Impact Veterinary Services

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Impact Veterinary Services

Impact Veterinary Services is run by Dr Joanne Connolly, who is a mobile Cattle Veterinarian providi

20/06/2025

Thank God it’s Friday!
Floss is absolutely spent after a busy two weeks on the road 🐶💤

We’ve been flat out preg testing and the calendar is filling up fast!

If you’ve got dates in mind for upcoming work, get in touch sooner rather than later to lock in the time that suits you best.

Wishing everyone a restful weekend! 🐾💛

12/06/2025

Boost Your Herd’s Fertility Rate — Here’s How! 🐂💪

Increasing fertility is one of the most powerful ways to grow kilograms of beef in your operation. More calves born = more beef to sell. So, how do you get there?

Here are some key strategies to improve fertility in your herd:

🔹 Regular Veterinary Bull Breeding Soundness Exams (VBBSE) ✅
Make sure your bulls are fit, fertile, and ready to perform before joining the herd.

🔹 Manage Nutrition Carefully 🥩🌾
Body condition score (BCS) matters — too fat or too thin can reduce conception rates. Good pasture and targeted supplementation make a difference.

🔹 Vaccinate for Reproductive Diseases 💉
Protect your herd from diseases that impact fertility, like Vibrio, BVDV or Leptospirosis.

🔹 Minimise Stress 😌
Reduce heat stress, handle cattle calmly, and avoid overcrowding during breeding.

🔹 Pregnancy Testing & Monitoring 🔍
Identify non-pregnant cows early and manage them accordingly to improve your next cycle.

🔹 Use Genetics Wisely 🧬
Select bulls and cows with proven fertility traits to strengthen your herd over time.

Fertility isn’t just about more calves — it’s about healthy calves born at the right time, ready to grow fast and make you money.

👉 Need help getting your fertility on track? Reach out — we’re here to support your herd’s health and your business goals.

09/06/2025

What drives kilograms of beef in your business? 🐂⚖️
If you're looking to grow more beef and get paid more per hectare, here are the three key levers that matter most:

1️⃣ Increase Fertility Rate 💥🐮
More pregnancies = more calves hitting the ground.
Every extra % in conception adds kilos to your future turn-off.

2️⃣ Decrease Mortality Rate ❌💀
You’ve already done the hard work getting them born — now keep them alive and thriving.
Calf losses and breeder losses are kilos lost before you even start.

3️⃣ Increase Turn-Off Weight 📦📈
Get more weight on each animal by the time they leave your property.
Heavier animals, turned off on time = more dollars in your pocket.

📊 These three drivers work together to maximise kilograms of beef sold per hectare, per year — and that’s where profit lives.

👉 Stay tuned as we break each one down in the coming weeks with practical tips you can apply in your own operation.

04/06/2025

How do you measure success in your beef business? 🤔🐂
Is it the number of head you turn off? 📋
Your branding percentage? 🔢
Weaning percentage? 🐮

These are the figures we’ve always looked at — but here’s the thing:

💡 You get paid in 💰 dollars per kilogram, not per head or per percent.

So… are the numbers you’re tracking the ones that actually drive profit? 📉📈

There’s power in shifting the lens from how many to how much. ⚖️

👀 What could your business look like if you focused on kilograms of beef turned off per hectare, per year? 📦➡️💵

👉 Jump on board as we roll out a series of posts exploring the biggest drivers of kg of beef turned off — and how to influence them in your operation. 🔍🚀

01/06/2025

🌿💥 CASE STUDY: Lantana Poisoning in One of Our Own
Not all vet visits are out on the road — sometimes the patient is right at home.

Earlier this year, one of our own steers ate some lantana, and within 48 hours he was showing classic signs of lantana poisoning:
⚠️ Off feed
⚠️ Sun-sensitive skin (especially around the nose and ears)
⚠️ Lethargy
⚠️ Jaundice developing

Lantana is a highly toxic plant, and it doesn’t take much to cause liver damage in cattle. Once ingested, it interferes with bile flow, causing toxins to build up — and the sun sensitivity is just the visible tip of the iceberg.

🩺 Treatment was immediate and included:
✅ Anti-inflammatories
✅ Shaded rest area and supportive care

⏳ It’s a slow road to recovery — liver damage takes time to heal — but we're happy to report this steer is on the mend, back eating, and looking brighter by the day.

🚫 A good reminder: even small amounts of lantana can be deadly, especially in young or curious stock. Check fence lines and problem areas regularly, especially after storms or slashing.

If you're ever unsure about plant safety or see these signs in your cattle, get in touch early — timing makes a huge difference.

28/05/2025

💸🐄 The Real Cost of Giving a Second Chance
It’s a tough call — do you give a first-calf heifer another chance if she’s come up empty? 🤔

Let’s break it down.

👉 Running an empty cow for a year still costs you the same in:
🔹 Grass
🔹 Animal health
🔹 Time
🔹 Space
…But she gives you nothing back.

Compare that to a pregnant cow, who will:
✅ Give you a calf
✅ Add kg of beef to your bottom line
✅ Help pay her way (and then some)

📊 Estimated cost of keeping an empty cow for 12 months:
~$800–$1,200 (depending on feed, region, etc.)
💥 That’s a lot to spend on thin air.

And while we all want to give those first-calf heifers every chance to succeed — the numbers don’t lie. If she’s dry and late... she might be costing you more than she’s worth.

💡 Foetal aging helps you make these calls early — before you carry passengers through another year.

Need help assessing your herd? We’re just a phone call away.

25/05/2025

🔬🐄 How Do We Actually Foetal Age Cattle?
Ever wondered how we can tell just how far along your cows are?

We use a BCF curved linear ultrasound — a powerful tool that gives us a clear window into early pregnancy. With this tech, we can accurately estimate the age of the foetus by measuring two key things:

📏 Head Diameter
📏 Trunk Diameter (chest/abdomen)

These measurements are compared against gestation charts to give us a precise age — often to within 3–5 days accuracy when done between 35 and 90 days gestation. That’s some serious planning power!

✅ Helps identify late calvers
✅ Lets you group cows by calving date
✅ Informs culling, feeding, and management decisions
✅ Maximizes kg of beef on the ground

The earlier we scan, the more accurate we can be — so if you’re looking to tighten up your calving pattern or increase herd efficiency, now’s the time to book in.

📆 Contact us to schedule your foetal aging session today!

22/05/2025

🐄 Why Earlier Calving = More Kilograms of Beef 🐄
Following on from our last post about foetal aging...

Did you know that every extra day a calf spends on the ground means more weight at weaning time?

🔍 By using foetal aging to identify cows that are set to calve early in the season, you’re not just planning — you’re maximizing productivity.

Here’s why it matters:
✅ Calves born early have more days to grow before weaning
✅ More growing days = heavier weaning weights
✅ Heavier calves = more $$$ at sale time

👉 For example, a 30-day difference in calving can easily mean 25–30kg more live weight per calf — across the whole herd, that adds up fast.

Foetal aging helps you tighten up your calving pattern, identify late calvers, and make smart decisions that increase efficiency and profitability.

📞 Chat to us if you'd like to get your herd scanned — now's the perfect time to plan ahead!

18/05/2025

This cooler weather has got us grabbing our jumpers this morning! Happy Monday ❄️🥶

09/05/2025

🐂📅 Want One Calf Per Cow Per Year? Here’s How Foetal Aging Helps Make It Happen! 📅🐂

In northern herds, we know how crucial it is to keep your breeders on track to deliver one calf per year. But did you know that foetal aging can be one of your most powerful tools to achieve that?

By estimating the age of the fetus during preg testing, we can pinpoint when she conceived—and whether she’s calving early enough to cycle again in time for next year’s mating.

🔍 Why this matters:
• A cow has ~12 months to go from calving to calving.
• After calving, she goes through an anoestrus period (often 6+ weeks in extensive systems).
• This leaves her just 2–3 cycles (heats) to get back in calf if she’s going to stay on schedule.
• If she’s running late, we know she’s at risk of slipping out of the breeder herd unless we intervene.

✅ With foetal aging, you can:
• Identify late calvers and make early management decisions.
• Tailor nutrition and bull exposure to maximise reconception.
• Lift whole-herd fertility over time.

📊 Check out the diagram below to see how this timeline works and why every cycle counts!

🩺 Talk to us about foetal aging at preg testing this season—it’s a simple step that can make a big difference to your bottom line. 💰

30/04/2025

🎥 Client Q&A Spotlight! 🐄
A huge thank you to our incredible clients for joining us in this special Q&A video! 💬❤️ From day-to-day herd health to specialized cattle care, we’re proud to support local producers with expert veterinary services that make a real impact.

👀 Tune in to hear real experiences, practical advice, and how we're helping keep herds healthy and thriving.

👇 Got a question we didn’t answer? Drop it in the comments—we’d love to chat with you!

26/04/2025

We’ve had a few calls and questions lately about Willis Spaying — here’s the lowdown.

Willis Spaying, also known as dropped o***y spaying, is a surgical procedure used to permanently prevent pregnancy, most commonly done in heifers. It’s a proven technique that’s quick, effective, and well-suited to northern systems where bull control can be challenging or mustering isn’t always guaranteed.

Why consider spaying?
- Stops unwanted pregnancies
- Reduces the risk of mustering late-pregnant or calving heifers
- Great option for managing cull or backgrounding mobs
- Improves turn-off timing and weight gain

We’ve been performing Willis Spaying for years. If you’re considering it for your operation, we’re happy to have a yarn about mob selection, timing, and logistics.

📞 0458 449 759
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http://www.impactvet.com.au/

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