Belmont Farm & Equine Vets

26/08/2024

🎈Ledbury Open Afternoon
📆Thursday 5th September 2024
⏰2-5pm

24/08/2024

On Wednesday 18th September directors Matt and Andrew alongside, previous director Bill and local farmer Merv Thomas take part in a charity bike ride ‘Over the Hills’ cycling from Hereford to Aberystwth. 🚲🚵

All proceeds go to We Are Farming Minds a local mental health charity raising awareness and supporting the Herefordshire agricultural community.

If you wish to donate please follow the link -

Help Bill Main raise money to support We Are Farming Minds

23/08/2024

🐑EAE Abortion Vaccine Shortage🐑

As many of you will be aware, there has been a national supply issue with CEVAC Chlamydia vaccine. There was some hope of supply in autumn but it is now confirmed that there will be no availability of this vaccine for 2024.

We understand the challenges this may pose and encourage you to explore alternative measures to ensure the health and safety of your flocks.

An inactivated vaccine is available. We are working to provide this and when we have secured stock, we will let you know. This vaccine is safe to give to pregnant animals if and when it is available. This requires 2 doses, the first given at least 5 weeks before mating and the second 3 weeks after the first. A booster is then required within a year.

For flocks that have previously regularly vaccinated against EAE, there will this year be a small cohort of unvaccinated replacement ewes but the risk to them is low if the remainder of the flock is protected. They should be marked and vaccinated next year when they are not pregnant.

Flocks that are at high risk include those with a recent or current EAE abortion outbreak or where EAE-shedding ewes have been introduced to an unvaccinated flock.

We are not recommending routine prophylactic treatment with Oxytetracycline but there may be situations where treatment with this is required. Please contact the surgery to discuss your individual situation.

The Sheep Veterinary Society has issued guidelines which you can read here; https://buff.ly/3SHBFjM

23/08/2024

NOTICE‼️
Sadly we are experiencing technical issues again.
Our phone lines are intermittent due to internet connection problems.☎️
Apologies for any inconvenience.

21/08/2024

The move is complete✅

As of today all trade via our Ledbury Office will be at our new site Old Wharf, HR8 2HS.
Please drop in and say hello if your passing, dates for open afternoons will follow.

Thank you to Hansnett Farm Flowers for the lovely bouquets💐
hansnettfarmflowers

19/08/2024

❗️Reminder❗️
Tomorrow our Ledbury Office will be closed as they move to their new premises.
Our Hereford and Bromyard offices will operate as normal, apologies for any inconvenience.
We look forward to welcoming you all to our new office.🙂

17/08/2024

Are you visiting Longtown today?📍

Come say hello and visit our stand.
what 3 words ///disposing.shining.little👋🏼

Plenty of refreshments and snacks with us🥤🍬

We wish the very best of luck to our clients competing in the sheep or equine rings🥇

15/08/2024

Tuesday evening saw the start of our new Belmont Farm & Equine netball team.
A great time was had by all and even though a lot dusted off their trainers, lots of goals were scored and we had quite a few rather competitive matches!👟
I'm very pleased to report everyone walked away injury free!😀🤕
Any ideas to name our new team would be gratefully appreciated as we're not quite sold on "Belmont Bulls"yet!?....💭

14/08/2024

⭐Star patient⭐

🐴Meet Clyde!🐴

Clyde has recieved treatment over the past year for a condition called Chronic Progressive Lymphoedema (CPL). He initially had deep infected skin folds at the back of his lower legs which required clipping, regular bathing, and targeted antibiotics. Feather mites were diagnosed on a skin scrape and so he also received a topical treatment to eradicate these unwelcome guests.
Clyde’s owner has been doing a sterling job of continuing to manage this condition very strictly and we are so pleased with the improvement, it’s been a long road!

CPL is a common condition in cobs and draft breeds, especially those with heavy feather. It is characterized by swollen lower limbs (oedema), hyperkeratosis (scaly, crusty skin) and deep skin folds at the back of the limb of varying severity, often hiding under the feathers. Feather mites can act as a trigger or exacerbate disease.

12/08/2024

Update 3.54pm. We are now back operating as normal. Thank you for bearing with us.

NOTICE‼️
Sadly we are experiencing technical issues again.
Our phone lines are currently down☎️and will be diverted very shortly.
Apologies for any inconvenience.

12/08/2024

Our Ledbury office is on the move shortly📍

Changes to service will be as follows-
Limited service Monday 19th August
Closed Tuesday 20th August
Opening Wednesday 21st August

We look forward to welcoming you all to our new office🙂

10/08/2024

Calling all TB testing clients🐮

We would be very grateful if you could complete the following survey around TB testing. This relates to the APHA, Farmcare and our practice.

Learn how SurveyMonkey helps you create free online surveys and forms with ease, so you can get powerful insights that drive growth in your organization.

07/08/2024

At the beginning of July we welcomed Louise to the practice and our vet team.

She has hit the ground running and during her first weekend on call attended her first calving/c-section. What a whopping calf!!🐮

Luckily Matt was on hand to capture the moment of a bright calf and very happy Louise 📸

Welcome to BFE!

05/08/2024

✨Success Story✨

Late last year one of our vets Lisa went out to calve a cow, the calf was successfully delivered but sadly the cow was unwell and passed away. Without mum this little calf was cared for and hand reared by 10 year old Skye who is the cousin of Chloe who works in our Bromyard office.

The partnership between Skye and Bella began.💕

On Saturday they attended Tenbury Show together, competing in the young handlers class coming first and paraded around the main area happily together.🐮
This lovely story wouldn’t of been possible without Lisa’s help delivering her until the world.

Well done Syke and Bella🥇🏆

03/08/2024

Are you visiting Tenbury Show today?📍

Come say hello and visit our stand number 6️⃣6️⃣ what 3 words ///airliners.roofed.thus👋🏼

Plenty of hot or cold refreshments and snacks with us☕️🥤🍬

We wish the very best of luck to our clients competing in the livestock or equine rings 🏆🥇

02/08/2024

Yesterday Hazel had a lovely day competing at Burwarton Show with her heifer Top Totty.🐮
She did brilliant to come 4th in her class competing against others nearly 12 months older than her.
A great show and fantastic response from the general public clapping for the exhibitors parading their stock.
Well done Hazel and Top Totty🎖

31/07/2024

Yesterday we attended the NSA Sheep Event at Malvern📍🐑

It was great to see so many familiar faces visit our stand for a sit down, drink and lots of discussion around sheep farming
Luckily we were located inside one of the sheds 🌞

National Sheep Association


Next stop Tenbury Show this Saturday📍

30/07/2024

🦷 It’s dental day for Mike and Dom! 🦷

6 horses down, 10 more to go before the heatwave hits! 😎🔥

If you have a number of horses or are on a yard don’t forget the visit is free with 5 or more dentals 🐴

29/07/2024

☀️Happy Monday☀️

And it is a particularly happy Monday at all three offices, we have put on an in house Great BFE Bake Off. 🇬🇧🍰🧁

Today is the first round, lots of staff have taken part and enjoyed sampling throughout the day.

We did have a few rules to follow along the way.
- Must be your own work
- Must contain a baked element
- Can be either sweet or savoury

The following individual from each office through to our grand final in August are …..
🎖Caroline – Hereford
🎖Sybil- Bromyard
🎖Hattie- Ledbury

Keep a look out on this page for final results. 🏆

26/07/2024

⚠️FARM SAFETY WEEK⚠️

Following on from our post Monday when working with livestock handling set ups are vital for your safety and the vets when on farm.
Well thought-out handling reduces stress on animals and cuts the risk of injuries.

🐮Cattle handling top tips🐮
Work on the edge of the flight zone
Curved race- more efficient than a straight race
Non – slip flooring- cattle tend to panic when on slippery surfaces
Solid sides- prevent distractions
Avoid unnecessary distractions- such as shadows, moving or flapping objects

🐑Sheep handing tops tips🐑
Reduce stress- minimise time handling
Carcase damage- due to the way sheep are handled
Improve efficiency- good handling systems can speed flock movement and reduce handling time
Worker health- Handling often involves bending and lifting poor handling facilities and bad techniques increase the risk of long term injuries

Subsidy and grant schemes have been available and hopefully will be going forwards for farming equipment and technology.💰

24/07/2024

🐴💉 BFE Equine Care Plan 💉🐴

Would you like to spread the cost of your horses routine preventative healthcare?

If so then our Equine Care Plan is for you! ✅

All for £16 per month via direct debit, saving over 20% versus non members.

Head to our website now to sign up - https://bfevets.co.uk/equine

23/07/2024

Chuck out these eggcelent results! 🏅

Yesterday Sarah Jane from our Ledbury office competed within the poultry section at the Royal Welsh Show.
This is the first time in a few years chickens have been back at the show due to COVID and Avian Influenza following strict biosecurity measures.
She came away with 2 first prize cards for her rare breed Cochin (large hard feather) and white silkie, a second for her coloured Silkie and third for her Bantam egg.🐓🥚🍳

Well done Sarah Jane🥳

22/07/2024

⚠️FARM SAFETY WEEK⚠️

At the beginning of farm safety week, we thought we would share a recent incident that happened to one of our vets, Will.
Whilst examining a well restrained steer in a good crush, the animal suddenly jumped up and caught Will in the face. Luckily, Will only suffered a cut eyebrow which required stitches, a bruised ego, and a very important message. You (farmers and vets) are not bigger or stronger than these animals and must respect and appreciate the situation you are putting yourselves into.
Please be vigilant whilst handling animals, especially when stressed or frightened.

Farm Safety Foundation - Yellow Wellies

18/07/2024

Update 1.50pm. We are now back operating as normal. Thank you for bearing with us.

NOTICE‼️
Our phone lines are currently down☎️
We are working on resolving ASAP, if your call is of an urgent nature please call 07786628845
Apologies for any inconvenience.

16/07/2024

🥳Triumphant Tuesday!🥳
At the weekend Charlie one of our farm vets took part in the Croyde Ocean Triathalon. This consisted of a 1.5km ocean swim, 40km bike ride and 12km trial run. 🏊‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏃‍♀️
What a lovely day and wonderful views!🤩
Well done Charlie!!

10/07/2024

🪱HAEMONCHUS 🪱

Please be aware over the last 2 weeks we have diagnosed a number of flocks with Haemonchus.
These presented in poor doing ewes and unexplained deaths. 🐑🐑

Overview - Haemonchus contortus (the barber pole worm) is a blood-feeding stomach worm. Unlike many other gut worms it does not cause scour in affected individuals but rather anaemia (pale gums and inside of eyelids), lethargy, weakness and death. Additionally, sheep develop poor immunity to it and so adult sheep are also susceptible to potentially fatal infestations.
Haemonchus is often seen during drier periods of summer but can be seen at any time of year if it goes undiagnosed.

If you are concerned please bring in a FEC from 10 ewes selected at random for testing. 🐑🐑

06/07/2024

‘Independents Day’
6th and 7th July 2024📅

Did you know Belmont Farm and Equine Vets is a completely independent farm and equine practice?

Proudly owned by our Directors Matt, Nick, Andrew and Mike. We don’t answer to any larger corporate entity and you will find the owners of the practice on farm or in the yard working with animals and their owners day and night.

We are a client facing business and strive to deliver an excellent service from three of our offices and on-farm with our focus primarily on delivering health care for your animals; taking a proactive, preventative approach to all aspects of livestock and equine veterinary practice.

We are heavily invested in our community and any decisions made are led by the needs of our local and loyal farm and equine clients.

We are also proud members of XL vets; a group of independently owned veterinary practices which work together to share knowledge and strive to achieve the highest standards of veterinary care.

We would like to thank all of our clients for choosing our independently owned practice. Your continued support enables us to remain independent.

💜💚💜💚
XLVets

05/07/2024

❗️ NOTICE❗️
Next Wednesday 10th July 2024 all offices will be closing at 4pm.
Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

04/07/2024

Yesterday evening Nick attend the NSA Marches Region Farm Walk kindly hosted by F C Garlic & Sons.
A brilliant turn out on a lovely evening for a farm walk viewing the sheep enterprise managed by Tom.
Nick discussed Garlics flock management, farm business structure as well as animal health topics around Schmallenberg and pre tupping prep
🐑🐏🐑

National Sheep Association

28/06/2024

Date for any NSA members diary next week📆

Nick will be present discussing sheep related issues farmers may face going forwards this season. 🐑

🐑NSA Marches Region Farm Walk🐑

NSA Marches Region looks forward to welcoming members to an evening farm walk at Crosslyde Farm on Wednesday 3rd July at 6pm, by kind permission of F C Garlick & sons

It will be an opportunity to view the sheep enterprise managed by Tom Garlick, including a 1600 strong ewe flock of predominantly Texel cross mule ewes. Following the farm walk the meeting will be joined by Belmont Vets who will discuss topical issues facing sheep farmers this season. Refreshments will also be available.

To register your interest in attendance please email NSA Marches Region Manager Katie James on [email protected]