,

,P

TAURANGA KATIKATI TE UNA & PAPAMOA VILLAGE VETS - YOUR ANIMAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL

AnimailNovember 2016

taurangapapamoa village

katikatite puna

For more information visit www.bopvets.co.nz, call 0800 VETS BOP (0800 8387 267) or visit one of our clinics; Tauranga, Te Puna, Katikati or Papamoa

W elcome to the November Animail from Tauranga Vets. Well Spring has most definitely sprung! The weather is warming up, grass is growing well and mating has started. This month we cover Mud Fever, SpringParasites and Theileria in Cattle. You may also be interested in the Calf Pack package that Merial are currently offering. Sit back, grab a cuppa and enjoy the read…

Mud Fever

Spring Parasite management – be Wormwise!

Spring is the New Year for worms. As the weather warms and spring rains continue parasite larvae that have been slumbering in your pasture come to life and resume their life cycle, multiplying furiously throughout spring and summer and, if not managed successfully, reach massive and possible fatal numbers in your livestock by late summer/autumn.

We need to give some thought to how we can minimise the impact of worms on production in a way that preserves the effectiveness of the drenches we have available. Basing our worm management on a rigid drench-only programme is not the most effective, cost-effective or sustainable way to manage worms. Your worm management plan also needs to include some way of monitoring the effectiveness of the drench (such as Faecal Egg Counting, and weighing), choice of an effective product, timing of drenching, what mobs or individuals within mobs are drenched are drenched or not, and the route of administration. Grazing options (for example to minimise pasture contamination, or to create a refugia effect)

should also be considered as these are a vitally important component of parasite control.

Ostertagia can be a problem for cattle in the spring, with most yearling cattle being challenged. Faecal egg counts may not be a reliable indicator, so a routine drench of all yearlings is is an option. Two year old cattle should be relatively immune to worms by now, but some individuals may be susceptible so targeting those under-performing lighter animals would be a good idea.

Travelling stock should be quarantine drenched with a triple-active drench on their arrival at their new grazing property. This should be followed by holding in a quarantine area for 24 hours, and subsequent grazing on pasture that is not necessarily “clean”.

In preparation for weaning calves and lambs, decide what drenchto use and where to graze them after weaning, based on previousexperience and monitor with regular weighing and faecal eggcounting.

“Talk to our large animal vet team, we have knowledge of the best strategies to use in the bop of plenty, you may also be interested in the Calf Pack package that Merial are currently offering”

- Max Clout: (BVSc)

Cause Winter and Spring is the time of year for mud fever. This is a skin infection caused by an organism called Dermatophilus congolensis which lives in the soil. In winter, the skin is softened by rain and mud. Continual wetting and drying causes the skin to chap and allows the bacteria to enter. Muddy conditions are not always necessary; wounds or grazes can also allow the bacteria to penetrate.

SymptomsMud fever is recognized by scabs, a crusty exudate, and matted hair. It is usually seen around the coronet, heels and pastern, although scabs may form anywhere. It is more common on white legs with pink skin. In severe cases it can cause the legs to swell up and the horse may become lame. It affects cattle, goats and sheep.

TreatmentTreatment of mud fever must be vigorous and immediate. It is important to remove all scabs and exudate as these harbour the bacteria. Removing the scabs can be uncomfortable for a horse, so it helps to first soften the scabs with warm soapy water and then clean down to pink healthy skin using a dilute antiseptic solution such as iodine wash or Malaseb shampoo. In severe cases, poulticing may be required to soften the scabs. Afterwards ensure that the leg is thoroughly dried.

Once dried, an antibiotic cream such as Bioderm® should be applied twice daily. The scabs and crusts will reform rapidly therefore it will be necessary to repeat the antiseptic wash dailyuntil the legs arecompletely healed.

If the leg becomesswollen or the horsebecomes lame, thenveterinary attention is needed.

Severe cases may require a course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.

PreventionAllowing the legs to dry after exercise, followed by brushing off any mud appears to be the best management practice. If your horse acquires minor scabs on the legs, a close watch should be kept to ensure that they do not develop into mud fever. This condition is much easier to treat if it is recognized early!

- David McDonnell (BVSc Massey, MACVSc, DipBusStud)

Become a Fan on

We’re available to talk to you on the phone too. So don’t hesitate to contact us anytime Tauranga 07 578 4044 | Te Puna 07 552 4015 | Katikati 07 549 0215 | Papamoa 07 572 2334

We hope you have enjoyed this latest edition of the Tauranga, Katikati, Te Puna and Papamoa Village Vets newsletter

Take a moment to visit theTauranga Vets Facebook page, www.facebook.com/taurangavets, and Like what you see. We love your feedback and are always happy to answer your animal health questions.

Tauranga Vetswww.bopvets.co.nz

Staff Pro�le - Holly Rabone:Holly joined Tauranga Vets in early 2015, having graduated from Massey in 2014. Holly is currently based in our Te Puna Clinic and enjoys the variety of being a mixed animal vet.

Earlier in the year, Holly spent quite a bit of time working from our Tauranga Clinic where she was involved with the filming of our Reality TV Series, Pet Medics. You can tune into TV One on Saturdays at 4.00pm (or TV On demand if the time doesn’t suit), to see Holly and the team.

Theileriain Cattle

The “tick disease “ Theileria has again this spring continued its insidious spread through dairycattle herds of the upper North Island including the Bay of Plenty, as well as further down the country. Nationwide cases have been reported since September 2012 with the rate of new farms being infected each week showing that in due course virtually every cattle farm (both dairy and beef) will become infected at some point in the short to medium term.

The distribution generally follows the known distribution of the cattle tick, but there have been confirmed cases on the West Coast of the South Island and other random occurrences' outside the tick zone. Many cows are infected without becoming clinically ill, while others are devastated by the infection and do not survive. September is the peak month for new infections, associated with the stress of calving and weather. Young stock are also vulnerable especially over the New Year period when other post weaning stressesstart to figureand again in thelate autumn.

The main effectof the bloodborne parasiteis to causeanaemia in cattledue to destruction of red blood cells.

What to look out for• lethargy, weakness, depression, inappetance, poor milk production, mortality• pale or yellow mucous membranes ie. gums, vulva and white of the eyes• increased respiration and heart rates, raised temperature• bloody urine

TreatmentThere is a treatment (Buparvaquone) available which improves the chance of survival, however the drug comes with a very long milk withholding period and an 18 month meat withholding period and some other conditions of use which have limited its use considerably. An additional option is to give a blood transfusion which does give an immediate response in the worst affected cows when done early in the disease course. Some cows will recover with supportive treatments, plus vitamin injections and tonics.

Tick ControlThe most important preventative measure you can take is to control ticks on your cattle with Flumethrin or Bayticol. Over summer and into the autumn is a good time for this with the aim of reducing the number of ticks before risk periods. If you already see ticks on your cattle or you have cattle sick with Theileria unfortunately the best time to treat ticks was yesterday so to speak. All the same the impact of disease on your cattle may be mitigated if tick control is done at the next available opportunity. Don’t forget stock movement including bulls – ideally all stock should be treated coming on to or leaving the farm.

If you suspect any of your animals have anaemia feel free to contact your local large animal vet for advice.

- Phil Rennie (BVSc, MACVSc)

Pet MedicsChannel 1Saturdaysat 4.00pm

Provide 5 in 1 vaccine for rapidlygrowing calves & lambs Verify that Bulls used for matingare BVD tested & vaccinated

Good Heat Detection = Better AIConception Rates Start treating for �eas now to helpreduce the build up before summer Treat your stock with a tickacide tohelp reduce the impact of Theileria

CHECKLIST