It's that last minute feeling - just a day or two left in March and our newsletter is still in edit mode!

We hope you have been able to keep yourself dry during the recent wet conditions - how distressing the past weeks have been for the coastal regions and western Sydney in raging flood conditions and our great sympathy goes to those who have lost homes, livelihoods and animals. 

Fortunately our region has not been so severely impacted although there have been some challenging conditions for livestock management over recent weeks - as is often the case we see many more livestock health issues in good seasons than we do in bad. A bonus would be if the abundant rain could slow down the mice population!

If you are experiencing any production or weather related issues with livestock please contact us 63618388 to discuss your options with one of our experienced veterinary team.

We wish you a relaxed, happy and safe Easter break with family and friends - enjoy the glorious autumn days and an additional hour's sleep on Sunday 4th April.

A second wave of African Swine Fever (ASF) is estimated to have killed up to 8 million pigs in China since the start of the year. The first outbreak in August 2018 from China went on to kill 25% of the world’s domestic pig population. Since then, reports coming out of China have been saying that their herd rebuild is underway and will be complete by the end of the year. This statement has left Australian meat analysts questioning the facts.

There are three strains of virus circulating in China that are causing most of the damage. One natural variant of lower virulence, which ironically makes it harder to control, as it’s more difficult to diagnose in the early stages. The other two are variants that have been caused by using unregistered, modified live vaccines. These strains are distinguishable as they are missing certain genes.

These gene-deleted strains were investigated as vaccine candidates, however they tended to mutate back to a harmful state. These strains don’t kill pigs like the disease that ravaged the country through 2018-19, however they cause a chronic condition that reduces the number of healthy piglets born. Many producers are subsequently culling infected pigs to prevent spread, rendering the disease effectively fatal. This highlights the reason our vaccine registration laws are so tight in Australia, with safety and efficacy being paramount.

It will be interesting to see where meat prices head, and if the current pricing stays high. While there is an ongoing meat supply gap of around 17 million tonnes in China, it would appear that the demand is outstripping supply, and that generally means one thing for price.

Do you think pregnancy testing is expensive? If so, odds are that you haven’t really thought about why you should do it in the first place!

Profitable production systems sail close to the wind. They strive to capitalise on all of their resources. Pregnancy diagnosis isn’t just about measuring the success of your bulls, predicting your next calf crop, or injecting cash flow into your enterprise - it's about ensuring that every cow on your property is working as hard as you are!

In essence, pregnancy diagnosis is about identifying empty cows and heifers earlier than they would have been otherwise. What is the advantage in this? Quite simply, empty animals can be removed nine months earlier than they would be if identified by wet/drying at calf marking!

If a beef property typically enjoys a 90% pregnancy rate, they could run an additional 7.5% breeders and turn off an additional 6.75% calves by pregnancy testing routinely! Let’s look at it another way…

If a producer’s cow running costs are $8 per week, or $416 per year, ¾ of the input costs from each empty cow could be salvaged by pregnancy testing! Essentially, each empty diagnosed would save the producer $312! At 10% empty, that equates to close to a $30 return on investment from pregnancy testing!

Is accuracy important? Absolutely. If a retained empty cow tears up $416, then every 1% error misdiagnosing an empty as pregnant costs the producer $4.16. If calves are worth $600, then every pregnant called empty costs the producer $600 minus $416, or $184. Every 1% error misdiagnosing a pregnant animal as empty costs the producer $1.84.

If you still think pregnancy testing is expensive, perhaps you should read through this article again... with close to a 1000% return on money spent, pregnancy diagnosis is perhaps the best investment beef producers can make!

Reproductive management is a pivotal driver of a herd’s profitability. Knowing the pregnancy status is fundamental to having control over the calving pattern, and facilitates strategic decisions within the herd.

We know there is a wide variability in the accuracy of pregnancy testing services. In many states of Australia, anyone can buy an ultrasound and become a ‘preg tester’. Given the importance of accuracy, it is imperative to find someone with a proven track record. This is why the Australian Cattle Vets developed PREgCHECK (Professional Reproductive Examinations).

This scheme has taken over from the National Cattle Pregnancy Diagnosis scheme. This is the only pregnancy diagnosis scheme in Australia that can assure you are getting an accurate diagnosis, every time. Only accredited vets can perform a PREgCHECK. The PREgCHECK scheme is your guarantee of quality as it is:

• Accountable
• Audited
• The only system that allows for use of the highly-recognised PREgCHECK tail tags.

More information is available at mycattlevet.com.au.

Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) is a developmental joint condition seen in young horses. With the widespread use of portable digital radiography, it has become more frequently diagnosed outside the racing industries.

What causes OCD?

Failure of bone to fully form as the horse grows causes loose cartilage or bone fragments within the joint. The cause of this failure is complex and genetics, diet, biomechanical forces and exercise all play a role.

What are the signs?

Thoroughbreds, standardbreds, clydesdales and warmbloods are commonly affected breeds. OCD may be suspected in cases of a swollen joint but usually causes only mild, if any, lameness. Clinical signs may not be seen and OCD is often only diagnosed on screening radiographs. OCD develops by the age of approximately 8 months, and the joints usually affected include stifles, hocks and fetlocks.

What do we do about it?

The management of OCD in your horse will depend on the location and severity of the defect, and the planned use of the horse. Severe OCD can lead to early onset osteoarthritis and limit an athletic career. In these cases surgery may be performed, usually with very good success. Some OCD defects will heal in time and require no action other than monitoring.

If you’re concerned about your horse’s joints, call us today.

Can a horse's health be affecting their behaviour? The answer is yes - but defining the problem can be difficult for owners dealing with their horse every day. Our advice is often sought when a horse begins to behave badly or out of character.

There are many factors that can affect horses' behaviour, so beware of making a diagnosis without veterinary help. Here are a few examples:

• Subtle musculoskeletal pain may present as a change in attitude to work, poor performance and a slow recovery
• Stomach ulcers can be the cause of a bad attitude, among other signs
• The seasonal reproductive cycle of mares and testosterone levels in stallions can contribute to changes in behaviour, especially towards other horses
• Oral pain, such as that caused by a broken tooth, may make your horse resent the bit

Our role is to work with you to determine whether a medical cause of bad behaviour exists, drawing on first-hand experience and professional knowledge. Medically diagnosed problems can then be addressed to improve your horse’s behaviour. Often, an underlying medical cause does not exist and the services of an experienced trainer may be employed to provide a fresh perspective on your horse's behaviour.

Has your horse's behaviour taken a turn for the worse? Call us for advice today.

Zoetis are launching a new sheep vaccine called GlanEry 7-in-1 B12. This combined vaccine is a new formulation that is a combination of the current vaccines Glanvac 6 B12 and Eryvac. They have maintained the 1ml dose familiar across the range. GlanEry 7-in-1 B12 protects against:

• The five key clostridial diseases
• Cheesy gland (CLA)
• Erysipelas arthritis

A reminder of why we vaccinate sheep against these diseases:

1. Clostridial diseases are known to occur Australia wide. Their hallmark is that they cause rapid death, and treatment is rarely successful. Vaccines are highly effective at preventing them. The main clostridial diseases noted in Australia are pulpy kidney, tetanus and blackleg.
   
   
2. Cheesy gland causes lymph node abscesses throughout sheep. The majority of sheep flocks in Australia are affected with CLA. Flocks that don’t vaccinate will have on average 30% of adult sheep infected. Most infected animals show no clinical signs, apart from the occasional ruptured abscess at shearing. In the first year that sheep are infected they grow 4-7% less wool. It is estimated that 75% of a meat inspector’s time on the mutton chain is spent checking for and removing CLA lesions.
   
   
3. Erysipelas arthritis is observed in newborn lambs, after marking/mulesing, or less commonly, post-dipping. The bacteria enters through a wound or via the umbilicus in newborn lambs. It then spreads throughout the body which may cause a fever, then localises within the joints. Affected joints become hot, swollen and painful. Lambs may initially appear stiff but later develop lameness, and have difficulty rising and walking. Whilst some lambs will recover over 2-3 weeks, up to 20% will sustain joint damage as a result and have ongoing lameness.