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

Animail

TeatsealingHeifers

June 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

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By now, most of us have dried off the main milking mob of cows and hopefully your vet has had a dry cow consult or annual mastitis review as part of your Restricted Veterinary Medicines (RVM) consult.

Additionally, your vet may have discussed the merits of teat sealing the herd and may have talked about teat sealing the heifers. Heifer mastitis is becoming more of an issue on some dairy farms around the Bay of Plenty due to the unpredictable climates approaching calving and also the intensity with which we are farming.

Teatseal is a sterile compound without antibiotics that is infused into the teat canal and effectively

plugs, or seals off the teat canal (mimicking the normal keratin plug that is found in most mature cows, and is sometimes malformed in heifers). It remains in the teat canal until it is stripped out – regardless of the conditions the cow or heifer is exposed to during the dry or calving period.

Teatsealing heifers has become a common practice for many, and is usually done 5-7weeks prior to the planned start of calving. As it is such an effective protective seal, and therefore will block in anything that may be introduced, hygiene is absolutelycritical.

The majority of our teatsealing is done by our vets to ensure a consistently high standard.

We are more than happy to help you with this job – which we can assure you isn’t as big of a deal as many think!

elcome to the June Animail from Tauranga Vets. With the colder weather upon us, many of you will be starting to prepare your stock for the changes that this time of year brings.

This newsletter covers key activities to complete precalving, with articles written by Vets, Holly Rabone, Phil Rennie and Max Clout. Phil and Holly discuss mineral testing, the importance of this, timing and options while Max discusses teatsealing in Heifers. We’ve also included some information about Merial’s current “Good to Go”promotion, for Bionic capsules for sheep, and in our “Meet the Team” section, we profile Phil. Sit back, grab a drink, and we hope that you enjoy the read.

With the seasons becoming more erratic, Teatseal has become a much more viable option for many farmers, as no matter how long your dry period is or what the conditions will be like in Spring, the cow’s udder will be protected until the moment the Teatseal is stripped out.

As a general rule of thumb, if you are getting more than 10-15% heifer mastitis, Teatseal may be an economicallyviable choice foryou, even with thecurrent dairy prices.

If you would likemore informationabout Teatseal, or youwould like to discuss ifTeatseal may be a goodchoice for your herd or heifers, feelfree to call us at any of our four clinics.

- Max Clout (BVSc)

With the end of the ‘zinc season’ close at hand it is important to check your herd’s copper reserves. Zinc competes with copper for absorption at the gut level, which may lead to very low copper levels in May when zinc supplementation finishes. Variation in supplementary feed offered further complicates the situation.

Many farms adopt quite different supplement feed plans to ensure stock are fed adequately. For instance in recent years large amounts of palm kernel in the diet have tended to lead to high copper levels in some herds. However this is not always the case, especially when the level of palm kernel fed is fit for daily maintenance energy requirements, as opposed to being an additional energy source for weight gain.

To optimise productivity cattle should have some trace element testing done pre-calving. Liver biopsies provide the most accurate information, as it is a direct measure of the amount of copper stored in the liver.

Samples from 5 – 6 cows is usually sufficient to give an indication of the herd copper levels. Alternatively blood tests can be taken from 8 - 10 animals, providing a ‘snapshot’ of copper levels in the blood on the day of sampling. Deficient animals can be easily identified this way however the results do not provide any information on the amount of copper stored in the liver, so herds close to deficiency may appearnormal on blood tests, and hencethe need for increased coppersupplementation will not bedetectable. Remember the youngstock too, as these animals havehigh copper requirements forgrowth and development.

For more information, please donot hesitate to contact us at oneof our four clinics.

- Phil Rennie (BVSc, MACVSc)

Copper Testingof Livestock

Become a Fan on

Understanding Magnesium(Supplement one month

before Calving)

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

Staff Pro�le - Phil Rennie:

Magnesium (Mg) has many physiological and biomechanical functions. It is vital for normal nerve conduction, muscle function and bone formation. It is also important for mobilising calcium during lactation. Cattle need to ingest Mg EVERY DAY to maintain adequate levels. Grass staggers occurs when the levels of Mg in the blood and brain become too low. It is seen as hyper-excitability/aggression, muscle spasms, convulsions and can rapidly progress to death without intervention.

Cow RequirementsA lactating dairy cow requires 2g available Mg per day, plus 0.12g of Mg per litre of milk. This means a dairy cow producing 25L of milk per day requires 5g of available Mg daily. Beef cattle have broadly similar requirements but generally produce less milk. A beef cow producing 10L milk per day requires 2.5g of available Mg per day.

Possible Causes of Low MagnesiumDiet1. Low Mg intake – poor feed or inadequate supplementation.2. Rapid transit of feed through the rumen – lush pastures moves through faster so less time for absorption.3. Formation of insoluble complexes – Mg can bind to other compounds which stop absorption.4. Interference by other minerals – high potassium, high nitrogen and low sodium reduce Mg absorption, low calcium causes Mg levels to drop more rapidly.

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

After graduating in 1995 with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc), from Massey University in Palmerston North, Phil spent the first part of his career gaining valuable clinical experience with both companion animals and livestock in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Diverse roles included being a vet investigator during the 2001 UK foot and mouth outbreak and as a sole charge clinician in a number of small animal clinics.

The following period of time he worked as a veterinary adviser for the multi-national pharmaceutical company Pfizer and kept up with clinical practice through regular locums and continuing education. This service with Pfizer culminated in him being the national technical lead for livestock and equine

pharmaceuticals. During this time he gained membership with the ANZ College of Veterinary Scientists in Pharmacology and also trained as a Dairy NZ In Calf Adviser for advancing NZ dairy herd fertility.

Since returning to clinical practice in 2012 with Tauranga Vets, Phil has enjoyed his involvement with both companion and large animal patients primarily based out of the Tauranga and Te Puna branches.

Outside of work Phil enjoys time with family and friends, as well as keeping fit and relishing the great outdoors that the BoP coast and bush has to offer.

Cow Factors1. Age – older cows more likely to have poor Mg absorption.2. Breed – most susceptible Angus > Hereford > Jersey > Fresian least susceptible.3. Production – higher production means more demand for Mg so higher risk.4. Body Condition – thin and over fat cows are more at risk.

Management Factors1. Fertiliser Use – Avoid high potassium fertilisers.2. Reducing feed intake – yarding, mustering, transport puts cattle more at risk.

Environmental FactorsAny additional stress at critical periods around calving and lactation may predispose cows to low Mg. E.g. wind, rain, lack of shelter, sudden feed change, sudden drop in temperature.

PreventionAll cows should be supplemented withMg ONE MONTH prior to calving. Mg can be:1. Top-dressed onto pasture2. Added to silage and other feeds3. Added to cattle drinking water4. Drenched to cows individually5. Delivered via slow release capsules

Different products will have different Mg content and availability. Arrange a consultation with your veterinarian to discuss Mg supplementation options for your farm and don’t hesitate to contact the clinic if you suspect that you have a clinical case of grass staggers.

- Holly Rabone (BVSc)

Mineral Testing Herd Drench with Eprinex Pre calving Organise Spring productsRotovirus vaccine 3-12 weeks pre calving Magnesium dusting on pastures 4 -6weeks pre calving

Nitrate Alert in annual ryegrass/oats/sorghum - test before grazing

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