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Salmonella vaccination

Salmonella is a zoonotic disease, which means it not only affects cattle, but can be passed to humans too. Immuno-compromised or pregnant people are the most at risk of infection.There are four main strains of salmonella that can affect cattle: S. Typhimeriem (gut),S. Bovismorbificans (gut), S. Brandenburg (abortions) S. Give (gut). This is a newer strain, discovered in 2019. Nationally, cases were on the rise until 2021, after which they started to slightly decrease....

Bulk milk somatic cell count and cow health

The bulk milk somatic cell count (BMSCC) refers to the concentration of white blood cells produced by the entire herd into the vat. Cell counts above 400,000 cells/ml are regarded as unfit for human consumption. BMSCC's are correlated with the occurrence of mastitis in the herd. As a (rough) rule of thumb:Herds with BMSCC of 400,000 cells/ml have (clinical and/or subclinical) mastitis cases in 40% of cows.Herds with BMSCC of 300,000 cells/ml have mastitis cases in 30% of cows. Her...

The end of an era!

As some of you will be aware, Harold has been reducing his days at West Coast Vets for the last few years and has now decided to step back and retire from his role in the retail team. He is still intending to stay on the Coast, but is keen to spend a lot more time with his grandchildren in Christchurch and Nelson, as well as making the most of the sunny days on his bike with his wife Mary.Harold has been a constant presence at the Greymouth clinic since the 80s and the days of 'Grey Vets', ...

A new leptospirosis vaccine

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, caused by a family of bacteria, that can infect multiple species, including people. Three groups of people who are at high risk of contracting lepto are:Meat workersFarmersHunters. Lepto is spread through contact with infected urine or waterways. Once the bacteria gets into the body through the mouth, nose or eyes, it can lead to flu-like symptoms and, potentially, kidney failure. In people, the disease is known as Weils disease.With the high risk t...

Can cows have a Christmas hangover too?

The time after Christmas is for recovery, as our stomachs recover from too much food and our livers from being too merry! Every year, this seems to become harder and take longer. Do cows have these problems after the festive period too?Yes! Cows do have problems with recovering their livers from Christmas onwards and, sometimes, this lasts till March! Unlike us, this is not because of too many mince pies and bubbles, but from eating too low down in the sward where the spores of the facial eczema...

Foot rot and white line disease

Continuing on with our lameness theme started in the last newsletter, in this second instalment we will look at two of the most commonly seen causes of lameness on the West Coast:...

Preventing Polio (B1 deficiency)

Polio, short for bovine polioencephalomalacia, is a disease of the brain most commonly caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. It is something we see sporadically each year (we have already seen a couple of cases this season, just before Christmas).Cattle rely on bacteria in their rumen to produce vitamin B1 daily. If factors upset these bacteria, it can lead to either less thiamine being produced or an increase in specific thiaminase enzymes that destroy the thiamine already prese...

Minerals: you can't improve what you don't measure!

Our advice is to check the mineral status of your herd before mating, to which the common response is often "but I haven’t changed anything", or, "our results have always been ok". Unfortunately, each season is different and, therefore, results can be different. This season was very abnormal!We took liver and blood samples from different farms and the milk production varied from 300 to >500MS/cow. The results showed: 38% of farms had a deficiency in copper;31% had&n...

Managing internal parasites in calves

Internal parasites (worms) can have a large effect on calf growth rates if not managed correctly. Drenching your calves is important to help reduce worm burdens, but it is just one tool that we should be using in combination with other management strategies.Maintaining animal health is one of the most important things for ensuring they are able to fight off worm burdens; this includes good nutrition and ensuring trace element levels are correct.The main roundworms that affect our youngstock are&...

Lameness: no tip-toeing about

Lameness is a painful condition that can rob your herd's productivity, health, welfare and fertility, as well as your back pocket! ...

Chicken care 101

Recent regulatory changes banning battery cages for layer hens in NZ mean supermarkets are now only accepting cage-free eggs. This is a great win for our feathered friends, who now have the room they need to be happy and productive, but it has left our egg shelves a little bare! In a bid to ensure we have eggs to go with our bacon, there has been a dramatic rise in Kiwis taking matters into their own hands and buying chooks.TradeMe reported a whopping 190% increase in searches for...

Chocolate - the sweet but deadly treat

Chocolate is delicious - to both humans and dogs. Unfortunately, dogs are much slower to metabolise theobromine, one of the chemical components in chocolate, making even a small amount potentially toxic for them.While at the time it might seem funny that Fido the golden lab has had a good nosh on the block of chocolate left on the table, within a few hours, we might not be laughing so much. ...

Weight management for pets

Weight management is a crucial part of taking care of your dogs and cats. Ensuring your pet maintains a healthy weight minimises the risk of disease or injuries that can be associated with obesity or malnourishment. As a society, we are accustomed to seeing overweight pets as healthy pets, which means obesity is now becoming a major problem. Over 40% of dogs and over 30% of cats in NZ are at least 10% over their ideal weight.We weigh your animals every time they come to see us, which c...

A healthy guide to feeding pets

When feeding your beloved pet, whether it be a new puppy or kitten, or an older cat or dog, there is such a thing as ‘loving them too much’. Overindulging your pet can lead to health problems if they become overweight, so knowing how much, how often, and what to feed them is important.Pet food bags have feeding guides on the back which help you with the ‘how much’. This healthy amount of food can be tailored to suit your pet and could be split up into many feeds throughout the day, depen...

Protect your calves with Covexin10

Clostridial disease is an easily preventable deadly disease in cattle and sheep. We know vaccination works really well in preventing death in animals. Last season we introduced the use of Covexin 10 at disbudding time. This year, this is on offer again....

Winter tips for pets

The seasons have changed, and the togs have been replaced with jackets and hats. Not only do we feel the change, but so too do our pets. During this time please consider what you can do to keep your pets happy and healthy.Here are some key things to keep in mind for our pets this winter.Older Pets: Senior pets are likely to struggle more, particularly if they have joint issues such as arthritis. Keep them warm and comfortable in a snug bed with extra padding. Check-in with a veterinarian if you ...

Poison of the season: Rat bait

Every autumn and early winter we see a number of cases of rat bait poisoning in dogs, either via direct ingestion of the rat bait or less often by ingestion of rats/mice that have died from eating the bait. It is clear that dogs find these baits very tasty. Cats on the other hand are fussy about what they eat and prefer their prey to be alive and therefore are less likely to be poisoned. ...

West Coast Vets proud to support Meat the Need

West Coast Vets are proud to be a sponsor of the Meat the Need charity, a kiwi based operation aiming at connecting the dots and getting New Zealand meat into our food banks. This was founded by one of our Hoki locals - Siobhan O’Malley and her husband Christopher.Whilst there has been a need for a charity like this, to date, there has been a missing link between the willing farmer with livestock and the community organisations with the demands for a regular, reliable supply.Here at ...

Ukraine's Paws & Peeps Fundraiser with New Zealand vets

Times are tough at the moment, but can be and are even tougher for others.With the current situation in Ukraine, we did our bit with a fundraiser from NZ to support animal welfare and those that provide it in Ukraine.What is more important in this situation: animals or people? It’s a tough call, but we know we can do a little something to ease the suffering so far away.We are stoked to share that our business along with our generous staff, clients and the NZ community, we raised $3,000 in...

Catching up with vet nurse TJ

Many of you recognise our senior Vet Nurse TJ from our Hokitika clinic. Her role is an essential part of our small animals operations and our staff and clients alike benefit from her vast expertise and knowledge. We took five to catch up with TJ and find out a little more about the lady in scrubs!...

Clinical case: Prophylatic gastroplexy

We recently shared an article on the dangers of twisted stomachs and the danger in deep-chested dogs. Let’s meet Kovu, an at-risk dog that came into our clinic for some preventative surgery.Kovu is a very handsome, nine-month-old German Shepherd, whose owner booked him into our Hokitika clinic to have a prophylactic gastropexy under the same anaesthetic as his castration. Prophylactic – meaning preventative. Gastropexy – meaning surgical procedure where the stomach wall is adhere...

Is your pet at risk of a twisted stomach?

Did you know that you can do something for your dog to prevent a life-threatening condition you may not even realise he or she could be at risk of?Bloat is something that gets most people's attention, especially those who associate with large animals, like horses and cattle. Bloat is serious in any animal, but in the small animal clinic, when a pet arrives suffering bloat, it’s a big red flag! Respiratory distress, a distended (swollen) abdomen, retching and tryin...

Clinical case: A dangerous fishy morsel

Are you ready? I know I’m ready! The season is here. The mercury is rising, the days are longer and it’s time. It’s time to relish in the Summer sunshine and I hear our stunning West Coast is due for a cracker!Many of our favourite sports and activities rest in an awkward hibernation during Winter, only to have the dust blown off them at the first peek of Summer. The water skis come out, the mountain bikes get a service, the fishing rods come off the rack and walking shoes come out of...

Catching up with Simon Hewitt

When Simon Hewitt first came to the West Coast, it rained for 20 months straight. Battling through and believing he was “solar-powered”, this rain was a new challenge he hadn’t quite experienced before at his previous clinic in Darfield. Simon is one of our large animal veterinarians and local owner at our Hokitika clinic. Seven years on from that 20-month-rain-welcome he had, we catch up with Simon to find out a little bit more. ...

What is your 3 week submission rate target?

How many cows are you putting up each day? Do this quick calculation:The number of cows in your herd x 0.9 / 21 days = Target Number of Cows per Day. If you are not getting as many cows up per day as you should then call your KeyVet to discuss. It is challenging to achieve a 6-week in-calf rate target of 78% if you do not get enough cows up in the first 3 weeks. The average Submission rate for 69 dairy farms in our area was 78%. Below shows data from the 2020/21 season:...