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TAURANGA KATIKATI TE UNA & PAPAMOA VILLAGE VETS - YOUR ANIMAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL

AnimailDecember 2016

taurangapapamoa village

katikatite puna

For more information visit www.bopvets.co.nz, call 0800 VETS BOP (0800 8387 267) or visit one of our clinics; Tauranga, Te Puna, Katikati or Papamoa

W elcome to the December Animail from Tauranga Vets. This is our last publication of 2016, before we commence again in February. The grass has been growing well recently and hopefully your young stock have been too. The sun has come out and soil temperatures are starting to rise so it is time to be thinking about prevention of summer diseases, which is what our Vets articles focus on in this edition.

Facial eczema should be at the forefront of your mind as preventative measures need to start two weeks prior to the risk period. Don’t be caught out this season! Treat your sheep for flystrike to prevent unnecessary suffering and carcass damage, and get your rams palpated to make sure that they are ready to role for the up coming mating season. We also wanted to highlight the importance of regularly drenching your stock, particularly your young ones.

Well sit back, enjoy the read, and we wish you a safe and happy Christmas.

FacialEczema

What is it? Facial eczema is caused by a toxin (sporisdesim)produced by the spores of the fungus Pithomyces chartarum growing on pasture. The fungus grows in the dead litter at the base of pasture in warm moist conditions.

Sporisdesim, when ingested, damages the liver and bile ducts. The damaged liver cannot rid the body of wastes and one of these waste products cause sensitivity to sunlight, which in turn causes inflammation of the skin and potentially sloughing and death.

All grazing animals can be affected – cattle, sheep, goats and alpacas.

Signs to look for• a drop in milk production in cattle

• animals are restless, seeking shade and cows may lick their udder

• exposed unpigmented or thin skin which is reddened, thickened or is peeling

We recommend the use of Faceguard Zinc boluses which give 6-10 weeks protection.

Continue to monitor spore counts and if counts are really high consider using fungicides in addition to help relieve the burden on your animals. Pasture must be green and growing to take up the fungicide.

Assess Your Management PlanZinc helps to stabilise the liver cells against damage. After 6 weeks of treatment blood test a sample (10) of animals from your herd to test for zinc levels and GGT to assess liver function to establish if your animals are adequately protected and whether there is already some sub clinical liver damage.

Treatment of clinical casesFor animals showing clinical signs this is extremely painful. Contact your veterinary clinic for consultation and pain relief for your animal.

Cows showing clinical signs of facial eczema can recover if prompt action is taken:

- Holly Rabone (BVSc)

Not all affected animals will show signs. For ONE clinical case there are likely TEN animals with subclinical liver damage. These animals will have reduced production – growth or milk. Chronic wasting or death can occur from a badly damaged liver especially under times of stress.

TimingThe fungus produces spores when grass minimum temperatures are above 12°C for two or three nights and humidity is high (usually December/January to May).

Animals need to be treated 2 weeks prior to the rise in spore counts to have adequate protection. Avoid hard grazing during these times.

Spore CountingSpore counting can give an indication of pasture levels. It is a useful tool but not a fail safe. There have been studies showing huge variation between weekly spore counts on different farms in the same region and on the same farm between different paddocks.

PreventionThere is no cure for FE so prevention is the only way of protecting animals. To be effective, preventative measures need to be in place before eczema spores are found.

For more information visit www.bopvets.co.nz, call 0800 VETS BOP (0800 8387 267) or visit one of our clinics; Tauranga, Te Puna, Katikati or Papamoa

FlystrikeManagement

We are already seeing cases of fly infestations on livestock and at times even our companion animals. The main culprit is the Australian blow fly, Chrysomya megacephala (seephoto below). It lays eggs which develop quickly into larvae and constitute the majority of the maggots found in damaged skin and underlying tissue.

Areas commonly affected by flystrike are around the tail, on the backline, on the flanks of the belly and around the pizzle in males. They can also be found at the pole (between the ears of rams from fighting) and between the toes (following footrot). Shearing is helpful to deter infestation for a few weeks, though shearing cuts and other wounds will attract flies. Affected animals may nibble their wool, stamp their feet and twitch their tails prior to becoming depressed and succumbing to the infection. Dark patches may also be seen on white fleece. Maggots can be difficult to see so the wool should be parted and checked.

What is it? Facial eczema is caused by a toxin (sporisdesim)produced by the spores of the fungus Pithomyces chartarum growing on pasture. The fungus grows in the dead litter at the base of pasture in warm moist conditions.

Sporisdesim, when ingested, damages the liver and bile ducts. The damaged liver cannot rid the body of wastes and one of these waste products cause sensitivity to sunlight, which in turn causes inflammation of the skin and potentially sloughing and death.

All grazing animals can be affected – cattle, sheep, goats and alpacas.

Signs to look for• a drop in milk production in cattle

• animals are restless, seeking shade and cows may lick their udder

• exposed unpigmented or thin skin which is reddened, thickened or is peeling

We recommend the use of Faceguard Zinc boluses which give 6-10 weeks protection.

Continue to monitor spore counts and if counts are really high consider using fungicides in addition to help relieve the burden on your animals. Pasture must be green and growing to take up the fungicide.

Assess Your Management PlanZinc helps to stabilise the liver cells against damage. After 6 weeks of treatment blood test a sample (10) of animals from your herd to test for zinc levels and GGT to assess liver function to establish if your animals are adequately protected and whether there is already some sub clinical liver damage.

Treatment of clinical casesFor animals showing clinical signs this is extremely painful. Contact your veterinary clinic for consultation and pain relief for your animal.

Cows showing clinical signs of facial eczema can recover if prompt action is taken:

- Holly Rabone (BVSc)

Not all affected animals will show signs. For ONE clinical case there are likely TEN animals with subclinical liver damage. These animals will have reduced production – growth or milk. Chronic wasting or death can occur from a badly damaged liver especially under times of stress.

TimingThe fungus produces spores when grass minimum temperatures are above 12°C for two or three nights and humidity is high (usually December/January to May).

Animals need to be treated 2 weeks prior to the rise in spore counts to have adequate protection. Avoid hard grazing during these times.

Spore CountingSpore counting can give an indication of pasture levels. It is a useful tool but not a fail safe. There have been studies showing huge variation between weekly spore counts on different farms in the same region and on the same farm between different paddocks.

PreventionThere is no cure for FE so prevention is the only way of protecting animals. To be effective, preventative measures need to be in place before eczema spores are found.

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Dry off affected cows now, to reduce pressure on the liver

Put filta-bac cream on white areas of the coat and the udder (if affected)

Move affected stock into dense shade. Indoors is best but make sure there is a good water supply and supplementary feed available for cows

Feed cows at night, so they are not exposed to sunlight and stop hard grazing so cows do not graze down into dead matter where the spores that cause FE live

Feeding maize and/or silage can help, but cows will still tend to graze if they are kept on pasture

Make sure the diet is balanced, with good levels of energy and protein.

Use a starter drench to boost metabolic function

Use vitamin B12 supplementation

Prevention and treatment of flyblown stock should be done in a timely manner. In the case of sheep six weeks post shearing is ideal for uptake of chemical. Insect growth regulators (IGRs) such as Cyrex®, generally give up to 12 weeks’ protection when applied properly and are safe to use. IGRs act on maggot stages so adult flies will die out naturally in a few weeks. Cyrex® also kills maggots quickly, with the dual combination of active ingredients stopping the active feeding of maggots within minutes of contact and dead maggots moving off wounds within hours. Cyrex® is available in 250ml bottles, which must be diluted at a ratio of 10ml concentrate to 5L water.

Treatment of flyblown animals should also involve clipping of wool from around the affected area close to the skin and disposing of the clippings. Where clipping/shedding of wooled areas over the back occurs the exposed skin is prone to sunburn and may become inflamed and infected. Protection of this skin should be with a zinc based product such as the antibacterial containing cream Filta Bac®.

If you suspect any of your animals are affected by flystrike feel free to contact your local large animal vet for advice.

- Phil Rennie (BVSc, MACVSc)

There are many advantages of using teaser rams:

For more information visit www.bopvets.co.nz, call 0800 VETS BOP (0800 8387 267) or visit one of our clinics; Tauranga, Te Puna, Katikati or Papamoa

Ram health is essential for achieving top lambing percentages.

Ram soundness can be divided into two main areas – their general health ie. good body condition, sound on all four feet, & free of disease. Outside of the mating period, rams are not required to do a lot, therefore there should be no reason for them to not be in good body condition at mating time. The second area of health to consider is sexual health. This includes an examination for testicle size & tone, testicles & genitals free from any malformations or disease eg. Mange as well as blood testing in some cases for brucellosis. Brucellosis is the most common cause of infertility in mature rams and will reduce ram fertility. Brucella ovis can cause abcesses in the testes or epididymis so this is one of the things we can feel during ram palpation & examination. We recommend getting any rams you intend on using in the mating period examined & palpated at least 2 months prior to mating. This allows time for any issues to be corrected & fertility to return to normal prior to mating.

The Ram EffectOn exposure to the sight and scent of a ram, ewes will be stimulated to begin cycling. The first heat is usually short and silent. Multiple ovulations are much more likely in subsequent heats and follow the normal 17 day cycle. The ram effect can be used successfully to ensure more ewes have twins at the planned start of mating. This is a key factor in achieving high scanning rates and overall profitability. Teasers are used to synchronise ewes for a condensed lambing and to help start cycling activity in young or early bred hoggets and ewes. Teaser rams should have surgery to vasectomise them at least two months before being joined with ewes to ensure all fertile sperm have left the reproductive tract because this avoids accidental early lambs.

Getting yourRams ready for mating…

Ram WOFs

Rams don't wear themselves out for the first 17 days for lower returns ie. more singles.

Ewes are mostly in lamb in the first planned cycle, making scanning, lambing, docking and even selling more compact.

Ewes get in lamb with twins before autumn dry or facial eczema becomes a factor.

To spread risk of poor weather affecting lambing survival, mobs can be stagger mated. eg old ewes with terminal sires targeting early lamb market or using teaser rams.

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- Kate Heller (BVSc)

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Use a ratio of 1:200 mature ewes (1:100 hoggets)

Join with ewes less than or equal to 17 days before planned start of mating (PSM). Swap with entire rams on PSM.

Create teasers 60 days before using them

Select appropriate rams. Dorset rams better than Romneys

Use mature rams, crease as two tooths, will last 2-3 seasons

Ensure rams and teasers are brucellosis free

If mating hoggets, the same teasers can be re-used

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We’re available to talk to you on the phone too. So don’t hesitate to contact us anytime Tauranga 07 578 4044 | Te Puna 07 552 4015 | Katikati 07 549 0215 | Papamoa 07 572 2334

We hope you have enjoyed this latest edition of the Tauranga, Katikati, Te Puna and Papamoa Village Vets newsletter

Take a moment to visit theTauranga Vets Facebook page, www.facebook.com/taurangavets, and Like what you see. We love your feedback and are always happy to answer your animal health questions.

Tauranga Vetswww.bopvets.co.nz

Staff Pro�le - Kate Heller:

Kate is one of our vets who works predominantly in our Cameron Road clinic.

Kate graduated from Massey University at the end of 2007 and started practising in mid-Canterbury before heading over to the UK for two years to work as a locum vet and travel around Europe. She was employed by Tauranga Vets as a mixed practitioner after returning home in 2012.

Outside of work, Kate spends most of her time in the outdoors, training for and competing in multisport events and enjoys kayaking, cycling and running. She is currently training for the 2017 Coast to Coast. At home, she has one playful and smoochy cat, “Leo” the lion, whom she adopted after he was brought into one of our clinics as a starving stray.

Ensure calf lepto vaccinations arebooked or done Book early pregnancy testing scan

Toxo & Campy vacc for sheep Flystrike prevention for sheep Tick control Herd testing for mastitisPreventative worm drenching foryoung stock

CHECKLIST

A wee snap from Brian Lochore's farm…..

December 25th - CLOSEDDecember 26th - CLOSEDDecember 27th - CLOSEDDecember 28th - OPENDecember 29th - OPENDecember 30th - OPEN

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December 31st - OPENJanuary 1st - CLOSEDJanuary 2nd - CLOSEDJanuary 3rd - CLOSEDJanuary 4th - OPENJanuary 5th - OPEN

Kate enjoys all aspects of veterinary medicine but has developed a particular interest in tricky eye cases and ultra-sonography and small animal internal medicine. She strives to provide the best possible care for your pets and treats them as if they were her own.

Opening HoursWe have normal emergency after hours service outside

the clinic opening hours

Tauranga Vetswould like to

wish you a veryMerry Christmas