolonged period of antibiotic cover improves the chances of a treatment success. It also removes the need to handle/inject the cow daily, saving time and labour costs. The other main benefit is the cost of the drug itself, as a single shot of Naxcel for a 700kg cow costs £26.05 + VAT, which compares to £32.60 +VAT for a 5d course of Readycef. It is important the Naxcel is administered correctly in the back of the ear, and for this the cow needs to be restrained in a crush or in stanchions with a halter. For more information on this useful drug, and how to perform the injections, please speak to Rob, Andrew or Jane.
Email Addresses/ Mobile Telephone Numbers
The newsletters will now be added to the website each month, and in the future we would like to E-mail them to those clients who would prefer to receive them electronically. This would mean that you would receive one every month, even if you did not have a bill to pay that month. To enable us to do this, and so that we can keep you up to date with any special offers or free sampling schemes we are currently trying to collect as many E-mail addresses and mobile telephone numbers as possible. If you would like us to contact you by these methods, please can you return the slip enclosed with your bill, or give the details to the office staff.
Farm First Vets Monthly Accident Report!
You may have noticed Jane driving the little white van in the past few weeks. That’s because she reversed into a gate and smashed her boot door at Dave and Mandy Jones farm. Jane swears the gate wasn’t there when she got into the car! Bev and Lewis Baker got a shock when Andrew managed to drive his van into some freshly laid concrete on their farm. No damage this time but permanent tyre marks in the concrete! Rob is warning all clients that if they call a FF vet onto the farm, they should ensure that all children are safely inside, all livestock is cleared from roadways and any hazards are well marked with flashing orange lights.

MAY 2011 NEWSLETTER

2011-06-23T03:47:00.000-07:00

Farm First Newsletter May 2011Pro-Rumen and the importance of probiotics
We are constantly being reminded about the benefits of probiotic supplements in our diet and how they can improve digestive disorders, but the same is also true for your herd. Cases of ketosis, digestive upsets, mastitis, bloat, scour, ruminal stasis, twin lamb disease and cereal or protein poisoning in cattle, sheep and goats can all benefit from the use of Pro-Rumen. It can be used as an aid to recovery and to assist the re-establishment of ruminal flora, e.g. following antibiotic therapy. Pro-Rumen also provides additional microflora directly into the rumen, which get to work immediately in-aiding the digestion of herbage. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (live yeast), works by stimulating the activity of beneficial rumen bacteria and stabilising the rumen environment. This produces improvement in dry matter intake and fibre digestion, resulting in production benefits in terms of milk yield and growth rates. Pro-Rumen also contains milk powder and fat soluble vitamins which are of nutritional value to the young ruminant. The cost of Pro-rumen is £5.22 per sachet and the recommended dose is 1 sachet daily.

Insurance ClaimsIf you lose any stock which may be covered by your insurance please contact your insurer immediately to find out exactly what they need in order to process the claim. Often they will ask for a veterinary certificate to say that the animals are dead, and we can only give this if we have seen the animals. It is too late once they have been disposed of. Always ask your insurer if they require a post mortem, and make a note of who you spoke to, as they will sometimes ask for post mortem findings when originally they said it was not necessary.
If possible, leave the animals where they were found, as often we will be asked the say how they died, even though no PM is required. It is then easier for us to confirm the actual circumstances in which they died, which will strengthen your claim.

New Treatment for Milk Fever – Aggers Pro-Calcium DrenchWe have recently seen an upsurge in the cases of milk fever, and a new product has just been launched which will assist in the treatment of affected cows. Aggers Pro-Calcium Drench is a liquid which comes in an especially designed bottle, which makes it easier to drench into the cow. It is intended to be used in the same way as the Botonic Calcium pastes, which some of you may have used, and contains fast release and slow release calcium, some magnesium, potassium and energy, all of which aid in the recovery from milk fever. It has a high DCAB value, which helps the cow to mobilise the calcium in her system.
To treat a cow which is down with milk fever, she should be given oral calcium as well as intravenous calcium. Ideally an Aggers Fresh Cow drench should be given, followed by 2 Pro-calcium drenches at 8-12 hours intervals. For cows thought to be at risk of milk fever, prevention can best be achieved by giving 1 bottle 8-12 hours before calving, a second one at calving followed by 2 at 8-12 hour intervals. In practice, giving one at calving and one 8 hours later is often successful. The cost of this new product is £6.83/tube

Uterine Prolapse Uterine prolapse is a fairly uncommon complication of the calving cow, but during this busy spring calving period we are being called to attend a number of cases. When prolapse does occur rapid and effective treatment is required to increase the chances of a successful outcome. Prolapse typically occurs within 24 hours of calving. Various factors increase the likelihood of prolapse, these include: milk fever, prolonged calvings, large calves, applying traction (using a jack) and retained placenta (cleansing). Uterine prolapse should be regarded as an emergency, and veterinary attention should be sought immediately. Before the vet arrives there are a number of steps which can be taken to aid the cow’s chances of survival:
• The cow should be kept on clean dry bedding, with the uterus kept clean and moist.
• To aid the vet in prompt replacement having an extra pair (or two) of hands will greatly help, as the uterus is a heavy organ and can be very difficult to replace.
• A clean piece of clean sheeting/towel can be very useful to rest the uterus on when cleaning to prevent contamination with dirt and straw, and to support the organ when attempting to replace.
• Clean warm water should be made available to wash the uterus before replacement.
• If milk fever is suspected a bottle of calcium should be given under the skin.
If the uterus is replaced promptly and without serious damage then survival is likely to be around 70-80%.

Staff newsSome of you may know that Lia Ris left the practice at the end of April after being with us for over 2 years. We wish her well for the future. We are at present advertising for a permanent replacement, but will probably take on an experienced locum to fill the gap whilst we look. In the meantime Jonathen will continue to help us out on the TB and clinical front. You will probably have met him, he’s the tall guy who wears the stupid hat.

MeetingsWe held a meeting on lameness in sheep at the King of Prussia recently, and some very useful discussions took place among the vets and farmers present. We appreciate that the timing of this meeting was not ideal for many of you sheep farmers, so please let us know if you would like us to put it on again at a more convenient time.

APRIL 2011 NEWSLETTER

2011-06-23T03:42:00.000-07:00

Farm First Newsletter
April 2011Heifer RearingSome of you attended the dairy heifer rearing talk by Sam Leadley an American heifer rearing expert, at the end of February. For those who were unable to attend, here’s a summary of the main points:
• Aim to give at least 6 pints(3.4litres) of colostrum in the first 6 hours of life, this may mean milking the cow and stomach tubing the calf to ensure adequate intake. Disease in baby calves is almost always associated with inadequate colostrum intake.
• To ensure adequate colostrum intake in a suckling calf ‘educate your fingers’. Palpate the abdomen of a newborn calf before it has had a chance to suckle. Stomach tube with a known quantity of milk e.g. 3 litres, then re-palpate. Now you know what a calf feels like with 3 litres of milk inside. Repeat with a few calves until you have achieved confidence in what you’re feeling.
• Ideally 2nd >4th milkings should also be fed to calf as this provides continued protection through the provision of antibodies(and its higher in solids)
• If freezing colostrum, it should be frozen in 1 litre amounts in 4 litre freezer bags laid flat(sheets of colostrum form), and defrosted in hot(not boiling) water. Microwaves should not be used as they will destroy the antibodies.
• Keep things clean, especially buckets. You should be willing to drink from the same bucket as the calf
• Feed milk when still warm, ideally within 30 minutes of milking. Leave longer and the bacteria in the milk will start to multiply as the milk cools.
• It’s important to monitor growth in baby calves, a newborn 45kg calf should double its weight by 2 months of age. A cheap way to monitor this is using a weigh band.
• Takes 3 weeks from the start of feeding solid food for the rumen to adapt sufficiently to allow the calf to survive. Grain (concentrate) and water are essential to promote this adjustment.
• Calves which have grown well during the first 2 years of life and have hit target weight at calving , will produce more milk in the first and second lactation; poorly grown animals will not reach full potential in terms of yield until third lactation and will also be more difficult .
• With youngstock, don’t change feeds abruptly, especially forages. Giving each animal a big handful of the new forage daily for 5-7 days prior to the change, will allow the rumen time to adjust.
• Bull heifers at 55% of the weight of the average 3rd/4th lactation cows in the herd. Heifers should to calve down at 85% of the weight.
Please contact us if you’d like a copy of Rob’s more in depth notes.
Hoof Disorders
A recent article in the “Veterinary Record” has shown a link between the infectious agents (treponemes) which lead to digital dermatitis and non-healing hoof disorders, namely: toe necrosis, white line disease, and sole ulcers. Both vets and foot trimmers have reported a significant rise in the number of these non-healing lesions in the past 10 years. Given the likelihood that it is the same organisms causing non-healing lesions as those that cause digital dermatitis, it means that an even greater effort emphasis is needed to reduce the incidence of digital dermatitis on farm, i.e. regular footbathing, regular scraping of passages and prompt treatment of clinical cases etc.
Some of our clients have switched to footbathing with Kling-On Blue for digital dermatitis, and so far the results have been encouraging. One of the major advantages of this product is that the cows only need to be put through the bath once a week for 8 weeks, and then once a fortnight. A pressure washer is required to mix up the solution in a 200 litre drum. A 20kg bag costs £88.35 + VAT makes enough solution for a 200 litre footbath, which will treat 100 cows. There are discounts on purchases of larger amounts. For more information, please contact us at the office.
Sheep Abortion
Intervet Schering Plough will again be funding blood checks for aborting ewes. Ewes can be blood sampled up to 3 months post lambing to test for the two most common causes of sheep abortion: toxoplasma and chlamydophila (enzootic). Ideally 6-8 aborting ewes should be identified, which can then be sampled at the end of the lambing period. The cost for this without Intervet’s subsidy would be about £70
Scabivax(Orf)Vaccine
It looks like there will be no further supplies of Scabivax available for the foreseeable future. This could be a big issue for those of you that have orf problems on your farms. There is no alternative vaccine. In the face of an outbreak management of the infected animals plays an important role. Stocking density should be reduced as much as possible(especially in housed situations) and separation of affected and non-affected sheep should be considered(whether ewes at lambing time or older lambs) This will help reduce the spread of the disease. Affected lambs or lambs from badly affected ewes may have to be fed artificially(paying particular attention to hygiene of teats/bottles etc). Ewes with severely affected teats can be dried of early and the appropriate intramammary antibiotic therapy instituted to prevent secondary mastitis.
Orf is a virus, so is not killed by antibiotics. Antibiotics can be used to control secondary infection. Repeated high doses of an antibiotic like Betamox LA is probably best(and is thought to work slightly better than Alamycin LA). Painkillers such as Flunixin or Metacam could also be used in severe cases. Antibiotic or antiseptic sprays can be sprayed onto the lesions.
Remember the orf infection usually runs its course in about a month.
E mail Addresses
If any of you would like to receive these newsletters by email, if you could let the office know your email address we can send them out to you electronically.

Farm First Beef and Sheep Farmer Talks
Please add these dates to your diary.
Jane will be doing a talk on ‘Tackling lameness in the Sheep Flock’ on at 7.30pm Wednesday April 20th at the King of Prussia.
Rob is going to give a talk on ‘Improving the Fertility of Your Beef Suckler Herd’ at 7.30pm on Wednesday May 4th at the King of Prussia.
Ring and speak to Tracy in the office to book your places

MARCH 2011 NEWSLETTER

2011-06-23T03:41:00.000-07:00

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2011

Giving fluids to ewes
Many of you will have seen us use the ‘Aggers Pump’ to give fluid to sick cows. Well now there is a similar product for sheep, its called the Progress Ewe Drencher. Ewes will easily get dehydrated when they have mastitis, twin lamb disease or hypocalcaemia. The Progress Ewe Drencher works in a similar way to the cattle pump. It has a flexible hose, with a bulbous end to encourage ewes to swallow it. The tube passes through a hard tubular gag which protects it from being bitten. With the hose in the rumen it can be attached to a jerry can fitted with a tap and air inlet and ewes can be given up to 5 litres of fluid with or without powders for rehydration or rumen stimulation or liquid to provide energy. The cost of the pump is £49.79 + vat.
Please contact the practice if you are interested or would like more information.

Anti-inflammatory/ painkiller use in ewes
Anti-inflammatories/ painkillers are not used widely in sheep. However there are certain indications where sheep seem to benefit from the use of them. One of the indications is vaginal prolapse where the use of Flunixin reduces the swelling. This in turn reduces straining in the ewe. Another indication of using Flunixin at lambing is when treating a ewe for twin lamb disease. Recent research has indicated that ewes that received Flunixin for three days when treated for twin lamb disease had a higher survival rate. Lambs born to these ewes also had a higher survival rate. It is also beneficial to use it when a ewe has a bad lambing as it will reduce the associated swelling and also make the ewe feel better. Similarly when a ewe has mastitis, Flunixin given for 1 to 3 days, will help reduce the pain and swelling and help to keep her feeling well.
Is a cost effective drug to use; the dose rate is 2 ml/ 45 kg once daily for 1 to 3 days. A 50ml bottle works out at £16.15 + vat.

Funding for BVD and Johne’s disease testing for beef herds
There is funding available from HCC (Hybu Cig Cymru) for beef herds for BVD and Johne’s disease testing.
BVD: BVD has a major impact on the health and profitability of herds. To raise awareness and to control the spread of BVD HCC are running a £40,000 project. Funding is available for Farms to take part in a testing and control project with the ultimate goal to eradicate Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) from the herd. One hundred farms can take part in this project and it will be on a first come first served basis. (The latest information is that 60 places have already been filled) If you are interested or need more information contact the WRVC at Gelli Aur on 01554 748597.
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Johne’s: There is still funding available from HCC for help with controlling Johne’s disease in beef herds. You need to be a member of a cattle health scheme that is licensed by the Cattle Health Certification Standards (UK), abbreviated CHeCS. (At the moment there are 10 approved schemes; check www.checs.co.uk). HCC offers funding to Welsh pedigree and commercial beef breeders to test their cattle for Johne's disease. Funding of £4 per animal tested for up to 100 animals is available to cover lab fees. This can easily be fitted in with your annual TB test. If you are interested in obtaining the support please contact HCC on 01970 625050 or give us a ring at the practice to discuss.

Lungworm vaccination reminder
As spring is approaching rapidly we would like to remind farmers about the Huskvac® vaccination against lungworm. Calves need to be ideally 8 weeks old and require need to have two doses, 4 weeks apart (with the second dose 2 weeks before turnout). If you want to vaccinate your calves this year and need to place an order or require more information about the vaccine please contact the surgery.

Dopram-V drops
Many of you will be used to using Dopram-V drops under/on the tongue of newborn calves or lambs to initiate or stimulate the breathing after birth. When you do this it is important to make sure that the airway is clear (no mucus) before you use the drops. Unfortunately this year Dopram-V drops (5ml/bottle) is unavailable. As an alternative you can use Dopram-V injection (20ml/bottle). Cost £37.66 + vat for 20mls. The dose for calves is 2 to 5 ml either by subcutaneous/intramuscular or sublingual (into the underside of the tongue) injection. The dose for lambs is 0.25 to 0.5ml again into the muscle/under the skin or into the tongue.

Abortions in sheep
As lambing time has started again, unfortunately, so have the sheep abortions. There are a number of causes of abortion in sheep and it is usually very difficult to diagnose which pathogen is causing the problem by just looking at a dead foetus. If you want to investigate a problem we need a freshly aborted lamb or lambs, plus placenta which can be sampled and the samples sent away. This will determine the cause of abortion in the majority of cases and will enable us to advise you about what to do. The cost for an investigation using the fetus(es) from 1 dam will be £80 + vat. For the fetus (es) from 2 dams the price is £100 + vat. These are set fees and include the taking of samples, packing and postage and interpretation. The charges do not include the disposal of the lambs
Alternatively at the end of the lambing season we can blood sample barren ewes and ewes that aborted to see if we can establish the cause of the infertility. Obviously these ewes have to be identified.
Generally speaking when a ewe aborts, keep her in isolation and away from ewes that are due to lamb.Also clean and disinfect the pen that the ewe was in(or if possible do not use it again as a lambing pen this season).

Bull Fertility.

It won’t be many months now until many of you will turning the bull in with your spring calving cows. Various studies have found that around 20 to 25% of breeding bulls are found to be infertile or subfertile at a routine Bull Breeding Soundness Evaluation(BBSE). Obviously a subfertile bull will contribute to reproductive inefficiencies in your suckler herd by considerably extending your mating period. This is especially important in single sire mating groups when only 1 bull runs with 30 or 40 cows. A BBSE can be carried out on farm relatively simply, costs £80 + vat for 1 bull and is a a reasonable way of detecting bulls with potentially high fertility and those which are clearly unsatisfactory. The ideal time to carry these out is about 2 mths prior to the breeding period so if you are interested please give Rob a ring at the surgery.

Farm First

JANUARY NEWSLETTER 2011

2011-06-23T03:39:00.000-07:00

FARM FIRST
January Newsletter
January 2011

A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR TO ALL
We certainly learn from experiences! The cold weather of the past month does not seem to have adversely affected livestock, so I suppose that we learn from this that its best not to keep them too enclosed. Cows especially are amazingly ‘wet’ animals. They produce around 50 litres of water per cow per day in the urine, faeces breath and sweat (ie in addition to the water in milk), and this moisture needs to be taken out of the building. Failure to do so results in increased lameness and mastitis. At a recent meeting the speaker stated that the ideal temperature for a cow is 4C – so unless you are cold she is probably too hot! Increased air flow (and hence decreased humidity) is achieved by giving the cows ample space and by providing vents at the sides and at the apex of buildings.

RESPIRATORY DISEASE MEETING
Thanks to all of you who supported our meeting in December. What were some of the essential elements of being able to rear calves with less than 1.0% mortality and calving at two years of age? There will of course be variations in the feeding regimes depending on availability of waste milk, size of calf etc, but the following is a summary of the major points we learned for the average calf

Once a day feeding.
The calves are given colostrum for the first 3 days of life then fed whole milk twice daily for the first week. They are then changed abruptly onto ‘Once a Day’ powder, simply be feeding them in the mornings only. This is fed this until weaning at 8 weeks, making sure that there is ample water and hard food available. The advantages of the once a day system were felt to be that calves started eating solid food sooner, that pens stayed drier and of course there is less labour. It’s important to check the calves in the afternoons though, and because they are not being fed you have a bit more time to spend with them.

Calf pens
The calf pens comprised 8’ x 4’ sheets of marine ply (some of them 40+ years old, ie the original sheets used by Jim when he set up the system!) attached to gates at the rear and wooden feeding rails at the front. Thick wads of big bale straw are laid in the base, then loose straw on top. Fresh clean palatable straw is added 3 times per week as a forage source and as bedding. Calves are kept in these pens for 1 – 2 weeks after weaning to ensure that they are eating ample concentrates and then the pen sides are removed leaving the calves on the same straw and in the same area. This produces and almost ‘all in all out’ system that minimises infection transfer from group to group. Only under exceptional circumstances do calves change groups.

Pneumonia control
The calves are certainly not free from pneumonia and some treatments are given every year. Post treatment blood samples taken from affected calves this year showed exposure to IBR and RSV viruses. Calves are vaccinated against IBR and the current strategy is to hope that any RSV infection can be overcome naturally, although this position is always under review, and intranasal vaccination at around 4 weeks of age is an option. If an increase in coughing is seen the calves are monitored for feed intake and general respiratory signs. When more than 10% of calves are affected the whole group is injected. Last year the Draxxin was ordered and collected, but by the time it arrived on farm calves were improving and it was not used!
This balance between whether to treat and whether to let disease run its course is never easy. Vaccination is likely to be the safer option, but as with all such options, cost effectiveness is the difficult decision. The Pfizer subsidised blood sampling (£10 per calf for 5 calves) is well worthwhile to determine disease risk, especially in closed herds.

Vaccination
Vaccination is an important aspect in the control and prevention of BRD. Preventing pneumonia will reduce the costs associated with a clinical case of the disease, for example the cost of treatment, risk of spread to other animals and failure to grow/reach targets compared to unaffected calves.
We can vaccinate for the major causes of pneumonia starting with an intranasal vaccine from 9 days of age which will cover for RSV and Parainfluenza 3 viral causes and injectable vaccines administered from 2 weeks of age which cover RSV, PI3 and Pasteurella. We have a range of vaccines which we can use depending on your farming business and depending on the causes of pneumonia. Please discuss with us at the practice to determine the best protocol. Bovipast RSP vaccine can also be administered to dry cows 6-4 weeks before calving to protect the calves via colostral immunity.
It must be remembered that vaccination is part of a control plan and is not a ‘cure all’ for pneumonia. Housing, colostral status and management all require looking at too. Also an underlying BVD problem will affect the chances of pneumonia developing in a herd due to immunosuppressive effects.

JEJUNAL HAEMORRHAGE SYNDROME, JHS
Also known as haemorrhagic bowel syndrome (HBS), haemorrhagic gut syndrome (HGS), or simply haemorrhagic enteritis “hemorrhagic enteritis”, this condition, first reported in North America, now seems to have reached Gloucestershire! Affected cows are extremely ill, often totally collapsed with shock, severe abdominal pain and blood loss into the small intestine. Those that survive this first acute phase will then start passing a mixture of thick stinking dark bloody faeces and mucous. For those cows that do make it, recovery is slow. The cause is unknown, but affected animals are usually higher yielding early lactation animals on higher levels of feed. Clostridia can often be isolated from the gut and some US farms apparently use clostridial vaccination as a means of control. Vaccination is cheap enough, but most herds only have sporadic cases.

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER 2010

2011-06-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

FARM FIRST DECEMBER NEWS LETTER

Pneumonia Treatments
As you are aware this is a high-risk time of year cattle for pneumonia in cattle. Several vaccines are available to prevent pneumonia, but it is too late for vaccination when the animals are already ill.
The treatment for pneumonia is usually 2-fold: an anti-inflammatory/painkiller and an antibiotic. The anti-inflammatory/painkiller reduces pain and inflammation, lowers the temperature and reduces the damage done to the lungs. It makes the animal feel a bit better, so it keeps eating and drinking, enabling a speedy recovery. The antibiotic acts against the bacteria involved.
The anti-inflammatories that we use in the practice are Flunixin and Metacam. Flunixin can be given daily for up to 5 days, whereas Metacam is given as a single subcutaneous (or intravenous) injection that works for 2-3 days.
The following table gives details of the most commonly used treatments. Please speak to one of the vets for advice on using the products to treat pneumonia in your herd, and on how to prevent the problem in future years.
Product Cost Cost per 150kg calf Duration of action
Antibiotic Alamycin LA £14.26/100ml £ 2.14 2 days
Shotaflor
(“Nuflor”) £39.36/100ml £ 7.88 (2 doses i.m. or 1 dose s.c.) 4 days
Draxxin £172.89/50ml £12.97 9 to 14 days
Antibiotic and Anti-inflammatory Resflor £73.17/100ml £14.63 (1 dose s.c.) 4 days (antibiotic)
2 days (anti-inflammatory)
Anti-inflammatory Flunixin £19.28/50ml £ 2.57 1 day
Metacam £56.90/50ml £ 4.27 2-3 days

Enzootic abortion
If you have been unable to vaccinate ewes against Enzootic Abortion this year, a single dose of Alamycin LA (1ml/10 kg intramuscular) given 4-6 weeks before lambing will help to minimise losses. Sometimes a repeat treatment is required closer to lambing.
Please note that discounts are available on pay-at-time purchases of drugs like Alamycin LA(this also applies to drugs listed above in the pneumonia treatment section). Larger purchases attract bigger discounts but please give us notice if you require larger quantities so that we can make sure we have sufficient in stock.

TB Testing
This is a request from Debbie, our administrator responsible for organising your TB-tests:
Please be aware that TB-tests are usually fully booked 2-3 weeks ahead, and at busy times it can be as much as four weeks. So if you want your TB test done by a certain date (e.g. because you are taking animals to a sale), or on a particular date, then contact Debbie as far in advance as possible, so that we will be able to accommodate you.
Also Animal Health are currently doing all the short-interval(60 day) tests themselves and we can only agree to do a short-interval test when a BT4 (Animal Health release paper) has been sent to us. Please bear this in mind when booking tests and talking to our staff. We understand it can be a very frustrating not to be able to book your test in, but when we have the necessary paperwork from Animal Health we will do our very best to accommodate you.
Thank you very much for your cooperation!

Caesarean Section in Cattle
Farmers are often pessimistic about Caesarean Sections in cattle; however, if the decision to deliver a calf by caesarean is made promptly, it should save the life of both the cow and the calf and is therefore a viable option.
The outcome of a caesarean section depends on the length of time that the cow has been calving, whether the foetus is alive or dead, any infection which is present, whether the cow is able to stand for the operation, the cleanliness and sterility of the environment that the operation is to take place in, whether the cow has had previous operations and whether the uterus can be exteriorised.
If the decision to operate is delayed, the foetus becomes stressed and gets weaker; the level of uterine infection increases and the cow becomes exhausted and depressed. These factors together equate to a higher likelihood of a poor outcome i.e. a dead calf, a dead cow or both.
Once the decision to operate has been made it is important that the cow is adequately restrained, that the caesarean section takes place in a clean and dry environment. There should be adequate lighting and plenty of clean, warm water. Do not bed the area with straw just before the operation as it will create dust, which might cause infection in the cow. Every effort should be made to keep the operation as sterile as possible but it does not exclude the need for antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. Obviously the course of antibiotics should be completed and anti-inflammatories should be used to help minimise swelling and pain, thereby helping the animal’s appetite and demeanour to return to normal as quickly as possible.

Bleeding Calf Syndrome/ Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia
You might have heard about an entirely new disease in calves called Bleeding Calf Syndrome (official term: Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia). It affects calves between two days and four weeks old, it equally affects bull and heifer calves and there is no effect of breed or type of farm. There seem to be three different forms of this disease: calves found dead and diagnosed at post-mortem, calves that die on the day that they are seen ill (most typical form) and calves that die within three to four days of showing signs. Affected calves that are alive have a temperature, a dull appearance and have signs of bleeding from various points on the skin. These points can be on the head, the back and on the legs and originate from injections, fly bites or ear tags. Usually the faeces is blood-stained. Interestingly, not many cases have been reported in Wales and it is unclear if there are not many cases in Wales or if there are cases in Wales but these are not recognised or reported. Therefore if you have any suspected cases please contact the surgery.

Christmas and New Year
It is early December now but we would like to let you know we are closing early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve (1 pm). With the Bank Holidays following Christmas and New Year please make sure that you place any drug orders in advance so that we can provide you with the drugs required and still have drugs in stock as well.

Merry Christmas and a Happy (and profitable) New Year!

OCTOBER NEWS LETTER 2010

2011-06-23T03:34:00.000-07:00

FARM FIRST NEWSLETTER October 2010
Neosporosis Testing Programme
Neospora is the most commonly diagnosed cause of abortion in dairy and beef cows. Infected cows may either abort or give birth to infected calves which, when pregnant in later life, may also abort. A recent study has shown the extent of the risk. 460 heifers from 18 farms were blood-sampled at around 6 months old (7.2% were positive) and their subsequent breeding performance assessed. Positive heifers were 3-5 times more likely to abort and 2-3 times more likely not to fail to conceive. The authors considered that the main risk of infection was from an infected dam, although some heifers do get infected during their lives from contaminated dog faeces.
A testing programme for neosporosis has recently been launched by the VLA as part of its ‘Herdsure Cattle Improvement Service’. Blood samples are taken during pregnancy or from calves under 2 weeks of age. Two negative tests are required for the animal to be officially deemed free of infection. If you’ve had neospora diagnosed as a cause of abortion on your farm and would like to find out more about registering with Herdsure please contact us.
Grass Staggers
Just a quick reminder to be on the lookout for signs of grass staggers in cows as autumn approaches, especially if there has been a sudden turn in the weather. Cows cannot store magnesium, so need it on a daily basis, so it is vital that buckets or other sources of magnesium do not run out at this time of year. It’s worth having a bottle of Magniject 9 on the farm to give under the skin to any animal showing typical signs of the disease. If given in the early stages of the disease before symptoms progress, (while the animal is still standing) most cows will make a full recovery.
Toxic (E-Coli) Mastitis
In the past month or so we have seen a significant number of cows with toxic mastitis. The disease has a rapid onset and, despite appropriate treatment, often results in death. Clinical signs are a watery liquid in the affected quarter and the cow may be scouring. They will often be cold to touch, sunken-eyed and wobbly or recumbent. Aggressive, immediate treatment is needed to give any chance of recovery and treatment usually involves intravenous fluids, oral fluids, anti-inflammatories, antibiotics and oxytocin to assist in regular stripping out of the affected quarter.
As the bacteria which cause toxic mastitis are almost always environmental in origin, careful attention to husbandry especially in the dry and calving period should reduce the incidence of the disease. Factors which should be considered include:
• Post milk dipping and try to prevent access to lying areas for 30 minutes post milking, to allow time for the teat orifice to close.
• Ensure cubicles are regularly cleaned and freshly bedded, and that passageways are scraped at least twice a day to reduce contamination of teats from splashing. The use of drying agents in the cubicles e.g. lime, will also be of benefit.
• Clean, Dry, Cool: Attention to drainage and ventilation to reduce humidity, General cleanliness and prevention of overcrowding. Especially important in the calving pen, which should be cleaned and disinfected and freshly bedded between calvings.
• Hygienic administration of dry cow tubes using pre-dip and surgical spirit to clean the teat, and the use of a teat sealant e.g. Orbeseal to minimise entry of environmental bacteria.
VLA Post Mortem Service
The post mortem service provided by the VLA at Carmarthen, Langford and Luddington has proved very useful to many of our clients in recent years. We have been informed that some changes to this service will be in effect from 1st October, 2010. If you wish to take an animal to one of these labs for a PM, you must speak to one of our vets first to discuss the case. We will have to talk to the Duty Vet at the VLA who will decide whether they will carry out the PM at the rate subsidised by DEFRA. This will depend on whether they consider the carcass to be the most suitable way to make a diagnosis. If you just turn up at the lab, the examination may be carried out at full economic cost, which is considerably more expensive. In addition, there will also be a charge for disposal of all carcases which are examined, which until now has been absorbed in to the cost of the PM. This means that a ewe/ram PM will cost £67.10, a calf will cost £94 and a cow will cost £240. These are the subsidised prices and include the examination, all subsequent tests and carcass disposal.
If you have any queries about this or any disease problem that you wish to investigate please contact one of the vets at the surgery.
Ordering of drugs

Please give the practice ample notice (ideally two days) when you would like to place a big order of drugs, so that we have enough time to order the drugs from our wholesaler if needed. Even if you are just picking up a bottle of antibiotic or two’ the girls in the office would appreciate a phone call so they can get it ready for you. This is even more important if you don’t know exactly what you want; they can then speak to a vet to sort which treatment you need or the vet can ring you. Its also useful if you tell us if you want to pay at the time for the discount.

Usk Show
Thanks to everyone who came to visit us at the stand and congratulations to Mr Thomas, Penrhiw Farm, Trelewis, who won the competition and collects £25 in Waitrose shopping vouchers.

Meeting on Fluke and Worm Control
We are holding a meeting on Fluke and Worm Control in Sheep and Cattle at the King of Prussia on Wednesday 27th October at 7 pm. The meeting is sponsored by Norbrook . To give us some idea of numbers please contact the office on 01873 840167 if you wish to attend.

2010-09-09T01:52:00.000-07:00

NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2010
Staff News
Some of you will have met Tim Adams, our TB-testing locum over the summer months. He has now taken up a position as an equine vet and we wish him well in his future career. For this autumn and winter, Jonathon Wilton is going to help us with the TB testing. Jonathon grew up in the Abergavenny area and has several years experience in mixed veterinary practice in this part of the world.
Cattle Handling Facilities
Poorly designed and maintained facilities can cause injuries to cattle and handlers and have been proven to reduce weight gain and meat quality. For many producers investing in a brand new handling system has been seen as too costly, but low-cost modification to existing facilities can bring about vast improvements, greatly reducing the dangers and saving time by working more efficiently with the cattle.
The key principles which encourage calm movement with minimum intervention from the stockperson include:
- Cattle show less hesitation when moving through curved races, lanes and forcing pens.
- Minimise the opportunity for animals to turn round by using long, narrow pens.
- Reduce distractions from nearby animals and handlers by using solid sided races and pens.
- Equipment should operate quietly to avoid frightening cattle.
- Exits should be obvious, avoid 90 degree turns and obstructions near the crush exit, the nearest wall should be no closer than 6m in front of the crush.
- A raised walkway will encourage the handler to stand in the correct position relative to the animals and will reduce the need to enter the pen or race to encourage animals forward. Cattle move most willingly when the handler is located at an angle of 45-60 degrees back from the animals shoulder.
- The crush position should be such that cattle are given the impression they are being returned to where they entered the system. A cattle-free, safe working area should be designated around the crush to prevent damage to equipment and injury from loose cattle.
- Cattle become extremely nervous when they slip; worn floors are responsible for many cattle and handler injuries. Provide a non-slip surface to avoid hesitant animals.
Where a new handling system is being considered it should be remembered that any faults in the system will have to be corrected at a later date, so careful planning is essential. For those who wish to improve on their current system, some fairly simple and inexpensive modifications of existing facilities can overcome persistent problems with handling. Extensive information is available for those who would like to improve their handling facilities. As vets, we see all types of systems, good and bad, and will be able to advise on what might work best for you.
Milk Let-Down in Heifers
This seems to have been more of a problem recently with some herds having to use quite large quantities of oxytocin. This should not be necessary. It is important to make milking a pleasant experience, not associated with fear or pain. If fear is involved, adrenalin will be produced and the let-down mechanisms will be inhibited. The following tips may help:
• Bring heifers through the parlour before calving so that they know the routine. Applying a good teat dip at this stage will also get them used to being handled.
• Do not chase them round the collecting yard to get them into the parlour
• Take care with the backing gate, especially if it’s electrified.
• Try to ensure that the heifer is not squashed into the parlour between large cows, making her become uncomfortable.
• The full procedure of pre-dip, fore-milk, wipe and dry before the unit applied will help milk let-down. Some milkers massage the udder with a warm cloth before unit application.
• Some consider that feeding concentrates in the parlour helps.
• Some farms keep a separate heifer group.
• Excess udder oedema is painful and will reduce milk let-down. Over-feeding and insufficient exercise pre-calving are predisposing factors.
• One machine manufacturer has an initial rapid “stimulation pulsation” phase, run at a lower vacuum, to try to stimulate milk let-down before unit application.
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A suggested routine for the first few milkings is:
1. Bring heifers gently into the parlour, carry out a full udder preparation routine and apply the unit. If no milk, remove after 1-2 minutes maximum.
2. Repeat for the next two milkings, doing your best to optimise the let-down response, perhaps by manual massage of the udder.
3. If there is still no milk let-down, at the fourth milking use 2ml oxytocin as soon as she enters the parlour, so that she will associated milk let-down with udder preparation and not with unit on.
4. Use 2ml oxytocin for four milkings, then 1ml for the next two milkings, then 0.5ml for two (provided this low dose still works), then try without.

Dates for your Diary - Sheep Meetings
We are holding 3 Farmskills meetings in association with Tyndale Vets. The dates and subjects have been decided, but some of the farm venues are still to be confirmed.
1. Wednesday 3rd November. Advanced Sheep Keeping – lameness and nutrition (venue-Undy area)
2. Wednesday 10th November. Advanced Sheep Keeping – parasite control and infectious disease (at Upper Cwm Farm, Llantilio Crossenny, Abergavenny courtesy of Mr Chris Ball)
3. Wednesday 17th November. Basic Sheep Skills and Stockmanship (venue Dursley nr Glos.)
On each day there will be 2 talks, lunch and a farm walk. There will be a charge for these courses of between £50-70, 50% of which will be subsidised for Welsh farmers.
If you have any questions about these courses or anything else in the newsletter, please contact us at the office.

July News Letter

2010-08-11T02:30:00.000-07:00

Farm First July 2010 Newsletter

Summer Mastitis
Summer mastitis is a disease of dry cows and heifers that has changed little over the years. It is an acute clinical disease of the non-lactating mammary gland caused mainly by the bacterium Actinomyces pyogenes. It usually occurs on the same farm year after year.
An affected animal will often be separated from the others, dull, off its food, lame and will have a high temperature.). The whole udder will become swollen, hard and the affected quarter will produce a foul-smelling, thick, yellow discharge. Flies may be attracted to it, which can then spread the infection from quarter to quarter, or from cow to cow. Without treatment the animal can abort or even die.
Treatment is aimed at saving the animal, affected quarters rarely recover. Treatment consists of antibiotics (straight penicillin e.g Norocillin is fine) to fight the infection and anti-inflammatories to reduce the swelling and the temperature. Affected quarters should be stripped frequently. Sometimes vets will slit the teat or remove the teat to try and drain the quarter and remove as much infection as possible.
For summer mastitis prevention is much better than cure. Prevention measures involve the use of dry cow antibiotics, teat sealants e.g Orbeseal, fly control treatments (especially during July, August and September) and avoiding areas with large fly populations. Avoid low- lying wooded areas for susceptible animals, put your pregnant animals on higher ground exposed to more wind (which flies dislike). Teat lesions will also attract flies so should be minimised.

Ewe management for lamb production
The profitability of sheep farms mainly depends on the number of sheep on the farm and the lambing percentage. The management of the ewes after weaning through to one month after tupping determines next year’s lamb crop to a great extent. The scanning/lambing percentage you achieve is largely determined by the number of eggs produced when the ewe comes into heat, the proportion of eggs that are fertilised and the number of embryos produced that survive. Important factors in improving lambing percentage include:

Body condition score of the ewes around tupping.

The ewes need to be in the right body condition score (BCS) pre-tupping in order to maximise the number of eggs produced. The BCS scale runs from 1 (emaciated) to 5 (obese). The ideal condition score 2 weeks pre-tupping is 3–3.5 for lowland ewes and 2.5 for hill ewes. Manage the ewes after weaning based on their BCS at weaning; fat ewes on bare grazing with high stocking rate and thin ewes on good grazing at a low stocking rate (possibly with supplementary feeding eg mineralised sugar beet pulp). It takes about 6 weeks to change half a BCS so plan in plenty of time which pastures will be used for which ewes.

Feed intake over the tupping period. (Flushing)

High feed intake (flushing) over the tupping period will increase the number of eggs developing and therefore the number of eggs produced. Note however a high feed intake after mating can reduce embryo survival, so a compact flushing period with a high energy intake is desirable followed by a period of maintenance feeding only.

Other considerations
Rams need to be fit and fertile. Avoid prolonged contact between ewes and rams before mating this will help to ensure a compact lambing period.
Stress can reduce the embryo survival rate so avoid management tasks like foot-paring during tupping. Also provide shelter/ supplementary feed when bad weather occurs.

Ordering of drugs

Please give the practice ample notice (ideally two days) when you would like to place a big order of drugs, so that we have enough time to order the drugs from our wholesaler if needed. Even if you are just picking up a bottle of antibiotic or two, the girls in the office would appreciate a phone call so they can get it ready for you. This is even more important if you don’t know exactly what you want; they can then speak to a vet to sort which treatment you need or the vet can ring you. If you would like to pay at the time to obtain your 10% discount please tell the staff when you order the drugs.

Anti- inflammatory drugs in Treatment of Mastitis
Currently, one of the drug companies is strongly promoting Metacam usage with antibiotics in all cases of mastitis. This is following on from a trial in New Zealand which showed reduced cell counts and culling rates after using this regime. However, the trial did not directly compare Metacam with other similar drugs, such as Flunixin; and the cell counts were only measured for 3 weeks after a case of mastitis. Several veterinary practices in this country are advocating this approach, and we will await feedback from them with interest. In the meantime we would advise that all cases of mastitis where the cow is off colour, has a temperature, or where there is swelling in the udder, should receive an anti-inflammatory injection alongside antibiotics. This will help to reduce high temperatures, swelling and tissue damage in the udder and the pain associated with these. Anti-inflammatory treatment should help to maintain the feed intake of the cow and result in a more rapid improvement in the clinical signs. The two products that we use most commonly are Flunixin: cost per dose £11.12+ vat for 700kg cow, and Metacam: cost per dose £17.50 for 700 kg cow. Metacam is usually given as a single dose under the skin, whereas Flunixin should be given intravenously and can be repeated every 24 hours.

Booking TB Tests
A plea from the girls in the office. Please give us as much notice as you can when booking TB tests in. We are starting to get very busy again and are having difficulty fitting even small numbers in at short notice. At present we are working on about 2 weeks notice for small numbers of animals and about a month for a large whole herd test.

June Newsletter 2010

2010-07-08T04:06:00.000-07:00

Farm First Newsletter July 2010
Bleeding Calf Syndrome (Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia)
This is a new disease which is characterised by uncontrollable bleeding from the skin, nose and other areas, typically affecting young calves less than 4 weeks of age. Often the first sign seen is at tagging when the calf will not stop bleeding from the insertion hole. Almost all affected animals will die. The disease is due to damage to the bone marrow, which is responsible for producing the platelets in the blood which are essential for clotting.
The reason for the bone marrow damage is not known, however a possible link between vaccination of dams with Pregsure BVD and the birth of affected calves has been identified in Germany. Pfizer has voluntarily withdrawn the product from the market, but it should be stressed that no link between the vaccine and the disease has been proven, and other BVD vaccines such as Bovilis BVD are not under suspicion. The VLA would like all suspected cases to be reported, as there are ongoing investigations into the possible cause. If you are suspicious that you have a case please contact the surgery.
Emergency on Farm Slaughter
There are strict limits as to which animals fit the criteria for an emergency on-farm slaughter, the guidelines state: ‘An otherwise healthy animal must have suffered an accident that prevented its transport to the slaughterhouse for welfare reasons’.

Basically this really limits the injury to a fracture or dislocation, which requires immediate veterinary attention for welfare reasons. For this reason we must see the animal as soon as possible after injury. Animals which have been injured for several days, or suffering from chronic conditions such as lameness are not eligible.

The statutory withdrawal periods for any veterinary medicine administered must be observed for any animal slaughtered for human consumption. A declaration is required stating that all withdrawal periods for the animal have been observed. A veterinary surgeon must be present before slaughter to perform an inspection. The vet is required to declare the animal is fit for consumption, the reason for slaughter, and any treatment administered. The vet is also required to declare the date and time of slaughter, therefore he/she must be in attendance at the time of slaughter.

The farmer must contact the abattoir to confirm they will accept an emergency slaughter; however they are under no obligation to do so. The carcase must be clean, transported hygienically and arrive at the abattoir within 2 hours of slaughter.

Fly control

One of the drawbacks of the fine weather we’re currently enjoying has been a surge in the number of flies. As well as being a nuisance through biting, flies also act as a source of infection, most notably in summer mastitis but also for other diseases such as New Forest eye.

Butox Swish is probably the best product available to control flies in cows, giving protection for 8-10 weeks. For dairy cows it has a zero milk withdrawal. Stockholm tar also works well when applied directly to the udder but is very messy and needs to be reapplied every 2 weeks.

A new option available is the use biological fly control using fly parasites which are native to this country. These parasites are distributed in fly breeding areas around the farm-yard such as loose housing areas and slurry lagoons. The parasites hatch and kill the adult flies, then lay further eggs which repeat the cycle. More details on biological fly control are available on the Clover website at www.flymanagement.co.uk or www.clovergroup.eu or telephone the Clover Group at 0800 612 5289.

Identification of Cheques

A request from the girls in the office: please ensure when posting in a cheque to pay a bill that you identify it by writing your name and the farm name on the back. Otherwise the girls have to trawl though a long list of surnames to try and identify who it’s from - quite a list if your surname is Jones! The girls would also like the cheque made out to Nat, Tracy or Deb, not sure how Rob will feel about that one though. (Do they think I’m that dull-Rob)

New Streamline Machine

Farm First are slowly moving into the modern age and have invested in a Streamline machine. We should have it up and running in the next few weeks (as soon as Nat has read the instructions) and so soon will be able to take payments via card. Please note that there will be a small charge for the use of credit card(1% of invoice), debit card use will be free of charge.

Enzootic Abortion Vaccine

For those of you that have had enzootic abortion problems diagnosed in your sheep in the past, remember that vaccination is a very good method of controlling losses from this disease. Despite recent reports that the vaccinal strain has been found in some abortion samples, we would still strongly recommend that farmers with this problem vaccinate. Sheep owners in this area with the problem who have vaccinated in the past have repeatedly confirmed that the vaccine works very well. Ewe lambs kept for breeding can be given the vaccine from 5 months of age. For shearlings and older ewes the vaccine should be given from 4 months prior to mating. Do not vaccinate less than 4 weeks prior to mating-early lambing flocks need to be thinking about it now. Do not vaccinate pregnant ewes (the vaccine that we used to be able to give to pregnant ewes is now no longer available). Most ewes are vaccinated once as ewe lambs or shearlings, the vaccine then covers them for life in most circumstances. Often people slowly build up a vaccinated flock by just doing their replacements every year. Cost is about £2.00/ewe, discounts will be given for large orders. Please contact the surgery if you wish to discuss

Toxovax Vaccine

Please note there are supply problems with this vaccine this year. The practice has only been allocated 100 doses for the remainder of the year. If you normally use this vaccine for your ewes please contact us as soon as possible, the available vaccine will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

From Rob and his team at Farm First Vets.

2010-05-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

MAY NEWSLETTER 2010

Buffer Feeding Dairy Cows at Turnout

Dairy cows at turnout often suffer energy shortages, especially the early lactation animals and higher yielders. This is because grazed grass will support at best about 25 litres of milk plus maintenance a day. Milk yields will often be maintained at higher levels than this because of the “driving force" of the high protein in pasture. If, in addition, you cut the cake in the parlour at turnout, the cows may struggle to meet their energy needs, lose weight and go on to suffer fertility problems. This energy issue is often reflected in the energy (milk proteins) vs milk-yield graphs we get from milk-recording herds at this time of year.
What should you use? Nutritionally and palatability-wise, maize silage, molasses (with added magnesium for staggers), wheat and sugar beet pulp are probably the best. Some people use whole-crop cereals or citrus pulp. Brewers’ grains don’t seem to be so good as they seem to drop butterfat levels in the milk which can be lower anyway because of the lower fibre levels in the grass. As there is lots of protein in the grass you don’t usually need to worry about that. If you are using high protein cake (18%) you can drop this to a 14 to 16% crude protein concentrate in the spring because of the high protein in the grass.
When should you feed it? “My cows won’t eat it” I hear you cry. Depends on the herd a bit and if you want to maximize grass intakes. If you do want to do this, then cows should go out hungry and have an early afternoon feed, and then go out again after milking. If you are a high-yielding herd where grass intake is not maximized (i.e they are just loafing about), then a feed when they are hungriest just after milking will be best(but it does take the edge off their appetite).
And remember to carry a bottle of magnesium in you tractor/landrover/quad cab at this time of year for any staggers cases you might get.
Don’t get caught in parentage trap-cattle passports
There are at least 18,000 UK cattle currently known to be without valid passports, and therefore legally un‐saleable, according to the British Cattle Movement Service. As you will know, a first‐time passport application for animals 28 days of age onwards, or an appeal against a rejected passport application, has to be accompanied by proof of parentage from an authorised source.
Please refer to BCMS for a detailed account of the application/appeal process.
For the parentage check, blood samples are required from the animal itself and the dam. Kits for this purpose can be provided by the practice and one of the vets can take the relevant samples during a visit. Results are posted directly back to you from the Pfizer Animal Genetics’ laboratory. The lab fee per animal is £25 + vat (so £50 + vat for a calf and dam pairing.
Fluke Control
For several years, cattle and sheep farmers have been battling against an increasing incidence of liver fluke on their farms. This year’s icy, snowy winter may have an unexpected silver lining as far as fluke control is concerned by interrupting the parasite’s life cycle. Fluke eggs on the pasture can survive for a time at low temperatures, but adverse conditions can reduce survival and hatchability. This means that after a cold winter the main contribution to future infection are infected, untreated animals passing eggs, and the snail, which after it emerges from hibernation in the spring deposits infective metacercaria on the pasture from May onwards.
The metacercaria from these winter snails are much less significant in number than those from summer infected snails, partly because of snail mortality during the winter months. The harsher the winter, fewer snails survive.
This means that this spring we have an opportunity to get on top of fluke. Pasture contamination is likely to be lower this spring than in previous springs that have followed milder winters, and by treating your stock with a spring dose of flukicide it can be kept low. Fasinex (the triclabendazole flukicide) does not have to be used at this time because we are generally dealing with adult fluke in the animals. This class of drug should be saved for use in the autumn/winter, which will help prevent resistance to the drug developing. Please phone and speak to one of the vets if you wish to discuss.
Zolvix – A new class of wormer
Zolvix is a new broad spectrum wormer for treatment and control of gastrointestinal worms, including those resistant to the current range of wormer classes (white, yellow and clear) in sheep. It is the first new wormer group since 1982. Zolvix is a new ‘fourth’ group of wormer to be called ‘the orange group’ or 4-AD (amino-acetonitrile derivatives). Initially it is only available for sheep.
Although the new 4-AD wormer was first discovered ten years ago it has taken until now to come to the market, and because of its importance to the anthelmintic market place it is classified as a vet only product. Despite Zolvix being effective on all resistant and multi-resistant strains of gastro-intestinal worms, its main benefit to producers will be to prolong the effectiveness of the other wormer groups when used in conjunction with them.
One of two key areas of use is for mid-season lambs (at, or shortly before, weaning), when the worm burden from resistant worms is at its highest, and the most financial benefit can be gained from its use. The other area is as a quarantine drench, when stock are brought onto a unit. Then Zolvix will remove all worm burdens including resistant strains, when used following SCOPS recommendations.
Any farms diagnosed with resistance to the current classes of wormer will need to integrate Zolvix into their worm control programme. With a 7 day meat withdrawal period and a wide safety margin, Zolvix is environmentally friendly with no danger to watercourses or insects, which may favour the use of the product for organic production.
For the time-being Zolvix is only available via vets, and is marketed with a state of the art dosing gun. Dose rate is 1ml/10 kg by mouth and packs are available in 1 litre, 2.5 litre and a treatment pack (2 x 1 litre and a dosing gun). Prices are (for payment at time) £140.40, £351 and £324 plus vat for the respective pack size. The dosing gun on its own is approx £77 + vat. A fancy video of the new system and more information on the product is available on the web at www.zolvix.com

2010-03-20T01:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first of the Farmfirstvets online newsletters! If you look at the links on the right you can go through the archives.

XL Vets Charity Bike Ride

2009-09-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

You may have seen some details floating about with reference to the XLVets charity bike ride. The idea was for groups of the XLVets to carry the XLVets calf from various points about Britain to the Dairy event (16th / 17th September) by bike whilst raising money for two charities :

1. Farm Africa - a small charity founded in 1985 to help small farmers / herders in Africa grow more food, keep their livestock healthy, make a basic living and manage their natural resources a sustainable way www.farmafrica.org.uk

2. Royal Agricultural Benevolent fund - providing for the welfare and wellbeing of members of the farming community who are facing need, hardship or distress www.rabi.org.uk

Basically our group of practices (or representatives from them, in our case Robert Smith!) cycled from Shepton Mallet to the Drove Practice in Wiltshire on the 3rd / 4th / 5th September. We took in two big markets which operate on those days to seize the opportunity to do a quick last minute bit of fund raising.

I have been some what bulled in to helping out and will be Roberts support / van driver and general dogs body (nothing new about that then) and so I am asking you if you would be so kind as to dig deep and possibly donate to what we feel is a good cause and if that's not a good enough reason.....think of me having to see Rob in his cycle shorts!! There now, that is a reason!

You can see the photos here.

Debbie

Bluetongue vaccine

2008-07-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Welsh Assembly has announced that Bluetongue vaccine is scheduled to arrive with vets by Wednesday, 4 June subject to clearance of the vaccine by the Veterinary Medicines Director. See here for the full story.

Bovine TB

2008-04-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

On April 8th, the Welsh Assembly Government has announced its Bovine TB Eradication programme. There is guidance on prevention of transmission and general guidance here