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Almost better

May has been Get Well Month for vets Kim Rolls and Andrew Litchfield who have been on away on medical leave.

We look forward to having them back on deck in June - Kim plans to be back in clinic during the first week and Andrew should have leave pass from his doctor to return after the long weekend. They have been missed although happy to see the practice running smoothly during their absence in the capable hands of John, Kate, Genevieve, Gabby and Andrew Denman. 

And more building....

You may notice more construction work when you next visit our Orange Hospital..we are undertaking the second stage of our planned building works - a renovation and extension of our stable area and surrounds to improve the standard of the facility for our large animal clients particularly horse clients. Improvements include a designated, fully lined stable area for horse surgery, larger storage area and an isolation area. We apologise for any inconvenience to clients during this brief building process - we know the changes will be well worth it. 

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Contents of this newsletter

01  Grazing Autumn/Winter cattle pastures

02  Reminder for the QUT Laminitis Survey

03  Ovine brucellosis - more common than you may think!

04  What are the rewards of bigger heifers?

05  An odd couple: blind horse cared for by old goat

01 Grazing Autumn/Winter cattle pastures

After a less-than-convincing autumn break, there is some pasture getting away and with recent rains we hope to see some growth despite cooler temperatures. Kim Rolls shares his tips of the important things to consider when grazing stock on autumn/winter pastures. 

Acidosis - young autumn and early winter growth (just as in early spring) is high in energy & protein and low in fibre, similar to grain. Relatively sudden access to these pastures may cause subclinical rumen acidosis with subsequent loss of production & hoof changes. There is increasing evidence that a significant proportion of lameness & foot abnormalities in beef cattle are attributable to subclinical laminitis associated with pasture flushes in strongly seasonal areas like ours.                                          

  • Supplementing with hay to provide some coarse high fibre to the rumen helps slow the digestion of carbohydrates and increase saliva production helping to prevent acidosis. The hay needn't be top quality, just palatable.

Grass tetany - caused by short green winter pastures which are typically low in Magnesium. Usually only affects late pregnant or lactating cows especially in periods of very high nutrient demand as in bad weather. Signs are sudden death (most common), nervousness, shaking & ataxia. Treatment is difficult (but possible in some early cases) so prevent is better.                                                

  • Save paddocks of older native pasture for late pregnant or recently calved cows.  
  • Supplement with good quality pasture or legume hay - if you have experienced problems previously then administer Mg rumen implants just prior to your risk period. Daily administration of Causmag on hay to at risk cows during cold, wet & windy weather (start the day before predicted bad weather & continue through it).

Please contact us if you have any questions about diet management 63618388.

02 Reminder for the QUT Laminitis Survey
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This is a reminder from last newsletter – we need your help!

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is undertaking a study to improve our understanding of how often laminitis occurs and recurs. The survey aims to determine risk factors and management strategies which influence the rate of recurrence. The study will recruit cases of laminitis (of any type, grade or cause) through participating veterinarians and consenting horse owners. Information will be gathered by online questionnaires and cases will be followed for up to two years.

How can you help?

Your participation is vital to maximise the impact of this study. By working together, we can get a better perspective of why this disease occurs. This will help us provide the best care we can to your horses and ponies in the unfortunate event they experience laminitis.

What do you get?

If you have a horse or pony that develops laminitis let us know, and you will be eligible for a free ACTH and insulin analysis at the study lab. Even better, you may get an answer as to why your horse is experiencing repeat bouts of laminitis, which enables us to prevent future cases.

To find out more about this study, visit the QUT website

If you have a horse with laminitis, please let us know.

03 Ovine brucellosis - more common than you may think!
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It appears there is a common perception among producers that ovine brucellosis (OB) is an issue of the past. If you hold this view, unfortunately you are misinformed. A recent survey of OB in the Riverina by Senior District Veterinarian Dan Salmon found 31% of flocks (109 of 353) were positive for the disease.

Ovine brucellosis is a bacterial disease acquired by rams. Infected rams are either subfertile or infertile, which causes moderate to severe reductions in the pregnancy rates of ewes. It is common that a recently infected mob will have a 30% reduction in pregnancy/lambing rate. This alone is an enormous cost to the business, before even considering the loss of infected rams needing replacement.

On the other hand, once OB is eradicated from a flock, it is common for ram percentages to reduce by up to 30%, joining periods to reduce by up to 50% and lamb marking percentages to increase by 30%. It is clear this is a disease worth managing out of your sheep flock. 

To get an idea whether there is OB in your flock, you need a picture of the ewes' fertility profile. This starts with pregnancy scanning, followed by lambing percentages, marking percentages and weaning percentages. If there are significant variations in these numbers, or your scanning performance is sub-par, this should be investigated.

There is no treatment or vaccination for rams already affected with the disease, therefore it is prudent to:

  • Have sound farm biosecurity – good fencing, ram paddocks etc.
  • Communicate with neighbours regarding stray rams
  • Only source rams from accredited OB-free flocks
  • Don’t buy rams from saleyards or dispersal sales unless you have checked the relevant status and done your own risk assessment
  • Know your own flock – learn to palpate your own rams or get a qualified vet to help

If you'd like help identifying and managing OB in your flock, give us a call.

04 What are the rewards of bigger heifers?
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This article was written for the dairy farmer but the principles are sound in beef enterprises also.

Bigger heifers produce more milk: Australian research has found that for each kilogram of extra weight at first calving there is a lactation response of about 7 litres of milk. The response continues in each lactation so the lifetime response is predicted to be 35 litres of milk per kilogram of weight.

Bigger heifers get in calf quicker: Research has found that heavier heifers reach puberty at a younger age and have higher pregnancy rates to first service. In addition these heavier heifers will get back into calf quicker during their first lactation to give a tighter calving pattern in the second year.

Bigger heifers calve easier: A study in the UK found that 24% of heifers mated below 260 kg had difficulty calving whereas only 6% had difficulty when joined above 280 kg.  Heifers that have a difficult calving are then more likely to have high calf mortality, reduced milk production and poorer conception rates.

Bigger heifers are less likely to be culled: A study in New Zealand found that only 81% of heifer calves reared on dairy farms actually calve as 2 year olds while a further 14% are culled prior to calving as 3 year olds.

Fewer heifers you have to rear: A younger age at first calving reduces the number of replacement heifers required to maintain the size of the milking herd. If you calve heifers at 28 months instead of 22 months you will need to rear an extra 25% calves. 

Smaller carbon footprint: Reducing the amount of time that heifers spend in the non-productive period of their life decreases their emissions intensity. Reducing the replacement rate by 1% for every 100 milkers will result in an emissions saving of 1.5 t CO2 per annum. Reducing the time cows spend non-productive by 1 week per annum will result in a saving of 4.2 t CO2 per 100 cows.

05 An odd couple: blind horse cared for by old goat

A 16th century philosopher by the name of Rene Descartes once said animals are just automata: red-blooded machines without thoughts or wishes. Since then, an incredible amount of behavioural science has proved this old philosopher wrong. This is a great story of a horse that went blind, only to be ushered around by a caring old goat.

Could this mean that even goats have a sense of compassion?

Click here to watch the video