Farm Animal Veterinary Update Dec-Jan

Veterinary Update - December & January

December and January are usually quieter months for cattle vets, with fewer calvings and plenty of feed around. This year was a little different, as we were still busy with lame cows towards the end of November and early December.

We also saw a few notable disease outbreaks. There were deaths in heifers that were born persistently infected with BVDV (Pestivirus) and Vibrio spread by unvaccinated bulls caused high empty rates at pregnancy testing. Pneumonia in dairy heifers was another issue, with several chronic cases that began earlier in the year following Salmonella dublin infections.

Although there aren’t many sick cows at the moment, we are well into the pregnancy testing season. Most October-joined herds are now starting their first rounds of testing. The best time to get accurate dates is between six and seventeen weeks of pregnancy. Foetal sexing can also be done, ideally between ten and fifteen weeks.

We have started autumn heifer teatsealing over the past couple of weeks. We aim to be proactive and make sure all regular jobs are booked well in advance. If you are planning to teatseal your heifers, please give us plenty of notice so we can fit the job in.

In December, we offered our Farm Package clients on-farm discounted dog and cat vaccinations and yearly flea and tick control injections using a new product called Bravecto Quantum. The response was excellent, and we vaccinated a lot of dogs. We plan to run more days in January, so please contact us if you would like to book your farm dogs and cats.

On farm, the big topic at the moment is caterpillars, which have been causing havoc well beyond Yanakie this year. We are also starting to see cases of photosensitisation in cows grazing summer brassica crops. This occurs when photoactive chemicals in the plants react with sunlight, causing sunburn-like symptoms. There has been no facial eczema reported, with spore counts across Gippsland remaining low. Dairy Australia provides up-to-date data on spore count monitoring here.

It is also pinkeye season - again. Pinkeye is a complex disease with many contributing risk factors. One preventive measure we have been using in recent years is Cylence insecticidal ear tags, which are highly effective at keeping flies away. Combining fly control with vaccination using Piliguard is a good starting point for managing pinkeye.

Looking ahead, we would like to visit every dairy farm over the coming year to ensure compliance with prescribing regulations and to offer advice on any veterinary topic you would like to discuss. We know farmers are time-poor, but please make the time to fit this visit in.