The Lifestyle Vet

04/10/2025

🐑💞 A Happy Ending for a Brave Little Ewe and Her Twin Girls! 💞🐑

Our team were called out today to help a lovely 1-year-old ewe who had been in stage 1 of labour since 9am, but by 1pm there were still no signs of progress. Her wonderfully proactive owner trusted their gut and gave us a call — and it’s a good thing they did! 🙌

On examination, we found that one lamb had a leg back, which was preventing her from being delivered. Without intervention, both lambs would likely have died in utero.

Thanks to the owner’s quick action and our rapid response, we were able to safely lamb two beautiful female twins 💕🐑🐑

Mum was understandably a bit shocked and quite sore after the ordeal, but she received morphine, Metacam, and antibiotics to keep her comfortable and to help prevent a uterine infection (since we’d been in there helping those babies out).

We’re thrilled to report that both lambs and mum are doing very well — a fantastic outcome and a lovely reminder of how important early intervention can be! 🌿✨

👉 If your ewe has been in stage 2 labour for more than a couple of hours (two hours to be exact) without making progress, please give your vet a call — acting early can make all the difference for both mum and lambs! 💕

The Lifestyle Vet

0278385433

Www.thelifestylevet.co.nz

23/09/2025

Excellent article. Excellent picture 🤣👌🙈🐐🐏🐖🐄🦙

Please don’t rotate your drenches without evidence to do so! This little write up from Wormcheck is a must read ☺️

Spring is here! Therefore, it is time for your annual reminder that
you👏do👏not 👏need👏to👏automatically👏rotate👏wormers👏

There is nothing quite like people saying “I rotate my wormers!” to get my eye twitching. It is mostly the way people tell me, half proud of themselves for doing what they have been told is the right thing. So I cannot slap them as Batman is slapping Robin because it isn’t really their fault.

But the truth is, rotating actives is not always the right thing; you’ve been lied to, with the idea that it will prevent drug resistance and keep your horses healthy.
The “rotating” wormers regime puts people into a system of deworming for the sake of deworming: Oh, I used a “red” wormer in autumn, now that it is spring it’s time for a “green” one.
I have nothing against changing actives when worming, however swapping actives because the wheel on the stable fridge tells you to is very unscientific. And it does not prevent drug resistance.
If you want to prevent drug resistance there are two things you need to do:
1) Get a FEC prior to every deworming treatment. Let the FEC results guide you to choosing what dewormer to use – if you need to use one at all. The choice should be based on age, weather, climate, what worms are present, what drug resistance you have on your property, paddock situation/herd mates. You should always choose your dewormer based on the CURRENT infection, not a past treatment.
2) Find out what drug resistance you have on your property by getting FECs done AFTER treatment as well. If it turns out that the classically labelled “green” drenches (the benzimidazoles) do not work well, then rotating to them in spring is worse than useless.

It does not have to be your job alone to decide if your horse needs to be dewormed, or with what it should be treated with if it does. That’s the job of people like me (a parasitologist!) and vets. That is what we are here for, and I would much prefer you to ask rather than to continue putting unnecessary or inappropriate drenches down your horses’ throats.

Lastly, make sure to get your horses checked via FEC this spring. All details on how to get samples to me are up on the website (link in comments).

NB: This is a respost from Spring 2024.

17/09/2025

Exolt to the Rescue- Treating Red Mites in your Chickens

As we move into the warmer months, parasites are rife amongst many of our lifestyle pets, and our feathery friends are no different. One particularly nasty parasite is the red mite (Dermanyssus gallianae).

These tiny critters (less than 1mm long) spend the day hiding in all the cracks and crevices of your chook house away from the light. At night time the emerge, scuttling up the legs of roosting birds and onto their feathers to suck blood. They are termed red mites, as they turn red as they fill with blood, however the unfed mites are a light brownish grey colour, and are much more difficult to see in the coop. They can survive for up to 10 months with no blood, so will go on living long after the chickens have left the coop!

With heavy infestations these mites can drink 3% of a hen’s blood volume each night. Over a few weeks this can result in anaemia and death from blood loss. Even in low infestations, red mites are a problem, and they carry diseases like Salmonella, Pasteurella, Listeria, E. coli and Staphylococcus. They spread diseases between birds, and as they also suck on human blood, they have the potential to spread diseases from birds to their owners too.

Signs of a red mite infestation may include:

- Noisy or restless birds at night
- Birds reluctant to roost or lay in their hen house
- Increased grooming behaviour
- Drop in egg production
- Pale comb and wattles (anaemia)
- Blood spots in eggs, changes in egg appearance
- Family members/other pets itching

Try visiting your hen house in the night with a bright torch, you may find red mites crawling out of the nooks and crannies to climb onto your birds.

If you are concerned about Red Mites, what can you do to get rid of them?

We are now stocking a fantastic red mite treatment product called Exzolt.
This is the only registered mite treatment product on the market currently for chickens. It is extremely effective, with studies reporting over 97% efficacy. It is easy to treat birds.

We administer 2 treatments, 7 days’ apart. Exzolt can either be added to the drinking water of your flock, or we can provide you with a diluted treatment to give individual birds orally (this can be given on a food treat, or carefully syringed into the mouth). The other benefit is that Exzolt has no egg withholding period, so it is safe to eat the eggs from your hens after treatment. We are able to dispense doses for small flocks or individual birds too!

Get in touch with us to find out more about this product, and how you can get some for your flock this summer!

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Lifestyle Block Vet

027 838 5433
email: [email protected]

www.thelifestylevet.co.nz

15/09/2025

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAZEL 🥰 🥳 🎉

Hazel is one year old and The Lifestyle Vet team are overjoyed to have been able to get her this far, thanks to her incredible owners who went above and beyond to save her life.

Hazel had the biggest cleft palate we had ever seen. A multitude of specialists came together to create a surgical plan. After two successive surgeries and a number of stints in hospital to treat aspiration pneumonia, she made a fully recovery and is loving life on the farm with her mum.

A big thank to Hawke’s Bay Vet Services for referring this case to us. It’s great to see vets out there determined to find solutions for their patients, even if that means referring them half way across the country ❤️🐐🐏🐖🐄🦙

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Lifestyle Block Vet

10/09/2025

Barbers Pole Worm…. An early arrival !!! 🪱 🪱🪱

It’s not even Summer yet and The Lifestyle Vet team have been out and about carrying our blood transfusions on animals riddled by this worm.

This poor sheep has pale mucous membranes and the eye conjunctiva was white like a sheet of paper 🙈😢

🐑💈 The barber’s pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) is a blood-sucking parasite that lives in the stomach of sheep and goats. Its red-and-white striped appearance gives it its name, but what it does to your animals is far from harmless — causing anemia, weakness, and even death.

That’s why drenching with the right product is so important. Using the correct drench not only controls worms but also slows resistance, keeping treatments effective for longer. Using the wrong product, or repeatedly using long acting single action drenches, can make worms harder to manage.

✅ Carrying out FEC (faecal egg count) testing is crucial to know exactly what you’re dealing with. If your grass growth is low, your animals haven’t been drenched recently, and you think they may be at risk — get in touch.

If you’re new to owning sheep, goats or alpaca, get in touch with us about our annual sheep, alpaca and goat health care plans ☺️👌🦙🐐🐑🐏🐖🐄🐓

Making animal care easy ❤️

The Lifestyle Vet - Your Lifestyle Block Vet

26/08/2025

Meet Heidi the goat 🥰🐐

Last week The Lifestyle Vet team were very happy to help Heidi, a Saanen goat who had inadvertently ingested around 1L of copper sulphate solution which had bee used as a sheep footbath!

🧪 Copper is a vital trace mineral for livestock species however a balance is needed, as too much (toxicity) and too little (deficiency) can both lead to serious health problems.

🔶 Copper Toxicity is typically caused by consuming too much either by accident (in Heidi’s case) or by feeding an inappropriate diet. This is one reason why sheep and goats should never have access to feed made for any other species (cattle, pigs or chickens) as these can contain higher copper levels.

The excess copper causes damage to the liver as it is released into the blood stream and causes destruction of red blood cells which can then cause damage to the kidney as the body tries to excrete the products of this red blood cell destruction.

The clinical signs include dark red/brown coloured urine, abdominal pain, jaundice (yellow discolouration to the mucous membranes) as well as lethargy and inappetence.

🔶On the other hand ..... Copper deficiency in sheep and goats can be due to poor soil on grazing pasture or due to the direct interaction with other compounds in the diet. The signs include rough coat and fleece quality possibly with reduced pigmentation, anaemia, weight loss and weakening of bones leading to fractures! To diagnose a deficiency we take a blood sample and analyse the amount of copper present which can then aid with the decision of how much to supplement our patients with!

Thankfully, Heidi was admitted to the hospital for intravenous fluid therapy following comprehensive blood work and started on vey special human medication to bind the toxic levels of copper in the blood stream before it caused any further damage to the liver or kidneys!

We were overjoyed that Heidi recovered incredibly well. Thanks to her lovely owners providing ongoing medication, she has fully recovered and is back to her old self!

The Lifestyle Vet- Your lifestyle block vet 🦙🐐🐓🐑🐏🐖🐄

15/08/2025

🐷 Protect Your Pet Pigs – And Yourself – From Two Serious Diseases 💉

If you own pet pigs in New Zealand, vaccinations aren’t just a “good idea” – they’re essential for keeping your pigs healthy and protecting you and your family.

🐖 The two big threats:

Leptospirosis (“Lepto”) – A bacterial disease that can cause kidney and liver damage in pigs. Pigs can harbour and shed this bacterial organism to other animals and humans, without showing any clinical signs of the disease.

Zoonotic risk: It can spread to humans through contact with pig urine, contaminated water, or soil.

In people, Lepto can cause fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, chronic fatigue – and in serious cases, organ failure.

Erysipelothrix (“Erysipelas”) – A bacterial infection that can cause sudden death, high fever, painful joints, and diamond-shaped skin lesions in pigs.

💉 One vaccine covers both!

In NZ, Lepto-eryvac is the only licensed pig vaccine that protects against both leptospirosis and erysipelothrix.

This vaccine protects pigs from illness, suffering, and productivity loss. It also
protects you, your family, and anyone in contact with your pigs from dangerous zoonotic diseases

📅 Vaccination schedule- The vaccine needs to be adminstered twice (4–6 weeks apart) for first-time pigs. Then an annual booster is essential to maintain protection.

🛡 Why it matters?
Lepto and erysipelas can be silent threats – pigs don’t always show obvious symptoms until the disease is advanced. Once infected, these diseases can be hard and costly to treat, and the risks to human health are significant.

Vaccination is the safest, simplest way to protect your pigs and everyone who works or lives around them.

Ask your vet about Lepto-eryvac today – because prevention really is better than cure.

Need your pigs vaccinated? Forgot to get them sorted? Call or email us today to book into our piggie vaccination run!

📣 Share this post to help more pig owners protect their pets and families.

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Pig Vet

Phone:0278385433
Email: [email protected]

14/08/2025

🐑 Lambing Time – Know the 3 Stages of Labour 🐑

Lambing is one of the most exciting (and nerve-wracking!) times of year for sheep owners. Knowing the three clear stages of labour can help you recognise normal progress – and when your ewe might need a helping hand.

1️⃣ Stage One – Preparation

- ⏳ 6–12 hours (shorter in experienced ewes)
- Cervix is opening, lamb is moving into position
- Ewe may separate from the flock, paw at the ground, look restless, or lie down/get up repeatedly
- Light straining may occur but no lamb should be visible during stage 1

2️⃣ Stage Two – Delivery:

- ⏳ 30 min–2 hrs (longer for first-time mothers)
- Strong, regular straining/contractions should be occuring
- Water bag often appears, followed by front feet + nose (“diving” position)
- Most lambs born quickly once the head is out

🚨 If no progress occurs in 30–45 min of strong pushing, or if presentation looks abnormal – call your vet immediately

3️⃣ Stage Three – Delivery of the Placenta:

- ⏳ Up to 8 hrs after birth
- Ewe passes placenta
- If placenta hasn’t passed in 24 hrs, seek veterinary advice
- Keep ewe and lamb in clean, dry area if weather conditions are unfavourable

📞 When to call your vet?

Contact your vet immediately if:

- Stage Two lasts longer than 2 hours without a lamb being born
- There is no clear progression despite strong contractions
-The lamb appears in an abnormal position
- The ewe has been in stage 2 labour and has given up pushing altogether
- The ewe seems exhausted, distressed, or stops straining before lambing is complete

💡 Tip for owners:

- Watch from a distance to avoid stress
- Have clean gloves, lubricant, and your vet’s number ready

Early recognition of trouble can save lives! If you're worried about your lambing ewe, and you live in Auckland, PLEASE give us a call so that we can determine whether veterinary assistance is required.

❤️ Healthy lambs start with informed shepherds. Share this to help more sheep owners spot the signs and stages of a safe delivery.

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Lifestyle Block Vet
Phone:0278385433
Email: [email protected]

13/08/2025

🐷 KuneKune Pig Owners – Don’t Forget the Teeth! 🦷

The most common health problem we see in pet KuneKune pigs on lifestyle blocks is dental disease – and it almost always comes with a serious jawbone infection called osteomyelitis.

💡 Why Kune Kunes are at risk

KuneKunes have been selectively bred for specific traits, such as adorable short, upturned snouts and compact jaws – but this means their teeth can be crowded and sometimes misaligned. Food easily gets trapped between the back molars and gums, creating the perfect place for bacteria to grow. Over time, this infection can eat into the jawbone, travel through the facial bone and soft tissue structures or even tunnel up towards the forehead and eye!

🚨 Signs your pig might have dental disease

Watch for the following clues:

- Going off food or avoiding hard feed like carrots or nuts

- Chewing on one side or dropping food or poking of the tongue out of the mouth

- Swelling near the base of the ear or along the jaw

- Weight loss despite regular feeding and worming

- Lumps that eventually burst, releasing smelly fluid or bits of food 🤢

- Bad breath, drooling, or difficulty opening the mouth

- Sometimes, severe mouth damage is only found when the pig is sedated for hoof trimming

🔍 What’s happening inside the oral cavity?

When food gets stuck near the last molars, it can work its way under the gum and into the bone. This causes infection, bone destruction, and in long-standing cases, fistulas – channels connecting the mouth to the outside skin.

🩺 How do The Lifestyle Vet team diagnose this issue?

- Oral exam (sedation is required)

- X-rays or CT scans to see how much bone is affected and how advanced the fistulous tunnels are

⚕️ Treatment options:

- Surgery to remove infected bone and problem teeth

+Antibiotics chosen from lab culture results to target the bacteria involved

+ Pain relief and follow-up checks

✅ Prevention is better than cure

Dental disease can be hard to spot until it is fairly advanced. Regular dental check-ups with your vet (even if your pig looks fine) are key to diagnosing this disease early on.
It is also important to ensure you are feeding a diet that encourages natural chewing and tooth wear. Monitor your pig regularly for early signs of this common disease.

A healthy mouth means a happy pig! Catching problems early means less pain, easier treatment, and a longer, healthier life for your Kune Kune pig. Get in touch with our team to chat about our annual pig health care plans :)

📣 Share this with other pig owners to help spread awareness.

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Pig Vet

Phone:0278385433
Email: [email protected]

26/07/2025

Are you following our latest story on our piggie series?

Our followers had some great suggestions around what they thought may be causing illness in these two kune kune pigs below. Well done everyone for your great contribution and thoughts!

Most of you correctly identified that both piggies were significantly underweight. You also noticed that the pig's coats weren't looking the best. One pig had a rather large hole on the side of its face that was discharging material.

What if I told you that both of these pigs were completely up to date with worming and that neither of them were suffering from external parasites...

As soon as The Lifestyle Vet team sees a pig patient that has a low body condition score, has been losing weight despite regular supplementary feeding and also has a history of being up to date with worming, we think of one thing...Dental disease.

Both pigs were sedated and oral exams were carried out.

Look what we found...

We've also included some extra pictures of similar cases that have been diagnosed.

It is important to note that Kune Kune pigs don't have to be underweight to have severe dental disease. More often than not, dental disease in kune kune pigs is an incidental finding. This means that they may have an excellent body condition score, eat and drink incredibly well and we find this disease process only because we are looking for it.

What causes this issue in kune kune pigs? Stay tuned to find out more tomorrow!

Do you think this disease process would be painful?

24/07/2025

The Lifestyle Vet team absolutely LOVE working with a variety of lifestyle block animals, however piggies have quickly become one of our favourite species to work with.

Most vets at this point would be wondering, why?

Let's be honest...

They aren't often particularly compliant. They are incredibly intelligent and will absolutely remember that mean vet that once gave them a vaccine 3 years ago. Our ability to find an IV access point is limited and they are so stoic that by the time the owner or vet notices that the pig is unwell, it is usually very very sick.

Regardless, we have learnt so much by working with them for the last 10 year period and they have rapidly become one of the most common species that The Lifestyle Vet team work with.

We wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the knowledge we have learned so far, by educating vets and pig owners on one of the most common diseases our team diagnose in Kune Kune pigs.

So here we go....

What's wrong with the Kune Kune pigs in these pictures?

Don't be shy.... tell us everything you can visibly see that you think may be wrong with the piggies in this picture. They were both still eating well, drinking well, but they were moving around a little less than usual.

24/07/2025

Sometimes all you need is a big support crew cheering you on when you wake up from a sedation ❤️

These gorgeous little minis watched over their alpaca friend as she recovered from her dental check 🥰

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Lifestyle Block Vet