Newsletters

In our winter newsletter, vet Chris Watton takes a look at reducing adult cow mortality on dairy farms, while Freddie Watchorn and Andrew Thomas give an overview of colostrum management and the feeding of calves. There's an autumn roundup of seasonal health issues by Max Hardy and an update from Rebecca Davenport on our Smallholders Club. Our Meet the Staff column features our new Farm Animal Practice Manager Nick Watson (as pictured).

In our autumn newsletter, Max Hardy runs through the key parasites to look out for in the autumn, and the diagnostic tests and treatment options available; Jorge Robayna looks at aspects of fertility in suckler herds: PD-ing of cows and bull-testing; Zoe Hebblethwaite gives an overview of pneumonia and the vaccination options; our Vet Techs Robyn Oram and Vickie Gillespie explain the benefits of mobility scoring and body condition scoring.

In this issue we give an update on TB – tests, regulations and advice when buying-in stock. There’s advice on what to look for when carrying out post-mortem examinations, and a rundown on the parasites which can cause diarrhoea in spring lambs.

Also discussed is negative energy balance in cows and its complex inter-relationships with transition cow diseases, as well as how to prevent it.

There’s also advice for spring-calving suckler herds on managing the end of block cows.

This issue contains information on: the new Red Tractor Guidelines regarding the prescription of High Priority Critically Important Antibiotics (HP-CIA), changes in the National Johnes Management Plan, plus Radial TB testing. There's also a refresher on sheep scab and blowfly strike, and a look at the possible causes of sudden death in cattle and sheep. For gamekeepers, Max Hardy gives some advice on feeding, rearing and releasing birds this season.

In our spring newsletter, vet Zoe Hebblethwaite gives an overview of the antibiotic alternatives to those on the 'Critically Important' list. Vet William Colmenares explains pre-breeding bull fertility tests and their importance. There's an APHA TB testing update, and vet Rebecca Davenport puts a focus on lambing and the value of recording any losses and identifying the cause(s). Flock owners can take advantage of subsidised testing to screen for Toxoplasma gondii and Chlamydophila abortus up until July 21st. And finally, there's details of an 'End of Spring' party we are holding for our clients - old and new - on May 11th. 

In our winter newsletter, there’s an update on new TB regulations and the new lower costs of the Interferon Gamma blood test. There’s information on Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) and its prevention by vaccination, and the benefits of using Fever Tags which signal when cattle temperatures are high. And there’s advice on preventing Johne’s disease in sheep, and managing incidences of misalliance – when pregnancies occur in heifers which are too young.

Featured in this newsletter are: Bovine Ischaemic Teat Necrosis, the benefits of using Fever Tags, changes in Farm Tractor Assurance standards, and how to keep control of lameness in sheep flocks. 

There's also an insight into what vet Mike Thorne has been doing in Africa.

In this newsletter, the topics covered include: rotavirus in calves, Border disease in sheep, and how to spot and prevent trace element deficiencies in cattle and sheep, chick rearing for gamebird flocks, and summer parasite control. 

An invitation to the inaugural meeting of the Smallholders Club is also announced in this newsletter. See the Summer newsletter for the report.

This early spring newsletter features articles on: the treatment and prevention of orf in sheep, care of the Down cow, management of pre-lambing ewes to prevent problems of twin lamb disease, low calcium and/or magnesium, abortions and prolapses, and also some advice on parasite control for the spring.

Articles featured in our autumn newsletter include: ringworm in cattle – its effect on performance, and diagnosis and control. Salmonella in cattle also comes under the spotlight, with advice on its treatment and prevention.

There’s an update on the Calf Tracker initiative: what it involves and the benefits of taking part. We also look at some examples of best practice in record-keeping for sheep flocks, give an update on parasite control at housing, and list details of this season’s VPS offers.