Emlagh Lodge Vets Large Animal

08/02/2022

As lambing gets into full swing it’s crucial not to forget the importance of colostrum

A lamb needs approximately 220ml of colostrum per kg in the first 24 hours of life. The first feed of which should be within the first 2 hours of life. An average 5 kg lamb needs over a litre of colostrum in the first day of life.

As we no longer have spectam as a preventative for watery mouth in lambs, colostrum is more important than ever. There is also a vaccine for pregnant ewes to get antibodies in the colostrum to specifically fight off watery mouth in lambs.

If your concerned about the impact of watery mouth in your flock come talk to us at Emlagh Lodge Vets today

14/01/2022

Good quality colostrum from a cow is full of immunoglobulins, these help calves fight infection in early life

A calf needs 4-6 litres of colostrum in the first 6-8 hours of life. After 18 hours the calves gut closes down and it can’t absorb immunoglobulins any more

If a calf hasn’t got enough colostrum prior to 18 hours they can’t fight infection and are likely to get sick and die

Not all colostrum is good quality, older cows colostrum can be higher in volume but lower in immunoglobulin level. If a cow runs milk prior to calving their colostrum will contain less immunoglobulins

You can test colostrum quality using a colostrometer or a brix refractometer prior feeding

Any concerns about colostrum intake in your calves, lambs or foals contact Emlagh Lodge Veterinary Centre

24/12/2021

24/12/2021

Scour in calves can be caused by many different viruses, bacteria and parasites

3 of the most common are Rota virus, Corona virus and E. coli bacteria

A vaccine called Rotavec Corona can combat all these infections and keep calves healthy, as long as the cow is vaccinated at the right time and the calf gets enough beastings

Now is the time to vaccinate cows calving from late January to early April

A calf needs 3-4 litres of beastings in the first 4-6 hours of life to help them fight infections in the 12 weeks of life

Don’t hesitate, get ahead of your problem and vaccination today

PLEASE remember vaccination is not a substitute for good hygiene practices for newborn calves

16/12/2021

If you have liver fluke in your stock, at some stage the fluke passed through this snail!!!!

The liver fluke needs this snail to become infective to your stock

It is found all over Ireland, but is highest in concentration in the North West

This snail likes to live in wet soils and close to fresh water courses, such as rivers, ponds and lakes

It likes slightly acidic soils

Keeping your stock away from where these snails live will reduce their exposure and infection with liver fluke

Strategies to avoid fluke snails include
1. Fence off wet areas of land
2. Allowing stock to drink from rivers, ponds or lakes increases exposure to fluke habitats
3. Piped mains water in troughs is best for stock
4. Applying lime to land will change soils from acidic to alkaline and be less hospitable to the fluke snail

Concerned about liver fluke in stock? Contact us at Emlagh Lodge Veterinary Centre for flukicide advice

14/12/2021

Lice treatment comes in three main forms, injections, spot-on and pour-on, NOT ALL LICE TREATMENTS KILL ALL TYPES OF LICE

Spotinor is a spot on. It is applied all in one area and kills adult biting and sucking lice

Cypercare is a pour-on. It is applied all along the back in one stripe and kills adult biting and sucking lice

Enovex/Animec/Bimectin are a pour-on treatment. They are applied all along the middle of the back. They kill adult biting and sucking lice. They have the added benefit of killing worms

Closamectin is a pour-on that kills adult biting and sucking lice, adult and immature fluke and worms. It is applied as a pour on down the middle of the back

Ivomec/ ivomec classic/ enovex injectable/ animec super are all injectable products that only kill adult sucking lice. THESE PRODUCTS DO NOT KILL BITING LICE

Talk to us at Emlagh Lodge Veterinary Centre for all your parasite requirements

14/12/2021

Lice is a massive problem at housing this time of year. While itching and scratching, animals fail to eat and this can affect thrive by up to 15%

Its important to remember that lice treatments kill adults but are ineffective against eggs and nymph stages of the lifecycle

Firstly shave backs as lice live in the thick thatch of hair on the top of the animals back, they also don't like UV light.

Next apply a spot-on over shoulder blades in one spot or pour-on along the length of the back in a stripe

Repeat treatment in 3 weeks time to kill newly emerging lice from their egg stages

For all your parasite needs contact us at Emlagh Lodge Veterinary Centre, Elphin

Dealing with lice and mites around housing

14/12/2021

09/12/2021

Liver forecast is used to predict the level of liver fluke disease is our region

The forecast for our region is high

Housing is the perfect time to clear fluke infection from your stock

It’s important to use a flukicide that kills immature fluke in the liver

Remember a dung test will only tell us if there is adult fluke present and will not tell us anything about immature fluke infection

For the best flukicide treatment for your stock come talk to Us at Emlagh Lodge Veterinary Centre