Lisa Whitfield - Farm Vet Services

08/11/2024

Drench Toxicity - Please Take Care

We recently received an urgent call from a client who had brought in their calves to recieve their first drench.

After the first few calves had been drenched, they noticed that the calves were acting strangely - breathing rapidly, swishing their tails, colicking, diarrhoea and agitated. This had quickly progressed to two calves being down and two more showing signs.

This rang immediate alarm bells for drench toxicity and we left to get to the farm as soon as possible.

By the time we arrived, the two recumbent calves had already died. The remaining two were twitchy, had diarrhoea, and were breathing rapidly.

We immediately administered a muscle relaxant and antiinflammtory into the vein, and gave them both 3L of cold electrolytes each.

Their temperature was dangerously high at above 41 degrees celsius, which was due to their excessive muscle activity from hyperventilating and twitching muscles, so they were cooled down by pouring buckets of cold water over them.

The signs the calves were showing were classic for Levamisole toxicity.

During the treatment process we ascertained a few problems with how drenching had done:

-The calves had been drenched for 120kg liveweight, which was substantially higher than what they actually were.
- The drench gun was not considered to be very accurate
- The drench used was a low-dose drench (1ml per 20kg) meaning every extra milliliter of drench give was much more potent that a 1ml per 10kg product

Levamisole is an incredibly powerful drench and many of you have been told to make sure it is included in your youngstock drenches. However, along with it being a powerful drench it also has a very low safety margin, which means that toxicity easily can occur when dosing is inaccurate. The safety margin is quoted at being 2 - 3 x the recommended dose rate.

Levamisole acts as a.stimulant. It kills worms by causing them to spasm so much that they become paralyzed, die and are expelled. The normal doses given to stock are enough to kill worms, but not enough to kill the animals drenched, however when the dose becomes too high, it has much the same stimulant effect on a calf or a sheep as it does on a worm.

Luckily for the two calves which survived until we got there, they recovered uneventful from their close call. Levamisole is an extremely short acting drench, with a half life of 16 hours, so once they are through the first few hours of toxicity signs they generally will recover fully.

The owners of these calves have kindly agreed for me to share this case with you, so that you can learn from their loss - please take care when drenching your stock!

Drenches are not innocuous for the animal being drenched, and toxicity is a risk if you are guesstimating liveweights. Make sure the drench gun you are using is dosing accurately, and double check the dose rate you remember is correct before you drench any stock. You might watch the videos and think that the signs aren't that bad but remember, there are two dead animals already in the foreground, and the video is taken immediately after the emergency treatment had been administered.

06/11/2024

We were recently contacted about a yearling dairy heifer who had been found with a very swollen elbow. The grazier was concerned she had dislocated her elbow and wanted an assessment of what was going on.

On examination, the heifer was moving quite well considering how large the swelling was. She could fully weight bear on the leg and was only slightly lame.

With the heifer restrained in the headbail, we could have a good feel of the leg. The swelling was mainly located on the inner side of the leg, between the leg and body. It was not painful or hot to touch, and the heifer had a normal temperature of 38.7 degrees celsius.

The most likely potential causes of the swelling were a hematoma or abscess. In order to differentiate between these two possibilities, the accessible part of the swelling was clipped and scrubbed, and a needle introduced - the hub of the needle filled up with pus! Abscess!

The heifer was lightly sedated and local anaesthetic was placed under the skin over the swelling. An incision was made to open and drain the abscess - and more than half a litre of pus was drained out.

The cavity was flushed and left to continue draining. The heifer recieved antiinflammatory for pain relief.

On the inside of the cavity, it felt as though she had torn a ligament on the inner side of her elbow. Whatever had caused this to happen had probably resulted in a large hematoma which subsequently abscesses.

This is another example of a large abscess in a really strange location - but we continue to be surprised most days with the problems animals present to us!

All the best to this heifer for a quick recovery during the breeding season 🌟🌟🌟

02/11/2024

It was great to have a day off and a day out being involved in supporting and exhibiting at the Alpaca Show, as part of the 2024 Manawatu A and P Show today, despite the shocking weather!

We brought home a few ribbons, and it was lovely to network with all of the other exhibitors, who had travelled from far and wide around the North Island to show their stock - a big thank you to everyone involved for making the trip :)

02/10/2024

A Tale of Two Heifers

This week we were called to examine two heifers who were unwell, on two different farms.

#37 and #115 had both been noticed to be off their milk, and to be hollow in the gut.

On examination, we found that both of them had normal temperatures, heart rates and respiratory rates.
They had good mucous membrane colour. Their gut was functioning normally.

So what was ailing these heifers?

Both heifers were seen to be drooling. Upon opening their mouths, the problems became very apparent!

Both heifers had infected incisor teeth and swelling of the end of the jaw, with pus discharging from the area where the incisor tooth roots lie. Their 1st adult incisor teeth were erupting, which provides an entrance for infection to get into the soft tissues.

This was making eating very painful for the both of them, and explains why they had poor gut fill and were drooling.

At this time of year, milking cows that don't eat enough are also at high risk of developing ketosis, so for these heifers, their painful mouths put them at high risk of developing secondary Ketosis. #115 was experiencing this, with a high Ketone level at 1.7mmol/L.

The heifers were put onto a course of antibiotics to try and deal with the infections. They were also given a course of pain relief to help encourage them to feel more like eating while they heal.

#115 also received treatment for Ketosis, including MPG drenches and an IV bag of Dextrose.

There is a high risk that they will lose the infected teeth in the long run, however, this is not as big an issue for cows as they don't use their front teeth very often compared to other species.

Teething is common at this time of year, and you will no doubt notice some of the younger animals are drooling occasionally. However, if the drooling becomes persistent, or they appear unwell or are losing weight, getting them checked is a good idea.

All the best to #37 and #115 in their recoveries over the next few weeks 🌟🌟🌟

01/10/2024

Is your sheep starting to look like a snowball on legs?

Don't forget - it's time to make a plan for shearing your wooly monsters!

There are a number of people working in the Manawatu to provide small blocks with easy and convenient shearing options for small numbers of sheep. They are very busy people - so make sure you book well in advance of when your sheep need shearing, so the shearers can plan their shearing runs most efficiently, and so that you don't end up missing out on a spot until after the Christmas holiday period.

Our sheep Lambie has been showing signs of overheating with the 20 degree weather recently - lying down a lot more, and breathing faster than he should.
As he is a crossbred Wiltshire, he doesn't shed very well, so we jumped in and took his fleece off today. He almost looks like he is smiling now!

In addition to shearing, there are a few other things to think about before the shearers visit:

- Each year we hear of sheep which are bolused with Zinc at shearing to prevent Facial Eczema - do not have your sheep bolused with Zinc prior to Christmas, as this is a complete waste of time and money and will not protect them against Facial Ezcema, which occurs in Autumn.

- Vaccinations - recommendations are that vaccinations are done away from very stressful events which interfere with the immune system response to the vaccine - and this includes shearing! If your sheep need a booster vaccination, consider doing this separately to shearing to allow the vaccine to work properly

- We commonly hear of all sheep being drenched at shearing. Sheep do not need a blanket annual drench if they are in good condition, do not have a dirty backside, and have good mucous membrane colour. Please reconsider blanket drenching your stock - only drench individuals who are showing signs of parasitism or are in poor health - underweight, dirty backends or pale mucous membranes are triggers for a drench.

30/09/2024

Enjoy...a 1 minute of slow motion video of me opening a box 🫢, followed by the successful release of our Hawk on Friday 👍👍👍

26/09/2024

Update, it sounds like our Hawk from a few weeks back has had quite the attitude while she has been in Wildbase hospital and in the Wildbase recovery centre - but is being release back to the wild very soon. Thanks to everyone a who has helped her in her recovery from a broken leg!

Kāhu Bunnythorpe chose a unique way to exit its carry box when it was admitted a few weeks ago!

It’s currently working on regaining fitness including improving using the left leg for perching and eating prey.

Interested in helping native wildlife? Volunteer today!
https://wildbaserecovery.co.nz/help-us/volunteer/

23/09/2024

Check out these impressive sand cracks we found in a cow recently!

This cow was being treated for lameness in a rear leg, when it was noticed that her front right claws were not in great shape either.

When we picked up the hoof, it was remarkable that she wasn't lame in this leg given the depth of the cracks near her toes.

Sand cracks can develop when environmental conditions are chronically wet or when the hoof is very dry and brittle - no need to guess which is more likely in this case...

There can also be a genetic and breed predispositions and mineral deficiencies which increase the risk of this condition developing.

Luckily sand cracks rarely cause lameness in cattle, so while we tidied up the underrun areas in the toes, the rest should grow out with time.

20/09/2024

I think we can all agree there has been enough rain for now, and it can take a break for a bit!

Positives to come out of this weather:

✔️ Water tanks full to overflowing
✔️ Multiple new water features on the property
✔️ A new pair of Gumboots is on the cards after a hole revealed itself mid-wade while feeding out this morning

On the flipside, please keep a close eye on your stock over the coming days and weeks, as there is a high chance of pneumonia developing after this spell of persistent rain.

Look out for animals which are:

- Not grazing enthusiastically
- Slow to move onto a new break or lagging behind
- Seperating themselves from the herd or flock
- Coughing
- Breathing with extra effort
- Losing body condition

If you are worried about any of your animals, please get in touch, we are happy to discuss what is going on and arrange a visit if needed.

19/09/2024

We recently met #217, a 5 year old Fresian dairy cow.

217 calved 5 weeks ago, and had been recently noticed by her owner as she was losing weight and not producing much milk. She was otherwise bright and eating.

We were asked to take a look at her to see what was going on. When we arrived, she was out in the paddock grazing.

On examination, 217 was low in body condition. She had a normal temperature and heart rate, and her heart sounded clear and strong. Her respiratory rate was ok but she was heaving with a bit of extra respiratory effort, and her lung sounds were slightly loud. She was not dehydrated. She didn't dip on her withers pinch test. Her gut was working well and she produced very healthy looking cow pat. She had mild endometritis.
Otherwise her exam was unremarkable.

So what was going on with #217?

We got out the ultrasound to check for signs of internal disease.

Her lungs showed minimal issues on the left and the right side of the chest. On the right hand side, her gut was working well and appeared to be the right size. There was no free fluid in her ventral abdomen.

On the left hand side we looked to see where the rumen and reticulum sit next to each other - and instead found something quite spectacular. While the reticulum was in its normal position, it was not contracting back and forth as it should. Adjacent to the reticulum, where the rumen should have been sitting, was a large area filled with fluid and fibrin!

Hardware disease!

A large abscess was pushing the rumen about 20cm further back from where it was supposed to be sitting. This large area of infection appeared well walled off from the rest of the abdomen. The ultrasound images shown don't do it justice, but I've tried to show what was being seen in the images.

This explains why she didn't dip on her withers pinch test. The withers pinch is literally that - physically grabbing the withers, and this normally causes a cow to dip her spine in the middle. However, when they have pain in the front part of their abdomen, they will avoid dipping due to the discomfort the movement causes them.

For 217, as her heart and lungs appeared to be unaffected and she was bright and eating well, it was decided to give her chance and try treatment - this included a course of the best antibiotics, and passing a magnet into her stomach in the hopes that any stray metal is picked up from poking through her stomach wall.

While her chances aren't necessarily great, we have our fingers and toes crossed for a spring miracle for #217 🌟🌟🌟

18/09/2024

Meet Gem, a gorgeous 10y/o Quarter Horse mare who we got to visit recently.

Gem was due for her annual vaccination, so we called in for a check-up and gave her her boosters for Tetanus and Strangles.

Tetanus and Strangles are both horrible diseases for horses to get. Both are caused by bacterial infections, and are difficult to treat, and so prevention is the key.

Tetanus is frequently a fatal disease in horses, while Strangles is highly contagious between horses, and causes painful abscessation of the lymph nodes, particularly around head, resulting in difficulty breathing.

Is your horse vaccinated against these preventable diseases? Are they due for an annual booster? If so, then get in touch and we can get them protected!

Gem was a star for her injection, and was more than happy to receive some cuddles and attention afterwards 🌟🌟🌟

17/09/2024

A few days ago we were called to visit a yearling dairy heifer who had developed a swelling on her head.

The swelling didn't fit with a classic Woody Tongue swelling, and we needed to take a closer look to find out what was going on.

When we arrived, we could hear the heifer before we saw her - her breathing was very loud as the swelling was sitting right over her larynx, making it hard for her to breath! She was blowing out her cheeks and foaming from the moutn trying to get the air out of her lungs.

The swelling was large and soft, measuring 12cm across. In order to find out what was in it, we clipped and cleaned the skin and introduced a needle into the mass - and this yielded a sample of stinking yellow/green pus.

Abscess!

We proceeded to carefully open a tract into the abscess under local anaesthetic, so that the pus could be drained and the abscess flushed out. There are a lot of vital structures in this area of the neck so care was taken to avoid these as best possible. We drained over 500ml of pus out - no wonder she was struggling to breath with all of that extra fluid in there! Her breathing improved immediately as it drained out.

Once the tract was open it was amazing just how deep the abscess was going - it tracked right back into her throat such that I could feel the cartilages of her larynx with the tip of my finger. The abscess was flushed with iodine, and the heifer was given a course of antibiotics and pain relief to help her heal up and beat the infection.

We suspect some sort of traumatic injury to her neck or throat had damaged the muscle and caused the abscess to form - it certainly was in an unusual spot!

All the best to this heifer as she recovers over the next few weeks 🌟🌟🌟

16/09/2024

Today we received some photos, followed very shortly thereafter by a phone call from a client asking for assistance with his cow.

The client had been out to check his small beef herd and found one of the cows was calving - with the presentation as seen in the photos. No head was visible, so recognizing an abnormal presentation, he called us immediately.

The client was not experienced with providing assistance to calving cows, so we jumped in the ute and headed over right away to help her out.

What is it about the first 3 photos which prompted a very rapid response from us?

As you can see, the hooves of the calf are coming out with the soles of the hooves pointing upwards - this means that either:

1) the calf is coming out backwards or;
2) the calf is being born upside down

Most commonly this presentation is due to the calf coming backwards, and so time is of the essence to get the calf out before the umbilical cord breaks and the calf suffocates.

For beef cows, the calf is the most valuable product of the system, so doing everything possible to get a live calf is very important.

We got the the property and examined the cow - two legs and a tail were palpated - indeed the calf was coming backwards, and thankfully the calf was still alive.

We gave the cow an epidural, placed ropes on the legs of the calf, and with a bit of a pull we had a live bull calf out in a few minutes.

After giving the cow a dose of oxytocin to help the uterus contract, new Mum was very happy to meet her new calf a few minutes later.

Can you guess the predominant breeds in the cow and calf?

In this case the rapid recognition by the owner that something was wrong, followed by immediately seeking advice, meant he ended up with a valuable live calf from this lovely beef cow.

15/09/2024

A successful Sunday morning emergency callout requires an emergency brunch stop on the way home...thanks for filling the void Viv's Kitchen! There are some perks to weekend emergencies!

10/09/2024

Are you planning a holiday this summer, and looking at checking your beloved moggy into a cattery while you are away?

Do you have a new, young ratcatcher in the family at the moment?

For the month of September we are offering a special, discounted rate on cat vaccinations.

If we are heading to your place for a standard farm or lifestyle callout and you let us know that your cat needs vaccinating prior to the visit, it will be only $35 to have this added on while we are there.

Take advantage of this special deal, and get your cat ready for their summer holiday without them even leaving the house!

06/09/2024

Itchy and Scratchy

Have you noticed your stock are particularly itchy at the moment? Are they scratching themselves bald or in some cases raw?

It's not just because it's shedding season - we are at the peak of lice season now, and it seems to be a particularly bad year for them!

Whether it's goats, alpaca, sheep or cattle, we have been seeing plenty of evidence of lice over the last 4 weeks.

Did you know that young animals, in particular kids and lambs, will become infested with lice within a day or two of birth if their dams have lice? If your newborns are constantly shaking their heads and bodies, and twitching their tails they may well be suffering from a significant lice burden.

Unlike mites, lice numbers rise over the colder months, peaking in late winter and spring. Animals which are run down or malnourished at particular at risk of heavy infestations.

Luckily there is relief at hand, as there are effective options available for treating all livestock species.

If you have itchy animals and would like to provide them with relief, get in touch with us - we are here to help!

04/09/2024

Do you have a house cow or nurse cows you would like to breed from this season?

We will have the AB bank up and running again for the spring mating season, and we are offering you the opportunity to pre-order breeding services for your cow (or cows) without the need to have a bull on your property.

We are offering a breeding service for cattle which includes:

✔️ Pre-breeding health checks
✔️ Heat-synchrony programmes
✔️ AB technician service
✔️ Semen straws from a selection of easy-calving beef bulls
✔️ Pregnancy testing

We understand that accessing all of these services is often difficult to coordinate for small-block holders - so we are making it easy for you by offering everything you need in one spot.

If you would like to take advantage of this awesome opportunity, please get in touch with us before the end of September to discuss your requirements. There will be less choice available after this date as semen straws will be limited.

Also - remember that if you want your cows protected against BVD before they are bred, you need to start the vaccination programme very soon to ensure the booster is completed at least 2 weeks before your cow is bred.

BVD is one of the few easily preventable diseases which also has a vaccine that comes in very small pack sizes!

Please get in touch with us if you have cattle you plan to breed from and don't know about BVD.

02/09/2024

A Bloat Warning

As we head into the official spring period, and look forward to an excess of grass ahead, it's important not to forget the risk of bloat in your stock. The first cases have started to appear this week.

We are having some lovely warm days, and with plenty of moisture around, pasture is coming away quickly now. Lush, rapidly growing young pastures, new chicory paddocks, and pastures which have lot of clover (or other legumes), are high risk for animals to develop bloat.

Bloat occurs when foam forms in the rumen, trapping gas which would normally pass either through the gut or be belched up as part of the rumination process. With the animal unable to effectively remove gas from its rumen, the rumen swells and bulges out the left hand side of the abdomen. It also bulges internally, squashing the lungs and making it hard to breath.

Cattle are most at risk of bloat, although any ruminant can develop it.

If you have stock grazing at-risk pastures - close monitoring for signs of bloat is important - particularly on the second and third days after they start grazing it. If shifting stock onto these paddocks each day, checking them 2 - 3 hours after they start grazing it is important.

To prevent bloat, ensure animals are not going onto high risk pastures completely empty - fill them up with Hay and Silage, and give them free access to hay in the paddocks.

You can also restrict access to high risk paddocks by limiting the length of time they spend in those paddocks - giving them only 1 to 2 hours in these paddocks each day.

Bloat oil can also be used - through the water supply, sprayed onto the pasture, or drenched directly into the stock each day.

If you notice bloat affected animals - stay calm and assess the extent of the situation and if you have not dealt with bloat before, call your vet immediately for advice.

Mildly affected animals will appear uncomfortable - stopping grazing, taking a saw-horse posture or lying down and getting up frequently.

Severely affected animals will be distressed, very painful and have trouble breathing.

Treatment of bloat depends on the severity and can include anything from stomacj tubing, drenching with bloat oil and offering hay in mildly affected animals, to an emergency stab incision for animals severe distress.

In all cases, keeping a level head to not stress the stock further is important. Having a plan in place before you encounter the situation in the first place is also a good idea.