Rangiora Vet Centre - Farming

27/02/2025

Just like keeping your machinery in top working order, looking after yourself is essential for a long and productive season. This hands-on session will help you service your own well-being, giving you the tools to handle the unique challenges of farming life.

Leading the muster are some local legends who’ve spent years helping people perform at their best whether in the paddock, on the field, or in everyday life.

"Tickets are $20 per person and include a drink on arrival, goodie bag and cocktail snacks."

Tickets can be brought at https://bit.ly/harvestinghealth2025

Without the generosity of MainPower Fonterra Rabobank New Zealand Farmstrong FMG we would not be able to bring this event to you.

All proceeds from the evening will go towards North Canterbury Rural Support Trust.

20/02/2025

Kerry the cow and friends enjoying the cooler weather today 🐮

13/02/2025

We all know heifers are the foundation of the future breeding herd. They represent a significant proportion of the dairy herd and are a high contributor towards total cost of producing milk.

Regularly weighing heifers is one of the most useful strategies to maximise potential lifetime production. Liveweight gains will give an accurate prediction of meeting growth targets and determine if intervention is required.

There are different growth patterns throughout the rearing phase for Holstein-Friesian, Kiwi Cross and Jersey heifers, so it is better to focus on heifer weight-for-age targets. Fertility and puberty are linked to weight, not age, so reaching pre-mating weight targets at 15 months optimises conception rates and allows heifers to calve earlier.

Follow the link to read the full article: https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/managing-your-heifers?rq=heifers

11/02/2025

It is the time of year when many recently weaned calves are relocating to grazing blocks. Relocation can result in growth checks or be a trigger for other animal health issues including pneumonia, scouring and parasites. Recently weaned calves are young and are at particular risk as they are also undergoing changes in diet and rumen development. A few criteria to consider for relocating recently weaned calves include:

🐮Fully weaned and off milk for at least two weeks
🐮Meet their minimum weight target for their age
🐮Transitioned onto a full pasture diet or supplement provided for transition
🐮Competition and coping well within the group
🐮Drenched and vaccinated
🐮In good health

Follow the link to read the full article and to be aware of a few specific diseases to watch out for: https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/calf-weaning?rq=calf%20weaning

05/02/2025

Our team is taking a break for Waitangi Day.
The regular team is back in the clinic, and on farm Friday morning. If you have an emergency with your herd – do not hesitate to call the clinic for the details of the after hours emergency vet on call.
📞Phone: 03 313 7438

03/02/2025

Unfortunately with the warmer weather comes an increased risk of high worm burdens in the pasture.

Treatment for worms is not just for now, but an investment for future weight gains and milk production. To ensure that we can use the drenches we use now for years to come we must make sure the worms on farm remain susceptible.

The following are tips to reduce worm drench resistance in youngstock:

🐄Use of triple active drench; This is necessary to kill all types of roundworms in calves. These drenches contain three active ingredients which kill worms in different ways. If a worm is resistant to one active, it will get knocked down by one of the other active ingredients.

🐄Drench and put back into the paddock they came from; this means that any resistant worms present will be diluted by non-resistant worms already present in the pasture.

🐄Leave 5% - 10% of the healthiest, heaviest, non-scouring animals untreated; This ensures that the worms populating your pastures are the ones which haven’t seen any drench and haven’t had a chance to build up a resistance.

Follow the link for more recommendations and considerations to be aware of: https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/calf-drenching-and-minerals?rq=calf%20drench

30/01/2025

Summer ☀️ brings many good things, long days and warm sun; however, this season can also spell frustration for farmers because it is the perfect conditions for the spread of pink eye.

👀Pink eye (Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis) usually occurs during summer and autumn and can vary from mild irritation to ulceration of the eye which, if left untreated, can lead to permanent blindness. It starts with damage to the cornea, the outside surface of the eye, which can occur from stalky grass, thistles, wind or dust. The damage allows a highly contagious bacteria, Moraxella bovis, to attach to the surface of the eye and produce toxins which erode the cornea causing ulceration, pain and severe inflammation. Disease is easily spread by flies from one animal to another.

📲To read more about eye health and considerations to be aware of, follow the link: https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/dairy-cows-eyes-lets-take-a-closer-look?rq=pink

09/01/2025

Please share this post and help our mates on the equine team find the right person to help them out with their growing case load!

Our busy, equine hospital and surgery centre has a growing case load and is looking for a special person to join the team. They will have experience handling race and young horses, a genuine love for horses and be dedicated to their welfare.
If you have excellent horse handling skills, and a strong work ethic for physical tasks, please head to our website for more information on the permanent, part-time position available: https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/rvc-careers-equine-care-assistant

❤️

02/01/2025

Christmas and New Year are done. We hope everyone had a chance to catch up with family and friends and enjoy a little break. The team is back, refreshed and ready to take care of your herd. We're back to business as usual. Bring on 2025!

29/12/2024

We are open for routine vet care on Monday and Tuesday this week from 8:00am - 5:00pm. The team is then taking a break to celebrate the New Year from 5:00pm on New Years Eve, re-opening for routine services and back to business as usual on Friday 3rd January from 8:00am. Over the New Year period and the weekend, you can contact the Rangiora branch at any time on 03 313 8387 for the contact details of the on call emergency vet 24/7.

Do not hesitate to call us if you have an emergency with your herd at any time.

For more detailed information, including branches and small animal vet care over this period, check out the information on our website: www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz

24/12/2024

Merry Christmas from the RVC Team 🎅

It wasn't just our customers that loved getting photos taken with Santa this year...

The big question is, can you guess WHO Santa is?🤫

23/12/2024

Once Zoe got her head gear on the right way she was ready to go!! We think she's just a bit excited to be in the drivers seat this Christmas Eve 🥰😜

22/12/2024

Our vet care team is taking a break for Christmas from 5:00pm on Christmas Eve, re-opening for routine services on Friday 27th from 8:00am - 5:00pm. On Christmas Day, Boxing Day and over the weekend, you can contact the Rangiora branch at any time on 03 313 8387 for the contact details of the on call emergency vet available 24/7.

Do not hesitate to call us if you have an emergency with your herd at any time.

For more detailed information, including branches and small animal vet care over this period, check out the information on our website: www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz

16/12/2024

Whilst the idea of a sprinkler system in the dairy yards sounds like a good idea to combat heat stress experienced by cows during yarding, some research suggests that these could have a negative impact on the animals, with an increase in avoidance behaviours such a shoving/pushing and lowering heads. Cattle appear to prefer to seek shelter (shade) in an effort to avoid adverse weather conditions. Therefore, providing shade on the yards may be a preferred approach.

Taking steps to prevent heat stress and providing animals with the adequate requirements to optimise their welfare (and so level of production) is the best approach to have on farm this summer.

Our suggestions:
• Provide adequate shelter for your herd to allow all animals to seek shade from the sun; reducing their body temperature, and reducing the level of frustration and aggression experienced by individuals
• Provide adequate access to a clean trough(s) and fresh water supply
• Where possible, limit yarding/management practices to the cooler periods of the day
• Consider decreasing the frequency of milking when summer hits (consider 16 hourly milking intervals)
• Provide adequate shelter for your herd to allow all animals to seek shade from the sun; reducing their body temperature, and reducing the level of frustration and aggression experienced by individuals.

Follow the link to read the full article and be prepared for your herd this summer
https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/feels-like-summer?rq=summer

13/12/2024

What a great evening! The sun was shining and the BBQ didn't stop ☀️ We enjoyed catching up with everyone and their families.
Merry Christmas 🎄

12/12/2024

Increased levels of competition for shade access can result in aggression between animals, and frustration of individual animals. Frustration is considered as ‘an emotional state experienced when an individual fails to achieve expected gratification’. Some hypothesize that the feeling of frustration can be seen as aggression of an individual animal to another, when competition is high for a desired variable (such as shade) and water.

Physiological changes:
• Reduced milk production
• Reduced reproductive performance
• Increased respiration rate
• Sweating

Reduced milk production is one of the first indicators that we see in the shed, that suggests a cow isn’t doing too well. Milk yield is an easy change to measure and has a direct link to farm profitability. However, there is generally a lag of 24-48 hours between an elevation in environmental temperatures and reduced milk production. So, whilst it is important to note a change in milk production it is more an indicator that the cow has experienced heat stress.

Follow the link to read the full article and be prepared for your herd this summer
https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/feels-like-summer?rq=summer

11/12/2024

The big fella in the red suit was in the clinic yesterday meeting some of our smaller customers. We're not sure if he'll make an appearance today ........... but just incase he gets a spare moment to swoop in on his sleigh - he did some reading to ensure he can hold a conversation with you all!

10/12/2024

Coccidia is a protozoa that can infect the intestinal tract of young calves; the lifecycle is similar to that of internal parasites where oocysts reside in the pasture and are picked up by calves as they graze, they then mature and pass through the intestinal tract. More oocysts are then produced within the calf’s gut and shed in the faeces, further contaminating the pasture. This cycle continues, and animals (particularly young, recently weaned calves) are susceptible to picking up the oocysts whilst grazing and becoming infected.



Follow the link to read the full article that includes signs to look for, prevention, and treatment advice: https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/coccidia