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Vet ins and outs!

As so often in life, change at Orange Vet Hospital is constant and this month we are delighted to welcome Nickala Elin to our veterinary team. Nickala completed her 6 year veterinary degree at Charles Sturt University in August and is very excited to be joining OVH and meeting our clients and patients. Nickala will be spending a month or so in our Orange hospital before heading out in the field to meet our large animal clients. Welcome Nickala.

And for those of you who have been watching Kate's growing bump we hope to have news of Baby Dowling's safe arrival in December. Kate will be taking 6 months maternity leave from early December to enjoy her new role as a mum - those nights on call are good training Kate!

Lastly Gabby Knight is leaving us in December - she and her partner are heading overseas to fulfil some wanderlust and to experience locum work in the UK. Gabby joined OVH as a CSU graduate in 2014 and has gained valuable experience and knowledge as a mixed practice vet during her time here. Gabby's cool demeanour, easy manner and great smile will be missed and we wish her a great experience for the next chapter in her veterinary career. 

Happily our experienced skilled veterinary team - Andrew Litchfield, John Mason, Genevieve Payne, Andrew Denman, Nikki Ros, Helen Whittle and Nickala Elin - are here to ensure the best care for your animals.  

Nickala Kate Gabby Nov 16

Welcome Nickala (top left), it feels like Kate (top right) has had the world's fastest pregnancy, happy travels Gabby (below) we will miss you.

Contents of this newsletter

01  Foals with bendy legs

02  Defending your flock with a South American guardian

03  Caring for your older horse

04  Lungworm in lambs on the rise

05  Beef industry projections

01 Foals with bendy legs
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This foal is about to receive surgery to correct a severe ALD of her knee

This is a happy time of year when many young foals are joining us. However, a thing that is often overlooked, especially in non-racing breeds, is the conformation of their lower legs. Some limb deformities can, if untreated, become permanent disabilities rendering horses unsound for life.

Common angular limb deformity (ALD) sites include above the fetlocks and above the carpi (knees). These abnormalities of the bone can cause the leg to angle into or away from the body.

Preventing ALD can be difficult in many cases. Feeding foals a balanced diet, and restricting feed intake and exercise during periods of fast growth can be beneficial. Remedial farriery early in life can help, and often resolve, minor ALD.

In cases not responsive to conservative management we recommend surgery. This may involve a periosteal elevation (strip) or a trans-physeal screw. These surgeries work by either increasing or decreasing growth on one side of the limb and absolutely need a functional growth plate to work. Strict timeframes apply and performing surgery early gives a much better chance of complete resolution

Fetlocks must receive a strip by one month of age, or a screw by 4.5 months of age. Knees must receive a strip by 3 months, or a screw by 15 months.

If you are concerned about the conformation of your young foal please call us to have it assessed by one of our experienced veterinarians. Waiting for them to ‘grow out of it’ is highly discouraged because some of them never will!

02 Defending your flock with a South American guardian
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Alpacas and llamas originate from high altitude climates in South America. They are hardy, intelligent and have an innate dislike of canids (e.g. dogs and foxes). Their hostility towards dogs, coupled with strong herding behaviours, makes them suitable for use as livestock guardians.

The species they protect does not seem to matter - they will even defend chooks! Once llamas and alpacas have established a paddock as ‘their territory’ and have bonded with the livestock or poultry, they work hard to ensure the paddock stays clear of canids.

Considering employing an alpaca or llama to defend your flock? Here are a few things you should know:

• Alpacas & llamas don’t fully develop their protective instinct until 18 months of age

• Gelding alpacas and llamas is necessary to prevent them mounting ewes

• Ideally introduce them to the flock 6 weeks before lambing so they have time to settle and bond

• Use between 1 and 3 animals per flock of sheep. Alpacas and llamas tend to form social species groups with any more than 3, and won’t protect

• Alpacas and llamas need a drenching regime the same as the sheep flock, which is ideally executed based on faecal egg counts

• Vaccination is required every 6 months with 5-in-1

• They require Vitamin D injections. This is done more frequently in crias, and generally just once in July for adults

For any questions about the health of your alpacas and llamas, please give us a call. 

03 Caring for your older horse
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Horses and ponies can often live into their thirties or beyond with the right care. If you're lucky enough to own an older horse, here are some key health tips.

Maintaining healthy body condition in older horses is very important and can be achieved by supplementing their diet with an energy dense feed. Older horses may eat less and can lose the ability to absorb nutrients efficiently. 

Caring for an older horse involves maintaining their dental health and ability to eat. Older horses can lose teeth, develop sharp points and grow painful ulcers, which affect their ability to chew and digest. Signs that your horse may have a dental problem include weight loss, dropping feed and foul-smelling breath.

Older horses often develop arthritis. Arthritis means painful joints and horses that have had an athletic career are at increased risk. Fortunately there are many treatments available such as supplements, anti-inflammatory medication and intra-muscular injections which can be extremely helpful in keeping your older animal moving comfortably.

Annual veterinary health checks are recommended. We perform a thorough physical examination and blood tests if required to identify horses with liver, kidney, gastrointestinal or hormonal dysfunction, all of which are increasingly common in older horses.

In the end, when the sad time comes to make the difficult decision to part with your aged equine friend our caring veterinarians can be there to offer advice regarding euthanasia.

If your horse is due for a check up or you're worried about their health, call us today. 

04 Lungworm in lambs on the rise
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Lungworm love cool, damp conditions, so it comes as no surprise that this season has been perfect for them. Incidence of lungworm has been reported on many properties across the eastern seaboard.

Symptoms of lungworm include lethargy, weight loss, and coughing and pneumonia caused by nodular lesions in the lungs.

Unfortunately it's not easy to diagnose, so often the diagnosis is made via a post mortem examination. However, if you suspect you have lungworm in your flock it can be detected in faeces using a special faecal flotation technique.

The upside of this worm is that it has no reported resistance to any drenches - therefore any drench should be effective in eradicating lungworm.

If you think you could have lungworm on your farm, give us a call.

05 Beef industry projections
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Currently the beef market in Australia is a $14.3 billion dollar industry, with $8.5 billion of that as export. Last year we were the biggest exporter of beef in the world, with India and Brazil just behind us.

Meat and Livestock Australia’s vision is to grow the export market to be a $27 billion industry within 15 years. According to MLA, from a cattle supply point of view, numbers over the coming two years will fall to levels not seen in more than twenty years. This alone will more than likely stimulate strong competition between restockers, feedlots and processors for the limited availability.

We want to work with you to make sure your beef enterprise is running as efficiently as possible. Our services of pregnancy testing, bull testing and herd health advice will ensure that you can capitalise on all opportunities in the years to come.

To see MLA’s projections from a little earlier in the year watch this video.