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Keep up to date with all our latest news, articles of interest, and case studies from the veterinary world around Hawke’s Bay, Dannevirke, and the Wairarapa.

white sheep on green grass during daytime

Facial Eczema Monitor – 22 April 2021

We have seen counts climb across our monitor farms over the last few weeks of mild Autumn weather. Stock on pastures exceeding 100,000 spores are at a high risk of displaying clinical photosensitisation symptoms and accumulative subclinical liver damage. Give us a call if you see any photosensitisation symptoms in your stock or you need…

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Book your Sheep Scanning

Sheep Scanning is used to ascertain whether or not a sheep is pregnant (“wet” vs “dry”, known as WD) and/or how many lambs she is carrying (single vs twin vs triplet, known as TSD or Triplets). We strongly encourage investing in pregnancy scanning as the scanning data allows you to maximise your flock performance with…

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How to collect a sample for facial eczema pasture spore counting.

Facial Eczema Pasture Spore Counting Facial eczema is a disease caused by the fungus Pithomyces chartarum; which produces a toxin (sporidesmin) resulting in liver damage and photosensitivity. It grows on dead plant material at the base of the sward and thrives in warm, humid conditions. A good way to determine the risk level of your…

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white sheep on brown grass field during sunset

Facial Eczema Weekly Monitor – 12 March 2021

Attached are this weeks counts, which have all dropped or plateaued. Remember that these are a rough gauge of what’s happening in the district and a grass sample form your farm is needed to get an accurate idea of the levels your stock are exposed to. The moisture from the timely rain yesterday may cause…

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Facial Eczema Weekly Monitor – 6 March 2021

We have seen a steady increase in spore counts across all areas this week, the current moderate levels are expected to continue to rise given the recent rain fall. To assess the risk to your stock the first step to take is to collect a grass sample from your property. This will provide you with…

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selective focus photography of cow

Facial Eczema Weekly Monitor – February 24, 2021

Hi everyone, The hot weather we have seen recently have caused facial eczema spore counts to start rising. The samples collected this week has shown counts are rising to moderate levels across the region, therefore it is important to ensure you are underway with preventative measures. After several weeks of moderately elevated spore counts there is a real risk of accumulative subclinical liver damage occuring in your stock along with…

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