Impact Veterinary Services (2025)

02/10/2025

🐂 Did you know?

Three-day sickness (Bovine Ephemeral Fever) doesn’t just knock your bulls around for a few days – it can have lasting effects on fertility.

➡️ High fevers and joint pain during infection can damage s***m quality.
➡️ Even if your bull looks recovered, semen motility and morphology can remain reduced for up to 9 weeks – or permanently if the case was severe enough.
➡️ Sometimes you won’t even notice he’s had it – but his fertility could still be compromised.

💡 That’s why an annual Veterinary Bull Breeding Soundness Exam (VBBSE) is so important. It’s the only way to be sure each bull is fertile and ready to work – protecting your joining program and your herd’s productivity.

At Impact Vet, we recommend annual testing to catch hidden issues early and keep your bulls performing at their peak.

29/09/2025

🎓 JCU Rural Practitioners Day – August 2025

Back in August we had the privilege of running a station at the JCU Rural Practitioners Day, focusing on artificial insemination in cattle.

The event gave veterinary students the chance to rotate through a variety of stations, developing practical skills and gaining insights into the realities of rural practice.

It’s always exciting to see the next generation of vets coming through — their enthusiasm and curiosity are inspiring. We love teaching, sharing knowledge, and helping build confidence in cattle reproduction techniques.

A big thank you to JCU for organising such a valuable event, and to the students for their energy and engagement at our station.

27/09/2025

✨ We said we had an exciting announcement… but it’s even better than you thought.

We’re thrilled to share that Sam is joining the Impact Vet team more regularly this season!

Many of you already know Sam, as she has often been brought in to help with the big jobs. She’s an avid Wagyu breeder and just as passionate about her Border Collies as she is about cattle. On top of that, she brings a strong academic background with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a PhD focused on metabolomics in Wagyu cattle.

With her blend of practical breeding experience and specialised research, Sam will be working alongside us on pregnancy testing and artificial insemination, giving us greater capacity to support more clients through the busy season.

Please join us in welcoming Sam — you’ll be seeing more of her out in the paddock with the Impact Vet team.

24/09/2025

Guess who’s back…

After a busy few months in the paddock, we’re back on your feed.

Pregnancy testing season may be winding down, but bull testing is now in full swing, and before long we’ll be turning our focus to AI season.

We’re also loving seeing last year’s AI and embryo calves starting to hit the ground 🐮 — a great reminder of the value of planning ahead.

Stay tuned — we’ve got an exciting announcement coming soon about our 2025 AI services.

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!

Impact Veterinary Services

02/10/2025

29/09/2025

27/09/2025

24/09/2025

20/06/2025

12/06/2025

09/06/2025

04/06/2025

01/06/2025

28/05/2025

25/05/2025

22/05/2025

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