All horses and ponies require dental attention at different stages through their life. With routine dental attention you may avoid the need for extractions and invasive work later in life. 

A horse with poor dental health can lose weight and resent the bit. In addition, poor dental health increases the risk of colic as poorly chewed food can block the intestines. Young horses lose their baby teeth as their adult teeth erupt. Retained baby teeth, called caps, can trap food in the mouth causing painful gum disease and infections.

Over time chewing causes sharp points to develop on the cheek teeth which can cause painful ulcers on the gums, cheeks and tongue. Damaged teeth and gums can allow infection to develop and spread to the root of the tooth, causing painful abscesses.

Signs of dental disease to look out for in your horse include: dropping feed, weight loss, foul breath and swelling of the face or lower jaw.

We are best able to perform a detailed dental examination and treatment safely and effectively using sedation, pain relief and X-rays if required. Call us for more info - 63618388.

Q fever is a bacterial disease transmitted to humans primarily from cattle, goats and sheep, which can have life-long impacts including post Q fever fatigue syndrome. Last year there were over 500 reported cases of Q fever across Australia, and it's likely the disease is under reported. 

We see cases of Q fever in ruminants. Most of the time, an animal infected with Q fever shows no symptoms, however it can cause animals to go off feed and will also cause late term abortions. Coxiella, the pathogen that causes Q fever, has also been shown to trigger sub-clinical mastitis in dairy cows.

As your vet, we aim to promote a healthy and happy lifestyle shared with your animals. The last thing we want to hear is that one of our clients has caught a disease from the stock on their farm which could have been prevented. If you’re working in the meat and livestock industry, or on any Australian farm, you need to consider getting yourself vaccinated.

Information about Q fever and getting vaccinated is available on the Australian Q Fever Register website.

Under the new approach to Johne’s disease, herds which do not have a biosecurity plan in place by June 30 this year will go straight to a Johne’s Disease Beef Assurance Score (J-BAS) of 0. Therefore, now is the time to start a biosecurity plan for your farm.

Under the new approach to biosecurity, the control of Johne’s disease will be market driven, rather than controlled through regulation. The idea is that market forces will determine which diseases are important and which are not. Thus, each farmer will need to make their own risk assessments for disease based on how much each disease will impact their enterprise. Johne’s disease will be treated as just one of many diseases which producers must consider.

Zoning has been removed and quarantining of properties has ceased as a control measure. Johne's disease is still notifiable if you suspect or confirm the disease, however there will be no other government action taken if a positive case is detected. Producers are free to decide what method they want to use to manage the disease to meet market requirements.

Based on each farmer's decision, resources like farmbiosecurity.com.au, Animal Health Australia and of course vets like us will help provide the framework to control, eradicate and protect farms and regions from different diseases.

To see the new J-BAS scoring system click here
To create a biosecurity plan for beef enterprises click here
To create a biosecurity plan for sheep enterprises click here

Lesser loosestrife or Lythrum hyssopifolia is a widely distributed weed that has been associated with large stock losses, especially in sheep (up to 200 head) but also in cattle. 

Toxicities to lesser loosestrife have been reported again recently, particularly through areas of southern NSW. One case was reported where 16 out of 48 sheep died while grazing a stubble paddock with lesser loosestrife. 

This weed tends to favour wet and waterlogged areas, so unsurprisingly we have seen its reemergence after last year's above average rainfall.

Generally, stock will only graze the weed when there isn’t much on offer, however there have also been cases of toxicity where feed has been plentiful. The weed causes death by damaging liver and kidney function.

Be on the lookout for lesser loosestrife (pictured), and be suspicious of any strange mortalities on your farm. Remember we have access to lab services by the National TSE Surveillance Project for analysis of any unexplained deaths.