S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 H N V G N E W S

M A R C Hfa r m n e w s l e t t e r

Hook Norton Veterinary Group LLPWhite Hills Surgery, Sibford Road,

Hook Norton, Banbury.Oxon, OX15 5DG

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

UPCOMING MEETINGS & FARMSKILLS COURSESJoin the HNVG team for all or any of our 2020 FarmSkills courses. We hold regular meetings throughout the year to provide you with the latest information and skills to help you look after your farm animals. Whether you would like to refresh your knowledge or to gain a certificate for your Red Tractor Farm Assurance, we are here to help!

FarmSkills courses are designed to put the farmer first; finding out what you know now and what you’d like to know to improve your business. They cost £75.00 +VAT pp and include all refreshments.

» FARMSKILLS MASTERING MEDICINES - 11TH MARCH 2020, 10 AM - 4 PM

» FARMSKILLS PRACTICAL LAMBING - 25TH MARCH 2020, 10 AM - 4 PM

» FARMSKILLS MASTERING MEDICINES - 13TH MAY 2020, 10 AM - 4 PM

MASTERING MEDICINES OVERVIEW The aim of this course is to increase your knowledge of safety and good medicine practice as well as outlining the legislative requirements for on-farm medicine use. This course is compliant with Farm Assurance requirements. The course also aims to increase trainees’ understanding about the different types of medicines used and how these relate to the common diseases relevant to their farms.

Our Practical Lambing course is suitable for shepherds of all abilities. We want to arm you with the knowledge you need in order to maximise survival rates and ensure your lambs are safely delivered into the world. You will cover topics such as housing, difficult lambing techniques, body condition scoring, disease treatment & prevention, and vaccination.

PRACTICAL LAMBING OVERVIEW

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

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F E B R U A R Y F A R M N E W S L E T T E R

W W W . H O O K N O R T O N V E T S . C O . U K

C o n t e n t s

3 FA R M S K I L L S D AT E S

4 , 5 & 6 s h e e p

7 L a m b a n d c a l f c a r e r e m i n d e r s

8 & 9 C at t l e

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To contact us please us the following:T: 01608 730085E: farm@hooknortonvets.co.uk

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PREGNANCY TOXAEMIA AND HYPOCALCAEMIA

key facts

Pregnancy toxaemia (or twin lamb disease) is a condition that affects ewes in the final few weeks before lambing. The disease is caused as ewes struggle to match their energy expenditure with intake and end up in a negative energy balance. This results in a build-up of metabolites that can be toxic at high levels. With this in mind, it is no surprise that ewes carrying multiple lambs are more at risk or those who aren’t receiving adequate nutrition in the lead up to lambing.

This condition can also be complicated by hypocalcaemia (milk fever) and so it is normally worth treating affected ewes with subcutaneous calcium. If you are unsure you can discuss this further with a vet. It is important to note if giving calcium under the skin, it should be warmed to body temperature to facilitate absorption.

FREE LAB TESTINGWe are currently offering free lab fees for ewe energy status bloods during March. This will help highlight if there are any adjustments that need to be made in the ration around the lambing period. Blood sampling charges apply as normal; however the lab tests will be free of charge. These can be booked in at the Hook Norton Surgery to save the visit fee.

SIGNS» Ewes may separate themselves from the rest of the group» Ewes are dull and lethargic» Off food» Fine muscle tremors» Blindness» Death

TREATMENT» Ewe-Go – a specific energy drench also containing calcium» Metacam® or Flunixin as an anti-inflammatory» Warm sub-cutaneous calcium» Some cases may also require a steroid injection which will induce labour

PREVENTION» Scanning ewes – Scanning and sorting ewes into ‘number of lambs’ will allow specific and adequate nutrition to be given to each group.» Pre-lambing energy status blood sampling – Sampling ewes in the few weeks before lambing will help identify if ewes are receiving appropriate quantity and quality of forage.

PREGNANCY TOXAEMIA AND HYPOCALCAEMIA

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If you have already scanned your ewes and have higher than normal numbers of empty animals, we would strongly

recommend doing a barren ewe check. Taking bloods to check for exposure to enzootic abortion and toxoplasmosis will identify if any diseases are underlying and causing high barren rates. We would advise a screen of 6-10 ewes to gain a representative picture of what may be causing the losses. If you do not scan, these bloods can be taken post-lambing from any ewes who failed to deliver a lamb.

b a r r e n e w e c h e c k

s h e e p a b o r t i o n s

We have already diagnosed several infectious causes of abortion in ewes through post-mortem examination of foetuses this year including enzootic abortion, toxoplasmosis, & listeria.

If you have any ewes abort, please bring them in for analysis. Isolate the affected ewe and bring any dead lambs for post-mortem to the surgery as soon as possible. We require the dead lamb and placenta to be as fresh as possible in order to culture and identify the causative agents.

Not only can we treat the remaining ewes to prevent further abortion depending on the agent, but we can also put a vaccination plan in place to prevent further losses come 2021.

Aiding rapid recovery for scouring calves

Manufactured and distributed in NI by: Norbrook Laboratories Ltd, Station Works, Newry, Co. Down, BT35 6JP. Distributed in GB by: Norbrook Laboratories (G.B.) Limited, 1 Saxon Way East, Corby, Northamptonshire, England, NN18 9EY. Contains: Sodium citrate dihydrate, sodium acetate trihydrate, sodium propionate, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, glucose (anhydrous), silica colloidal anhydrous. | 4924-LA(C)-v1b-GB-24/01/20

lamb and calf care remindersCOLOSTRUMFor any neonate, colostrum is liquid gold when it comes to preventing disease and getting neonates thriving from the start. When assessing colostrum management, the three Q’s are the key…

QUALITY » Not all colostrum supplements (or even maternal milk) are born equal! Maternal milk can be enhanced by boosting specific vaccines in the lead up to birth such as Bovigen® Scour and Heptavac®-P plus. » Supplementary colostrum is very useful to have however it is important to purchase high-quality replacers. At HNVG, we stock several replacers that we believe are effective and appropriate for both calves and lambs.

QUANTITYQuantity can be dependent on several factors including breed and birthweight however we have a few general rules to guide you in the right direction.» Lambs: 50mls per kg of body weight in the first two hours after birth and a total of 200mls per kg over the first 24 hours.» Calves: Traditionally 6 pints in 6 hours was used as a guide however, this is likely to be more like 6 LITRES in 6 hours now. It is important the calf is given at least 2 litres in its first 2 hours of life.

QUICKLY!» The sooner antibodies from colostrum are absorbed, the sooner the neonate will have a passive immune system. The gut will also lose the ability to absorb antibodies through the gut wall from the first feed so make sure the first feed is a good one!

SCOUR» Scour can be caused by a number of different agents with the most common in lambs being E.Coli and coccidiosis and in calves E.Coli, cryptosporidiosis, rotavirus, and coronavirus (and no - this refers to a different kind of coronavirus!).

» Getting a diagnosis is critical in ensuring the scour is treated correctly and with the appropriate drugs. We often use an on-farm calf-side test which will identify E.Coli, cryptosporidiosis and rotavirus and coronaviruses. Samples may also be taken to check for coccidiosis or to send off the sample to our external lab.

» Supportive care is always essential in these cases with fluid therapy at the core. If the animal is up and has a suck reflex, mixing Rehydion® gel into milk will replace essential electrolytes lost during scour. Rehydion® gel also now comes with a lamb oral pump to help dose lambs correctly.

» A gentle reminder – Bovigen® Scour. If you haven’t yet, please ring up and order your Bovigen® Scour vaccine to ensure cows get their booster at the correct timing (12-3 weeks prior to calving). Bovigen® Scour provides in-colostrum protection again rotavirus, coronavirus and E.Coli.

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BULL TESTING REMINDERFor many people, calving may not have even started, however ensuring bulls are fertile and healthy needs to be a priority when looking to calving 2021. If you wish to have any new or old bulls fertility tested prior to use this year, please book in with our Farm Reception Team!

HEIFER PELVIC MEASURING Last year we purchased a Pelvimeter to assess heifer suitability for breeding. By measuring the height and width of the pelvic canal, more accurate predictions can be made about ease of calving and appropriate age of service.

NEW PRODUCT:Multimin™ – injection is a 4-in-1 trace element supplementation that is targeted for young stock in your herd. The injection contains copper, selenium, manganese, and zinc and is given under the skin. While boluses provide a more consistent and longer release of trace elements, Multimin™ is of particular use for young stock which may not have been bloused yet.

Below are some good indications for use:» Prior to housing/stress period to support the immune system » Any ill-thrift or poor-doing calves » Supplementing calves on grazing known to be deficient in trace elements

Mastitis TubesThere are currently national availability issues with the majority of lactating cow intra-mammary antibiotic tubes.

We currently have limited supply of our usual tubes however Ubrolexin® and Orbenin™ LA are likely to become the only available choices in the near future.

We are currently reviewing options and sourcing alternatives and will keep all farms updated with options in controlling mastitis.

CATTLE

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Did you know you can save money on your farm dogs (and cats) routine preventative health care?

Our Lifetime Care Club provides you with everything you need in preventative health care to help your cats and dogs stay fit and healthy.

Our monthly Direct Debit payment scheme means you can spread costs throughout the year whilst ensuring your pet is constantly covered.

We provide your pet with:

» ANNUAL VACCINATIONS

» 6-MONTHLY HEALTH CHECK

» ROUTINE FLEA & WORMING TREATMENTS

» NURSE HEALTH CLINICS

Spreading the cost of your pet’s preventative care throughout the year will save you money, but don’t just take our word for it, take a look at the price comparison chart opposite and see for yourself.

Contact our Small Animal Reception Team to help and answer any queries you may have.

T: 01608 730501E: reception@hooknortonvets.co.uk

lifetime care club Lifetime Care Clubversus

NON-LIFETIME CARE CLUB

A price comparison.See your potential savings below!

LCC NON-LCC

THE MOUSER <4kg

THE ALLEY CAT >4kg

THE MIN PINS 0-10kg

THE DOODLE10.1 - 25KGkg

THE HOUNDBERRY25.1 - 40kg

THE BERNIE40.1-60kg

£119.88

£131.88

£143.88

£155.88

£191.88

£126.00

£229.29

£209.02

£215.50

£250.16

£404.00

£232.27

£109.41SAVING!

£77.14SAVING!

£71.62SAVING!

£94.28SAVING!

£212.12SAVING!

£106.27SAVING!

CAT

CAT

DOG

DOG