Donview Vets Farm & Equine

04/11/2024

Farm & Equine Blog October 2024

Welcome to October's Farm & Equine blog!

We saw some pregnancy toxaemia at the beginning of the month with our autumn calvers. Typically happening in older fat cows in the last six weeks of pregnancy. It is caused due to increased energy requirements from the foetus and usually coincides with reduced feed quality for the cows. This means they become energy deficient and start mobilising fat to compensate for this energy shortage. Best way to prevent this is to have the cows in optimal body condition for calving and to stay on top of their nutrition!

We have had some interesting septic arthritis cases in heifers, this is a bacterial infection of the joint, usually caused by a puncture wound. Success rate for treating these cases is poor and the best chance is to catch them early and treat with antibiotics that are broad spectrum and can pe*****te into the joint. In severe cases we can flush the joint and pack an antibiotic straight into the joint to help and clear the infection.

Pneumonia season is upon us!! Pneumonia cases have started in the last two weeks. All cases so far have been acute deaths. The causative organisms have been Syncytial virus and Pasteurella. Critical to avoiding these cases are preventative vaccination, if this is something you are concerned about and would like to discuss please get in touch.

Equine work has been mainly routine, a couple of cases of mud fever leading to cellulitis. None of these were serious, but all of them needed antibiotic's to clear. Best way to prevent it is to wash heels and pastern area with hibiscrub. If picked up early, washing the legs will help to prevent the cellulitis.

On a lighter note, I attended the annual Shetland pony sale at Thainstone mart at the beginning of October, the sale went down smoothly with sellers and buyers both going home happy.

Thank you, Mark

28/10/2024

🕸🦇Spooky Season is here! 🦇🕸

Ever wonder why your horse might be spooking at things that seem perfectly normal? Here’s a quick rundown on why your horse might be jumping at shadows:

Health issues: If spooking seems sudden or severe, it's worth checking in with your vet. Discomfort, pain or eye issues can make a horse more jumpy

Heightened senses: Horses have incredibly sharp senses and are naturally wired to be alert to potential threats

New environments: Moving to a new place or changing their routine can make your horse feel uneasy. Any new sight or sound can be a source of anxiety

Past experiences: Sometimes, past traumas or negative experiences can cause a horse to be more reactive to certain stimuli

Lack of confidence: Horses with less training or confidence might spook more easily

If you are worried about your horse’s spooking, drop us a message or give us a call.

21/10/2024

We had our last client evening on Wednesday 16th October where we were speaking about Haemonchus Worms in sheep.

Douglas Palmer from Norbrook and our very own vet Molly, delivered an informative presentation to some of our clients.

As you can see the evening was very well attended and we had delicious food from Kemnay Farm Shop.

Kemnay Farm Shop Norbrook Laboratories GB

21/10/2024

As the leaves change and autumn sets in, it’s important to remember that laminitis doesn’t take a season off. Even though the weather is cooler, horses are still at risk.

Laminitis can be triggered by factors such as changes in diet and rich pastures. In addition, horses with uncontrolled PPID (Cushings) are at even greater risk of laminitis in the autumn. Stay vigilant and keep an eye out for any signs of discomfort in your horses.

What to watch for:
Lameness
Heat in the hooves
Changes in behaviour

Prevention tips
Be mindful of rich pasture and sudden changes in diet
Keep up with regular trims and hoof health checks
Keep your horse’s weight in check to avoid additional stress on their hooves

Keeping your horse healthy through every season is key to preventing laminitis.

18/10/2024

Thinking about investing in new calf housing or updating your existing buildings?

There are a few things to think about which our team can also assist with, especially when it comes to disease transfer, access and overall housing suitability for youngstock performance.

These are just a few things to consider!

14/10/2024

A reminder of our client meeting on Wednesday evening (16th October). There is still a few spaces left so please give Sarah a shout

Haemonchus Client Meeting

Please see attached poster for details of our Haemonchus meeting on the 16th October. If you can join us please let Sarah know.

09/10/2024

Caring for the Older Horse Client Meeting

We have our final client meeting of 2024 on the 22nd October - if you would like to come along please give Sarah a shout to book your place.

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03/10/2024

Haemonchus Client Meeting

Please see attached poster for details of our Haemonchus meeting on the 16th October. If you can join us please let Sarah know.

02/10/2024

Farm & Equine Blog September 2024

Welcome to the third instalment of our monthly blog!

September has been a very quick month, autumn calving has kicked off with prolapses, caesers and some calves needing repositioned to allow natural calving.

We held a very successful Pneumonia client evening on the 26th with Fiona Crowden from SRUC which was very well attended by clients. The evening was very informative; chatting to Fiona about pneumonia findings in the PM room, to housing ideas to prevent Pneumonia in your herd. Hedwich one of our vets also chatted about different vaccines available to further prevent Pneumonia. With the changeable weather we are experiencing it is really important to keep an eye out for any cases, if you don’t already and would like to have a vaccination plan in place for housing cattle please give us a call.

We have reviewed and created new Animal Health and Welfare plans this month, these (along with Health & Performance Reviews) are a requirement for QMS assessments, these are a great opportunity to review your farm and any issues you may have had to create an ongoing plan with one of our vets. If your assessment is due soon, please drop your health plan off to be reviewed as soon as possible.

Sheep worms have been out in force this month, we have completed many FWEC’s (Faecal Worm Egg Counts) where we are able to plan responsibly with clients on how best to treat for the appropriate worms found. We have seen a few cases of Haemonchus in the last month and are planning another client meeting on the 16th October with Norbrook to discuss the rise of Haemonchus and other worms troubling sheep.

Also a wee reminder, we are nearing the end (31st December 2024) of the preparing for sustainable farming grants, this is a Government funded incentive where you can claim up £250 for each investigation (maximum of 2) to improve your herd or flocks’ health. The categories for investigation are Bull Fertility, Calf Respriratory Disease, Cattle: Liver Fluke, Cattle: Roundworms, Sheep Scab, Sheep Iceberg Diseases, Sheep Lameness, Sheep: Liver Fluke and Sheep: Roundworms. Further information can be found by calling the practice and speaking to Sarah or a vet or from the attached link:
https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/preparing-for-sustainable-farming--psf-/preparing-for-sustainable-farming--psf--full-guidance/

Horse work has kept us busy this month, there have been some abscesses, laminitis cases, Xrays and Guttural Pouch Washes. We’ve had a few enquiries for horse worming, it’s too early for treating for some worm species and we would recommend a FWEC if you are concerned your horse might have worms. After the first hard frost is the ideal time to be looking at worming so there’s no need to panic for a couple of months yet! If you would like to put a worming programme together for your horse or are concerned about worms please get in touch. The highlight of my equine calls was visiting a Shetland Pony foal who behaved very well for her passport and microchip, with thanks to her owner for allowing us to use their photo.

Thanks,
Bronagh

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01/10/2024

🐄🌟 Happy Veterinary Receptionist Awareness Day! 🌟🐄

Today, we’re giving a huge shout-out to our amazing receptionists across Donview Veterinary Centre. From greeting you with a smile to providing support during challenging times, they truly are the heart of our practice.

We couldn’t do it without your dedication and compassion. You’re all absolute stars! ⭐ Thank you for everything you do!

27/09/2024

Last night we had Fiona from SRUC and Hedwich, one of our vets, to chat about pneumonia & suitable vaccines to some of our farm clients.

We had a great turn out from clients and vets and thanks to Harry Fraser catering for the supply of the affa fine stovies!!

SRUC Harry Fraser Catering Services Limited

18/09/2024

A reminder about our client evening next Thursday the 26th September with SRUC. Please let me know if you can attend.

Stovies are booked and will be ready to serve at 6.30pm! 🍽️

Preventing Pesky Pneumonia Problems this Winter

We are pleased to share details of our first client evening of the season!

Fiona Crowden from SRUC will cover how best to prepare and prevent Pneumonia problems and possible outbreaks this winter.

Please give Sarah a shout on the number provided if you are planning to come along for catering purposes.

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09/09/2024

Preventing Pesky Pneumonia Problems this Winter

We are pleased to share details of our first client evening of the season!

Fiona Crowden from SRUC will cover how best to prepare and prevent Pneumonia problems and possible outbreaks this winter.

Please give Sarah a shout on the number provided if you are planning to come along for catering purposes.

🐮🐮🐮

30/08/2024

Farm & Equine Blog August 2024

Welcome to the second instalment of Donview’s Farm and Equine blog. This Summer we have been kept busy with our farm and equine clients. Over the last month or two since i joined Donview I have enjoyed some lovely calls out in the beautiful Aberdeenshire countryside. And I think when I was out and about it was mostly fair Scottish Summer weather so I did well.

Calving and it’s associated challenges has made an appearance on our last few weeks escapades. Similar to our last instalment, there’s been some calvings, prolapses and some sickly calves that need an extra bit of help to get them going well. One such calving involved a calf that was trying to enter the world backways. The calf was under a bit of pressure on arrival so after a quick assessment, a bit of manoeuvring and a gentle bit of traction we had a lovely healthy living calf on the ground and a much more comfortable and content cow. It is probably one of my most favourite moments to watch a healthy cow and healthy calf after a difficult calving happily bonding with each other. It was a glorious day, and on leaving both cow and calf were out basking in the sun.

Some less fun calls are the calls for suspected lungworm. Lungworm is a plague on cattle herds. Outbreaks typically occur in late summer/early autumn. The time we see cattle sick with lungworm is when there is a particularly dry patch, followed by a wet period of weather. The health of the individual animal and herd can be quickly very compromised due to lung damage. Even with the best farm management and worming routines keeping lungworm at bay can be difficult. Thankfully immunity to the parasite is quickly developed. Vaccination, worming strategies and grazing management can all aid in the protection of your animals from lungworm and if you’re looking for any advice don’t hesitate to pop in for a chat or give us a phone.

The horse work this Summer has kept us occupied throughout. One unfortunate horse I had visited was a lovely young gelding who had injured himself in the field. After some xrays to assess the injury, it was noted that this horse had chipped the bone on one of his forelegs. With diligent and devoted care from his owner and careful management of his injury we repeated xrays one month later before he was to potentially go for surgery. We found thankfully that this bony chip had begun to resolve. He is still on the mend and under the watchful eye of his owner but we’re all hopeful for a good recovery.

Alongside some complicated and challenging cases, there has been an abundance of lovely and enjoyable moments. I have been very lucky to meet such lovely people on my travels and appreciated adding to my Doric repertoire, if ya ken fit I mean.

Thank you for the lovely welcome,

Kate

with thanks to our clients who have kindly allowed us to use their photos.

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27/08/2024

Meet The Team Monday (+1 day)

Name: Sarah Finnie
Position: Farm & Equine Support Co-ordinator

- How long have you worked at Donview?
I have worked at Donview for 2.5 years.

- Favourite animal?
My favourite animals are Cows and Sheep. 🐄🐑

- Do you have any pets?
I have 5 dogs, 4 horses and a bunch of cows and sheep.

- What was your dream job as a child?
When i was little i really wanted to be a Vet.

- If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Whilst i would like to see the world throughout my life i would always choose to live in the Aberdeenshire area.

- What do you pretend to love but actually hate?
Mince and tatties 🤢

- What 3 people would you invite onto your talk show?
Paul Smith (Comedian), Bruce Armstrong, Emma Gray (Shepherdess)

- Favourite part of being a Farm & Equine support co-ordinator?
I enjoy that no two days are the same. I also like interacting with all our clients on a daily basis and organising our client evenings.

16/08/2024

FUN FACT FRIDAY

Did you know that the Barbers Pole Worm is a blood sucking worm?

Haemonchus Contortus also known as the barbers pole worm due to it's red and white appearance is a parasite that lives in a sheep's final stomach (abomasum). It differs from normal gut worms in sheep as it doesn't cause diarrhoea, instead it sucks blood from the wall of the stomach. This leads to anaemia and potentially death in lambs and adult sheep.

We have had a few farms recently diagnosed with this parasite, please get in touch if you have any concerns.

02/08/2024

Farm & Equine Blog - July 2024

I'm pleased to write and share with you our very first monthly Farm & Equine blog, hopefully we will be able to share some interesting and informative cases, success stories and some fun too! I have been a qualified vet since June 2023 and really enjoy all mixed practice work.

The sun has made an appearance, and it’s starting to feel like summer, which makes driving round the countryside seeing the cows and calves, ewes and lambs and our equine friends a pleasure! 🌞

The sporadic spells of sun hasn’t helped our laminitic four legged friends and this month has been busy taking x-rays of ponies feet. Luckily a lot of the ponies I have seen have either not yet had major changes to their pedal bone or have been corrected with remedial farriery. With the competition season in full swing, I went out to gastroscope a dressage horse to check for stomach ulcers to ensure top performance. This horse had a clear and healthy stomach so we could conclude the current feeding and training regime is working well for this horse.

Calving is still underway for some of our farm clients, and I was called out to a cow struggling to calve because her calf was upside down. This led to the cow requiring a Caesar and although she wasn’t too keen to see me when I first arrived, she settled well for the procedure. As the calvings continue, I have been busy with the occasional prolapse as well as some calves needing a bit of TLC to get them on their feet. Farmer’s are looking forward to their next calving season and I have been scanning cows to pregnancy diagnose them. This will hopefully lead to another busy period in our calendar in 6 months time!

Sheep sale season has started again with the first tup sales already underway. We have already had some of our pedigree breeders being very organised and have ordered up their synchronisation meds ready to get started with their AI and ET programmes.

We've all had a very busy month reviewing or creating new Herd Health Plans, these are a requirement for all QMS members for their annual inspections along with Health & Performance Reviews.

All in all July, albeit quiet, has provided some interesting cases, some emergencies but most importantly a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see what August has in store!

I look forward to writing another monthly round up soon,

Jess

29/07/2024

🚨❗️Fly Strike in Sheep❗️🚨

With the current warm weather and increase in flies fly strike in sheep is at a higher risk of occurring.

Blowfly strike is a major animal welfare concern. An average of 1.5% of ewes and 3% of lambs in the UK may be affected each year despite preventative measures undertaking by most farmers. Flies are attracted to areas of soiled fleece surrounding the tail and can also be seen on wounds, foot rot lesions and urine scalding.

Treatment of individual affected sheep involves physical removal of maggots, cleaning and disinfection of wounds and supportive treatment such as, antibiotics, fluids and NSAIDS under direction of your vet.

For further information please see the link below or contact us at the practice

https://www.nadis.org.uk/disease-a-z/sheep/blowfly-strike-cutaneous-myiasis-maggots/

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