LLM Farm Vets Newsletter March 2019

Newsletter

March 2019

In this edition...

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People’s Pages TB Update Ewes News - Worm burden management in lambs at turnout VetTech Tails - Doesn’t time “fly”?!

www.lambertleonardmay.co.uk 1

Contents •

People’s Pages.........................................................................................4

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Upcoming Events & Training Courses......................................................6

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TB Update - Keeping you posted on the latest.........................................8

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Case of the Month - Ha-pea cow = Ha-pea vet!........................................10

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VetTech Tails - Doesn’t time “fly”?!............................................................12

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Beef Bulletin - Suckler herd fertility...........................................................13

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Ewes News - Worm burden management in lambs at turnout..................14

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Caption Competition..................................................................................15

LLM Farm Vets Contacts Whitchurch...........01948 663000 Eccleshall.............01785 472211 Wrexham..............01978 280580 Pharmacy.............01948 302424 Accounts..............01948 663059 LLM Vet Team Den Leonard 07970 267494 Bill May 07968 318493 Simon King 07973 271754 Tom Wright 07590 183804 Dan Stevenson 07894 586233 Mike Christie 07775 561820 Sarah Gibbs 07711 593783 Hannah Batty 07841 919227 Rob Hall 07889 408092

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Raquel Teixeira 07889 599810 Peter Neilson 07889 595908

Lancashire Vets Ian Cure 07590 225284 Rob Howe 07590 225283 Matt Hylands 07584 684919 Alun Beckett 07850 326432 Roland Millar 07894 406225 Matt Haslam 07502 994708

Claire Whittle 07841 775695

Derbyshire Vets

Tom Jackson 07837 291097

Andrew Henderson 07841 675549

Tom Downes 07703 189224

Katie Fitzgerald 07765 644909

Lancashire...........01772 866014 Clitheroe...............01200 545456 Bakewell...............01629 691692

VetTech Team

TB Team

Natalie Parker 07841 775697

Janka Zaleska 07894 586231

Emily Hallett 07845 817070 Rachel Cooper 07834 547832 Bertie Martin 07711 593780 Steph Cowgill 07505 443231 Katie Harrison 01772 866014

Alberto Alaman 07720 737872 Des Leonard 07811 342289 Cristina San-Agustin 07850 326433 Vinko Marjanovic 07849 835375

Joe Wheeler 07849 835379

Simion Tiberiu Piticariu 07720 740881

Jo Brown 07841 501655

Emilio Martinez 07907 410983

UKET Team

Megan Thorpe 07714 770328

UKET Office 01948 663124 Spike Newman 07921 374036 Stan Matthews 07971 118909

Lilli Fox 07889 580432

Welcome to the March edition of your newsletter!

Well, it’s been quite a rapid start to 2019 and judging by the glorious weather we’re having at the moment, Spring is definitely in the air. Surely this is the best time of year?!

Here at Whitchurch, we’ve had some exciting and sad changes. As many of you will know, February saw Mark and Amy leave for pastures new. We’re sad to see them go but wish them lots of luck!

The exciting news is that we have two new vets join the Whitchurch clinical team - Raquel and Peter.

We’ve introduced them in this month’s Peoples Pages, so make sure you take a look. Lancashire also welcomed Matt Haslam back to clinical work - some of you might remember Matt from when he worked at Whitchurch. Welcome back Matt!

Finally, we welcomed on-board three new Approved TB Testers (ATT’s) as part of a government trial. Megan and Emilio join us at Whitchurch and Lilli has joined the team in Derbyshire.

They’re currently getting trained up, so they will be out and about on farm assisting with TB tests. Tom Wright gives us an update on the trial and TB on page 8.

If that news wasn’t exciting enough, I can happily inform you that Eddie and Des have once again worked their DIY magic and transformed our brew room.

Not quite a replica of the Ritz, but we do have a fully fledged “preparation station” complete with microwaves and toasters - what would we do without them?!

On to this month. Jess gives us her SQP update on managing worms with lambs at pasture and Claire talks us through the case that has made her most ha-pea so far. Her own words.

We also have our upcoming events on page 6, including special LLM anniversary dates, so get your diaries out.

I hope you enjoy the newsletter and I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Lucy

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People Pages INTRODUCING...

r e t e P & l e u q a R Raquel Teixeira Raquel joins us as a very experienced dairy vet from Spain.

She is from the Galicia region which accounts for 40% of Spain’s total milk production - and also gets lots of rain!

It’s no surprise that dairy is Raquel’s speciality having worked with them for 16 years now. Keen to further her knowledge in farm animal vetting she is excited to now be part of the UK dairy industry.

In her spare time, Raquel loves a good walk and can’t wait to explore the UK. Favourite meal: Anything with shellfish - Galicia is well known for this.

If you could go anywhere you haven’t been, where would you go?

Iceland without a doubt!

Peter Neilson Pete joins the team in Whitchurch as our next dairy intern, following in the steps of Rob Hall.

Pete was brought up in South Devon, near Ottery St Mary which is apparently famous for its tar barrel burning - he might have to explain that to us at some point! After graduating from Nottingham in 2017, Pete worked in a mixed practice in Yorkshire before deciding that he wanted to focus on farm animals. He’s looking forward to getting to know everyone!

Additionally if you’re looking to get into dead weight lifting, Pete is the guy to speak to.

Favourite meal: Curry

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If you could go anywhere you haven’t been, where would you go?

The Amazon

Upcoming Events Midlands & North Wales Youngstock - Battling the Bugs Join us for our final meeting in the New Year series!

Date: Tuesday 19th March Time: 7.30pm Address: The Golden Lion, Rossett, LL12 0HN The calf shed is a crucial area on farm. Claire will look at calf rearing tips including vaccination, routine procedures and group rearing (this includes rearing in pairs, if you are particularly interested in this area)

Please call the practice on 01948 663000 to book your place.

20. 07. 2019 SAVE THE DATE

PAH OO

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# LLMTURNS20 5

Derbyshire

Transitioning into Profit how a smooth transition can drive productivity in lactation Date: Thursday 21st March Time: 7:30pm Address: The Crispin Inn, Main Street, Great Longstone, DE45 1TZ Highlighting the importance of the transition period isn’t a new topic and we will all have heard about how it can impact on a cows health and productivity. Will Tulley from the Evidence Group will be speaking at this meeting and looking at the “evidence” on how to make your transition a success. Will is an experienced dairy vet & ruminant nutritionist with knowledge of UK, NZ & US systems. So if you have some bugging transition questions, or simply want to get some more advice and tips, join us on the 21st.

Please call Gemma at the practice on 01629 691692 to book your place

Lancashire

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Training Courses Training Course

Date

Time

Location

Artificial Insemination

26th - 28th March

10:00am 2:00pm

Lancashire - please call 01772 866014 to book onto the above courses First Aid

Tuesday 2nd April

9:30am 4:30pm

LLM Whitchurch, SY13 4AQ

Artificial Insemination

15th - 17th May

10:30am 3:00pm

LLM Whitchurch, SY13 4AQ

Whitchurch - please call 01948 663000 to book onto the above courses

Classifieds Have you ever been unable to sell a tank of milk due to it being too warm, high SCC or high water content?

If you are ever in this predicament, this can be legitimately collected and paid for. Phone Rob on 07967 565264.

Milkbot vending machine for sale.

Please call Stuart for more information on 07921 170796

Simmental Bulls For Sale

For Sale

BVD, IBR and Lepto Vaccinated and Johne’s accredited. Good temperament and easy calving.

200 standard Moo Monitor collars with replaceable batteries. Will sell as a whole or will split.

Please call 07714 089001 or 07907 410983

Contact 07952 327565.

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i TB Update Tom Wright gives us the latest Delivery of TB testing remains a vitally important part of the service offered to our clients; we have a dedicated TB Team of seven vets in Whitchurch and three vets in Lancs delivering testing four days a week.

We are pleased to announce the recent addition of three new team members: Emilio Martinez, Megan Thorpe and Lilli Fox who have joined us as trainee Approved Tuberculin Testers (ATTs) as part of a closely controlled national DEFRA pilot looking at using closely supervised non-vets to deliver TB testing. Emilio and Megan will be working in Whitchurch and Preston and Lilli will be covering Bakewell.

Our ATTs will be fully trained under close supervision from senior vets and once testing, they will be rigorously monitored to ensure that we continue to deliver TB testing to the highest standards.

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As some of you will know, our TB field teams in Preston and Whitchurch are supported by our TB Admin Teams.

They do an amazing job arranging over 700 TB tests each year (in Whitchurch) with very few hiccups. This means that every working day of the year they have to juggle the diary to slot in three new tests.

What’s the process?

This process begins with the allocation of your TB test to us by APHA via the regional Delivery Partner. This allocation will tell us what type of test you are due, any special instructions (e.g. standard/ severe interpretation) and also when your window opens and closes.

Your TB test will be given a unique identification number that follows it all the way through to submission. Our admin team then has to look at the work diary to identify a suitable date and time

to slot your TB test into the neverending “jigsaw” of TB testing. Once this is done, they will phone you to agree this date and time and follow up the call with a letter confirming the date and time of the appointment. You will also receive a Test Notification letter directly from APHA and it is vitally important that you read this letter and make sure that the date of your appointment is within your testing window. Equally if you receive a Test Notification letter from APHA but have not heard from the practice, it is important that you contact your TB Admin Team as soon as possible to arrange your TB test, as very occasionally a TB test fails to get correctly allocated to us by APHA. Whilst we endeavour to do as much as possible to arrange your TB test on your behalf, ultimate responsibility rests with you to arrange your test.

We would also ask that you carefully read your confirmation letter from us to make sure that all of the details are correct. For example, you are happy that the TB test will be completed before your testing window closes. If you identify any problems, please call your TB Admin Team immediately and they will be happy to help you solve them.

Animal Identification We are also introducing a farmer declaration on our job bags to be signed at the end of the test. Recent changes to APHA procedure have meant that every single animal on CTS for your holding must be accounted for and every non-tested animal is now

investigated centrally. This has led to a significant increase in unnecessary paperwork for our TB Team which could easily be avoided by spending a few minutes at the time of the TB test making sure that the paperwork is in order. As a result, we shall be asking you to confirm that you agree with the identities of the animals presented for testing and also the reasons why nontested animals weren’t tested.

Unfortunately TB is not going away in the near future but by testing your animals both effectively and efficiently we can either help maintain your TB free status or help clear your herd of the disease as quickly as possible.

In addition to that we can also offer TB advice to any herd in England via the TB Advisory Service or in Wales to eligible herds via the Cymorth TB and “Keep it Out” visits. If you would like to know more about any of these services please give your TB Admin Team a call.

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Case of the month

Ha-pea cow = Ha-pea vet!

Claire Whittle brings us this case of the month and yes, she has full credit for the title of the article.

One miserable morning in January I was asked to check a cow at the end of a routine that had a blocked quarter. She could be milked by hand but as soon as a cup was applied she would stop milking. We got her into the parlour and after some kerfuffle trying to get her to stand still – tail lifted, kick bar applied, removed, applied again and a nice dollop of muck to the back of my neck (she knew exactly what she was doing!) I could have a proper feel of what was going on.

This girl had a teat pea or to be more vetty - a teat granuloma.

Teat granulomas are small fibrous lesions which are either free-moving or attached via a stalk to the inner mucosal lining of the teat. Their cause isn’t completely understood but they are thought to be associated with chronic inflammation.

This one was free-moving which meant it was fairly easy to milk the cow by hand as you could move it higher up the teat cistern to milk, however when the vacuum was applied, it pulled the pea right down to the teat canal and caused a complete blockage. Although she had been hand drawn for a couple of days, the affected quarter was already feeling the effects of not being 10

milked out completely. It was warm, swollen and painful to touch.

After some discussion about the best way to deal with it, we opted to attempt removal.

After administering local anaesthetic, I tried to milk the pea out by hand but it was just a bit too big. Next step was to try and widen the teat canal. We have some interesting looking tools at our disposal in the picture below.

The ones on the left, technically known as a Hudson Teat Spiral although I prefer ‘Curly Wurly Teat Twizzler’ are useful for removing peas that are attached to the teat lumen.

The teat knives on the right are smooth at the top as they are inserted into the teat canal but sharp on the bottom

to open up the teat end as you pull them out. I started with the smallest knife and went up two sizes before the pea finally popped out with the most satisfying ‘plop’ onto the floor!

I couldn’t help but smile as the milk came flowing out – what a relief for her!

I advised pain relief as she would definitely feel it once the local wore off.

Yes it’s true, all the fiddling around may have been enough to induce mastitis and this girl needed a course of tubes after the event but you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place with these because she was well on her way to a case of mastitis with the pea in situ.

second one? Was it trauma associated with the first removal? Does she have some pathology higher up in her bag?

We might never know the root of the problem however, this one came out far easier than the previous one and she’s been milking well ever since!

Job done!

Interestingly, three weeks later – I was called to re-examine her as she had another pea! Why did she get a 11

tails Doesn’t time “fly”?

In Rach Coopers first issue of TechTails with her new knee, she goes into detail on the importance of fly control this year and how the VetTech team can help.

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Reduces resistance to chemicals when used

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Encourages other insects to develop, such as beetles and red mite predators

Flies are just a real nuisance to us and livestock. Being plagued by these pests all day and night during a particularly bad spell, there is undoubtedly going to be a knock on effect to daily live weight gain and productivity. But it’s not just productivity; they can also spread diseases such as summer mastitis in cattle.

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Over a period of time, the cost of fly control is reduced

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A non-chemical approach for organic farms

I want to reintroduce this year our preventative control options. You’re probably aware by now that we utilise fly parasites on farm and have had some great successes in reducing the overall fly population from season to season.

Fly wasp parasites actively search for fly eggs to parasitize – a fully natural product that kills flies so there’s no resistance.

Of course, fully controlling fly population requires an integrated approach. Our advice would be to implement parasites on your farm, along with the use of Sheila boards and sprays to control specific outbreaks. Over the course of a few seasons, the parasites will really take hold and your fly population will reduce.

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Fly parasite benefits • Reduces use of chemicals

We’re putting in orders of parasites within the next few weeks, so now is a great time to look ahead to fly control! Give us a call for more information.

Beef Bulletin

Roland on Improving Suckler Herd Fertility Suckler herds in the UK produce, on average, 87 calves for every 100 cows or heifers put to the bull. Maximising output each year from calves sold relies on minimising calf losses, aiming to wean >94 calves per 100 cows/ heifers put to the bull, and maintaining a tight calving block with >65% of cows calving the first three week period.

Increasing the percentage of calves weaned by just 2% could increase calf sales by more than £1000. The average weight of calves weaned is also increased with more calves born early in the season. A compact calving period has the advantages of reduced labour, less risk of disease spread from older to younger calves, increased weaning weights and more even batches of calves to sell. It also increases the number of heifers that reach a suitable weight for bulling and calving at two years of age.

It is easy to understand these targets and appreciate the added value they would bring. Recording certain data can allow you to benchmark your herd’s performance year on year and assess areas for improvement in order to maximise the output on your farm. Our new suckler herd health plans incorporate a herd production calculator to look at your herd’s health and fertility figures.

For many of you who are just about to start calving now is a good chance to begin accurately recording some data as it happens.

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Increasing the percentage of calves weaned by just 2% could increase calf sales by more than £1000.

Key things to record are: • • • • • • •

Calving dates Assisted calvings/caesareans No. of calves born (alive & dead) Birth weights (accurate weigh bands available from the practice) Total number calved Abortions Calf mortality

By 3-4 weeks after calving, cows should be clean and cycling again. It is useful to record a list of cows that had difficult calvings, retained cleansings, twins or prolapses and get these cows scanned and treated if necessary.

Later calving cows can easily be pulled back into the required calving period by synchronising and AI. Some farms may choose to synchronise and AI all cows and heifers on the first day of the breeding period which is a relatively cheap and easy way to maximise the number of cows calving in the first three weeks of the block.

Vet Impress is an app that is available for all of our farms to make recording data easy. This is free to download and use so please contact us if you would like to set it up.

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Ewes News

Worm burden management in lambs at turnout Good worm control is essential for the success of all sheep flocks.

From the moment lambs are turned out onto pasture they are at risk from developing a worm burden.

Jess Clayton our resident SQP at Whitchurch tells us more.

A burden can cause decreased appetite, reduced growth rates,

damage to the gut, impaired mineral retention and poor protein metabolism which reduces muscle growth and carcase quality.

There are several management factors to consider which can all assist in reducing lambs to worm burden exposure‌

Safe vs High risk pastures It is essential to access which of your pastures is likely to pose the most risk to this years new lambs and where possible avoid turnout onto these.

High risk

Medium risk

Low risk / safe pasture

Ewes and lambs grazed in the previous year.

Grazed only by adult non-lactating sheep in the previous year.

New lays or forage crops.

High risk of Nematodirus if pasture carried ewes and lambs in the previous spring.

Goats have grazed in the previous year.

Grazed by ewes and lambs in the previous spring, but then conserved and aftermath not grazed by sheep (but still a risk for Nematodirus!)

Grazed by cattle or cut for silage/hay in the previous year (no sheep).

Store/ewe lambs grazed the previous autumn/winter.

Group lambs by age Keeping lambs in close age groups at turn out can make treatment decisions more accurate when based upon faecal egg counting to monitor levels. It also creates ease for deciding treatment products in light of withdrawal periods.

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Mixed grazing Where grazing options are limited, cograzing with cattle can reduce pasture contamination. Cattle ingesting sheep parasites will be unable to complete their lifecycle, so no eggs will be passed out onto the pasture.

Grazing quality Lambs need good grazing qualities to meet growth rates and in turn will create resilience to worms as the season progresses. Avoid grazing lambs on very low sward heights (23cm) to reduce their intake of infective larvae which are more concentrated at the base of the grass blades.

It is essential during turnout to use faecal egg counts to monitor numbers of worms in the lambs which will determine the need to treat, provide information about the levels of pasture contamination and determines if a treatment given has been effective.

Contact us if you want more information!

Caption Competition We welcome back the caption competition. This month, we thought there was a calf stuck in the drain... your captions please!

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Midlands Whitchurch Old Woodhouses, Broughall, Whitchurch, SY13 4AQ 01948 663000 Eccleshall Unit 19A Raleigh Hall Ind Est, Eccleshall, Staffordshire, ST21 6JL 01785 472211 North Wales Wrexham Unit 24, The Bridgeway Centre, Wrexham Ind Est, LL13 9QS 01978 280580 Lancashire Preston 136 Whittingham Lane, Broughton, Preston, PR3 5DD 01772 866014 Clitheroe Unit 2 Deanfield Court, Link 59 Business Park, Clitheroe, BB7 1QS 01200 545456 Derbyshire Bakewell Riverside Business Park, Buxton Road, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1GS 01629 691692

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