sheep and equine november 2011 Laminitis in horses Woolshed meetings New Equine facility photos by Richard Hilson

Transcription

1 sheep and equine november 2011 Laminitis in horses Woolshed meetings New Equine facility photos by Richard Hilson

2 woolshed meetings by Richard lee We have just completed a series of 23 woolshed meetings Hawke s Bay wide focussing on 3 important topics for the coming lamb production season. These were; Changes in fly protection Weaning management minimisation of the weaning check Extra Lamb 2012 the best use of vaccines These meetings were initiated after Colin McKay presented new and recent NZ research findings to us with regards to fly control. Fly species epidemiology, chemical resistance issues and current application methods were covered very comprehensively. Richard Lee & Mark Matthews summarised information relevant to weaning and animal health management and positioned this alongside buoyant lamb market signals. Emphasis here was on making every lamb a $ winner. Ian and Richard presented on the cost effectiveness of routine vaccinations and emphasised both productivity and insurance benefits. Accompanying written reference material was available. These meetings were strongly supported by Beef and Lamb NZ and MSD Animal Health for which we sincerely thank them. Locally Beef and Lamb NZ are staunch advocates and supporters of the latest information being available to you. If you weren t there and want to know more please ask any of our staff, particularly Ivan, Harold and Grant for information. It s all there for you! If you were there and need follow up: Fly control updates - latest management Maximising lamb growth now and lamb production 2012 Come in and ask at our clinics Check out for details of the Dannevirke meetings on 16 & 17 November or call the clinic on (06) for more information Equine Facility by Richard McKenzie Vet Services Hawke s Bay is showing its commitment to the industry in the Hawke s Bay region with the addition of an equine facility at Golden Oaks Stud on Mangaroa Road, Hastings. The facility is the beginning of a more comprehensive equine veterinary service to clients in the Hawke s Bay and includes: - A purpose built crush for dental and reproductive work - Ability to provide intensive wound and bandage management via boxing facilities. - Hospitalisation for intravenous fluids and medical management via stocks and box facilities. - Rehabilitation options in conjunction with Golden Oaks Stud; treadmill hire/and training - Lameness work ups and nerve blocks on flat level surfaces in a safe environment - Tendon scanning [MyLab Digital scanner] in box controlled lighting environment as well as box facilities for rehabilitation - On site consultation, work up and diagnostics [digital radiography, ultrasonography, endoscopy] Appointments for consultations, dentals or procedures will be managed through the Hastings clinic on (06) Our experienced staff will be waiting to assist you with bookings for what will be an efficient, time saving service that will also save you the burden of mileage charges. To those who are unfamiliar with Golden Oaks Stud, it is a new equestrian venture owned by Malcolm and Lisa Beck. Recent UK immigrants, Malcolm (an ex farrier) and Lisa (an ex jumps jockey) are experienced in all aspects of the equestrian world and are based at 39 Mangaroa Rd, Hastings. They offer a luxury bed and breakfast, agistment services, treadmill and arena hire, full training facilities and lessons, and stand two sport horse stallions; Irish Draught, Ballineen Blue Mountain, and coloured sport horse, Samista. For further information on services they offer contact them on (06) , or visit their website- www. goldenoaks.co.nz (currently under construction but almost finished). For further information on the equine services to be provided at this new facility please call us at the clinic on (06) Stop Press State of the art Digital Radiography (DR) will be available through our ambulatory service and will be available for use in Hastings, Waipukurau and Dannevirke. The exciting new addition of a digital radiography option to horse owners by a local vet practice is a major investment in more complete veterinary care in Hawke s Bay. More on this to come...

3 LAMINITIS IN HORSES With the current flush of spring grass comes the risk of laminitis in our horses. Although there are a number of potential causes, carbohydrate overload with sugars from ryegrass (fructans) is the major trigger factor in Hawke s Bay. Grain overload where horses gorge on hard feed or grains has a similar effect. An excess of carbohydrate from any source ferments in the hind gut and leads to production of lactic acid and a consequent drop in ph. The normal resident bacteria then die and release toxins which are absorbed into the bloodstream. Although the exact mechanism of action of these toxins in the hoof is poorly understood they lead inflammation and damage to the sensitive lamella (leaves) that connect the pedal bone to the hoof wall. Because there is no room for expansion within the hoof capsule any swelling is extremely painful for the horse. If the injury is severe enough, separation between the bone and hoof wall occurs and due to the pull of the deep flexor tendon on the heel of the pedal bone this bone tends to rotate within the hoof capsule (founder). The bone may also sink down in the hoof. Other causes of laminitis include infections such as metritis (often secondary to retained placenta), bowel infection or pneumonia. Concussion from extreme exercise on hard surfaces may also precipitate the onset of laminitis. by DAVE KRUGER DEFINITION: LAMINITIS INFLAMMATION OF THE SENSITIVE LAMELLAE IN THE HOOF LEADING TO FAILURE OF ATTACHMENT BETWEEN THE DISTAL PHALANX AND THE INNER HOOF WALL. the dorsal hoof wall may become concave. In very severe cases the entire hoof wall may separate! Treatment of acute laminitis needs to be immediate in order to prevent irreversible damage within the foot. Ideally this should occur PRIOR to symptoms if an incident of grain overload or grass engorgement has occurred. We treat these cases very seriously as once the inflammatory process has started in the hoof it is very difficult to control. Drenching with large volumes of paraffin oil in an attempt to speed up the bowel and eliminate excess carbohydrate is usually carried out. If practical, standing the horse in cold water (ideally ice water) has been proven to provide good protection to the hoof structures. Treatment with analgaesics such as phenylbutazone (bute) will assist in pain control once the horse is sore, but unfortunately does not seem to help much in stopping the inflammatory process. Base line x rays are imperative and ideally should be taken in every laminitis case. A very important part of treatment in clinical cases is to alleviate the force of the deep flexor tendon on the pedal bone to try and prevent rotation of the bone. This is done be elevating the heel using pads, or where this is impractical standing the horse in deep soft sand. This allows the toe to sink into the sand and had been shown to help. Shoes should be removed in acute cases. Once the initial inflammatory process has run its course the foot needs to be x-rayed and a rehabilitation plan initiated. This usually includes specialised shoeing, often making use of rocker shoes with elevated heels. There are a number of ways of preventing laminitis. In overweight animals and especially ponies restriction of carbohydrate intake is vital. Limiting their access to high sugar grass is most important and where animals are grazed for a few hours a day mornings are the safest period. Grasses build up sugar during the sunlight hours and use these reserves at night so late afternoon/evening grazing should be avoided. Hay can be soaked in water for a few hours prior to feeding this leaches a proportion of the dangerous sugars out. ROCKING HORSE POSTURE The forefeet tend to be worse affected than the hind because a larger proportion of the body weight is carried by the front legs. Initial symptoms of laminitis include palpable heat in the hoof, an increased digital pulse and a reluctance to move. If severe, the horse may stand in a typical rocking horse posture in an attempt to take some of the weight off the front feet. In chronic cases the hoof becomes deformed with transverse growth lines across the wall from the disrupted hoof growth. Eventually ROCKER SHOE WITH ELEVATED HEEL HOOF WALL SEPARATION FOUNDERGUARD is useful in high-risk periods. This is an antibiotic which specifically targets the bacteria in the large bowel responsible for fermentation of fructan sugars. It is a very safe product which does not get absorbed from the gut and can be used long-term. For any further information or advice on Laminitis problems please call us at the clinic.

4 Hawke s Bay Seasonal Comment by Richard Hilson Summing up last month? This won t take too much time or too many words... Dannevirke Local Round Up Conditions in our neck of the woods have been fantastic for growing grass, farms are looking flush and lambs and calves are growing at a great rate of knots. The sheep guys have almost finished docking, Rain. No wind. Grass. Clover. Lots of live lambs. Lots of live calves. Lots of milk. Lots of smiles. Easy! by simon marshall again having good results and great survival rates. The dairy boys have all finished calving with generally good results and survival rates and are well into mating with cows cycling well. Let s hope the rain stops and the sun shines. Wool and vets do they mix? by Richard Hilson Wool has done a Phoenix impersonation over the last twelve months. Written off as a cost and a nuisance by many, it is worth good money again. And why not? It is a natural fibre, incredibly sustainable (if you like the phrase) and it is versatile. The problem has been that the cost of shearing it off has barely covered revenue generated and many farmers shore their sheep for management reasons rather than fiscal reasons. Now that the price of wool has risen, maybe it will be possible to justify some R&M to some long-neglected woolsheds. Why is a vet wobbling on about wool? Many of the inputs on sheep farms revolve around wool and wool consumes a lot of time and energy, one way or another. It may represent income but it also has indirect influence on when and why we choose to do other jobs on the farm. Our vets do a significant number of Animal Health Plans that involve consideration of every animal health action and input on an individual farm. The final report is usually very comprehensive, mapping out tasks and timings for an entire year. And on a sheep breeding unit, two very important starting points are ram joining dates and shearing dates. Wool has a huge influence. The date you shear your sheep will affect... - When you will next shear. - When you will next crutch, if at all. - How well you can flush ewes pre-mating. - How well your rams work and how fertile they will be. - The timing of ewe ovulation and the success of mating. - When the ram should go out and when he should finish. - Whether or not you ll need to use mating harnesses. - How many ewes have twins and triplets. - When you may need to consider preventative fly cover. - If you even need to provide preventative fly cover. - Your choice of lice control option. - How accurate your scanning will be. - How easy the ewes will be to winter. - How much risk you will face in stormy weather at any time of year. - How and where your ewes seek shelter. CHB A&P Association The CHB A&P Association celebrates its centenary this year, with its 100th show in mid-november. To mark the centenary, the A&P Association has published a history of its first 100 years, incorporating - How many ewes will get bearings. - How many ewes get cast pre-lambing. - How big your lambs will be at birth. - How many lambs will survive the first few days of life. - The access that lambs have to their mothers udder. - Your weaning date. - If lambs will get primed for pneumonia issues later in summer. - When vaccines are best administered. - How busy summer will be. - Your profit. This is not a complete list but if you think about all those interrelated aspects of wool then you can see how much influence it has on how much money you make, even without getting paid for the wool! If you have got a standard shearing pattern but have not thought long and hard about why you do it, then maybe it is worth considering a few of the above effects too. If any of those points don t make sense or if you struggle with the association, then ask us why. If you d like to consider all the animal health issues around wool then we d be mighty pleased to help. Wool has a new value, it is worth the effort and there is definitely more money to be made in doing a good all-round job. the major events affecting Central Hawke s Bay and especially farming. The book will launched at a special cocktail party before the show and be available at the show on November.

5 CHB Veterinary Club Scholarships The Vet Club currently offers two types of scholarships annually. 1. Bachelor of Veterinary Science scholarship. This has a value of $10,000 spread over 5 years subject to the recipient passing final exams. 2. Tertiary Education scholarship This has a value of $2000 made in two instalments through the year. Eligibility: Members of the CHB Vet Club-being direct children or children of members employees or a child of Principals and Employees of Vet Services HB Ltd. For further details contact: Sue Coppinger (06) , Waipukurau Application forms available on request. Applications close 25th November Dog Runs The dog runs are happening now in the Central Hawke s Bay and Napier/Hastings areas, and Dannevirke gets under way in December/ January. Make sure you get yourself into the Frontline Plus draw for a 6 month supply for your dog by purchasing a Frontline 3-pack at a special discounted price while we are at your place vaccinating dogs. Ram runs The ram runs are underway again for 2011/12. Make sure you contact us at the clinic to get your rams checked this year to get the best results next year! Lighter note... An old German Shepherd starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a panther heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch. The old German Shepherd thinks, "Oh, oh! I'm in deep shit now!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the panther is about to leap, the old German Shepherd exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious panther! I wonder, if there are any more around here?" Hearing this, the young panther halts his attack in midstrike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!," says the panther, "That was close! That old German Shepherd nearly had me!" Meanwhile, a squirrel who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the panther. So, off he goes. The squirrel soon catches up with the panther, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the panther. The young panther is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, squirrel, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!" Now, the old German Shepherd sees the panther coming with the squirrel on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?," but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old German Shepherd says... "Where's that squirrel? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another panther!" Moral of this story... Don't mess with the old dogs... Age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery! Bull Shit and brilliance only come with age and experience.

6 For all your horse s veterinary requirements New equine facility based in PakiPaki available now Choose either a Kiwi ½ COB ham kg or Kiwi Banquet Ham kg *Promotion starts 1 November and fnishes 22 December *Qualifying packs include: ARREST 2x 20L or 1x 50L, ARREST HI MINERAL 2x 20L or 1x 50L, 1x ECLIpSE 2.5L, 5L or 10L, 1x EpRINEX 2.5L, 5L or 20L, 1x EXODUS SE 20L, 1x EXODUS pour-on 5L or 20L, 1x first DRENCh hi-mineral 20L, 1x GENESIS hi-mineral 20L or 50L, 2x GENESIS INJ B12 plus SE 500mL, 2x GENESIS INJECTION 500mL, 1x GENESIS pour-on 2.5L, 5L or 10L, 1x GENESIS TApE hi-mineral 20L, 1x GENESIS ULTRA ORAL hi-mineral 20L, 1x GENESIS ULTRA pour ON 2.5L or 5L, 1x IVOMEC LIQUID 20L, 2x IVOMEC plus 500mL, 1x IVOMEC plus herd pack, 1x MATRIX C 10L or 20L, 1x MATRIX MINI DOSE 10L or 20L, 1x MATRIX 20L, 1x MATRIX hi-mineral 20L or 50L, 1x MATRIX TApE hi- MINERAL 10L or 20L,1x SWITCh 20L, 1x SWITCh hi-mineral 20L or 50L, 2x ECLIpSE E INJECTION 500mL, 1x ECLIpSE E herd pack, 1x IVERMATRIX TApE 10L or 20L, 1x SWITCh C 20L, 2x EXODUS LAI 500mL. digital x-ray equipment coming soon Call us at the Hastings clinic on Matted Coats Barley Grass in the Feet and Armpits? BOOK NOW! FOR A FULL FARM DOG CLIP OR FEET CLIP Get in early - it s is the best way to avoid barley grass problems HASTINGS 801W Heretaunga Street DANNEVIRKE 9 Gordon Street WAIPUKURAU 43 Takapau Road