NCVC Sheep & Beef

19/02/2025

Heads up! Accurate BCS (Body condition scoring) of ewes is essential pre-mating. Come along to one of the practical sessions organised by Hurunui Adverse Events Committee. RSVP - Text 0272218984. Click the image for details.

18/02/2025

Ticks!
Ticks are most likely brought in via cattle transport from high-risk areas, such as the North Island, Marlborough or the West Coast. Consider a quarantine treatment of cattle brought in from high-risk areas.
Please give us a call for any further questions.

14/02/2025

Today we had a dog presenting with a subcutaneous lump on his neck. After exploration we were able to successfully extract a barley grass.
Barley grass, while small, can pe*****te the skin leading to inflammation, abscess formation or even more serious infections.
Remember to monitor any unusual lumps or swellings, as early detection and intervention can prevent complications.
Please ring us for any further information or don’t hesitate to call any of our clinics to book an appointment.
Pictured below nurse Amber and the barley grass that was removed.

13/02/2025

How many eggs can you spot?
Check out this screenshot of a recent FEC (Faecal Egg Count) test for sheep! 👀
Can anyone guess how many eggs are present? Drop your answers in the comments below.
Remember to do a post-drench test this season to ensure the effectiveness of your treatments. It is a crucial step in managing parasite resistance and keeping your flock healthy!

09/02/2025

Beat the Buzz this season. Don't miss the opportunity to hear Colin McKay talking about all things fly and get all your questions answered. See you there!

06/02/2025

A huge shoutout to our amazing Clinic Coordinator, Rosemary, for not only keeping everything running smoothly at Waikari Clinic but also for stunning everyone at the Hurunui Races Fashion in the Field this past weekend! 🌿💚

Rosemary designed and created her entire outfit herself—how incredible is that?! Her talent, creativity, and attention to detail were on full display, and she looked absolutely fabulous! We’re so proud of her for showcasing both her professional dedication and her artistic flair.

05/02/2025

Congratulations to the Rutherford family at Melrose Partnership Hawarden for a successful ram sale.
The rams looked magnificent considering the tough dry conditions they have come thru.
Melrose Partnership

04/02/2025

04/02/2025

Please read the following for some important alerts for the Hurunui River.

🔈Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora has issued a health warning for the Hurunui River at SH1.
‼️ The warning follows finding moderate to high cover of potentially toxic algae (benthic cyanobacteria) in the Hurunui River at SH1.
‼️ People should avoid the area and animals, particularly dogs, should not be allowed near the water until the health warning has been lifted.
‼️ There are also other access points along the Hurunui River at SH1 that may have benthic cyanobacteria present. People are advised to treat every low-flowing river cautiously, check for the presence of benthic cyanobacteria and avoid contact.
More information 👉http://spr.ly/6181xIb8N

04/02/2025

In case you missed it - here's January's edition of the well-read Rural Round-Up - our monthly e-newsletter dedicated to the sheep & beef community.

What a difference a few weeks makes. With a rather wet Christmas and New Year’s, the people out camping in tents might not have enjoyed the weather, but it certainly has made a massive difference to everyone in the farming community in North Canterbury.

03/02/2025

Big thanks to vet Georgie for heading out on farm today to take some blood samples from the ewes. The results are in, and it looks like they’re low on selenium. Thankfully, our farmer can now get on top of that and ensure the flock is in top condition and ready for the ram! 🐑💪 Always great to stay ahead and keep our ewes healthy for a strong breeding season.

02/02/2025

Mark your calendar and register! With the fly season upon us and the prime conditions causing a major challenge this year, don't miss out on coming along to learn about all things flies, prevention, treatment and the different species of fly causing the major problem. Let's be one step ahead by learning how to Beat the Buzz. Colin's back down from the North Island to lead the charge. Register now - click here https://forms.gle/Y3nDqMzp6VFanF8x

30/01/2025

Drench resistance monitoring

With weaning done and out of the way for most people, the routine regular drenching program will have commenced with the lambs – so now is the perfect time to check to see if the drench you plan to use for the season is actually working and fully effective at killing all those worms.
To do a drench check, you should be taking 10 fresh individual faecal samples from the lambs 10-14 days after they have had a drench.
Using an ineffective drench costs you money. In a trial comparing growth rates and production in lambs over a 5-month period, lambs in the groups that were given an effective drench:
Weighed 9kg more
This equated to 4.7kg more carcass weight
And therefore a 10.4% increase in carcass value
So, let’s make sure you are using the correct product and getting the most out of those lambs!

27/01/2025

Working dog - top tip

Recently we have been seeing a lot of dogs with seeds between toes, in ears and many other places. Grass seed awns have barbs that mean their progression forward is difficult to stop. To avoid progression into the body, regularly checking your dog’s toes and other folds of skin is a good preventative measure. We can clip long-haired dogs' feet, ears and bodies to allow for easier visibility of toes and to also decrease the coat length that the seeds can get caught in. Swelling and discomfort in the area of seed pe*******on are indications there is a problem. Head tilt and ear discomfort are common signs of seeds in ears. Seeing these cases early makes the chance of successfully retrieving the seed more likely and relieves the discomfort associated with grass
Photo: 3 seeds removed from a dogs ears.

23/01/2025

Ticks - have you seen any?

Recently, at the start of December, a Cheviot farmer found a tick on one of his lamb’s ears, which is a rare thing for North Canterbury. Several people have reported seeing ticks, but this is the first time we have had confirmation.
This is a timely reminder that with climate change and animal movement, things that were traditionally seen as a North Island thing may be moving south. This is similar to facial eczema, which is now in Marlborough.
So, while you have the lambs in the yards – keep your eye out. Are we starting to see ticks in our region? If you do, let us know so we can start to gauge what might be occurring out there in North Canterbury.
Over 80% of the tick lifecycle is spent off the animals. This is important as they are often not on the host, meaning that control is not just about dipping animals, it is also about making it harder for ticks to survive off the host. Ticks for sheep mainly cause a concern via the number of ticks on an animal, draining their blood and causing them to become anaemic. The only disease ticks transmit here in NZ is Theileria which only affects cattle.
If you are concerned about ticks in your cattle or sheep, have a chat to your local NCVC vet, who can discuss the impact this might have on your stock.

21/01/2025

There has been one confirmed case of Strangles on a yard in North Canterbury. It is important that horse owners know what signs to look out for and how to protect their horses.
Strangles is a highly infectious bacterial infection that causes high morbidity in horses. Symptoms are related to the upper respiratory tract and include:
- Fever (>38.5 deg C)
- Thick, p***y, mucous nasal discharge
- Enlarged or abscessed lymph nodes, often seen as swellings around the head and neck region
- Cough
- Difficulty eating
- Reduced appetite
- Respiratory noise or difficulty breathing
- Complicated cases can lead to pneumonia, guttural pouch empyaema and bastard strangles – the development of internal abscesses which is often fatal.
It spreads via nose to nose contact and shared equipment/facilities such as tack, brushes, water troughs and yards so horses showing symptoms must be isolated immediately and tested.
What can you do to prevent your horse contracting this infection?
- Vaccination – there is a vaccine for Strangles which fully prevents infection in some horses and reduces the severity of clinical signs in others
- Do not move your horse on or off a yard that has infected horses
- Avoid nose to nose contact between your horse and infected horses.
- Consider the risks of transporting your horse, especially if it is unvaccinated, to locations where there will be other horses. Younger and older horses will be more vulnerable.

Get in touch with us if you have concerns or questions about Strangles or if you would like more information about vaccination.

20/01/2025

Don’t forget your rams for mating!
Palpating your ram’s testicles and doing a WOF on them no closer than 6 weeks before they are due to join the girls can help reduce any unproductive rams affecting your scanning percentage.
Please get in touch with any of our clinics for further information or to book.
Culverden 03 3158363
Cheviot 03 3198677
Waikari 03 3144102
Amberley 03 3148612