The Lifestyle Vet

02/04/2025

It is our pleasure to introduce an incredibly special patient to you this week...

Meet Hazel the goat

Hazel is a 6 month old goat who was rescued by her incredible owner. Hazel had an enormous congenital cleft palate defect on the roof of her mouth since birth, spanning 12.5cm long and 1.4cm wide.

Unfortunately, the large defect caused Hazel to develop pneumonia over time due to her inability to keep her airway and food passages separate. Anytime she drank liquids, milk or hard feed, food would travel up through the defect into her respiratory tract. This food would eventually travel to her lungs, causing a severe infection called aspiration pneumonia.

Her wonderful primary vets at Vet Services Hawkes Bay decided to refer her to The Lifestyle Vet so that we could hospitalise Hazel and come up with a treatment plan for her.

Hazel was hospitalised, placed on intravenous fluid therapy, intravenous antibiotics, and other supportive medications. A week later, once her aspiration pneumonia was treated, she was finally stable enough for further intervention. Hazel was scheduled in for a CT scan and surgery at Animal Referral Centre so that we could surgically repair her large cleft palate defect! Her CT scan revealed that both cranial lung fields were damaged from chronic pneumonia.

As you can see from the photos, her surgery was a success!

A massive thank you to the surgical team at ARC, led by Lee Beaver, and anaesthesia specialist Jo Chaggas for such an exceptional job in carrying out her surgical repair and anaesthesia. Another huge thank you to The Lifestyle Vet team for caring for little Hazel 24/7, around the clock, in our animal hospital so that she could receive all of the medical pre and post-operative treatments she needed to facilitate her recovery. Finally, the biggest thank you of all to her incredible owner who was 100% dedicated in providing Hazel with a second lease on life.

This little goat has made a full recovery to date and we are over the moon to be able to share this case with our followers

20/03/2025

Haven't provided your alpaca herd with preventative treatments since shearing?

They will now be well due for the following:

- Vitamin D supplementation
- Drenching (based on faecal egg count results is best)
- Nail trimming
- Their 6 monthly vaccination booster

Don't wait until it's too late. Preventing disease is Key!

To book in a visit with our friendly and experienced alpaca team, give us a call today!

The Lifestyle Vet offers either individual one-off visits or comprehensive veterinary camelid health care plans. Each health plan is designed and customised by our alpaca vet to meet the individual needs of the animals present on your lifestyle block.

The aim of our health plans are to reduce the incidence of disease in your beloved animals. Many of the diseases that alpacas are susceptible to are in fact preventable. We enjoy teaching camelid owners how to handle and look after their animals, and how to administer preventative medications.

How can we help you?

- Drenching dependent on worm counts
- Regular Faecal Egg Counting to check worm status
- All the necessary vaccinations
- Regular foot trimming
- Regular body condition scoring
- Vitamin D injections when required
- Regular checks on your animals by a Veterinarian during visits
- Alpaca Shearing by our professional shearers (additional to health plan)
- Educational teaching sessions

For more information about our veterinary alpaca health care plans, get in touch with us TODAY!

Email: [email protected]
Call us on: 027 VET LIFE (027 838 5433)

Welcome to the Lifestyle Vet! Our veterinarians provide a gold standard service for your lifestyle block animals, all year round. We offer veterinary services, lifestyle block referral services and support services, including annual health care plans, shearing, animal burial and removal and more...

07/03/2025

The Lifestyle Vet team are excited to announce that we are looking for a veterinarian to join our team ❤️❤️❤️🐐🐑🦙👏

We are seeking either an enthusiastic recent graduate or experienced veterinarian to join our incredible team. We are offering a full-time permanent position including afterhours on a shared roster. 🥳

The Lifestyle Vet is a boutique veterinary practice, focusing exclusively on lifestyle block animal species such as sheep, camelids, cattle, goats and pigs.

About us:

Our progressive practice provides high-end veterinary services for many of Auckland’s lifestyle blocks. A regular week may include anything from implementing preventative health care services for lifestyle block animals to carrying out camelid plasma transfusions, or taking a goat into Animal Referral Centre for a CT scan.

Our practice is incredibly passionate about teaching and we provide placement opportunities for Massey veterinary students as well as other Universities from all over the world. Located in West Auckland, Muriwai beach and Woodhill Forest are on your doorstep, and Auckland city is merely a 25-minute drive away. Our practice is eligible for the rural bonding scheme.

If you are looking for a veterinary job that provides high end veterinary care for farm pets, and provides you with purpose and job satisfaction, then this position is for you! This position is available from April 2025, but we are willing to wait for the right candidate.

What else?

• You’re never alone, we work in teams of two or more
• We have in house idexx machines, ulltrasound, digital X-ray facilities and on-site surgical facilities.Advanced imaging is available off-site.
• Our clients are lovely, trusting and come to see us from all around the country
• We provide referral services for lifestyle block animal species

Why join our Team?

• We are a progressive and social veterinary practice
• We provide a positive, supportive and nurturing workplace culture
• You’ll be valued and supported, both personally and professionally
• We build positive relationships with our caring and wonderful clients

If you think this sounds like your dream job and you would like to join our work family, send your CV, along with a cover letter, as to why you think you would be suited for the role, to:

[email protected]

27/02/2025

The Lifestyle Vet team were overjoyed to be able to help this beautiful little cria called Valetta ❤️❤️

Valetta missed out on receiving colostrum within 12 hours of birth and was rapidly becoming hypoglycaemic and lethargic. On arrival, quick in house blood testing also revealed that she was septic. Bacteria managed to enter her body either orally or via her navel, causing sepsis.

An intravenous jugular catheter was promptly inserted. Valetta received IV antibiotics, intravenous fluid therapy and a plasma transfusion procedure. After 48 hours of hospitalisation she was bright as a button and ready to return home to her overjoyed owner.

It was an absolute pleasure helping treat Valetta in our hospital as a referral patient and we were happy to be able to send her back home healthy.

The Lifestyle Vet- Your lifestyle block vet
🥰🦙🦙🦙🐐🐐🐐🐏🐏🐏🐖🐖🐖🥰

31/01/2025

Have you ever noticed any small masses growing on the white-haired areas of your sheep or goat?

Have you noticed changes to the white-haired areas on the tips of the ears, nose, face or back of the body?

Your animal friend may or may not be suffering from an aggressive cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Any mass or swelling that is growing on a white-haired animal could be a SCC, a type of aggressive cancer that is particularly prevalent in Aotearoa. Did you know that squamous cell carcinomas are the most common oral malignant tumour in cats? Our farm pets are not immune to this cancer either.

What is a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)?

SCC are tumours of squamous cells, a type of skin cell which rapidly divides and affects the skin cells abnormally. Exposure to sunlight is a trigger for this cancer and hence we may see this more type of cancer more commonly on the light-skinned or sparsely-coated areas of the body. This malignant tumour is great at spreading, and it likes to rapidly invade into vital organs, such as the lungs.

Luckily, if caught early, it may be treated depending on the size, severity of malignancy/spread, patient safety and invasiveness. This is why we recommend checking your farm pets regularly for any unusual masses or swellings, especially on the face and ears regions.

SCC can be a painful. As the skin changes, this cancer causes large ulcerative lesions that become secondarily infected with bacteria. This can predispose the animal to further issues, such as fly-strike.

What can your Veterinarian do?

If your Veterinarian is suspicious of a SCC, they will likely take a sample of the mass to try obtain a definitive diagnosis though microscopic cytology. If a SCC is confirmed, or of the tissue changes are highly suspicious for SCC, the next steps may involve carrying out additional diagnostic tests to determine whether the tumour has spread or not (metastasized). If there is no evidence of metastasis, then the SCC mass can usually be surgically removed.

If you have noticed any abnormal swellings or masses on your lifestyle farm pets, please call your Veterinarian.

The Lifestyle Vet - Helping you care for your beloved lifestyle block pets ❤

Phone 8am-5pm: 027 838 5433
After-hours Emergency Phone: 027 838 5431

[email protected]

28/01/2025

It's that favourite time of the year! Sunshine, long days, BBQs and celebrations for the New Year! 🥂🎊🍾

However, this is unfortunately also the time of year we see more dog attacks on lifestyle properties.

Why do dog attacks happen?

It is a normal behaviour for dogs to chase moving objects, including animals. This can be motivated by play behaviour and may not be due to other intentions. This can be due to the role of evolution, breed predisposition, training and opportunity. Regardless, even a well-trained domesticated dog is capable of seeking out livestock and causing damage.

What can happen?

A combination of crushing and tearing injuries are usually involved with dog attack wounds. Dogs have high numbers of mixed bacterial organisms living within their oral cavity, and these bacterial organisms are almost always transferred from the dog's mouth to the sheep's tissue when a sheep is bitten.

The severity of the injuries are usually only visible 4-6 days after the initial injury occurred. Around this time, we are able to see the extent of tissue bruising, infection, fractures or any other tissue injury. Although you may only see a few small holes where the canine teeth have penetrated the skin, underneath the skin there is almost always profound soft tissue damage. Every single puncture wounds should be explored thoroughly to determine how extensive the tissue damage is underneath the skin.

If dog bite wounds are untreated, even for a few days, the affected areas usually become horrendously infected and the level of treatment required to treat affected areas multiplies. In many cases, regular surgical wound debridement, IV medications, intravenous fluid therapy and intravenous medications and pain relief are a must. Therefore,prompt veterinary assessment and intervention is key!

Remember, that what you see on the outside of the sheep visually is just the "tip of the iceberg" and extensive tissue damage is usually present 90% of the time, underneath the skin. In some cases, vital organs and joint cavities have been penetrated, resulting in a poorer prognosis.

If you notice a dog attack on your sheep or livestock, please call a Veterinarian immediately so that they can assess your animals. The stress alone of being chased can cause severe respiratory distress and muscle issues, especially in geriatric sheep.

What can we do to help prevent dog attacks?

Prevention is key! Avoid leaving dogs unsupervised or off lead around a property where they could chase livestock. Have the dogs been trained around stock? If not, they should be on lead at all times on a farm or lifestyle block property.
Friends and family coming over to your property with dogs should be advised beforehand there livestock are present the property, and that the dog must be restrained.

If necessary, move your livestock to a paddock located faraway from the main celebrations at your property.

The Lifestyle Vet - Helping you care for your beloved lifestyle block pets ❤

Phone 8am-5pm: 027 838 5433
After-hours Emergency Phone: 027 838 5431

[email protected]

10/01/2025

🐐 Meet Doris the Goat! 🐐

Doris is living her best life with her custom-built headbail, designed by her amazing owners for her foot trims! This setup even includes a willow feeding station, making hoof trimming time a treat! 😍

A huge shout out to our incredible clients who go the extra mile to ensure their animals are comfortable and our jobs are a little easier. You all are simply the best! ❤️✨

Let’s hear it for all the goat lovers out there! 🐐❤️

09/01/2025

🦙 Meet Tina the Alpaca! 🦙

During Tina’s recent health check, our vet team noticed that one side of her lower jaw was thicker than normal, and she winced with pain when we pressed gently on her lower jaw area. Our hearts sank—this can often point to serious dental problems like dental disease or infections! 😔

On first glance, when we looked in her mouth, everything looked fine, but the X-ray told a different story. Thanks to our handy portable on farm X-ray machine, we were able to X-ray Tina's mouth in the comfort of her own home, or paddock.

Tina had multiple tooth root infections that were so advanced that they had caused a bone infection! Thankfully, we caught it early before the infection could spread. Just like with humans, X-rays can reveal hidden issues that you might not spot right away. For alpacas, these infections can pop up quickly, so early detection is key. 🔑

To give Tina the best chance at recovery, she needed dental surgery. She was brought into the hospital with a friend for comfort (of course!), and under general anesthetic and opioid pain relief, we carefully removed the diseased molars through an incision in the side of her cheek. This was a delicate procedure, but the wound is healing nicely.

Tina’s surgery was a success, and she did so well, She’s already back home, munching on grass 🌾🎉 Thanks to her awesome owners, who are dedicated to giving her regular pain relief and antibiotics, she’s well on her way to a full recovery.
Here’s to a smooth recovery for this brave alpaca superstar! 🦙💪❤️

A massive thank you to Tina's wonderful caring owner, who went above and beyond to provide Tina with a pain free mouth so that she could eat comfortably. A second big thank you to The Lifestyle Vet team who were grateful to be able to help this beautiful animal.

If your farm animals are your pets and you'd like to go above and beyond for them, get in touch with The Lifestyle Vet. We'd love to be able to help you care for your animal's health care.

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Lifestyle Block Vet

Phone- 0278385433
Afterhours- 0278385431

08/01/2025

Great post from The Alpaca Vet in the UK ☺️👌🎄

🎄🎄🎄CHRISTMAS TREES!!!

I see quite a few posts online about feeding Christmas trees to alpacas, as everyone is turfing theirs unceremoniously out of their houses!! One year I asked Camelid Nutrition guru Bob Van Saun about this...

He said that the needles are of reasonable nutrient composition and don't pose any health issues. The only toxic Christmas type tree that he was aware of was the Ponderosa Pine - although that doesn't look like it would ever be used as a Christmas tree.

Do always be aware that because Christmas trees are sold by a wide variety of merchants and have to be indoors for extended periods of time looking lovely, some retailers may sell treated trees. Check to make sure that yours isn't treated with any chemicals if you feel like offering it to your animals.

Also remember that too much of anything different can sometimes caught gut upset, so don't feed too much at once! One tree among a bunch is probably going to be fine...

PS I'd also suggest taking the ornaments off first, unlike the AI that created this image!! ;)

08/01/2025

🌟🐑 Check out this cozy stable our clients have made for their sheep to chill out in

🐑✨ Our clients truly know how to create a welcoming home for their sheep. 🏡💖
We love seeing the creativity and care our amazing clients put into looking after their animals!

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Lifestyle Block Vets

08/01/2025

🌞 Is Your Farm Ready for a long hot Summer? 🌞

Summer has arrived and as temperatures rise, grass growth will slow down—so it's time to start planning! 🐑🌾

To keep your animals happy and healthy during the dry season, it's crucial to have a feeding strategy in place.

Without enough feed, your livestock could face serious challenges like malnutrition, poor growth, and weight loss. This can even lead to conditions like fatty liver disease, brain malfunctions (PEM), or increased risk of consuming toxic plants. 🌿⚠️ Animals exposed to extra nutritional stressors are also much more at risk of developing parasitism.

✅ Keep Grass at Optimal Lengths

- Adult sheep need grass levels above 2cm (this is a minimum)
- Young lambs should have grass over 3cm (this is a minimum)

Running out of grass during summer is common, and many of our clients need to provide supplementary feed. Get ahead of the rush and secure your hay now—before it sells out! 🐐🐑

🌱 Safe Supplementary Feeds:
For alpacas, sheep, and goats, options like lucerne or timothy chaff and fresh meadow hay are great choices to keep them thriving. You can also add in some Hygain brand micronised luppins to increase the protein content of their feed supply.

Alpacas need special alpaca zinc pellets so they are protected from facial eczema, make sure to give this from January to April. We highly recommend checking facial eczema grass levels.

👉 Contact us today for more information to ensure your animals are well-fed and healthy this summer! ☀️

The Lifestyle Vet- Providing an exceptional level of veterinary care for your beloved lifestyle block pets

Phone: 0278385433
Afterhours: 0278385431

01/01/2025

When did you last drench your animals? Are you sure they are protected?

Yesterday our team raced out to see a wee little lamb who was unable to stand. Her gums were as white as a sheet of paper. She was diagnosed with Barbers Pole Worm.

What caused this lamb to be so severely parasitised?

Well, female Haemonchus worms can lay up to 10,000 eggs per day. These eggs are passed in the animal’s poo, and then hatch and thrive in manure and on the grass around manure, during the warmer summer months. When animals are forced to graze near their own manure, they are much more at risk of ingesting Haemonchus worms. Because most lifestyle blocks have limited land, and animals live in the same paddocks for many years, it is inevitable they will pick up lots of worms as they graze. To kill these worms inside the animal, reduce worm numbers in the poo/environment and protect the animals, we drench them at specific times of the year.

If drenching is not carried out during the high risk period between December and April, WEEKLY faecal egg count testing should be carried out to monitor the level of parasitism in your animals.

These lambs unfortunately weren’t signed up to our preventative sheep health care plans like the adult sheep were. They missed being drenched between December and February, and within this 8 week prior they became heavily parasitised.

Which drench should be used in barbers pole susceptible areas?

Thousands of drenches are available on the market, but which one should be used?

- the drench of choice should have a slightly longer action in summer to cover barbers pole worm
- the drench of choice should contain at least 2-3 active ingredients to help prevent the development to drench resistance
- the drench needs to be administered correctly and the weight of the animal needs to be estimated as accurately as possible.

In a perfect world, these lambs should have received a drench of polerize or clomax in January, which would then again be repeated in March.

Clomax or Polerize drenches are excellent drenches for the Summer period, as it protects specifically against Barbers pole worm. However, we also need to ensure that we are NOT using a drench that contains only one drench family. Please ensure that you are using a double action as a bare minimum to prevent drench resistance in your beloved animals. If in doubt, please ask us!

What can you do to prevent Barbers pole parasitism in your animals?

1. Use an effective drenching programme

2. Carry out regular Faecal Egg Counts (FEC) with larval cultures to find out exactly how many worms, and which types of worms your animals have, so you can work out when the best time is to drench.

3. Check the mucous membranes of your sheep by pulling down the lower eyelid. If they look pale, they could be anaemic.

***Please note that although checking mucous membrance colour is a great way to check for anaemia, it SHOULD NOT be relied on as a tool to decide when to drench your animals. By the time their mucous membranes are pale, they are already anaemic and you have in fact missed the boat. Please contact us to discuss the implementation of an effective drench programme for your lifestyle block.

We can do all of this for you as part of our Annual Health Care Plan. If you are interested in joining our sheep, goat, pig or camelid annual health care plans, get in touch with us and we can send you an information pack.

The Lifestyle Vet- providing an exceptional level of veterinary care for your beloved lifestyle block pets. inside the

www.thelifestylevet.co.nz

027 838 5433
[email protected]

31/12/2024

Happy New Year 🥳 🎄🐖🐑🐄🦙🐓🐐🦌

As we roll into another exciting year, The Lifestyle Vet team just wanted to take a moment to thank all of those people who donated funds in 2024 towards those animals in need who ended up in our care.

The Lifestyle Vet end up with a few pro bono cases here and there, some of which survive and some of which don’t.

Thank you to our incredible clients with massive hearts who always go out of their way to help animals ❤️

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Lifestyle Block Vet

30/12/2024

Jenny, one of our awesome lifestyle block veterinarians, carrying out a mass removal on a geriatric alpaca.

This cute alpaca had a nasty looking lump growing on the inside of his leg. The lump was located right next to some major arteries and veins so we decided it was best to remove it asap.

Sometimes our team are lucky enough to have clients help us with our surgeries, when the clients are medical professionals. In this case, our wonderful clients assisted us with the patient’s anaesthesia.

We love what we do ❤️❤️❤️🦙🦙🦙

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Lifestyle Block Vet

Phone: 0278385433
Afterhours: 0278385431

29/12/2024

After being called out to see a number of fly-struck sheep on different properties in a single day, we felt it was time for our first fly-strike post of the season.

Fly-strike - What is it and how does it happen?

Are you seeing large brown blowflies in your house? Well, they're probably also having a party on your sheep!

Wet warm days generate a perfect breeding ground for pesky flies.

Fly-strike- How does it happen?

Firstly, it is important to know that we are dealing with two different species of fly here:

1. The large brown blowfly- this fly is attracted to bad smells and usually targets sheep early on in the season. If your sheep have poopy bums, have urine scalding, have a wound, are sweaty, have a horn injury, or, if they just smell really really bad for whatever reason, this fly gets in on the action. The brown blowfly will lay its eggs on the fleece. The maggots hatch, travel down to the skin and eat away at the flesh causing extensive tissue damage, pain and infection.

2. The green australian fly- this fly will lay eggs on the back and rump of any sheep. It doesn't care if the sheep is smelly or whether it has just been bubble bathed and smells like roses. Any sheep will do. It also lays eggs, which hatch into maggots and travel to the skin, where they cause extensive tissue damage.

So, regardless of whether you've organised sheep shearing early on in the season or not, your sheep can STILL become fly-struck if you have not applied a fly-strike preventative.

The best product on the market is called Clik Extra and it needs to be applied using a special fan spray applicator gun to ensure even distribution of the product over the back and rump area. Pouring it on with a syringe will reduce efficacy. Clik Extra contains dicylanil, a fantastic product which lasts up to 24 weeks.

Please note that although this is the best product on the market, its label claims are 14-24 weeks, which is why we recommend administering a second dose in January if your sheep fall into the following categories:

- valais, dorper or awassi breed
- morbidly obese and sweat a lot
- parasitism issues or coccidia problems causing faecal staining on a regular basis despite shearing
- urine scalding usually in obese animals
- if any underlying disease exists causing immunosuppression.

If you’re using a product called Zapp encore, one of the active ingredients is triflumuron. There is now widespread resistance of flies to this product, which is why we don’t recommend using triflumuron based products. A scientific study conducted in 2013 by Waghorn et al discusses this in more detail.

PLEASE walk amongst your sheep every single day and check them over. If you notice any of the following, call us immediately:

- lethargy and lack of grazing
- patches of wool that appear wet or discoloured
- itching or rubbing certain areas
- twitching or appearing agitated
- lots of flies hanging around the affected area

Finally, if your sheep are fly-struck and some numpty recommends that you pour diesel all over the affected area to “kill the maggots”, and you do this, our team won’t hesitate to tell you what we think. Please do not pour diesel onto your animal’s infected open wounds 🤦‍♀️😳😪

Let’s prevent disease together! If your sheep aren't booked in for shearing or they have been shorn but didn’t receive a fly-strike preventative PLEASE call our team to book a technician visit in with our nursing team. We are happy to share your mileage costs with others to keep costs down!

We have a number of sheep shearers who will be carrying our shearing runs throughout the Auckland region. To book in, call us :)

8am-5pm: 0278385433
Afterhours emergency : 0278385431
[email protected]

The Lifestyle Vet- Your lifestyle block vet

29/12/2024

The Lifestyle Vet team are overjoyed to be able to welcome Jenny, our newest veterinarian, to the team 🍾🍾🍾🎄

Jenny graduated from Massey University with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2023. In her prior life before entering Veterinary School, she worked as a qualified Pharmacist in Aotearoa for five years after graduating from The University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours.

During this time, she also gained her Certificate in Animal Science which helped to solidify her passion for becoming a large animal Veterinarian.

Currently, she is working on her Masters of Veterinary Medicine through Massey University, focusing on cardiorespiratory medicine, dermatology and ruminant nutrition.

She is passionate about the veterinary career and was recently appointed as the Graduate Observer for early-career Veterinarians on the NZ Veterinary Association Board.

In her spare time, you will often find Jenny being bossed around by her three Burmese cats and one dog. She describes herself as an amateur vegetable grower, amateur guitar player and keen tennis player.

Welcome to the team Jenny ❤️❤️❤️

05/11/2024

What a fantastic team we have ❤️❤️❤️

Never a dull moment here! Whether it’s juggling a hospital full of patients, doing alpaca surgery, a pig CT scan or racing around providing preventative health care and shearing services, we love what we do 🥰🦙🐑🐄🐓🐐

The Lifestyle Vet- Your Lifestyle Block Vet ❤️

24/10/2024

The Importance of Pain Relief for Birds: Advocate for Your Feathered Friends
Birds experience pain just like any other animal, whether due to injuries, illnesses, surgeries, or chronic conditions. However, they are experts at masking discomfort, often showing only subtle signs such as changes in behavior, reduced appetite, or altered posture.
Unmanaged pain can lead to serious consequences for your bird, including a weakened immune system, slower recovery, and long-term behavioral changes like aggression or withdrawal. Chronic pain can also cause significant stress, which further exacerbates health issues.
Providing appropriate pain relief is essential not only for your bird’s comfort but also for their overall well-being and recovery. Unfortunately, in New Zealand, many vets may not routinely prescribe pain relief for birds. This makes it crucial for you as a pet owner to advocate for your bird's needs. If you believe your bird is in pain and your vet doesn’t suggest pain relief, don’t hesitate to question them about it. Ensuring your bird receives proper pain management is a vital part of their care.
By being proactive and informed, you can help ensure your bird leads a happier, healthier life, free from unnecessary pain.