HNVG farm vet Sam has been out saving the day this evening!
These two live lambs were both trying to come out from this Polled Dorset ewe with their heads back.
Thankfully Sam was there to help with a successful delivery
Just a reminder for those coming to any emergency appointments (or normal ones on Saturday!) over the Easter weekend.
Currently a section of the drive will be closed off, but our Hook Norton branch and hospital will still be accessible throughout the entire time, including the bank holidays when we are open for emergencies 24/7.
We ask you to kindly give way to traffic coming up from the road as there will be fewer passing places, and to not drive on the grass in front of the cottage, whose driveway we have kindly been allowed to use as a small diversion around the work being carried out.
Cars, trailers and small horse boxes will be able to continue to visit us, but larger horse lorries will not manage the turn, so if you need to seek alternative, smaller transport please be mindful of this.
Thank you for your co-operation, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Last week we ran three Practical Lambing courses, where Farm vets Bex, Tom Ashwell and Imogen.
Attendees spent the day with these pecilaist farm vets who took them through the ins and outs of tupping all the way through to after birth ensuring they and the ewes have a stress-free Lambing time when it comes to their turn!
For more information on the courses that we run, please visit - https://www.hooknortonvets.co.uk/departments/farm/farmskills-meetings-and-events/
Watery Mouth (E. coli) - Bovigen Scour
As a practice we have been trialling the use of Bovigen Scour, a cattle vaccine, in pre-lambing ewes to aid in the fight against Watery Mouth (E. coli). Each ewe is given 1ml of the vaccine subcutaneously 3 months to 3 weeks prior to lambing and the idea is that she will mount an immune response and provide antibodies to her lamb against E.coli, therefore lessening the cases of Watery Mouth.
The SPC laws surrounding the Bovigen Scour vaccine have now changed from having a 10 hour shelf life to a 10 day one, massively opening up the window of opportunity for the immunisation of pregnant cows and heifers to raise antibodies against the most common causes of calf scour.
If you would also like to discuss the merits of Bovigen Scour to prevent cases of watery mouth in your ewe’s then please contact one of our Farm vets at [email protected] for more information
We're caked to the hilt and The Big Farming Tea-break here in Large Animal Reception is well underway!
Practical Lambing Dates 2024
Practical Lambing Dates:
28th February 2024
29th February 2024
1st March 2024
We are delighted to be running our Practical Lambing courses again this year.
You will spend the day with one of our specialist Farm vets who will take you through the ins and outs of tupping all the way through to after birth ensuring you and ewes have a stress-free Lambing time!
Perfect for beginners and the more experienced looking to pick up some veterinary tips!
The day will run from 10am until 4pm. £75 pp, lunch included.
To book a place on any of our FarmSkills courses or meetings please contact our LA Reception Team. If there is a topic you would particularly like us to focus on, please speak to Charlotte Harrison.
T: 01608 730 085 E: [email protected]
Merry Christmas to all of our wonderful clients and farm animals!
@drlottiesa has been busy ram testing today. We check for a good swirl on the slide before checking the mobility under the microscope. Charlotte is also looking for the heads and tails of the sperm and will check for any abnormalities.
It's important to make sure your rams are in tip-top shape before going I with your ewes. Call us if you'd like advice or want to get your rams tested before tupping.
#HNVG #HNVGfarm #ramtesting #farmvet #tuppingtime
Flies will start to become a nuisance for both sheep and cattle, particularly if we get some rain following the recent warm weather. The general annoyance flies bring leads to poorer weight gain and general production loss as well as the perils of flystrike, new forest eye, and summer mastitis. Be sure to treat early to avoid such diseases. Our farm shop is well stocked with a large variety of products. Contact us for advice on the best course of action for your herd or flock.
#HNVG #HNVGfarm
The number of sheep flocks using vaccinating to prevent lamb losses through Toxoplasmosis has increased over the last few years. This costly disease affects more than 90% of flocks, and less than one in five ewe replacements are vaccinated.
September & October are the peak months for vaccination, and the vaccine producers are likely to reach maximum capacity in these months. To ensure you receive all of the vaccine requirements for your flock, we are encouraging farmers, where possible, to bring vaccination forward into June, July and August.
> Breeding female sheep should all be vaccinated between 4 months and 3 weeks before tupping.
> Ewe lambs must be aged over five months for their first vaccination before tupping.
Schedule this crucial task as early as possible.
#HNVG #HNVGfarm #forflocksakevaccinate
With the weather turning towards summer, Nematodirus should be at the front of our minds. Nematodirus can strike virtually overnight thanks to the parasite’s unique life cycle; development to infective immature larvae takes place in the egg and is prompted by an increase in temperature. Eggs can lie dormant in the pasture from last year’s lambs, aided by cold weather, and re-emerge to infect the new crop of lambs, which can lead to huge losses.
The disease is caused by immature larvae, making FWEC an ineffective way to monitor and manage potential outbreaks instead, you should refer to SCOPS forecast and your own on-farm risk assessment.
Things to consider:
>> Grass consumption, post-weaning lambs aged 6-12 weeks are likely to be consuming large quantities of grass and this is where larvae reside.
>> Risk of coccidiosis, for example, mixed age groups and naïve lambs 3 weeks- 4 months old are at higher risk of exposure to cocci.
>> Cold weather, followed by warm weather is the ideal environment for Nematodirus.
>> The stress of lambs; stress = lower immunity, which means they are more likely to succumb to diseases.
If you answer yes to any of the above, you should implement a prevention strategy. You can do this by either moving at-risk lambs to clean pastures (those not grazed by lambs last year) or, where this is not possible, a white drench can be used followed by a FWEC 10 days later to ensure the immature larvae have not been able to mature to adulthood when they are capable of laying eggs.
Follow the link to the SCOPS forecast to see the risk in your area, and contact the farm vets if you are unsure and would like advice specific to your flock.
https://www.scops.org.uk/forecasts/nematodirus-forecast/
#HNVG #HNVGfarm
Bank Holiday Times
With the Easter Bank Holiday just around the corner, we thought we'd share with you the upcoming Bank Holiday dates and times that the surgery will be open. Don't forget to get any orders in and collected before Friday; there is still time!
All branch calls will be forwarded to Hook Norton Hospital.
April
Good Friday, April 7th: Emergencies Only
Easter Monday, April 10th: Emergencies Only
May
May 1st: 8 am - 12.30 pm
The King's Coronation, May 8th: 8 am - 12.30 pm
May 29th: 8 am - 12.30 pm
If you need a vet outside of these times, our Vets are on-duty for emergencies, don't worry; we will be here if you need us.
#HNVG #HNVGfarm #Hooknortonvets
With 1 week to go, there is still time to book your space on our Practical Calving course with Farm Vet Chris Gasson.
This course is ideal for those new to calving or those who want to improve their calving skills. We'll have our calving simulator, so you can practice and build up your knowledge and skills of how to calve a cow. We will also cover cow and calf diseases around calving time and newborn calf management, including colostrum, stomach tubing and electrolyte usage.
Contact us for more information or to book your place.
T: 01608730085
E: [email protected]
#HNVG #HNVGfarm #farmskills #SpringCalving #Calving2023
We still have some spaces left for our Practical Lambing course this Thursday!
Where: at our Hook Norton Surgery and on-farm
Time: 10 - 4
Price: £75+VAT pp
You'll learn about lambing, common problems, and how to treat appropriately. You will learn about nutritional management, preparation for your flock (and yourself!), when to intervene and call a vet, common diseases and preventative strategies to implement on your farm, and much more!
Call us for more information or to book your place.
T: 01608 730085
#HNVG #HNVGfarm #Lambing #Lambing2023 #Preparation
Our lambing list is up-to-date with all the veterinary supplies you should need for the forthcoming lambing period. Follow the link to view the list online.
https://www.hooknortonvets.co.uk/lambing/
Give our team at least 24 hours notice for big orders; this will ensure we can get everything together and authorised for you to come and collect from Hook Norton, one of the branch surgeries or our collection points.
Should you need it, our vets are here for any advice; we are only a phone call away.
#HNVG #HNVGfarm #Lambing #Lambing2023 #LambingPrep
Due to the recent news that the oral watery mouth antibiotic will have very limited availability this lambing season, we've highlighted other ways to mitigate the disease; so far, we have covered hygiene. So now, let's look at vaccination.
Watery mouth is caused by infection of the gut by E. coli, which releases toxins and causes septicaemia. Therefore, if we can reduce the incidence of E. coli, we can reduce the number of lambs with diarrhoea and mortality caused by enterotoxic E. coli strains in lambs.
Vaccinating the pregnant ewe 6-2 weeks before lambing will help pass on immunity to the unborn lamb. Optimal results require vaccinating the whole flock, combined with good hygiene measures and the lamb ingesting sufficient colostrum within 24-hours of birth; vaccination alone will not prevent watery mouth.
> The dose rate is 1ml S/C per ewe, 6-2 weeks before lambing.
> Zero days withdrawal.
> The vaccine is available in 50ml bottles and must be kept in the fridge.
Orders will be made on a farm-by-farm basis, as the vaccine is vet prescribed, only available via Special License, and has limited availability. We do not have stock readily available at the surgery; please speak to one of our Farm Vets for more information.
T: 01608 730085.
#HNVG #HNVGfarm #HookyVets #HookNortonVets #FarmVet #Sheep #Lambing #Lambing2022 #XLVets
The antibiotic given to lambs in the first 24 hours of life to prevent watery mouth disease/rattle belly will have very limited supply in the UK this lambing season. The disease is caused by infection of the gut by E.Coli, which releases toxins and causes septicaemia.
As it is no longer available, we must look elsewhere at what can be done to prevent losses.
#HNVG #HNVGfarm #lambing2022 #lambing #waterymouth #prevention
May the spirit of Christmas bring you and your families hope, love and happiness!
We are here if you need us. We hope you don't and that all your animals are happy and healthy. But rest assured our vets are on-call if you do.
Merry Christmas from us all at Hook Norton Vets.
#HNVG #HNVGpets #HNVGfarm #HNVGequine #MerryChristmas #Oncall #Vet247
