Cedar Farm Vets Practice

21/07/2022

****IMPORTANT NOTICE****

To all our clients, we would like to let you know of some imminent changes to the veterinary services at Cedar Farm Vets.

Large animal practices countrywide are facing significant challenges in terms of recruitment and retention of experienced vets. With ourselves and our two sister practices, Damory Veterinary Clinic at Blandford and Westpoint Farm Vets at Wi******er (all part of VetPartners practices) working in similar geographies yet operating three smaller vet teams, there was a real need to look at how we could restructure the three practices to result in rotas which were sustainable long term for the vets working within them. As a result our vets have now joined the two larger teams at Damory and Wi******er and Cedar has closed its current office in Ringwood. These two larger teams are well placed to make the most of all the resources that an integrated, national company like Vet Partners has to offer.

The two larger vet teams will be based out of Damory Farm Vets in Blandford and WestPoint Farm Vets in Wi******er and we will be opening up a part-time meds collection service at Lynwood Vets, Bournemouth, BH37AY. Alternatively, you could collect from either of the practices. We can also offer you a postal delivery service for orders, and we aim to have a Ringwood pick up point as well. All medication must be ordered in advance, so please ring the practice to organise the best way for you.

You will still ring the Cedar number 01425 461231 during this transition period and you will be asked to select East or West. It is possible you may see vets from either practice Out of Hours. If you are unsure which practice you fall under, please call to discuss.

Wi******er team:
Matt Dolbear will be jointly leading the new Wi******er team with colleagues from Wi******er. Whilst Rosie is heading back home to Sussex to live, she will be very much a part of the new Wi******er team, working part time.

Damory team:
Mihai and Oli will be working as part of the team based at Damory. The Damory team will be headed up by Matt Burge and Ian Patton but again from a continuity point of view seeing your usual vets will keep the faces familiar.
Support team: Both Emma and Kay will continue to support clients and vets at Wi******er and Damory.

If you have any questions regarding the new arrangements and how they may affect you, please do not hesitate to get in contact.
We are immensely proud to have been an integral part of the livestock industry in Hampshire, Dorset, Somerset, Berkshire and the Isle of Wight for the last 35 years. So many of you have become great friends during that time and we cannot thank you enough for your good humoured, loyal support during that time. Every single vet, each member of the support team and all of the myriad of students that have passed through have been extremely grateful to you all. Best wishes and once again, huge thanks for your support.

The team at Cedar Farm Vets 🐄🐑🐖🐓🐐

08/04/2022

Thanks for having us Avon Valley YFC

24/03/2022

SHEEP WORRYING
The improving Spring weather brings with it the challenge of the public walking their dogs across our fields and, in some cases, threatening the safety of our flocks. A dog attack is a heart wrenching event to witness and bear.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Visit the NSA website sheepworrying.org.uk to find out how you can prevent attacks and what you can or should do if they happen.
Click https://bit.ly/NSAVP0422  to download and print off FREE Dog Control Signs to put up around your fields – especially if they are traversed by a public right of way.

13/01/2022

⭐Our vet Rosie has been awarded a VetPartners Recognition Award⭐

This means that she has demonstrated the VetPartners' values of support, collaboration, respect, commitment and being approachable.

Congratulations Rosie! And thank you Emma for the nomination! 🐮

15/12/2021

We are all ready to host our festive hog roast!! Pop in and say hello between 1pm-6pm. We are aware you may be worried about current COVID circumstances which we understand, however we will be maintaining social distancing and making sure that everyone feels safe!
For those that can't make it, we wish you all a happy Christmas! 🎄🎄🎄

12/12/2021

25/11/2021

🐓 IMPORTANT NOTICE 🐓

For all our clients with Poultry. Where housing isn't possible, outdoor pens will need to be netted with food and water under cover. Please call the practice if you have any concerns regarding this new information and a vet will be happy to chat to you.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bird-flu-latest-situation-avian-influenza-prevention-zone-declared-across-great-britain,
 GOV.SCOT: https://www.gov.scot/news/new-housing-measures-to-protect-poultry-and-captive-birds-against-avian-flu-1/,
 GOV.WALES: https://gov.wales/new-housing-measures-protect-poultry-and-captive-birds-against-avian-flu-0 
DAERA-NI.GOV.UK: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/news/avian-influenza-housing-order-come-force-0

16/11/2021

CALF SCOUR

Calves are at risk of scour in the first four weeks of their lives with the most significant risk period within the first ten days. It is one of the most common diseases and causes of death in pre-weaned calves, accounting for more than 50% of mortalities. However it is a preventable condition if the following three areas are considered:

1. The Calf (host) The most important factor affecting the immune status of a newborn calf is colostrum. Colostrum feeding is essential; 4-4.5 litres within six hours.
2. The Shed (environment) Most scour bugs come from the faeces of the dam and other mothers, so minimising exposure of the calf to cow dung significantly reduces risk of disease.
3. The Bugs (pathogens) Viruses, bacteria and parasites are the main causes of infectious calf scour. As not all cases are bacterial in origin, often scours cannot be cured with antibiotics. This makes prevention through vaccination of the dam, good colostrum management and improving the environment, key in reducing risk and infection on your farm.

04/11/2021

01/11/2021

Leftover Halloween pumpkins? Unless they were not carved in your house & were carved using utensils that have never entered your kitchen please don’t feed them to your pigs. Make pumpkin soup or compost them to feed your garden instead. This is to help prevent diseases like African swine fever. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/african-swine-fever-risk-reminder

We’d like to clarify what can and can’t be fed to your farm animals, which includes those kept as pets.

You CAN feed:
• Fruit and vegetables that have never entered a kitchen and which have not come into contact with products of animal origin. The utensils used for cutting up the fruit and vegetables must also never have come into contact with products of animal origin.
• Specially formulated animal feed, which is a safe and easy way to give your animals a balanced diet.

It is ILLEGAL to feed:
• Food scraps and catering waste from any restaurant or commercial kitchen (this includes vegan kitchens).
• Domestic kitchen waste, including food from a vegetarian kitchen. Food can be fed from domestic vegan kitchens provided everyone in the household is vegan and no animal protein is ever brought into the house.

The ban on feeding kitchen waste to livestock was introduced after the devastation of foot & mouth disease - the most likely cause of the 2001 outbreak was catering waste being fed to pigs.

26/10/2021

Farm Dog Worming

-Regular worming of dogs on farm is vital in maintaining their health and yours, but additionally because adult tapeworms can infect sheep, then risking condemned carcasses at the abattoir.
-Regular worming is a requirement of farm assurance schemes
-In 2009, it was estimated that tapeworm infection cost the English sheep industry nearly £8m in lost revenue.
-Break the tapeworm’s lifecycle by:
Regularly worming ALL working, pet and visiting dogs for tapeworm once per month using a product containing praziquantel.
-Fencing off public footpaths and encouraging dog owners to pick up their dogs' faeces.
-Not feeding dogs with raw offal or allowing them to scavenge on carcases
-Rapidly and effectively disposing of dead sheep to prevent scavenging from dogs and foxes.

19/10/2021

New updates come into force from the 1st November. Here are some key things that have changed for each sector. 🚜

14/10/2021

CALF PNEUMONIA- Here are some signs, symptoms and prevention tips 🐮🐮🐮

30/09/2021

Housing – The importance of space at housing for herd productivity – Part 2 •Water trough space
-A high yielding dairy cow can drink over 200 litres per day, with most consumed after milking and feeding.
-The water must be clean and so should be dipped/tipped out regularly. Do the glass test: dip a clear glass into the trough and see how clear the water is. Water contaminated with forage, bedding or dung will lead to reduced drinking - if you smell the surface of a dirty water trough you'll understand why your girls are reluctant to drink!
-Water troughs must be accessible, with 0.1m of trough space per cow. The water should be at least 70mm deep so that the cow can submerge her muzzle and drink. Increasing drinking will also maximise dry matter intake, thus improving production and reducing the impact of negative energy balance in renewed cows
•Lying and ruminating space
-In cubicle housed cows, it is important to make sure there are enough cubicles for the number of cows. As a very minimum there needs to be at least a cubicle per cow, but ideally there should be more than 10% spare cubicles.
-Cubicles should be a suitable size for the size of cow. It is important to have a straw yard available to house lame cows and cows which reject cubicles.

28/09/2021

Housing– The importance of space at housing for herd productivity- Part 1

With the days starting to draw in, it won’t be long before thoughts turn to bringing the cows in for winter. If we get the cow’s environment right, she will be more confident, comfortable and productive.

Feed space- To maximise output we need to maximise inputs, therefore it is important to make sure cows have free access to feed.

•Each cow should have a minimum of 0.6m space at the barrier, but this may need to be higher depending on the size of cow and stage of lactation.
•Competition for feeding space has direct implications in terms of poor fertility, as those cows pushed out at feeding time are likely to suffer from health problems linked to poor nutrition and subsequent lowered immune defences and compromised hormone production. They are likely to spend more time standing and putting pressure on their feet, increasing the risk of lameness and reducing how strongly they show bulling behaviours.
Look out for part two later in the week on the importance of space at housing for herd productivity– water troughs and lying ruminating space.

09/09/2021

New Red Tractor farm standards take effect on 1 November 2021.

As a brief summary, the changes include:
•Stronger recommendations for the use of anti-inflammatory pain relief in calves
•An end to tethering of cattle
•Health plans should:
-Continue to focus on proactive management to help farm improvement
-Be reviewed and signed off by your vet at least annually.
•Dairy farms require a written breeding plan and a bull calf management plan to help ensure the dairy industry eliminates routine euthanasia of calves by 2023.
•Beef farms will require a BVD eradication plan, written into their health plan with evidence of action towards stamping out the disease.
•Beef and sheep farmers will require antibiotic collation, antimicrobial reduction plans, and medicine handling training – aligning these sectors with dairy where this has been required since 2019.

There are also new guidelines on handling livestock to reduce stress, including a ban on electrified backing gates. Other changes include fertiliser management, health and safety training and hand washing facilities.

In the meantime, please speak to your vet for advice or to update your health plan documents. The latest information, handy guides and support to make sure your farm business is ready can be found at redtractorassurance.org.uk

06/09/2021

Pre-tupping TLC!

With shearing done, now is a good time to have a good sort through the flock and do some body condition sorting prior to tupping. It can take around 10-12 weeks for sheep to gain 0.5 BCS, therefore you should be aiming to do this 10-12 weeks prior to tupping to ensure you have the majority of your flock in optimum condition when the rams join them. This is also a great time to do a health check, as you would with tups:
-Have they got a full set of teeth?
-Are they lame?
-Any lumps in their udder?
-Any parasitic burden / worms?

As always, if you do have a number of health concerns following your flock check, please speak to your vet for advice.

02/09/2021

"Chuffed to pass the B + E exam today and would like to say a big thank you to Wallid at Dorset Driver Training. Despite all the odds against us with vehicle breakdowns and a cancelled test, his hard work allowed the test to go on and now I can tow a trailer without breaking the law. Thank you also to Ambrow trailer services who helped us out last minute yesterday, and to Paul for coming with me to the test centre today"

27/08/2021

Never a dull day in the Cedar office! Week-old Welsummer chicks, stopping off here on the way to new homes.

08/07/2021

Please note that due to temporary Covid restrictions the office will **return to reduced opening hours** today and for the next 3 working days. Please ensure that you ring ahead before any essential visits to check our reception is open. The lockbox continues to be in operation for drug collections. Thank you!

29/04/2021

Know your roundworms! Want to know more about the 4 main parasitic roundworms that infest the sheep GI tract?

"Nematodirus battus" can affect lambs in the first few months of life and often emerges on-mass as the weather warms up

"Telodorsagia" and "Trichostrongylus" species cause parasitic gastroenteritis of growing lambs over summer and autumn

"Haemonchus contortus" affects adults and lambs at varying times of the year.

How worms affect sheep:

*Depressed appetite - reduced feed intake and growth rate
* Permenant gut damage - reduced nutrient absorption, diarrhoea
* Impaired mineral retention - small skeleton and exacerbated trace element deficiencies
* Poor protein metabolism - reduced muscle growth and carcase quality