EWE MAIL

MARCH 2017

Facial Eczema 2

Fly 2

Barber’s Pole worm 2

Stock yards 3

Laminitis 4

Fleas, Fleas and more Fleas 5

Inside What’s

It is hard to believe it is already March and we are now in-

to autumn. What a different summer we have had this year compared

to last year! Grass growth rates have remained steady which is great news

for stock owners around the district,

with many farmers only starting to feed

out supplementary feed in the past week

or two.

Last month SRVS entered a team in the

Taupo Great Lake Relay for the 4th time.

We had 18 staff/partners/kids running

legs from 5km to 14km. The team did

brilliantly in the worst ever weather

conditions and did us very proud!

We are still seeing small block holders getting caught out by high worm

burdens in their livestock – this is easily avoided by:

① Following current drenching recommendations:

→ Use an oral, combination (dual or triple action) drench every

28 days during late spring, summer and autumn

AND

② Using good grazing management to minimise larval challenge on

the pasture:

→ Keep a minimum pasture cover of at least 5cm – most

worms live in the bottom 2cm of the grass sward

→ Graze young animals ahead of older stock

→ Cross-graze different species

If you have concerns about worms in your animals, bring in fresh faecal

samples to the clinic and we can do a faecal egg count. This gives you good

information about the current worm status in your livestock and can be

used to guide decision making around drenching and pasture manage-

ment for the future. We need 2 grams of fresh faeces to perform a faecal

egg count.

233 State Highway 1, Bulls

48 Tutaenui Road, Marton

Email: team@srvs.co.nz

www.srvs.co.nz

Tel (06) 3222 333

Find us on Facebook

Have you seen our Facebook page?? Find us on Facebook by searching

‘Southern Rangitikei Veterinary Services Ltd’

to keep up with the latest news!

Last year was one of the worst years for Facial Eczema that the Rangitikei has experienced since

the 80s. Fortunately so far this year the weather has been very different, however we are definitely not past the

risk period yet! If we get a ‘late summer’ through March and April then the Facial Eczema risk is still very high.

If you haven’t already, now is the time to zinc bolus your livestock to protect against Facial

Eczema toxins.

Keep an eye out for our spore count noticeboard when you come into the clinic to see what

the spore levels are doing for the week or on our webpage www.srvs.co.nz. Since the

weather has been more settled, the spore counts have been steadily increasing around the

district

We are getting many reports of flystrike in lambs and ewes – this is easily prevented with the use of a

dip or pour-on! For small block holders we stock Zapp Encore®, which is a pour-on product that both prevents fly

and lice and can also be used as a treatment for active flystrike. This treatment can be hired out

from either clinic or is available for purchase in 1L packs. Our technician Sian is able to assist if you

need a hand - Zapp can be applied at the same time as giving boluses, drenching etc. Don’t forget

an essential part of preventing flystrike is making sure your sheep are shorn, or at the very least

crutched.

Facial Eczema

Fly

Drenching of sheep and goats at this time of year

needs to be done regularly (ie. every 28 days) and

must be done with a drench that contains moxidectin

– please note Scanda® does not contain this active

ingredient!

Most drenches will say on the label that they kill

Barbers Pole Worm (Haemonchus contortus) however

only moxidectin has persistent activity against the

worm. Barbers Pole Worm reproduces very quickly

and in large numbers, so within 7-10 days after a

drench with a product that doesn’t contain moxidec-

tin there can potentially be enough worms sucking

blood in the stomach to kill a lamb.

We stock Exodus® (moxidectin) in 250ml containers

for small block holders. If you would like a faecal egg

count done for your livestock please bring in fresh

faecal samples and we can generally have a result for

you within 24 hours.

FLEAS, FLEAS & still more fleas By the time you see fleas on your pet

there is already a problem. This is because the

fleas on your pet represent only 5% of the total flea popula-

tion; the other 95% exist as developing stages (eggs, larvae

and pupae) in your pet’s home and garden environment.

They start off as eggs which roll off the coats of untreated

animals including your own pets, neighbourhood strays

and even wildlife. Pupae can survive in the ground or

carpet up to six months before hatching.

In the past fleas were thought of as a summer problem

because as the weather heated up pupae would start to

emerge and a flea infestation became evident. However,

we are seeing fleas throughout the year, possibly because

our homes are warmer than they used to be during the

cooler months and pre-existing immature stages in the

environment will continue to emerge as fleas and jump on

your pets. If you have to start flea treatment again it can

take weeks or even months to break the this cycle so the

safest and best advise we can offer is to

continue flea treatment all year round.

There is a whole range of products on the market and all of

them kill fleas—the key is to use them as directed. Many

owners treat once then forget to follow up—it has to be a

continual treatment plan to be effective.

The original flea treatments were flea collars, but these

became old news and the spot-ons became the option of

choice—these are very effective but for correct use it

means applying the flea treatment either monthly or 6 to 8

-weekly depending on the brand you choose.

In recent years Seresto® collars have come onto the

market. The main attribute is that the activity lasts for 8

months. They are water resistant and offer a “fit and

forget” option.

Also available is NexGard Spectra® - an oral chew for dogs

that is given as a monthly “treat” which kills fleas and

roundworms.

Bravecto® comes as an oral chew treat for dogs and a spot

-on treatment for cats and gives 3 months flea protection.

Broadline® is a complete flea and worm treatment

(covering both round worms and tapeworms) for CATS.

Prevention really is better than the cure

Visit us today to see the full range of flea and tick

control products, available in store now at The Flea

Station. We offer the service of a text or phone call to

remind you that your pet needs it’s next treatment, but

remember to treat before there is a problem—

don’t wait until your pet is scratching

and damaging it’s skin—then you will need

a vet consult.

Purchase Frontline, Broadline

or NexGuard Spectra and

Scratch & Win for an instant

prize and go into the draw to

win a $10,000 travel prize!

Barbers Pole Worm

If you are going to own livestock it is essential you have

facilities available that allow for the easy and safe

handling of these stock. What is required will depend entirely

on what sort of animals you own or wish to own, and how easy

and safe they are to handle. If you only have a few pet sheep a

simple holding pen may be all that is needed but if you plan on

running a couple of cattle for the freezer, some sturdy yards with a

race may need to be accessible.

Nearly all animal health procedures from drenching through to

assisted calving’s require some sort of restraint. Without the

proper facilities simple tasks can quickly become dangerous for either the handler or vet, or for the animal; or in

many situations, for both.

If you don’t have your own yards the first place to look may be your next door neighbours. Many farmers are very

willing to allow lifestyle block owners access to their yards in times of need. If this isn’t an option, then you will

need to think about whether you want to build permanent facilities on your property or would prefer to be able to

move/remove them if necessary.

There are multiple companies that make practical, portable steel

yards. Ranging from simple sheep pens through to cattle yards

with head bails and loading ramps. These can be very useful,

especially if you aren’t sure whether you will always have live-

stock or whether you will be on the property for long.

If you wish to build your own then my main advice would be take

your time, plan it out and seek guidance (e.g. from your vet, local

farmer etc.) about the design. Think about where you want

them: what is the area like in winter? How easy is it to access by

vehicle? Will the animals easily muster into this area? And so on.

There is nothing worse than trying to wrangle stock in a mud pit during winter, or spending hours trying to

entice a small flock of ewes into yards inconveniently placed in the middle of a paddock.

There are a number of routine procedures that require more than just a race for restraint. A head bale is a very

useful addition when dealing with larger cattle. Simple procedures such as dehorning and administering boluses

(e.g. Faceguard® for facial eczema) go a lot smoother and quicker with the use of a head bale. Dehorning large

cattle without one, for example, often means full sedation, which increases the risk for the animal, the cost for you

and the time taken overall.

It is your obligation as an animal owner to ensure your animals welfare is being cared for. When it comes to live-

stock, ensuring welfare standards are met nearly always involves routine tasks such as drenching, shearing, provid-

ing facial eczema and fly prevention as needed and enabling veterinary attention when necessary. None of which

can easily be performed, if at all, in the middle of the paddock, therefore if you wish to own livestock it is actually

an obligation to have the use of adequate yards’/handling facilities available. Your animals and our vets here at

SRVS will thank you for it !

Stockyards Laminitis Laminitis is a serious and painful disease that affects ponies, horses and

donkeys. It is caused by inflammation and weakening of the tissue between the hoof wall and the bone in the

hoof, which in severe cases can result in the bone dropping or rotating within the foot.

Signs your equine friend could have laminitis (or another cause of pain in their feet/legs) include:

Walking stiffly/ taking small steps

Leaning backwards, particularly with the forelegs out in

front

Shifting weight from one foot to another

Spending a lot of time lying down

All four hooves warm to the touch

One of the most common causes of laminitis is nutritional disturbances eg. a history of the animal eating excess

grain or lush grass. It can also occur as a side effect of nasty bacterial infections, being treated with steroids for

other medical conditions or being worked hard on firm ground. Some ponies that have recurrent laminitic prob-

lems may have a disorder called Equine Metabolic Syndrome (another sign of this is that they often don’t lose

their winter coats!). This can be diagnosed by testing insulin levels with blood tests.

Laminitis is serious and affected animals should be exam-

ined by a vet. Treatment includes administering painkillers

and providing a diet of high fibre, low starch feed—

generally this involves removing the horse from pasture

and feeding dampened hay or appropriate hard feed. If you

think you have a horse with laminitis please give us a call to

get advice specific to your situation.

Hi I’m Marieke Waghorn and am proud to be the new Commercial Manager at

SRVS. My husband and I have recently moved to the area together with our 3

children. I am a qualified veterinary nurse and have been working within the

veterinary industry for 25 years, most recently teaching veterinary nursing students

at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and working in small animal practice.

I am looking forward to working with you, so please don’t hesitate to contact me at

the Bulls clinic.

Introducing our new Commercial Manager—Marieke Waghorn