Lyth & Unwin Veterinary Services Ltd

06/10/2023

Oooh, look at that sward!

Today I've been on a very informative CPD day on regenerative farming on an award winning beef and sheep farm in Northumberland.

Did you know the action of livestock on the pasture plays an essential role in sustaining the health of soil? Grazing needs to be appropriately managed, but the same results can't be achieved with arable crops alone.

Regenerative pasture management won't increase yields - as the aim is to leave some productivity in the ground - but it will increase profitability and resilience by reducing dependency on fertiliser, herbicides, pesticides, livestock feed and other costs - a big advantage given recent volatility in the cost of fertiliser, etc.

The techniques of regenerative pasture management can even reduce internal parasite burden!

Regenerative pasture management isn't (and doesn't need to be) all or nothing; most farms will be able to introduce some elements and see the benefits.

04/10/2023

Had a fab morning at The Dairy Show with the practice I'm currently locuming for. They were showcasing just some of the delicious cheese made by their clients. Of course I tried them all - they were all incredibly different (considering four of them were cheddars), and it was genuinely very difficult to pick out a favourite!

British farmers work to some of the highest welfare, environmental and traceability standards in the world. They're doing a cracking job at it, and I'm proud to be a part of and support such an important industry. 🇬🇧

17/09/2023

⚠️ Haemonchus warning ⚠️

There have been reports of suspected Haemonchus cases in a few areas of the country. Haemonchus contortus, or the 'barber's pole' worm, is a blood-sucking gut worm affecting sheep, goats and camelids.

It is a very prolific worm with a short life cycle, which means pasture burdens can increase and clinical disease can appear incredibly rapidly, even within a few weeks of a negative worm egg count. Blood loss leads to anaemia, causing lethargy, weight loss and in severe cases sudden deaths. You may notice animals that are separated from the herd/flock, have bottle jaw or collapse when driven. Weight loss can be dramatic, and a heavily infected animal can lose 250ml of blood a day! It's also important to note that Haemonchus does not usually cause diarrhoea.

It's important to note that adult ewes are equally as susceptible as lambs, this may be because the challenge rises too quickly for them to successfully mount an immune response. South American camelids (alpacas and llamas) have adaptations to cope with the low oxygen levels of the high Andes, which unfortunately means signs of disease may not appear in camelids until they are severely anaemic, often requiring a blood transfusion for successful treatment.

The rapid onset of disease and lack of diarrhoea mean it's incredibly important to regularly check your animals' body condition and conjunctival colour, ideally every two weeks and especially during high risk periods. The risk period is weather and climate dependant and can very from year to year, but is generally highest from late summer into autumn. Last year cases appeared much earlier than usual, so it pays to be vigilant.

Successful worm and fluke control programmes are based on regular worm egg counts, monitoring the animals for signs of disease (diarrhoea, weight loss, anaemia) and taking into account risk periods - https://www.scops.org.uk/ and https://www.nadis.org.uk/parasite-forecast.aspx are useful tools providing forecasts for certain species. Anthelmintics should be used when they are required, but responsible use based on clinical need rather than a set timed protocol will help to prevent resistance developing and preserve their efficacy for as long as possible.

Speak to your vet if you are concerned about Haemonchus.

29/08/2023

I've had an enjoyable morning of fertility scanning with Steanbow Farms and the Agri-EPI Centre today. Their innovative and highly automated South West Dairy Development Centre is fascinating to see, and is working hard to develop high health and welfare, sustainable milk production for the UK dairy industry. It's been a pleasure to work with them and their quiet, happy cows during my stint in Somerset!

25/07/2023

In ruminants, the abomasum is the last compartment of the stomach and is fairly mobile, normally sitting low down on the right side of the rumen. In a left displacement of the abomasum (LDA) it becomes trapped between the rumen and the body wall on the left side. LDA usually occurs in dairy cows in the early post-partum period. The cause is often multifactorial with negative energy balance and ketosis increasing the risk, and a high incidence in a herd should prompt an investigation of transition period management. Surgery is usually the most effective way of correcting an LDA; the gas trapped in the abomasum is released so that it can be brought back to the correct position and secured in place.

This girl is heartily tucking in to some hay immediately after surgery, which is exactly what we want to see!
Video posted with kind permission.

22/07/2023

I'm very pleased to say I passed my synoptic exam in Camelid Practice for the Certificate of Advanced Veterinary Practice! Each module is four months long, so this is the culmination of three years of study - with a few breaks between modules to keep some sanity! To pass the final exam candidates must 'demonstrate an advanced and consistent level of knowledge and application to justify the status of CertAVP (Camelid Practice)'. You might have noticed I have a very big soft spot for camelids, so it's great to be able to offer an advanced level of service to those I see!

15/06/2023

This will be an informative and very interesting day for anyone interested in alpaca fibre genetics 🧬

Exciting news! We are happy to host our very first event!!

Join us for an educational day aimed at breeders both large and small. The day will consist of presentations focusing on fibre improvement, density, and colour genetics. Additionally, Art of Fibre will be holding a testing clinic at the event, so if you have fleece you want tested feel free to bring it to have it tested there and then.

Get in touch to book your space. We hope to see you on the 25th!

16/05/2023

*** Please share far and wide ***
We are hiring a new Approved Tuberculin Tester (ATT) to join our existing team of TB testers. Further details in the image and comments section.

05/05/2023

Spring might be exhausting, but I won't be looking for an office job any time soon!

Photos posted with kind permission

04/05/2023

If a calf (or lamb, kid, cria etc) is moving a lot when applying calving ropes, it can actually indicate that the calf is becoming short of oxygen (hypoxic), despite seeming 'lively'. This little lad also had crossed feet, which indicates that the shoulders may be too wide to enter the dam's pelvis. Applying traction to attempt delivery can cause a lot of stress to an already hypoxic calf, so it's important that a decision to caesar is made quickly for the best chance of a successful outcome. Photo posted with kind permission.

26/04/2023

Thanks to everyone who came to last night's camelid talk with Yasmine from Wright & Morten Farm Vets, hopefully you found it useful!

14/04/2023

The first of these Derbyshire Gritstone triplets was causing a bit of a blockage by trying to come out tail first! The ewe's cervix was also incompletely dilated, but thanks to her owners' careful monitoring, they quickly recognised that labour wasn't progressing normally. Photo posted with kind permission.

29/03/2023

Can you guess the breed?

22/03/2023

There's still no better sight than a heifer licking her new calf 🥰

Photo posted with kind permission

21/03/2023

This huge shed was built as a cattle barn exactly 150 years ago in 1873, stone arches and all, and is still in use today! The structure of the roof is wooden and original, but over time the slate tiles have been replaced with corrugated sheets.

It's great to meet so many fascinating people and see some amazing places through locuming. Photos posted with kind permission.

09/03/2023

We recently helped with some special (and long anticipated) arrivals! 'Enchanted' the ewe had a cervical prolapse in the run up to lambing, but careful monitoring by her owners meant that the lambs were delivered without a problem, and all four are doing well.

27/02/2023

A lovely little snapshot from a calving at the weekend - This calf was presented upside down and with her head back, but after a careful bit of rearranging she was soon out, up on her feet, and making her way across the shed with mum trying to keep up!!
(Photo posted with kind permission of the owner)