CATTLE SCANNING DROUGHT WEANER DEER PHOTOS BY RICHARD HILSON

CATTLE / DEER MARCH 2013 CATTLE SCANNING DROUGHT WEANER DEER PHOTOS BY RICHARD HILSON www.vshb.co.nz

EARLY HEIFER REPORTS AND DAIRY COW SCANNING HELEN TAYLOR BVCS MRCVS If the on-going shortage of rain isn t a good enough reason to get your cows scanned then nothing is! The information that we can provide from scanning cows wet or dry, and foetal aging (or even just identifying the late s) is going to be vital to manage your way out of the current (hot and sticky) situation. The rising two year old heifers have had a great start in life being very well grown with all of the green lush grass they have lived on up until now. Thankfully, that feed in the bank has reflected well on heifer scanning results and things are looking great so far with above target results in most mobs. Now that they are in calf, don t forget about them rising two year old heifers are still growing so need the best that you can offer for themselves and their calves throughout the autumn and winter nobody wants calving difficulties and a poor scanning result in the first calved heifers next season. Dairy cow mating seems to have gone well despite the lack of a decent spring, with most farms at or around the top 20% target of 78% 6 week in calf rate. Care needs to be taken with cow condition NOW to ensure that cows calve in optimum BCS of 5-5.5. If we stay this dry, it is important that you scan as soon as possible i.e. 6 weeks after the bulls are removed so we can clear out the empties and save as much of that precious grass to ensure peak condition for those in calf cows and some milk in the vat next season. FACIAL ECZEMA Everyone, including us, is still wondering whether facial eczema will appear in 2013 or not. Yes, many farms have a definite lack of dead litter in the sward, and in most of the area it has been too dry for fungal growth and spore production so far but where there has been some moisture (light rain or heavy dews), and where some dried-up grass has fallen over, there is some spore production. We have started our monitor programme, with the majority of counts so far being zero. RICHARD SIDES BVSc One property however close to the ranges showed an increase to 45000 spores per gram last week. We should get a better idea early this month about the true trends in facial eczema activity for up to date spore counts go to the Vet Services website (www.vshb.co.nz). Also please let us know if there are any clinical cases occuring on your farm. While we are hoping facial eczema will be a non-event this year, this could change rapidly when that rain does arrive. Take The hassle out of rearing bulls with bopriva Bopriva is the behavioural management tool for improved winter grazing management of non-breeding bulls. Come and speak to us at the clinic to discuss how Bopriva could work best for you Zoetis New Zealand Limited. Level 3, 14 Normanby Road, Mt Eden, Auckland 1024, New Zealand. Tel: 0800 ZOETIS (963 847), Fax: 0800 628 629. BOPRIVA is a registered trade mark of Zoetis Inc. or its subsidiaries. ACVM No. A9931. RVM; Available only under Veterinary Authorisation.

LEPTO IN DAIRY AND BEEF COWS AND LEPTO WARNINGS IF IT RAINS ANYIKA THOMSEN BVSc Warning! Leptospirosis could be lurking when the rain decides to come our way. There are likely to be puddles of water from which the animals will love to drink BUT the leptospirosis may be in hiding in them. LEPTOSPIROSIS IN CATTLE Leptospirosis is a bacteria that colonises the kidney and genital tract of the host. The most common types that infect cattle are L.hardjobovis and L.pomona. The leptospirosis are then multiplied in the kidneys of the animals and are shed in the urine. This infected urine contaminates water leading to other animals becoming infected. Unfortunately, transmission between animals is efficient and the incidence of infection is relatively high. Clinical signs to watch for include: Sudden death Yellow carcass/jaundice Abortion/weak or stillborn calves Redwater in calves If you are in any doubt bring the animal in for a post mortem sooner rather than later to assist with diagnosis caused by the disease. The lesions are primarily in the kidneys making them look dark and swollen with small haemorrhages. The liver can also look swollen, pale and friable. Sometimes we will need to take blood samples from the affected animal to compare antibody titres between other animals to confirm the disease. Vaccinating is the best option to prevent infection. A calf can be vaccinated from one month of age and needs two injections 4-6 weeks apart. If they are vaccinated before three months it is recommended they are given a booster shot at six months. Following these an annual vaccination is needed. We find the most practical time to do this is at scanning time. Other ways of reducing the transmission of lepto include draining or fencing off swampy areas and preventing access to surface water. Remember this is a disease that has affected several farmers in Hawke s Bay so beware! WHEN IT RAINS WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR It will rain because it always rains after a dry spell. Guaranteed. But the rain which grows grass will always bring on a plethora of animal health issues. Guaranteed. We see the positive effects of the dry in low worm burdens in animals and definitely fewer problems with flystrike. The rain sets it all off though Worms explode. There have been plenty of eggs laid but conditions have not been conducive to big hatchings. Good rain will set this off and then there will be good larval survival. If covers are low, especially when animals are under stress, the effect will be profound. Watch for challenges and high burdens in two tooth ewes, MA ewes and young deer and cattle in particular. We will have to assume that lambs will be on a tight and regular drench programme! Flies go mad. Smelly wet wool to go with the humid conditions that insects thrive in. Strike is relatively easy to avoid but it is important to get application rates and timings right. Make sure ewes in particular do not get struck near to or through the tupping period or you ll have plenty of empty ewes at scanning. Grass goes mad too but the flip side of that is usually two fold. The sudden diet change nearly always causes issues for young stock and ewes in particular. Not a big deal but don t get big ideas about sudden surges in lamb growth rates, as there is always a lag as they adjust to the new feed. Worse is that ewes often go right off the boil after rain as they are usually held up a bit to allow grass to grow in front of them. Rain in March often causes poor scanning results as ewes get a check at a critical juncture. If ewes are adjusted to supplements such as silage or grain, this can lessen the blow. The other grass effect is grass staggers. This is caused by a toxin in the grass that serves to protect some grasses from stem weevil attack but unfortunately has a side effect of causing nervous conditions in virtually any stock. We have had relatively trouble free autumns recently but certain paddocks will always be an issue. There is no treatment ( no matter what rubbish you read from the mailbox!) so if you know where the bad paddocks are, graze them in the dry and hold off using them when the rain comes. And ever-reliable facial eczema is lurking. If conditions are good for fungi then conditions are good for facial eczema. Sporulation can be fast and huge when overnight temperatures are over 12 degrees for several nights, especially after rain. We monitor local spore counts very closely as we want to be able to warn you in advance of impending FE disasters. Recent seasons have seen several outbreaks and those of you affected will know very well which are your risky paddocks. Watch our spore count results. Graze the risky paddocks right out while the counts are low (probably too late by the time you see this in the mail) and be prepared to spore count before grazing a paddock or just aim to get into safer areas when risk is high. Don t get us wrong- we definitely want it to rain. It is easier to be looking at grass than looking for it. But rain will cause some upsets and there are management steps you can take to mitigate much of the risk. But that has to be early and not after the event. We aren t guessing at what will happen because all the issues listed above occur commonly after rain and they catch many farmers out. We ve seen it all before! Lighter note... Old guys just want to be helpful I was in New World the other day pushing my cart around when I collided with a young guy pushing his cart. I said to the young guy, Sorry about that. I m looking for my wife and I guess I wasn t paying attention to where I was going. The young guy says, That s OK. It s a coincidence. I m looking for my wife, too. I can t find her and I m getting a little desperate. I said, Well, maybe we can help each other. What does your wife look like? The young guy says, Well, she is 24 years old, tall, with blond hair, big blue eyes, long legs, big boobs, and she s wearing tight white shorts, a halter top and no bra. What does your wife look like? I said, Doesn t matter --- let s look for yours. Most of us old guys are helpful like that.

WILL THERE BE A DROUGHT? Local data has soil moisture and stream levels running behind the bad 1997 spring season- and that ended in the 1998 drought. Will we have a drought? We have to start thinking and talking drought now. Those of us who operate with the glass half full need to stop waiting for rain and maybe plan for the fact there may not be any If you can predict the rain better than Metservice then we suggest you change occupations. It is dry and the paddocks only look okay from a distance- the thin stalky wavy stuff on top is creating an illusion. A handful of CHB cow herds have been killed or sold in recently and some have been sent away grazing already. Beef cows going grazing or going to slaughter are usually a good drought barometer. Make a plan please. Pick some points in time and make things happen accordingly. I spoke to a wise and experienced farmer who did that many years ago, planning what went next and at what date. He didn t deviate from the plan, even after a bit of rain fell. What stock can go soon, more or less ready to kill? While there is pressure on space for cull ewes those are mouths that need to leave. Are there options for store stock (rapidly dwindling options as there will be plenty of store stock about if the rain doesn t come real soon)? Have you got any supplements? There is very little about and contractors have been underworked this spring. Should you source some now? Can you source some now? Make sure you know what stock you want to feed and have a guess at how long you may want to feed them. Do a feed budget. Above all, protect the capital stock. Aiming for 350kg weaners or $120 lambs will be a forlorn hope. Cut the feed demand and make sure you can see a way to protect the real investment in capital breeding stock. Please ask for help if the going looks a little tough. A problem shared is a problem halved and sometimes the extra set of eyes is enough to see the way a bit more clearly. There are some tough decisions to make. Watch water supplies, especially for lactating animals. Hinds and cows can die within a day or two if they run out of water. And if water does run out and animals need to be re-introduced to a water source, please do it gradually - access to unlimited water after a period of dehydration can lead to deaths in stock from salt poisoning. It will take more than one good rain to save this situation. Don t fool yourself please. There was two inches of rain in February 1998 that got everyone excited about that drought ending. It greened a few paddocks up but there was no more rain for about three months after that And if you cannot remember the 1998 drought, please ring us. Most of us remember it really well, for all the wrong reasons POISONINGS..You re poison runnin through my veins.. Dry conditions and poisonings go hand in hand - with feed supply running short at the moment, inquisitive and hungry stock are much more likely to be eating things they shouldn t. These may be plants that you do or do not know exist on your property We saw good examples of this last week a call was received from a sheep farmer in CHB, who had found three of 700 mixed age ewes dead, and a couple of others not looking so good. The ewes were in good condition and were found dead close to water sources. On post mortem examination of two of the ewes, the carcasses appeared similar to that of salmonella (which is high on the list as a cause of ewe deaths at this time of year). On closer inspection the rumen of the ewes were found to be full of leaves. After some time sifting through the stomach contents and consulting a textbook it was discovered the leaves and seeds were in fact from a Tutu plant! Tutu is the classical poisonous plant of New Zealand, although it is not very common in our area. Tutu contains a toxin named tutin, and most species (except horses) seem to be affected. The clinical WEANER DEER ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN March is a tough month on deer farms, especially when it is dry and feed is short. Finishing farms stock up with recently weaned fawns and breeding units have to find space for their weaned fawns as well as space for all the hind mating mobs. It isn t easy. Accidents will happen. Deer are very fleet of foot and young deer startle at all manner of things. Sudden death of fawns due to misadventure, especially high speed meetings with well planted fence posts, is not uncommon in the first few days after weaning. What we concern ourselves with is sudden death that cannot be blamed on fence posts. Young deer are under some stress at weaning (it has to be done so some stress is unavoidable) and there is an opportunity for infectious disease to get a grip. Please do not delay in getting a vet involved with any of the following situations. If you see lame weaners, sudden death, scouring weaners, excessive coughing in weaner mobs or lethargic weaners, get in touch with us. MIKE FITZGERALD BVSc signs are sudden following ingestion of the plant. The symptoms are mainly referrable to the central nervous system and include increased respiratory rate, muscle twitching, extreme excitement and convulsions. Convulsions and death are the final outcome in most cases. Successful treatment is rare, and diagnosis is by the presence of undigested leaves in the rumen. Most cases are associated with hungry stock. No tutu had been previously noticed on the property, which shows that anything is possible! Other poisonous plants to look out for include acorns, hemlock, rhododendron, oleander, yew, and ragwort. The most important thing to remember with any stock death is that the earlier a post mortem is conducted after death, the more likely you are to get a diagnosis! We are more than happy to either come out to do a post mortem examination on farm, or do it here at the clinic. Please feel free to ring the clinic and speak to one of our vets if you have any queries regarding stock deaths or poisonous plants. We have seen the whole lot but many deer farmers may never see any of the major infectious diseases of deer on their farms. We are most concerned about: Lungworm: not so many deaths but plenty of weight loss Yersiniosis: can be lots of deaths over weeks. Leptospirosis: sudden deaths in weaners but also a risk to humans. Feet infections: can be a big issue in badly weaned deer, especially when flooring is rough. This is a really hard issue to fix. Deer are great animals to farm but they have only been domesticated for three decades in New Zealand. They are tough and they can handle some pressure. But disease in deer often reflects wider problems within their management or a single point issue that created stress. Be aware that a sick deer is not just an individual caselook widely for answers. Dealing with health and management issues in newly weaned deer is a tricky job we can help.

SEASONAL UPDATE HASTINGS/ NAPIER Apart from the obvious hot, dry, no quality feed, some short on cow tucker, the main challenges seem to be a good dose of BVD in the weaner calves with a serious growth check as a result and a number of bigger cattle being struck with pneumonia. Both are very frustrating from a productivity point of view calves affected by BVD can take 4-6 weeks to recover and start gaining weight again whilst a lot of stock has died from a very acute pneumonia that is difficult to treat DANNEVIRKE Well if it hasn t rained by the time you are reading this then some pretty serious decisions on a lot of farms should have been made. While I am writing this there are already a lot of farms that have made serious decisions around drought management as some areas are worse off than others. The same mantras hold true as always, make decisions early and set deadlines around those decisions. We are happy to discuss strategies to plan for drought management so give us a call. Monitoring the body condition of stock and making sure those that need feed get it, is very important in a year like this. Have a sit down and work out what you can afford to maintain CENTRAL HAWKE S BAY The Big Dry dominates everything right now. We aren t in the middle of a disaster but we need a bit of luck if we are going to avoid one. There have been some very proactive moves made over the last few months that ordinarily would have created space for stock- but within no time, more options have needed exercising. Lots of lambs have left as store, cows continue to leave the district (for grazing if they are lucky, to the works if not) and now there is baleage starting BARBERS POLE This little blood sucker is alive and well. It strikes fear into the hearts of shepherds and creates a flurry of activity every autumn. And we have seen a couple of cases this season What s the fuss? Haemonchus contortus is a gut worm, is found in the fourth stomach of sheep and it likes to suck blood. A parasitologist s version of Twilight, maybe. It fills it s gut with blood and hence the name the worm has a twisted red and white appearance, like a barber s pole. Sudden infestations of the worm can cause severe blood loss in lambs in particular, and ultimately some affected animals will die. The complicating factor is that the worm can develop very quickly in ideal conditions and time from egg laying until infection can be half the time of other common sheep gut worms. Worried? Don t stress too much. We can guarantee to see outbreaks every autumn and this one is potentially going to be a worse one due to short grass covers, lots of dry faeces on the ground and the risk of a worm population explosion when the rain comes. Please note that this worm isn t everywhere on the farm and may not even be in high enough numbers anywhere on the farm. The Best Practice Parasite Management project has been running for over three years, involving some intensive monitoring on about fifteen farms nationwide (one in CHB) and it has been extremely hard to even find the worm in any numbers in any class of stock at any time of year. That doesn t mean it is nearly extinct and it doesn t mean you should be complacent. But it does prove that disease is going to be relatively rare. So you can be somewhat proactive by using longer acting drenches at critical times to provide cover against sudden infestations (e.g. moxidectin orals). Timing is hard to predict but many farmers include such a drench in their autumn programmes. You should also avoid paddocks or areas where there may be lots of contamination HELEN TAYLOR BVSc MRCVS and almost impossible to prevent. Some cases have been lung worm associated so if we do get a few more spots of rain then worm challenges will rise dramatically don t get caught out. We also need to be thinking fluke this autumn too, as the lack of feed pushes stock into the rough swampy bits for a fresh bite the perfect breeding ground for those snails that harbour the juvenile fluke. SIMON MARSHALL BVSc and what needs to gain and feed appropriately. Water is very important as is shade so bear this in mind also when selecting the paddocks to be grazed. We have been busy with pregnancy testing and despite a few technical breakdowns things are going well. It is too early yet to say how the results are shaping up but we will keep you informed. Stock health seems to be quite good at the moment with not too many emergency call outs being required. Hopefully we see you again soon on a routine call out and that things are looking a bit greener! to move around on trucks. Space for deer has been tight, cull ewes have had to wait too and some decisions about winter crops are hard to make when you cannot predict rain. So poor prices for red meat and wool are getting less of a mention but will have a huge impact on the bottom line when this season and financial year finally end. It is hard to be really positive but summer 2013 is becoming the absolute antithesis of summer 2012. (which can be hard to do) and be careful about set-stocking lambs (they build up worm numbers fast and then put themselves at risk). Pasture cleaned up by cattle is a good bet as H. contortus does not infect cattle, so they mop the worms up, making pasture safer for lambs. Just being aware of the risk is often enough. Shift or check lambs regularly and be quick to act if you see any lagging behind. Acute outbreaks may result in lamb deaths without any sign of scouring so don t rely on signs of diarrhoea for a warning. Luckily, Barbers Pole is still easy to kill in NZ (not like Oz or South Africa, where drench resistance is a massive issue). So virtually any standard drench product will kill the little buggers just grab a drench gun. And don t panic on the balance of probabilities you will not see a Barbers Pole outbreak this autumn.

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