Welcome to our monthly newsletter, covering the latest large animal care advice and tips‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
 
Orange Veterinary Hospital
   
 
 
57 Molong Rd
Orange, NSW, 2800
orangevet@orangevet.com.au
 
   
 
Large Animal News
 
August 2021
 

The weather lately has seen plenty of lush grass- making for fat, happy stock and a few wet soggy foot issues. If laminitis was an issue last year, remember to try to reduce the risks of the same happening again this year. Spring is certainly on the horizon, with longer, warmer days arriving, and there are plenty of new calves, lambs, foals, kids and crias afoot.

As the regional COVID-19 lockdown continues, we have had to make temporary changes too. Our Molong branch is shut temporarily and we have split the staff into teams to try to ensure continuity of veterinary services as COVID encroaches on our community. Rest assured, it's the same great staff, just altered scheduling. 

Our valued clients and community are asked to be patient as we continue to keep clients outside and work as best we can to service your animal needs. Please be patient and if you have specific needs, please try to work with us to let us know how we can be helpful.

 
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Disensing medications
 

Please know that we have professional obligations to fulfill to dispense medications. We need to have a bona fide client relationship to dispense medications. Please work with us to help us maintain our legal obligations, and please be kind when staff ask you to schedule a compliance visit to meet these requirements. Equally, please phone ahead to arrange medications, especially during this COVID period.

 
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The 1:2:3 rule of foaling
 

August time means foaling time! Foaling time can be fraught with danger for both mare and foal. The highest rate of neonatal deaths occurs in the first few days following birth, so it is a critical period. Preparation is key, as is being on the front foot for rapid problem recognition and intervention in those first 12-24 hours.

After foaling, both mare and foal should be assessed by a veterinarian. A post-foaling check involves assessment of the mare for any trauma or tears, bleeding, uterine infection and udder health. The foal should be assessed for vitality, umbilical health, the presence of any hernias, congenital conditions or limb deformities. The foal’s blood IgG levels should be tested to determine whether colostrum quality and intake has been adequate. Foals with low IgG levels at 12-24 hours of age are more susceptible to infection, and should receive an IV plasma transfusion using commercially available frozen plasma rich in immunoglobulins.

The 1:2:3 rule

  1. Within 1 hour, the foal should stand

  2. Within 2 hours, the foal should suckle

  3. Within 3 hours, the mare’s placenta should be passed

If any part of the 1:2:3 rule is not satisfied, contact us immediately. Remember, we are available after hours- call the clinic phone.

 
Everything you need to know about breeding your mare
 

The breeding season is upon us, and many horse owners are looking forward to meeting their new foals and thinking about breeding their mares this season.

Methods of breeding

Horses can be bred naturally or artificial insemination with fresh semen, chilled semen or frozen semen. Each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages, and we can talk you through what best suits your situation. Often the most important factor is choosing a stallion. Once you have chosen a stallion, the method of breeding may be narrowed down to a few options.

Breeding and oestrus cycles

Most mares will start cycling in spring, although 20% of mares cycle continuously throughout the year. Mares that have foaled will come into season around seven days after foaling (the “foal heat”) and typically ovulate 10 days after foaling. This may be a good time to breed your mare, but this is best assessed on a case by case basis in discussion with your vet. After that, the mare will come into season approximately every 21-22 days.

Preparing for foaling

A mare’s pregnancy is typically described as being around 340 days. However, there is a wide range and anywhere from 320 to 370 days is normal. Typically, a mare will have a similar length of pregnancy for each foal, so if a mare “foals early” at 330 days each time, she’s not really foaling early – 330 days is normal for her! And remember, before worrying that your mare is “overdue”, make sure you have an accurate service date for the correct mare!

The mare’s vaccination and worming should be up-to-date and scheduled to happen again around two months prior to foaling. Vaccinations should include 2-in-1 (tetanus and strangles) and you may even consider Hendra vaccination– both are safe to use in pregnant mares.

Call our team if you have any questions about breeding your mare.

 
Choosing crushes
 
Sometimes we get asked advice to choose a new crush. Whilst we don't sell them, some good pointers to consider include; 
1. Is there enough access?
- think about your needs for vaccination, marking, handling, scanning
- think about the vet; we like vet gates at the back, and side gates for lameness and surgical interventions
2. Is it safe?
- think smooth welds, secure latches, reliability of mechanisms and levers that adjust to ensure safe working
- please ensure it is secured down in case a rogue takes offence to any handling activities
3. Is it noisy? 
- quiet operating makes it less stressful for cattle and those people working cattle (including us vets!)
4. Does it adhere to animal science? 
You can check latest guidelines online. 
 
Use your common sense too- if it doesn't seem like a great idea, perhaps it isn't! 
A great alternative to forcing yards
 

Bud boxes were named after Bud Williams, a famous American low-stress stock handling pioneer. They are a great alternative to curved forcing yards. Bud boxes use cattle’s natural tendency to go back the way they came as they move into tighter spaces, coupled with their turning circle, to transition them from the holding pens to the race. They are easier to set up than curved races as everything works at 90 degrees.

The bud box is a flow through system, and cattle are never held in them. Cattle enter them and reach a dead end. They then naturally turn back. At this stage, the gate from the holding pen is closed, and the stock handler directs them towards the race. As the entrance to the race is square and not V shaped, cattle enter single file and do not become blocked and subsequently retreat.

For setup instructions and dimensions, see the Meat & Livestock Australia publication 'Feedlot Design and Construction'.

Adapted from Meat & Livestock Australia.

 
Using llamas and alpacas to protect your flock
 

Alpacas and llamas originate from high altitude climates in South America. They are hardy, intelligent and have an innate dislike of canids (dogs, foxes etc). The innate dislike of canids, coupled with strong herding behaviours, provides the potential for use as livestock guardians.

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

A few specific points about both:

  • Alpacas and llamas don’t fully develop their protective instinct until 18-months-old

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

  • Ideally they are introduced to a flock six weeks before lambing, so they settle and bond

  • Use between one-to-three animals per flock of sheep. Alpacas and llamas tend to form social species groups with any more than three, and won’t protect the shee, and instead form their own little flock

  • Alpacas and llamas need a drenching regime that’s the same as the sheep flock - the first summer drench is done in December based on egg counts

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

  • They still need annual shearing- best to word your shearers up in advance- they aren't as easy as sheep but still very important to be shorn
  • Vitamin D injections need to be given 
 
Alpaca supplements
 

Alpacas are becoming increasingly popular- whether for gaurdians as above, production animals in their own right, or even just loved pets. 

One question often asked by clients is how to best care for them. At this time of year, consider supplementary vitamin injections, especially when yarded for other husbandry activities, like shearing. 

Vitamin D supplementation is required in alpacas. Inject all alpacas less than 3 years of age, and all females due to give birth in winter/early spring (to prepare the colostrum) with 6000 iu vitamin D/kg body weight given under the skin or into the muscle. Administer in late autumn, mid-winter and early spring in higher latitudes like here.

For more information about alpacas, follow the handy link to a very useful article from Dr Jane Vaughan- an Australian veterinarian with incredible alpaca experience.

 
10 alpaca nutrition tips
 
Are your rams up for their job?
 

Rams are one of the keys for making you lambs, and it's a good time to be thinking ahead towards next joining. Without good quality rams, you're not going to have lambs. Thinking ahead, consider;

- With the current wet weather, take care of their feet. Lame rams will have a hard time doing fancy footwork chasing ewes, mounting, and even maintaining enough nutrition to get their jobs done. 

- Consider if your current boys are up for the job, or if you need more. If you've retained more ewes with the good conditions lately, remember that you'll need extra rams to get the job done.

- Best practice is to vaccinate rams twice yearly

- Remember to avoid stress for the rams in the 6 weeks before joining while they are developing semen. Try to avoid dipping, drenching and especially sedating them for shearing.

- If in doubt, arrange a vet to check them out

Check out Sheep Connect NSW for more resources, or call for further advice

 
Why you shouldn’t vaccinate lambs in the cheek
 

If you look closely in the left picture of the lamb above, you will notice a small abscess on the right side of the lamb’s face. This occurred due to the lamb being vaccinated in the cheek. This is actually a common practice, which needs to be altered!

All vaccines will cause local irritation, pain and swelling. When given in an innocuous place like high on the side of the neck behind the ear, this is not an issue. However, when given on the side of the cheek, you risk inadvertently damaging lymph nodes, salivary glands and causing irritation around the temporomandibular joint. This reduces a lamb's daily gains and causes unnecessary pain.

The solution is simple and highlighted in the diagram above. The orange circle high on the side of the neck is away from critical structures and is the perfect injection site. Using a ¼ inch 18g needle injected at a 45-degree angle will ensure vaccines are delivered under the skin in lambs.

Head to Livestock Solutions for more information on best practice vaccination techniques, or call us for advice!

 

This email contains comments of a general nature only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary advice. It should not be relied on as the basis for whether you do or don't do anything. 

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Orange Veterinary Hospital
57 Molong Rd
Orange, NSW 2800