Nothing warms your heart more than your happy, smiling dog welcoming you home at the end of the day. Just like us, to keep that happy smile, cats and dogs rely on healthy teeth and gums for their overall health and wellbeing.The build-up of dental plaque (a sticky film of bacteria that constantly forms on the teeth) can lead to oral health issues in your pet, such as gingivitis, periodontal disease and tooth loss ..read more

PPID is the most common endocrine disorder in horses and ponies, with as many as one in seven over the age of 15 affected. It can occasionally be seen in younger horses as well. As such, it is something that many horse owners have heard about or will know of a horse or pony that has suffered from it. However, without first-hand experience of this condition, recognising clinical signs can be difficult and they can sometimes be put down to the horse 'just getting old'.   ..read more

They help us chase our dreams, provide us with stress relief, teach our children responsibility and willingly offer to work for us. In return, all they ask is that we care for them, keep them fed, sheltered, healthy and happy. As they get older, their health needs change, so once your beloved equine enters his mid-late teens, you may need to start thinking about how their bodies are changing. For example, they may:  lose muscle condition, through no longer being in work or age-rel ..read more

No matter the weather, our furry friends love to get outside, have some fun and make an absolute mess of themselves (and the garden)!  As a responsible pet owner, our matted and unruly-haired companions need our help to manage their coats. Well maintained coats provide numerous benefits for our animals’ health, comfort and overall wellbeing.  Clipping is required for several breeds of dogs for many reasons: Temperature control Dogs with thick or long coats may str ..read more

Johnes disease is a commonly accepted and costly problem in Southland, causing large losses from drops in production and premature culling.The disease is caused by a bacteria (mycobacterium paratuburculosis) that targets and damages the gut lining, leading to the 2 main signs of Johnes: Watery ‘hose-pipe’ diarrhoea. Progressive weight loss.What makes Johnes so unique (and frustrating to identify/treat) is the long period between infection and clinical signs ..read more

Teat sealing preparations begin well before the season starts.There are so many moving parts to make teat sealing a success and we are so lucky to have such a well-oiled machine. From vets consulting with clients; retail and inventory staff ensuring the correct stock is ordered and delivered; the operations team triple-checking trucks and trailers for any maintenance that needs completed; HR hiring new staff and ensuring we all have the correct PPE (personal protective equipment) and traini ..read more

Unfortunately, there comes that day when you need to send your cull cows to the works. Just getting these animals out of the paddock and putting them straight onto the truck isn't enough and can cause health and animal welfare issues. This isn't something you want for girls that have served you well for years (and you probably don’t want to pay any fines either)!Despite everyone's efforts to ensure animals don’t have to wait too long at the works, cows can end up waiting in lairage for ..read more

We see a lot of cancer eye (otherwise known as squamous cell carcinoma). As the name suggests, it's a cancer of the eye, which can affect the eyelids, eyeball or 'third eyelid' (the eyelid that slides across the eye) and it is as bad as it sounds ..read more

With the rising popularity of wearable technologies in dairy herds, it is opening a wealth of data for analysis that can be of benefit to both the farms using it and non-users.In particular, collars/tags record when a cow experiences a heat, enabling us to track how well the herd is cycling in the lead up to mating. This year, I tried to look at the reproductive performance of some of our technology-using farms that gave us access to their data and compared this back to their cycling rates ..read more

Our beefies have had a lot to do this season to manage our pasture quality! As we work towards weaning time, there are a few things to plan for to keep them in tip-top shape ..read more