BORDER VETERINARY CLINIC NEWSLETTER October 2012

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1 BORDER VETERINARY CLINIC NEWSLETTER October 2012 SMALL ANIMAL TALK Snakes Are Out Again! Warm weather and an abundance of food (mice, frogs) have brought the snakes out of hiding once again. Snakes are most active during the early morning and evening. Often owners have seen or heard the dog barking at a bush, or have actually witnessed the dog fighting with the snake. We have already treated several dogs and it is important to be aware of signs to watch out for in your pet. In a dog or a cat the clinical signs shown include: Vomiting Excess drooling Trembling Wobbliness in the back legs, progressing to involve the front legs. Dilated pupils (big black eyes). Panting/ trouble breathing. Blood in urine You may see all or just a couple of these signs, with varying severity depending on the dose of venom. Signs may commence within a few minutes of being bitten, but can take up to 3-4 hours to develop. Don t wait for clinical signs to appear! It may be too late. Some dogs will appear to recover only to crash and be later found dead. If you suspect snake bite but are unsure, it is wise to leave your pet at the vet clinic for close monitoring. Grass Seeds As the weather warms up, the barley grass begins to brown off and the grass seeds cause havoc. These painful grass seeds can get into ears, under eyelids, between toes and stuck in gums. They can work their way into any body orifice, and in hairy dogs will often penetrate the skin in many places over the body. How to minimise risk to your pet: Avoid walking your dog in dry barley grass. Mow areas of barley grass around your house If your dog has long hair consider getting it clipped for the summer. Check between your dogs toes regularly for seeds and remove them before they penetrate If you suspect your dog has a grass seed up its nose, it is generally best to wait 24 hours before making an appointment. Often dogs manage to sneeze these seeds out on their own. Occasionally you may be able to see part of the grass seed poking out and can remove it yourself at home. If a hole that you have removed a grass seed from remains red, swollen or discharging it is likely that there is another grass seed deeper in and it should be checked by a vet. If your dog gets a grass seed in its eye or ear you should make an appointment to have it removed as soon as possible. Grass seeds left in ears can penetrate the ear drum and seeds in eyes can cause corneal ulcers. Both of these can become serious problems. Paw with grass seed between toes

2 HORSE TALK Founder Many ponies founder in the spring time when lush green grass is available. We have also seen a few cases this winter with ponies or horses on clover pasture. What is founder? Founder is also called laminitis. It is basically an interruption of the blood flow to the internal part of the hoof which causes pain and lameness. The pain can vary from mild discomfort to being unable to walk at all! Fat ponies are more susceptible to founder than leaner horses. What causes founder? When a pony eats lush green grasses (these are very high in sugar) the resulting digestive process leads to acid production in the gut, killing the good bacteria there and releasing toxins which (through a complex process) reduces blood flow through the hoof. This is why we see founder most often in spring when grass is loaded with sugar, but it can occur with any rapid change in feed. Any sudden increase in carbohydrates including feeding extra grain can result in founder. Horses can also develop a stress founder secondary to illnesses such as colic. Signs of founder: All four feet may be affected in founder, but commonly it is just the front legs affected. Horses are reluctant to move, shuffle when they walk, often stand with their front legs placed well out in front of the body, and it will be difficult to pick up one of the forelegs. Their hooves may feel hot. Treatment: Remove the horse from the green pasture if this is the cause, or limit the amount of grain in the feed if excess grain is the cause. The more fibre (i.e. hay) in the diet in the short term the better. Anti-inflammatories help with pain relief, which will be prescribed by your vet. The horse should be confined initially to limit walking, and will benefit from standing on soft / sandy ground. Specialist shoeing with heart bars or reverse shoes may be necessary in severe cases. Prevention: If your pony has had founder before it will more than likely have it again, so it is important to manage it s green feed intake especially in springtime. The worst scenario is going from short feed onto lush pasture. The easiest thing to do is fence off small sections of a paddock to limit the amount of feed available. Adding a product called Founderguard to your pony s daily feed mix will help prevent founder by promoting the right type of bacteria in the gut. If a pony has been affected by founder at some stage in it s life often it will have altered the pattern of hoof growth. For these ponies it is very important that they have regular hoof trims to prevent their feet becoming deformed. OFFICE HOURS FOR MELBOURNE CUP DAY Tuesday 6 th November Cohuna Clinic CLOSED Barham Clinic CLOSED Leitchville Clinic CLOSED KERANG CLINIC 8.30am 1pm Please note that a Veterinarian is available 24 hours, please call your regular clinic number in case of an emergency.

3 DAIRY COW TALK Pregnancy Testing Pregnancy testing of Autumn joined cows is well underway. If you want your herd tested using either ultrasound or manual palpation now is the time to book-in. The main advantage of early pregnancy testing is to confirm joining dates and therefore allow accurate prediction of calving dates. This information is vital if cows are dried off in batches as well as determining when cows should commence a lead or transition feed diet (say 2 to 3 weeks before calving, depending on the product). The Spring Mating Period Some of the very important factors which affect a herd s reproductive performance have now been set for the season. These include cow Condition Score at calving and the number of cows calving late in the calving period. With most farms in the area due to commence joining over the next few weeks there are still many things that can be done to give your herd a chance of achieving better reproductive performance this season. To achieve good reproductive performance in your herd: A large percentage of the herd should be cycling by Mating Start Date. Non-cycling cows should be detected and treated so they commence cycling as close as possible to Mating Start Date. Once mating starts, accurate heat detection is a critical part of your herd s mating program. Cows should be managed so that they can achieve acceptable conception rates to service. Herd Synchronisation Programs Herd synchronisation programs are used in an attempt to ensure that as large a percentage as possible of the herd can be mated over a short period of time. There are a range of different synchronisation programs but these can basically be divided into two types: prostaglandin based programs and fixed time insemination programs A number of factors need to be considered when selecting an appropriate program for your herd. Convenience, labour requirements, cost and expected conception rates are just a few of the many variables needing to be considered. Please contact our office to discuss herd synchrony programs and the most appropriate system for your herd. Treatment of Non-cycling cows In the ideal situation non-cycling cows should be treated 10 days prior to Mating Start Date. Non-cycling cows that are identified and treated early and subsequently joined early in the mating season will have reproductive performance similar to their normally cycling herd mates. If treatment is left until 21 days into the mating season they are more at risk of not being in calf at the end of the mating season. The simplest way to identify non-cycling cows is to tail paint the entire herd 30 days prior to Mating Start Date. The tail paint may need to be touched up on several occasions. The tail paint should be checked twice weekly and those which have had paint rubbed off should be repainted with tail paint of a different colour. The identity of these cows should be recorded. Ten days before Mating Start Date cows that have not cycled can be identified for treatment.

4 Pinkeye is predominantly caused by a bacterium called Moraxella bovis. It results in ulceration and severe inflammationn of the eye. This causes pain and reduced vision for the affected animal. Pinkeye is a contagious conditionn and flies play a significant role in spreading the infection between animals. A recent study completed by Warnambool Veterinary Group in conjunctionn with Pfizer Animal Health looked at the merits of three different treatment options for non-cycling cows. The treatment options included an ovsynch based program; an ovsynch plus pregnecol program, and an ovsynch plus pregnecol plus progesterone releasing device program. In one of the three options they were able to demonstrate no statistical difference in conception rates between cycling cows and anoestrous cows entered in the program. This is extremely encouraging!!. Prevention If pinkeye has h been a significant problem in your cattle in previous years, you should consider using Piliguard, Piliguard vaccinee should be administered as a single subcutaneous dose 3 to 6 weeks prior to the pinkeye season. The incidence of pinkeye can be furtherr reduced by the followingg management factors As a rule of thumb, by using a herd synchronisation program ass well as undertaking early intervention of non cycling cows, 50% of cows should be pregnant within the first 25 days of mating. PINKEYE Fly control Segregatee affected cattle Avoid yarding affected cattle in dry, dusty conditions to minimise spread between susceptible cattle Treat cases of pinkeye early (see below for treatmentt options) Treatment If you have animals with pinkeye there are several treatment options. Opticlox ointment is very effective. Apply 15-30% of a tube per eye and repeat in 48 hours. Sometimes a third treatment may be necessary. Eye Patches - these can be used in conjunction with w opticlox. The patches reducee irritation to the t eye fromm light, dust and flies. They will also a help reduce the spread of pinkeye. If using patches it is very important to make sure they are glued on inn a way so that t they do not rub on the eyeball.

5 One of the most important things to do when treating a pinkeye case is to check for grass seeds in the eye. Irritation from grass seeds caught under eyelids can cause very pinkeyelike lesions. If a case of pinkeye is not improving consider calling us for a consultation. The most important component to a fly control program is that the approach be integrated between controlling fly populations on the animal as well as in the environment (dairy, effluent pits, paddocks, watering points etc). Piliguard 100ml Price $185 (ex GST) For every Piliguard 100ml purchase receive a BONUS 1 litre Coopers Easy Dose FREE!. Effective against Deltafly Biting flies, domestic flies and lice The following is a list of products currently stocked, as well as a brief description of their applications. In some cases, their use is not limited to fly control or use strictly around the dairy. Actions Extra Info Price Lice and Fly Control Nil milk WHP $390 per 10L $265 per 5L Solfac Pro Flies, cockroaches, spiders, ants, fleas, silverfish, mosquitoes Rapid knockdown Long residual action 12 wks Odour free Effective on even the most difficult surfaces Spray around walls, calf sheds etc to point of run off. $ per 500ml Quickbayt Flies Lures flies to bait station Kills in less than one minute after contact Non-scheduled poison with added deterrent to protect pets Put bait stations around dairy, rubbish bins etc $45 per 350gm $195 per 2kg Quickbayt Spray Flies Residual activity for up to 6 weeks Flies die within 1 minute Mix with water & spray on surfaces to attract and kill fast Apply indoors & outdoors $ (4 x 250gm) Spray in patches and it will draw flies in HokoEx Flies Sprinkle around effluent heap, Spray on effluent heap. Up to 6 weeks residual activity Stops larvae maturing Safe on beneficial organisms SLAM Spiders, ants, Ready to use pack cockroaches, fleas and nonparalysis Low odour, clear ticks. drying liquid Controls fleas Barrier treatment around pet repels insects housing Note: All prices are quoted GST exclusive Breaks the fly lifecycle by disabling the ability of maggots to produce chitin, so they die a day or so later when they attempt to moult. Safe for use around livestock Safe to use around home Rainfast and UV stable $ per 5kg $43.40 per 2L $70 per 5L

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