Wellsford Vet News

Johnes disease is widespread in New Zealand, with an estimated 60% of dairy herds infected. Caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), Johnes is a chronic and contagious wasting disease of ruminants (think cattle, sheep and deer)....

A neighbour of mine once lamented that two days after he had mowed his lawn in the spring it was like the regrowth was giving him the fingers. I remembered this recently when I heard a discussion on the radio where a Dairy NZ spokesman was saying farmers wanted the...

Since we are approaching the silage making season, I would like to remind you about the care that needs to be taken with the preparation and cover of pit silage to ensure proper airtightness and compaction of the material that is to be ensiled. This will ensure proper...

Calving has just finished and mating has come around too quickly. Since most of the production is done in the first part of the milking season a condensed calving pattern will stay the goal for years to come. For a successful mating season heat detection and...

The main reason calves are vaccinated against clostridial diseases (in 5in1 and 7in1) is to prevent Blackleg disease. Over the years I have seen this disease a number of times in youngstock. Owners usually say “I meant to vaccinate them but I just never got round to...

This is one of the most urgent conditions we attend. Maybe a third of these cows will die and the quicker they are attended to the better is the survival and future breeding outcome. Prolapsed uterus is when the whole womb gets pushed out, usually within a few hours...

Mating is winding down for most dairy farms with the bulls now running with the herd. Keep an eye on dominant behaviour from the bulls and rotate the mating team around. Sometimes it is beneficial to remove dominant bulls from the mating team as they can spend all...