Kerry Vale Vets

30/06/2024

Mineral testing breeding animals.

We have had a few farmers getting in touch regarding blood testing breeding animals.

Now is the best time to pre emptively detect issues in both ewes and suckler cows, albeit an inconvenient time due to harvesting. Animals will have been grazing, usually without supplementation for at least 6 weeks.

The grazing period becomes the period of highest risk of mineral deficiency, as supplementary feeding is withdrawn, this coincides with the time that suckler cows need to be at their most fertile and when breeding ewes need to recover after weaning to gear up for being fertile in Autumn.

Even if bolusing or regular drenching for supplementation is being used, it is still important to monitor if sufficient supplementation is present. We have had a number of cases of deficiency in both bolused cattle and sheep. Targeted injectable regimes can usually be implemented in these cases.

With current lamb prices, small increases in scanning percentages from correcting deficiencies can quickly pay for an investigation.

Up to 70% funding is also available through Farming Connect for qualifying farms.

Contact the office on 01686 510015 to book a visit.

05/05/2024

We would like to thank everyone for their enquiries and messages of support.

Since starting up two years ago, we have been on the look out for a suitable base to be able to provide comprehensive veterinary care to everyone within our community.

We hope to be opening a dedicated companion animal clinic for cats and dogs in the (hopefully) near future, which will also act as a base for us to be able to take on staff and clients, allowing our small family business to grow.

We plan on continuing to operate our large animal practice as normal from Moat Farm.

Thank you
Jon

Kerry Vale Vets has applied to Powys County Council to move to new premises in Newtown.

07/04/2024

🐄CALF SCOUR 🐮

We are seeing a higher number of scour cases in young newborn calves. A common feature is tight housing, often due the challenges in turning out sheep and lambs due to the weather. With wet, humid air blowing into crowded housing systems the risk of disease build up increases.

Things to consider
🐂 Investigate - knowing which bugs are present can inform targeted treatments. Tests can be run on farm to quickly and easily identify the presence of E.coli, Coronavirus, Rotavirus and Cryptosporidia.
🐂 Prioritise calving pen hygiene - With disease risk growing, working hard to seperate cows to ensure that calves are born in clean dry environments is extremely valuable.
🐂 Vaccinate cows to boost colostrum - if time allows, vaccinating cows with a scour vaccine can boost the quality of the colostrum against Rotavirus, Coronavirus and E.coli. The vaccine should be given 3 - 12 weeks before calving.
🐂 Locatim - If time doesn't allow for vaccination, Locatim can be given to newborn calves at birth. Locatim is a highly concentrated form of immunoglobulin against E.coli K99 and acts as a colostrum boost targeted specifically against E.coli toxaemia. (some farms have used this product in sheep off license to protect against E.coli too)
🐂 Supplement colostrum - Topping up colostrum with a supplement may be helpful especially in high risk animals such as calves born to heifers. A BRIX refractometer can be used to asses the colostrum quality of cows, as well as in sheep. (Aim for a Brix % of at least 22%)

Please get in touch if you are experiencing scour problems.

Call now to connect with business.

03/04/2024

🐴 SWEET ITCH PREVENTION

We have had a few enquiries about sweet itch prevention in horses.

There are many managment changes that can be implemented, such as dietary supplements, rugging, ventilation, prescription strength repellents, and medical managment all of which can help the situation, often what will work for one horse may not always work for others.

There is now also an off license vaccine protocol which may offer further help in these cases.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss sweet itch prevention further.

04/02/2024

Checking colostrum quality in the lambing shed.

A brix refractometer is a simple tool that can be used to assess the quality of colostrum from ewes and cows in a matter of seconds, allowing farmers to make risk assessed decisions on which neonates to supplement colostrum with and which ones can be left.

At a cost of £25 the refractometer can used to inform on the quality of colostrum and can help guide farmers on choosing animals with surplus, quality, colostrum that can be frozen for future use. Ewes with lots of milk may be lacking quality, meaning that their surplus milk may be best left alone. Many shepherds comment that the ewes with smaller udders often rear better lambs than ewes with more milk!

Colostrum should be at least 22% on the brix scale.
Where colostrum is between 18% and 22% the lambs should be supplemented.
If the colostrum is below 18% the ewes colostrum should be discarded and a colostrum replacement should be used.

Powdered colostrum products (like ewes colostrum) can vary widely in their quality, with some products suitable only for use as a top up (if that), and others are better suited as a full replacement. Please get in touch to discuss which products are best and most cost effective in each scenario.

Lambs need 3g of IgG in their colostrum, in a recent study the vast majority of powdered lamb colostrum products fell short of this recommended amount per dose.

We have refractometers in stock and are happy to advise on supplemental and replacement powdered colostrum products.

18/01/2024

We would like to thank all who attended our farmers talk last night, each one of you helped make it a very successful and enjoyable
evening.

07/01/2024

We are hosting a farm client evening at the Kerry Lamb on the 17th of January on the "Responsible Use of Medicines" kindly supported by Norbrook. Please contact Anwen to book your place, as places are filling up fast. Certificates will be issued at the end of the evening for those requiring them for scheme conformance.

12/11/2023

Bluetongue confirmed in Kent.

Bluetongue has been confirmed in a single cow In Kent. Farmers are urged to stay vigilant, but luckily, with midge season winding down the risk of widespread disease spread is hopefully minimal.

Unfortunately the current strain is not covered by vaccination. There is no risk to human health.

Signs to look for: Swollen head, drooling, oral lesions or coronary band lesions, fever. (Symptoms more severe in sheep than cattle)

Famers should be wary of sourcing stock and overwintering in the high risk areas of the U.K (South East England)

Defra have the following link with pictures of lesions: https://www.flickr.com/photos/defragovuk/sets/72157666751049558/

Please get in touch to discuss risks if you are purchasing or moving animals from South East England, or importing from the continent.

Photos of bluetongue disease clinical signs in livestock. The photos are intended to assist veterinarians carrying out clinical inquiries.

02/10/2023

🐑There have been a few calls today regarding sheep scab.
🐑Funding for dipping is available for Welsh farmers through the Gwaredu Scab scheme. Farmers must call 01554 748576 to initiate an investigation which we can then carry out to confirm disease. A positive test will initiate the option for an investigation of neighbouring farms through the scheme.
🐑Post dipping lameness can occur after sheep with open sores or wounds are dipped, so I would always recommend a thorough treatment of any lame sheep in the run up to dipping to try and prevent this occuring.
🐑A 14 day interval should be in place between dipping and dosing with a levamisole containing (yellow) drench to reduce the risk of op poisoning.

11/08/2023

Toxovax 20 dose available.

We have a 20 dose bottle of toxovax available due to a client over ordering. If any farmers have a small number of sheep that could be vaccinated please get in touch. Expiry 17. 08. 2023. Thank you

30/07/2023

New Forest Disease
With the recent abundance of flies I have been fielding many calls about New Forest disease in both cattle and sheep. Most cases will respond to prompt treatment with antibiotic eye ointment and injections. Some cases, that don't respond to standard treatment, may however require vet intervention.

The pictures below are of a recent case in a ram called 'Ronnie Kray', my guess is that Ronnie is named after his namesake due to his rather violent disposition, as he proved 'challenging' to treat! After seeing little improvement to standard therapy from his committed keeper, we decided to inject the conjunctiva of the eye and place a third eyelid flap stitch to protect the eye from further fly worry. With only minor injuries to ourselves from dealing with Ronnie, it now looks like the eye has healed well, allowing Ronnie to terrorise the hills of Kerry with increased accuracy when aiming his horns!

A third eyelid flap can be used in small ruminants. In cattle, the eyelids can be sutured shut, or alternatively a simple denim eye patch can be glued to the skin of the orbit to protect the eye from sunlight and further fly worry.

Fly control is useful on a herd or flock level. Interestingly, recent evidence has shown that Moraxella bovis (the causative bug) can be found on healthy eyes of cattle, and it is thought that irritation from flies give the bug the opportunity to grow and become pathogenic. Sometimes, new strains of the causative agent can be transmitted from purchased animals to resident animals, either through direct contact (feed troughs) or through flies which can cause outbreaks.

This case highlights how successful resolutions can be achieved even in severe cases, and also highlights the usefulness of utilising Whatsapp so that the vet can monitor the case without always needing to visit.

10/07/2023

# # # Laminitis Risk Alert # # #

Today's rain will have been a welcome sight for many, but at risk ponies and horses may need careful management in the face of a flush of grass growth.

The laminitis risk app is a valuable tool to predict when high risk periods are occurring. The picture below is today's reading!

We have seen a number of horses and ponies recently diagnosed with insulin dysregulation, so it is likely that many animals will struggle to deal with the flush of grass that may be on its way. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you are concerned about the metabolic state of your horses or ponies.

Call 01686 510015
Or WhatsApp 07709 080018

02/07/2023

22/06/2023

Toxovax available to order.

Apologies for the lack of recent content, it's been a busy few months for all.

Due to untimely Toxovax production disruptions, during peak periods over the last few years, many farmers will have a growing number of unvaccinated ewes in their flocks.

When vaccine supplies are inconsistent, it takes time for herd or flock immunity to drop to a level where disease is noticed, as every year the level of vaccinated animals within the flock will drop from say, 100% to 80% then 60% year on year. Unfortunately, as the level of vaccinated ewes drops, the potential for serious losses increases.

Toxoplasmosis can cause devastating production losses in the run up and during the lambing period.
It is thought that up to 90% of flocks in the U.K have had exposure to toxoplasmosis within the flock, and it is thought that the disease is responsible for up to a 100,000 pregnancy losses per year n the U.K.

Toxovax is currently available on a weekly order schedule.

Ewe lambs should be 5 months of age at vaccination, so may be too young at this stage, but it is recommended that older ewes are vaccinated within 4 months of tupping. (But not within the 3 week period up to tupping).

Get in touch for prices for Direct Debit clients.
Jon: 07709080018
Office: 01686 510 015

25/04/2023

A typical picture from recent lamb worm egg counts; Nematodirus eggs are seen alongside plenty of coccidia eggs.

Worm egg counts are an invaluable tool in guiding appropriate targeted treatment in lambs and are a mainstay of sustainable farming practice. The pictures are from our OvaCyte analyser, a high tech, AI powered microscope, that made light work of counting the 28,890 cocci eggs per gram in this sample. The OvaCyte system can also be used on equine samples, all we need is 3g of faeces for individual animals. For group samples we recommend about 3g from ideally 10-12 animals packaged individually so that we can make a representative mixed sample.
Postage packs for sending in samples are available upon request.

11/03/2023

Some challenging conditions getting to this mornings emergency in the Felindre valley. Light work for the "Ken doll" 4x4 though. Comes with its own Ken doll lookalike vet I've been told.

08/03/2023

Due to the glorious lambing weather I thought it would be worthwhile to share a lamb hypothermia decision tree. Young lambs should be warmed and then fed, whilst older lambs should be fed and then warmed. Older lambs that are unable to swallow should be injected with a warm intra peritoneal glucose injection (into the abdomen). Please get in touch to discuss this protocol and procedure

22/02/2023

Equine Price Update
Following a number of requests for equine prices I have tried to simplify the pricing structure for clients on Direct Debit terms.
Visits will incur an initial visit fee and 'add-on' fees can be added when multiple jobs are needed.
I am covering an area broadly including, Llanerfyl and Cyfronydd to the North down to Llanbister to the South, Llandinam to the West and Forden to the East.
If you would like to register your horse or have any further questions please fill in the registration form on www.kerryvalevets.com or email [email protected]
Prices include VAT
Farm Animal pricing update to follow

19/02/2023

Iodine for navel dressing.

There have been multiple reports of a shortage / price increase in iodine for navel use. Over the last few years, some farmers have reported being caught out by inferior products labelled as 'strong iodine', where the concentration was anything but strong when compared with the 10% b.p standard that you will see on the label of quality products. At 10%, iodine will have both a drying and persistent antiseptic effect.

At the moment, you may end up paying maybe £20 more per 2 litre for a quality product, but that bottle doesn't have to save many lambs to have paid for itself. What's more, farmers last year were reporting having to reapply the soapy inferior (7%) product four or sometimes five times to try and stain and dry the cord, they also reported that the product wasn't staining their hands - which seems to be a hallmark of some of the poorer quality products!

We were able to 'improve' some of poorer quality products by mixing in surgical spirit to enhance a drying effect, but where possible I would recommend "splashing out" on a decent product from the start.

It is needless to say that colostrum and hygiene managment are of utmost importance, but it will be worthwhile to pay attention to the label when purchasing iodine for lambs and calves this Spring.

12/02/2023

EWE NUTRITION

I've been having lots of discussions with farmers about ewe nutrition in the run up to lambing. In a costly year for purchasing feed it is understandable that farmers are looking hard at costs and savings. The cost of feed to the ewe in the run up to lambing however, usually proves good value in the payback of improved health and production in her lambs.

Here are a few things to consider and features that have come up in discussion with different farms.
🐑 Regular body condition scoring - is perhaps underutilised as a barometer for individual ewe management, individual thinner ewes can be parted and fed more intensively whilst the main group can stay on the maintenance diet. Body condition scoring can also inform if the group is overfed, which may be costly this year.
🐑 Yearling ewes - Many farms are reporting thinner ewes in the yearling group, this may have been a hangover from the large numbers of worms that emerged in the mild, early Winter, following a Summer of very little worm exposure. Some farms have noticed that many parted thin ewes were in this age group. Faecal testing and blood sampling may be useful to assess if targeted worm or fluke treatments are necessary.
🐑 Grass based commercial systems - Some farmers are considering switching to these systems, however such a decision needs careful consideration, one of the worst watery mouth outbreaks I have encountered has been in a rushed switch to an outdoor system, when ewes were turned out without adequate energy and protein supplementation leading to poor colostrum production. The type of ewe, the grassland management and back up plans all need to be considered and are thoroughly detailed in the excellent AHDB resource https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/brp-all-grass-wintering-of-sheep
🐑 Blood sampling 3 weeks before lambing can inform dietary changes - I would highly recommend this tool for reassurance as well as providing information when many farms are reporting using different feeding regimes this year.
🐑 Supplementary colostrum - Some farms have replaced the historic use of prophylactic antibiotics such as Spectam with a colostrum product to every lamb over the last few years - and reporting noticeable improvements in lamb health and survivability. It is still most likely cheaper to ensure that the ewes are adequately fed to supply their own source - but supplemented colostrum for triplet lambs or lambs born to thinner ewes could be considered, if not to all lambs. I have found better uptake with the paste syringe based products, which are labour saving compared with powdered products - which becomes an important factor when it's gone past 1 am.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or queries - 07709080018. Wishing everyone a successful lambing period.

24/12/2022

As a family we would like to wish all of our clients and wider community a Happy Christmas and New Year, we hope that you all get a chance to unwind and spend time with family.
We would like to thank everyone who has supported our new business. After an enjoyable whirlwind beginning, we are very excited to see what 2023 has in store for us. Merry Christmas.

11/12/2022

A few cases of infectious calf scour have cropped up in the last week.

A few things to keep in mind:
🐂 Scour causing pathogens will tend to build up in housed environments over the Winter period
🐂 Testing and finding out which pathogens are involved can be hugely valuable in managing an oncoming outbreak. On-farm test kits are available
🐂 Calves born to first calving heifers are at a higher risk of disease. Separating pregnant heifers from pregnant cows at housing can reduce the rate of disease build up in the shed, with the added benefit of being able to manage the nutrition of these growing animals separately.
🐂 Many farmers will have seen the benefits of using a vaccine such as Bovilis RotavecCorona or Bovigen Scour which can be given in the period 3-12 weeks before calving. As well as protecting against Rotavirus and Coronavirus the Bovilis product now also protects against E.coli.
🐂 Halofuginome (Halocur, Cryptisel, Halofusol) should be used as a preventative when Cryptosporidium is discovered on the farm. A 7 day preventative course for a 60kg calf costs between £10 - £11

26/11/2022

We continue to receive consistently positive feedback from poultry clients using a range of products supplied by us which are aimed at reducing stress and disease in laying hens. Whether it be for example; the use of a highly concentrated methionine and lysine supplement (Poultry Vit) to manage nutritional stress due to a change in diet formulation, or the use of ‘EndoSan’ in improving water hygiene after biofilm has built up in water pipes after the warm Summer months, our clients are finding that a proactive approach is resulting in happier, healthier and more productive birds, with the aim being to reduce antibiotic use in the poultry shed. For more information get in touch on +44 7709 080018

20/11/2022

Liver fluke.
A few farmers have been on the phone recently regarding advice on the best time for fluke treatment after the dry Summer. Interestingly, most phone calls resulted in a different answer depending on the farm history. On the one hand, a dry period in the Summer may have broken up the fluke life cycle, but on the other hand, sheep may have been drawn to wet ground along streams etc in search of grass, being exposed to fluke, thus maintaining the life cycle. A few things to remember:
🐑Repeated use of triclabendazole may lead to resistance, so ideally treatment should be informed and targeted.
🐑 Slaughterhouse reports can be extremely useful in flagging up if acute, early, liver fluke is an issue on farm and can inform a decision to treat.
🐑 Monthly blood testing of lambs can be used to assess if there is a need to treat against immature fluke - this can be especially useful if grazing new patches of ground, where the farm history is unknown, or in unusual weather years, when predicting peak fluke activity is difficult.
🐑 Every farm is different, so a knowledge of the farm history is also very important in decision making. For instance, some farms don't have habitat suitable for the intermediate snail host whilst other farms with boggy ground can maintain the lifecycle for most of the year.
🐑A fluke quarantine and treatment plan should be in place when buying in stock, to reduce the risk of Triclabendazole-resistant fluke being introduced to a farm.
🐑 SCOPS have fantastic resources, for further information go to https://www.scops.org.uk/internal-parasites/liver-fluke/

Contact 07709080018 if you have any questions

05/11/2022

Mineral deficiencies pre-tupping (long post alert)

Iodine deficiency has been a common theme in this years pre-tupping blood results, often with adequate levels of other minerals seen.

At times, the ewes have appeared in poor condition, kiddling (salivating) with poor scurfy looking skin. Interestingly, poor scanning percentages have been reported on some of these farms historically.

Iodine deficiency classically presents with weak or still born lambs with enlarged thyroid glands (goiter), however subtler signs may be more common such as; prolonged gestation, increased lamb mortality and poor fertility, all of which can have significant economic impacts on farms.

Unfortunately, over supplementation may have adverse effects, so supplementation should always be guided by blood results. Options for supplementation include
🐑drenching with iodine salts,
🐑bolusing
🐑long-acting iodised oil depot injections
🐑dietary supplementation (mineral salts, nuts or seaweed based supplements).

It's worth remembering that sheep that are fed on root crops, will routinely need iodine supplementation, regardless of current status.

Although time may be running out for checking mineral status before tupping, it may be better to take samples now rather than suspect a problem later in the production cycle.

Costs: £243.55 plus VAT will cover a half visit, blood collection, postage and lab fees of a group of 5 sheep for Selenium, Copper, B12 and pooled Iodine. The costs of a disappointing scanning percentage or a high lamb mortality rate may be much more than this.

Get in touch if you would like to arrange a visit

07/10/2022

Grass Staggers Alert

After a few cases rearing their heads in the last few days, it would appear that there is a current risk for grass staggers localy.

The typical textbook case presents in the Autumn in a recently calved, older, thin cow, grazing during periods of stormy weather. It is possible, that the dry Summer may have led to a higher number of thinner, at risk cows this year compared with other years.

Fertilised pastures alter magnesium absorption in the rumen, due to increased ammonia or potassium levels.

Low fibre, wet 'lush' grass moves through the gut faster, giving less chance for the body to absorb Magnesium.

Reduced feed intake during storms can be the final straw in these cases leading to a crisis.

Supplementary feeding to boost dietary magnesium and fibre is desirable. It is useful to have a bottle of Magnesium on hand in the medicine cupboard (or under the quad bike seat or pickup glove compartment come to that) that can be given, under the skin whilst waiting for the vet to arrive. Housing older, thin cows may be useful to mitigate against the risk as long as the stress of moving them isn't counterproductive.

Safety: when a cow is down and fitting try to work from the cows back, reaching over the body, keeping yourself away from flailing legs and swinging heads (the strike zone). When necessary and with care, a halter applied to the head can be carefully tied to a back leg to reduce the amount of flailing around that these cows do which can make the administration of treatment easier.

Picture of this evenings view from the Ridgeway

04/09/2022

Nice to see some rain clouds from the Kerry Ridgeway this evening, whilst delivering vaccine to farmers planning ahead for next year's lambing season.

A good vaccination plan can have numerous positive impacts on the health and welfare of the flock, whilst also reducing antibiotic usage on farm at lambing time.

With abortion vaccines delivering a 3 -4 year immunity they should be seen as an essential long term investment in yearling or ewe lambs entering the breeding flock on farms where infectious abortion is, or may become, a problem.

Please get in touch in good time to discuss pricing and delivery.

18/08/2022

Sheep abortion - Toxovax ordering

Please get in touch to order your Toxovax in good time.
Although it is well known that vaccination needs to be carried out at least 3 weeks before tupping, shearlings and older ewes can be vaccinated up to 4 months before tupping. Ewe lambs need to be at least 5 months of age.

The following dispatch dates are currently available:
25th August
1st September
(No availability week of 5th and 12th of September)
20th and 22nd September
27th and 29th September

Followed by twice weekly slots in October

14/08/2022

During this relatively healthy time of year for livestock, the thought of dealing with calf pneumonia may seem a long way away. However, now is a good time to plan and act if pneumonia is a problem on your farm, with some vaccination programmes needing to start at least 5 weeks before housing. Get in touch to discuss the best option for your farm.