We're extremely sad to say goodbye to one of our favourite vets, Nickala Elin, who finished with us last Friday.             

Nickala joined OVH as a new vet graduate 4 years ago, developing and honing her veterinary skills over the past years and contributing in so many ways to Orange Veterinary Hospital & the local community. Nickala has moved to Sydney to be closer to her partner, a fellow vet she met at university.

She has been a valued team member who will be missed by the staff at OVH and the extended OVH family. Best of luck Nick! 

When will artificial insemination pay in a commercial beef operation?

Initially when:

• Management of nutrition and health are already good, so the probability of acceptable pregnancy rates to AI is high.
  
  
• Oestrus synchronisation protocols are followed carefully.

Next by capturing AI value with one or more of the following opportunities:

• Calving distribution is shifted earlier in the calving season and high growth sires are used. This means that more calves are born earlier in the season and have more growing days before weaning. Secondly, genetically superior calves, which have higher average daily gains, increase weaning weights further. This results in increased age and weight at weaning, improving beef turnoff for terminal calves, and improving pregnancy rates for retained heifers.
  
  
• A portion of the herd is mated to terminal sires. Bulls can be selected for terminal traits with the intent to sell all offspring, regardless of the sex of the calf.
  
  
• Heifers that calve earlier in their first calving season stay in the herd longer than heifers who calve later. See the graph above that demonstrates this. These early calving heifers also produce more beef during their lifetime than later calving heifers.
  
  
• Given carcass traits are among the most heritable genetics, increased carcass value is realised through retained ownership through the supply chain.

Source: Hall JB, Capturing the Value of Artificial Insemination in Commercial Herds.The Range Beef Cow Symposium XXVI; 2019; Mitchell, Nebraska.a

A study commissioned by Zoetis has found that using ¼ inch needle and injecting at a 45-degree angle when vaccinating sheep will limit the risk of infection site reactions and carcass trimming at the abattoir.

Most vaccines in Australia are designed to be injected under the skin, not into the muscle. However, the recent study found that many experienced farmers and contractors are unintentionally administering the vaccine into the muscle.

The issue with intramuscular injections is that the site must be trimmed in the abattoir while processing the meat, reducing the carcass value. In unfortunate circumstances, it can also lead to painful abscesses, loss of condition and even neurological damage or ‘staggers’ in certain cases.

The study’s conclusions were:

• Use a ¼ inch only when vaccinating sheep and lambs.
  
  
• Inject all vaccines approximately 5cm from the base of the ear. The orange circle in the below image is the ideal location. This helps to avoid hitting structures including bone, ear cartilage and glands whilst minimizing the risk of damaging valuable cuts of meat.
  
  
• The only exception to the 45-degree rule is adult sheep with 80mm of wool or more. In this instance, a ¼ inch needle at 90 degrees is the most successful way of administering a vaccine.

Yes they do. The importance of cow comfort and its relationship to general health is now widely accepted. Cows go through similar patterns of sleep to humans – drowsing, non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement (REM). Ideally, cows will lie down for approximately 14 hours per day. During that time, cows will sleep (REM) for around 30 minutes. When cows are laying down, the blood circulation through the udder increases by up to 30%, which increases milk output.

There are studies currently underway where sleep is measured in cows using EEG’s (a non-invasive way of measuring brain activity), to try and determine more about the normal sleep patterns of cows, and how it impacts other important functions in the body. There have been studies in many animals to look at the effects of sleep, sleep deprivation and its effects.

We know in mice who are sleep deprived for 24 hours that their lymphocyte count and function drops off. This impacts their ability to fight disease. In cows, sleep enables the immune system to function better when a disease is encountered. It is also likely that sleep impacts production, as a reduced immune function causes cows to shift resources from production to fighting disease. A cow may even prioritize to lie before feeding! We also know that laying allows the hooves to dry out and rest, which is important to prevent lameness.

As more data becomes available, strategies will develop which will improve health, welfare and production of cows. For the moment, let the lying cow lie.

Sand colic is abdominal pain due to the ingestion of sand. While most horses inadvertently have some sand within their digestive system through their normal feeding habits, some horses are more prone to sand colic than others, even when sharing the same environment.

Sand is very abrasive and eventually becomes a constant source of irritation. This persistent inflammatory insult reduces the absorptive efficiency of the bowel so it is no surprise that diarrhoea, anorexia, weight loss and depression are often clinical features in affected horses. When present, diarrhoea may occur intermittently, or the manure may be constantly loose. Affected horses typically have loose, dark and sometimes sandy manure which may precede a colic episode.

Over time, ingested sand can become considerable, tending to accumulate in the large colon. This can lead to impaction or obstruction. Significant sand accumulation will disrupt normal intestine peristaltic movements which can then predispose the bowel to displacements or torsions, accompanied by severe pain.

Treatment for sand colic includes repeated nasogastric administration of lubricants to disrupt the obstructing mass, pain relief and reduction of the intestinal inflammation and prevention of recurrence. Surgical intervention is recommended in horses that have failed to respond to medical therapy within 48-72 hours. Surgery is also recommended in cases consistent with the presence of intestinal displacement or torsion.

If you suspect that your horse may have sand colic, please call us today.

We are heading into the time of year when flies come out and we can see outbreaks of pinkeye, with some of them being quite severe. To work out how to best manage an outbreak, these are important things to consider.

Pinkeye is caused by a bacterial infection, but there are many factors that increase the risk of the infection occurring, these include:

• Flies –flies carry the bacteria between animals.
  
  
• UV light – increases irritation.
  
  
• Long grass, hay and straw – causes physical damage to the eye and can transmit infection.
  
  
• Dust – it irritates the eye.
  
  
• Pigmentation – pinkeye is generally more common in non-pigmented eyes.
  
  
• Overcrowding – high stocking rates and yardings assist the transfer of pinkeye.
  
  
• Immune status – cattle in poor body condition are less able to mount immune responses. Prior exposure leads to immunity, and this is why outbreaks are generally worse in young cattle. Vaccination increases the immune status of the animals.

Generally, in an outbreak situation there are 3 things which help:

• Reducing the spread of the bacteria by controlling fly numbers. This is best done using pour-ons. Reducing fly breeding areas is important – keep the grass cut and the area well drained particularly around calf sheds.
  
  
• Prompt segregation of affected animals for treatment and isolation. This includes the use of antibiotics in both the affected and non-affected eye (apply to non-affected eye first), a patch for animals with an ulcer and pain relief. Please speak to us about the specifics of treatment programs.
  
  
• Avoiding unnecessary yardings during the dusty months. The decision to yard and treat animals must be balanced with the risk of condensing animals into dusty yards.

Breeding season is here once more. One of the most important components of foal management is making sure they get their colostrum - the mare’s antibody-rich first milk. Foals are born with an immature immune system, large protein molecules such as protective antibodies (immunoglobulins, IgG) are unable to cross the placenta from the mare to the foal during pregnancy. This leaves the foal unprotected against bacteria and viruses on entering the real world. Foals therefore depend on the mare’s colostrum to provide critical antibodies in a process called ‘passive transfer’.

Normal foals will nurse within the first three hours of life. Foals then need to absorb antibodies from the colostrum via specialised cells in their gut, this occurs most effectively over the first 6-12 hours of life. After 24 hours these cells shut down and the foal can no longer take immunity on board. With time these “kick-start” antibodies wane and by around 4 months of age, the foal is building its own immunity.

Failure of passive transfer (FPT) is a well-recognised risk factor for sepsis (blood poisoning). Such foals are at a high risk of developing infections, commonly via the umbilicus and the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. A common undesirable outcome is the development of joint-ill (septic joint).

Factors that can result in FPT include inadequate volume or loss of colostrum (e.g. premature lactation, mares that run or drip milk early), poor immunoglobulin concentration in colostrum (e.g. reduced quality offered in aged mares or maiden mares with delayed production), failure to ingest colostrum (e.g. a weak, premature or sick foal or where the mare does not allow the foal to nurse), and failure of absorption once consumed (mostly seen in premature or sick foals or in foals that ingest colostrum after their gut is shut down to passive transfer).

A post foaling veterinary check of both your mare and foal is recommended. Issues such as FPT can be identified and addressed early. Here’s to a safe and happy breeding season.