Drumlin Veterinary Limited

13/09/2024

It’s been a pleasure to have sponsored the Charolais classes at the summer show 🐮

01/03/2024

Farm vets - make sure your clients know about this impending change to ear tags so that they aren't sitting with a couple of hundred unusable tags at the end of the year. https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/news/changes-livestock-identification-tag-codes

10/10/2023

Pneumonia Season is upon us ! 🦠 🐮

We have seen a lot of Pneumonia outbreaks recently

Adequate ventilation of sheds is very important. A few tips include
- fresh air above calves without having a draft at calf level
- need air inlet and outlet (outlet
should be twice the inlet )
- simple changes to sheds can make a big difference - eg Yorkshire boarding
- don’t have excess moisture in shed and make sure calves have a dry bed

Lungworm

Calves should be dosed for lungworm. If there is a lot of coughing contact one of our vets - you may need to use a slower acting product

Vaccination

Different options are available depending on
the length of cover
Route of administration
Pathogens involved

Ideally calves should be vaccinated prior to housing before the risk period

Contact us if you have any queries

02/10/2023

03/03/2023

🐮Now is the time to take steps to reduce the number of scouring cases on farms🐮

Main causes of scour;
🐄Cryptosporidium
🐄 Rotovirus
🐄 Coronavirus
🐄 E.Coli

If you’re unsure what is causing scour cases we can test dung samples in the practice with instant results.
Fencovis® protects against Rotavirus, Coronavirus & E.Coli if cow is vaccinated 3 weeks - 3 months before calving and calf sucks 3-4L of colostrum🥛.

18/01/2023

🐮Check out our January Newsletter 🐮

15/01/2023

With another years lambing season fast approaching we want to encourage you to get prepared for this hectic period! It is important to be prepared for a successful lambing.

🐑 Heptavac P - it is important that the ewes get their booster 4-6 weeks before lambing. This will give the lamb protection for up to 12 weeks.
🐑 Ewes should be in the correct body condition score at housing (not too fat, not too thin). They should be watched closely for signs of twin lamb disease (drowsyness, off form/off food) and need prompt treatment Ketosaid and Calciject.
🐏Newly born lambs NEED colostrum (ideally from
their mother) as soon as possible after birth. A big lamb will obviously need a bigger volume than a smaller lamb. This will help give them the antibodies to fight infections down the line. Spectrum is off the market but if the lamb received enough colostrum then there shouldn’t be a need for antibiotic at this early stage.
🐑cleanliness of your lambing pens is key. Clean pens and fresh bedding keeping your lambs on a dry bed- less chance of infection often via their naval (watery mouth, ecoli) less need for antibiotic, healthier lambs and making the long hours worthwhile.
🐏if you had orf in your flock last year consider scratching the lambs with Scabivax at turnout.

Full bellies, dry bedding = happy lambs, happy farmers, successful lambing! 😁

We know it’s not always this simple and we are here to help when you’re in need! Below are some of the supplies you might need to make your lambing a little easier!

15/12/2022

🐄 An interesting case we seen recently 🐄
- High production dairy cow presented dull and off her feed a few days after calving
- we suspected cow had hardwire disease ( wire in rumen )
- cow had a hard ball of plastic that had accumulated over a long period and had penetrated the rumen causing a peritonitis and the ball had lodged in the cows reticulum
- the plastic was a mixture of bale net and plastic used to protect young plants 🌱 that made its way into a bale
- we removed the plastic and put the cow on a course of antibiotic and pain relief and amazingly the cow is doing well 👏🏻

15/12/2022

We are on the look out for farm animal vets to come join your busy, growing practice 🐄 🐮 New grads or experienced vets all welcome. Please contact Kevin 07545206443

Please spread the word 😄

05/06/2022

Thumbs up if you’d like more live videos fresh off the farm 👍🏻

07/12/2021

Have you recurring outbreaks of pneumonia year after year? 🤒
Simple changes to your shed ventilation could benefit the airflow and help avoid unnecessary sickness and use of medecine. 💨

CAFRE beef and sheep adviser, Gareth Beacom, explains why he believes ventilation is the key to healthy animals and profits.

25/11/2021

We suspect this cow has LIVER FLUKE. 👎🏻
Clinical signs of fluke include pale mucous membranes, soft swelling under the jaw (bottled jaw), loss of condition, diarrhoea, reduction in fertility.

It is important to dose for fluke when cattle have been housed for 8 weeks. Fluke is very common in Fermanagh due to high levels of rainfall and wet conditions . 🌧

As fluke doses differ in their spectrum of activity it is important you use the correct product .
Nitroxynil ( Trodax / fascionix) gets a good kill on fluke at 8 weeks we recommend this in suckler cows therefore it is important cows are dosed when housed 8 weeks.

29/09/2021

We are accepting Spend Local Cards at Drumlin Veterinary 😊
Be sure and apply by the 25th of October to avail of this. All cards will expire by 30th November. Apply via www.nidirect.gov.uk/spend-local

13/09/2021

Reminder to get your calves vaccinated against pneumonia BEFORE the stress period ie. housing, weaning, castrating etc. Keep your stock healthy ✅

31/08/2021

💥🪱Lung worm Alert🐛💥

Lung worm outbreaks are unpredictable but usually occur this time of year in wetter conditions amongst grazing young stock. Suspect lung worm if you notice a moderate to severe “hoose” cough, an increased respiratory rate and reduced weight gains. If you are having cases of pneumonia you need to consider a possible lung worm infection.

Prevention / Treatment
From now on cattle need to be dosed this time of year to prevent infection. If they are showing signs of lung worm already then it’s best to use a milder wormer e.g Quadrosol (Levamisole ). Talk to the vets to discuss recommended doses.

We have had several outbreaks recently including this bullock which we PM’d.

25/08/2021

Good work from our new vet Shane 👍🏻👍🏻🐮

03/07/2021

🐮 Today we are vaccinating cows against BVD to cover them before the breeding season starts for another year.
💉 This 2ml intra muscular injection protects the cow and her unborn calf from picking up BVD virus meaning you will not have any PI calf’s the following year.

Consider other vaccinations and treatments at this time including IBR, lepto, spot on...

Keep your herd healthy! 😄

10/06/2021

🐛Now is the time of year to be thinking about worming lambs 🐛

🪱Worm eggs build up on pasture as the grazing season continues.
🪱Anthelminthic resistance (resistance to wormers) is becoming more common due to the over usage of wormers. We recommend bringing in faecal samples for analysis for FEC (faecal egg count). This will help determine the best product to use and when. Ideally 6 fresh dung samples should be taken.

✖️Nematodirus ✖️

With the recent rise in temperature there is a greater risk of Nematodirus. This is a particularly nasty disease that can cause a high level of mortality or stunt growth amongst lambs. Treatment with a white wormer at the right time can prevent this.
You can keep an eye on the risk in your area here : https://www.scops.org.uk/forecasts/nematodirus-forecast/

Cobalt is also important for growing lambs. This can be supplemented in an a drench or a Bolus form.

31/03/2021

Today one of our vets was out castrating some bulls getting them ready for turn out 🐮🌱🌿
If the animal is over 400kg we prefer surgical castration over the use of squeezing (burdizzo) as the animal recovers faster. We used local anaesthetic and antibiotic cover.
It’s also important that cattle are covered with Bravoxin 10 prior to castration to avoid tetanus.

29/03/2021

We are on the look out for farm animal vets to come join your busy, growing practice 🐄 🐮 new grads or experienced vets all welcome. Please contact Kevin 07545206443

Please spread the word 😄

13/03/2021

🐮Clostridial diseases are caused by bacteria that is widespread in the environment, particularly soil and can often be fatal in cattle. 🐮

Common clostridial diseases:
❌Black leg
❌Blacks Disease
❌Pulpy kidney
❌Botulism
❌Braxy
❌Struck
❌Tetanus

▪️ BLACK LEG ▪️

CAUSED BY...
Like all clostridial bacteria this spore survives in the environment in the soil often for many years. They are ingested from pasture by the animal, enter the bloodstream and lodge in the muscle. They can remain dormant without causing ill-effect. In cattle, the disease is thought to be caused by excessive bruising or excessive exercise. This causes the spores to germinate, multiply and cause the disease.

SYMPTOMS...
Lameness, fever, hot painful swelling on a limb, loss of appetite. In most cases the animal is dead before symptoms are even noticed.

PREVENTION...
🔸Calves as young as 4 weeks can be vaccinated
🔹All cattle should receive their initial protection in the form of two doses 4-6 weeks apart and booster annually thereafter 💉
🔸Annual booster should be carried out about a month before calving/lambing so that passive immunity is provided from dam to offspring
🔹It is recommended to inject under the skin into loose skin around the neck area
🔸Most cattle develop reactions in the form of localized swelling which will usually resolve after a few days
🔹As most cattle are still housed, it is a good idea to vaccinate now and prepare your animals for going to pasture later this spring 🌾🌿🌱

22/02/2021

🔸🟨Copper toxicity 🟨🔸

Often sheep with this illness can appear dull, wandering aimlessly with rapid breathing. Initially the farmer treated this ewe for pneumonia but when our vet examined her she was jaundice (eyes and gums turning yellow) and her urine was a dark red colour. It turns out this ewe was feeding on cow nuts which contains copper. Sheep cannot process copper and this results in liver damage which is most likely to be fatal unfortunately. 👎🏻Be careful to ensure that animals are fed the appropriate concentrate.

13/02/2021

Pedigree texel Caesarian! Lamb too big to pull so we took the safest exit route 😃🐑great set up at one of our clients farms that makes life easier for farmer and vet. We prefer to do our ewe sections standing up just like a cow! 🐄 Rodney Harron

06/02/2021

⭐️ Lambing 2021 is just around the corner for many farmers. Be sure and be prepared to ensure a successful lambing season with a good hit of healthy lambs. ⭐️

🐑4 weeks before lambing it is important to vaccinate with Heptavac P to boost the ewes immune system. This will offer protection for the lambs against clostridial disease for up to 4 months. Ie. Pulpy kidney.

💉Twin lamb is a common disease often effecting ewes who are housed pre lambing and have a change in diet. To avoid this have your ewes in the correct condition score and introduce feeding pre housing. However, be prepared and have ketosaid and calcium ready to start treatment when noticing signs of this illness ie. off food, dull.🥴

🦠 After delivery it is vital that all lambs receive colostrum to develop antibodies to set them up for a healthy life. If mum is low in colostrum then replace with powder substitution. Be sure your pens are as clean as possible to avoid joint ill. Help protect the lamb from having any bugs enter this system by spraying their naval with iodine spray. 💪🏻

Did you have bother with orf in your lambs last year⁉️Consider vaccinating your lambs using scabivax.

Speak to our vets for any advice and GOODLUCK! ☘️😁