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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.

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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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 Monitor 2023

Week ending 3 February  This weeks monitor counts showing most sites have dropped with the rain but Kumeroa remains high. It is important to remember counts can be highly variable between properties and even paddocks so please bring in a grass sample for testing prior to grazing previously problematic areas of your property. Attached is…

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Facial Eczema Monitor 2022

Low levels <30,000 spores/gram High levels 35,000 – 95,000 spores/gram Long term exposure to high levels can results in facial eczema symptoms. Dangerous Levels 100,000 spores/gram   If you’re putting the ram out in the next few weeks, consider treating rams and ewes with zinc capsules to protect sheep in case spore counts rise during…

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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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Extended weekend hours at Napier Clinic

We hope you have had a great start to Spring! The days are definitely getting longer and there are plenty of lambs, calves and blossom popping up around The Bay. You may have noticed the buildings neighbouring our clinic have now disappeared and been replaced with an exciting development. The building site will not affect…

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EQUINE INSURANCE – SHOULD I BOTHER?

It’s a question that’s come up time and time again for me over the last year or two. Often, clients will explain that their horses or ponies are not worth very much money, and so they don’t think it’s worthwhile. I thought I’d put together some of the aspects to consider, and some of the…

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Equine focussed veterinary care for Hawke’s Bay

Vet Services Hawke’s Bay is proud to be a locally owned business which has provided over 70 years of trusted animal care in the Hawke’s Bay region. First established in 1949 as the ‘Central Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Veterinary Club’ the business was renamed Vet Services Hawke’s Bay in 1967 and has continued to grow, improve…

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ENCYSTED STRONGYLES – SMALL WORMS, BIG PROBLEMS

Johnny Atkins BVSc Vet Services Dannevirke ‘Small Strongyles’ or ‘Cyathostomes’ are the terms used for a group of over forty different species of parasites affecting horses. They tend to be the most prevalent parasite within the horses’ gastrointestinal tract and although small, heavy burdens can result in big problems! Unlike their cousins the ‘large strongyles’,…

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