LLM Farm Vets Newsletter November 2018

Newsletter

November 2018

In this edition...

• • • •

Dairy Talk - Mycoplasma in Calves VetTech Tails - Managing Colostrum Introducing the TBAS Service Caption Competition www.lambertleonardmay.co.uk

Contents • • • • • • • •

News..............................................................................................4-5 Upcoming Events & Training Courses...........................................6 Christmas Drinks!...........................................................................7 Dairy Talk - Mycoplasma in Calves................................................8 VetTech Tails..................................................................................12 Introducing the TBAS Service........................................................13 People Pages and Classifieds.......................................................14 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 Charlie Lambert 07974 264272 Bill May 07968 318493 Simon King 07973 271754 Tom Wright 07590 183804 Dan Stevenson 07894 586233 Den Leonard 07970 267494 Mike Christie 07775 561820 Mark Hickinson 07841 919223 Sarah Gibbs 07711 593783 Rob Hall 07889 408092 2

Claire Whittle 07841 775695 Tom Jackson 07837 291097 Amy Glanvill 07590 183803 Tom Downes 07703 189224 Hannah Batty 07841 919227

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

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

Derbyshire Vets

UKET Team

Andrew Henderson 07841 675549

UKET Office 01948 663124

Katie Fitzgerald 07765 644909

Spike Newman 07921 374036

VetTech Team Natalie Parker 07841 775697 Emily Hallett 07845 817070 Rachel Cooper 07834 547832 Danielle Davies 07841 501655 Bertie Martin 07711 593780 Steph Cowgill 07505 443231 Joe Wheeler 07849 835379

Stan Matthews 07971 118909

TB Team Janka Zaleska 07894 586231 Alberto Alaman 07720 737872 Giulia Vida 07714 770328 Des Leonard 07811 342289

Welcome to the November edition of your newsletter!

Hello from the pharmacy team and welcome to the November edition of the newsletter.

With the tiniest glint of Christmas on the horizon (drinks dates are on page 7!), the LLM pharmacy team are busy perfecting their parcel wrapping and box packing skills with an average of 26 medicine orders per day, sometimes putting up over 40 orders on a busy day. Amongst all the other daily jobs we have I think we can safely say this is keeping us all out of mischief!

We are constantly trying to improve our client experience so please don’t forget to save our direct pharmacy line 01948 302424 into your phones which will put you straight through to the dispensary.

The VetTechs have also been busy this month! Steph clarifies how to measure the quality of your colostrum and explains how we can help monitor whether colostral transfer has been successful. Joe goes on to introduce the TB Advisory Service or TBAS- as we now have two fully trained advisors!

A free service, so definitely worth looking into.

Finally, we wanted to share some exciting LLM news with you all. You can find this on the next few pages.

We hope you enjoy the newsletter.

Emma

In addition to this, we are also trialling a pharmacy out of hours voicemail (via the direct line) where you can leave your medicine order out of hours which we will confirm with you once we are back in the office.

On to this month’s newsletter! Sarah gives us an insight into a Mycoplasma Bovis outbreak in calves. This bug can be associated with many different problems on farm and isn’t a new problem, but it’s mechanism of action are still largely unknown.

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News Advancing with VetPartners We have some exciting news to share with you about the future of the practice.

LLM is in the process of leaving XLVets and joining VetPartners. Nothing has been finalised yet and so this news is slightly premature, but we wanted to try and communicate to our clients first before rumours start to circulate.

For you, nothing will change. LLM will still be running as always with the same vets, the same office teams and the same innovative solutions. What joining VetPartners will bring is further

collaboration with a network of farm practices to help develop business by sharing knowledge and experience, as well as pooling resources.

This is a proactive move by the practice, taking the opportunity to join a likeminded group in light of changes to the veterinary market over the past decade.

Please speak to one of the team if you have any questions. We will be more than happy to answer your queries.

Charlie’s News 19 years ago almost to the date, Den and I started up a new farm animal only veterinary practice working out of a small industrial unit in Wrenbury. As the first farm only practice in the UK, we were ‘First in the field’ and this soon became our business strapline.

We were joined only a few months later by Bill and Lambert Leonard & May was born.

Over the years we have had tremendous support from members of staff, (Des Leonard and Michelle Owen have been with us from the start!), from a brilliant partnership and from our 4

great client base which has obviously grown massively.

to develop what it does well into a wider veterinary market and this is very exciting for us.

With help and support from some fantastic people around us, both within and external to the business, our vision and values were created and we have tried to stick by these through everything we do, both at work and in the community.

We would like to think that even though we have grown as much as we have, we can still provide a professional but often bespoke service to our clients.

The veterinary market has changed significantly over these 19 years and so have many of the farms we work on.

Keeping ahead of the times, creating new opportunities and being innovative is something that we can be proud of at LLM. As mentioned, our business is now moving on to the next level by joining a large group of farm vet practices called VetPartners. We will be joining as a platform practice which will allow us to help retain and shape the future of farm vet practice across much of the UK. Whilst LLM will remain as LLM and won’t feel any different at a local level, the business will get the chance

However, as many of you now know, 19 years at LLM and 25 years in Farm Practice is coming to an end for me. I am not retiring but will be having a few months to catch up with all the stuff I keep ignoring at home. Although many of you will know me as a frustrated farmer or frustrated gamekeeper, I am aware that neither of these is going to replace my income!!

I am sure further opportunities will present themselves at some point but in the short term, I am taking a break.

Yolanda and I would like to take this chance to say a massive thankyou to everyone involved over the years at LLM for their support and hard work.

We would also like to thank all of our clients for your support and friendship too. We strongly believe that we are leaving our farmers, team and colleagues in great hands at LLM with the future support of VetPartners.

We wish you all the very best.

Charlie and Yolanda Lambert

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Upcoming Events Giving your calves the best start Date: Thursday 15th November Time: 7.30pm Address: The Crispin Inn, Main Street, Great Longstone, DE45 1TZ The second of our discussion group talks, we will have a look at how to give calves the best start with some great tips from Andrew Henderson.

Hot supper provided.

Please call the practice on 01629 691692 to book your place.

“GRASS TO CASH” DISCUSSION GROUP We are planning to hold the first Grazing Discussion group meeting on Monday 12th November. At this meeting we will review this year’s fertility and look at sync programmes as well as dry cow considerations including selective dry cow therapy.

If you are interested in joining the group, please speak to one of the team for more information.

Training Courses Training Course

Date

Time

Location

Artificial Insemination

30th January - 1st February 2019

9:30am 3:00pm

LLM Whitchurch, SY13 4AQ

Assessing the Dairy Cow

22nd November

10:00am 3:00pm

LLM Whitchurch, SY13 4AQ

Whitchurch - please call 01948 663000 to book onto the above courses 6

YOU'RE INVITED TO OUR

7:30pm start

Christmas Drinks

Monday 10th December The Golden Lion, Rossett, LL12 0HN Wednesday 12th December The Falcon, Hinstock, TF9 2TA

Monday 17th December The Royal Oak, Eccleshall, ST21 6BW Wednesday 19th December The Beer Emporium, Holmes Chapel, CW4 7AJ Friday 21st December Bhurtpore, Aston, CW5 8DQ

Wednesday 12th December Waddington Arms, Clitheroe Wednesday 19th December Owd Nells, Guys Thatched Hamlet

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Dairy Talk Mycoplasma in calves You may have heard the term Mycoplasma associated with multiple different problems in both adult cattle and calves. Although it is not a ‘new’ problem, it is a complicated bug and we are still learning exactly how and when it causes disease. Sarah gives us more information...

Mycoplasmas are a group of very small bacteria and in the UK Mycoplasma Bovis is the most common type associated with disease in cattle. The signs seen depend on which part of the body it affects and can include mastitis, joint infections, pneumonia and inner ear disease.

Discharge seen coming out of the ear.

Respiratory disease is one of the most common problems we see in calves infected with Mycoplasma. Signs can vary and the response to treatment is often poor if not caught early. Below I have described a recent outbreak of Mycoplasma in calves seen on a farm and how we are managing the disease in this herd.

Outbreak in calves on farm

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Earlier in the year I was asked to examine a group of very sick calves which were not eating. These calves had high temperatures, snotty noses and crusty eyes. A high proportion also had an ear droop on one side with crusty discharge coming from the ear canal.

The outbreak was extremely widespread with nearly all pre-weaned calves affected regardless of age.

A more unusual symptom seen was swelling over the eyes and forehead in the worst affected.

There are several samples which can be taken to determine the cause of respiratory disease. In this case we

Crusting around the nose and swelling above the eyelids

make animals more susceptible to disease.

opted to perform a post-mortem on one of the worst affected animals as we thought this would be the most likely way to get an answer quickly.

The findings were dramatic and really explained why the calves were appearing so sick.

The image above shows the nasal passages full of pus and infected material; this was the same for the inner ear. The lungs themselves showed no signs of disease. The lab confirmed the presence of Mycoplasma and suggested that the swelling seen on the foreheads was the result of the immune glands being so enlarged they were blocking fluid drainage from the head.

Management Mycoplasma infection will not respond to treatment with some antibiotics so during the outbreak we ensured any suspect cases were treated promptly with an anti-inflammatory and an appropriate antibiotic.

In-contact calves were checked regularly and temperatures taken to pick up early signs of disease.

Outbreaks of this disease can be associated with poor immunity so the farmer worked to ensure colostrum transfer was adequate. We screened the group for BVD as this can also

Spread of infection between the calves can be through direct contact and via feeding equipment. We recommended disinfecting feeding buckets after each feed and numbering them so that the same bucket could be returned to the same calf.

As introduction of infection was thought to have come from the adult herd, we recommended limiting all contact between cows and calves and removing calves from the dam as soon as possible after calving.

Although calves were fed milk replacer from two days of age, it was possible that infection was coming through colostrum. Mycoplasma can be readily destroyed in colostrum through pasteurisation so investing in a pasteuriser was recommended.

For this size farm (~180 cows) and on an all year round calving pattern the Store and Thaw machine is probably the most affordable option which can pasteurise individual bags of colostrum as well as defrosting frozen colostrum very quickly.

Although there are no commercial vaccines available for Mycoplasma, a vaccine can be produced using the specific strain identified on your farm. For now, we are prioritising preventing introduction through good biosecurity and limiting the routes of transmission from the adult cows to the calves, however if we continue to see outbreaks of disease, vaccination will be reconsidered.

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tails Measure that colostrum!

Providing the best start in life for your calves starts with colostrum, with 35% of calves failing to suckle sufficient amounts of colostrum when left to their own devices.

Steph Cowgill from our Lancashire VetTech team gives us some management tips to make sure your calves receive the good stuff…

Ideally colostrum should be harvested cleanly, and 10-12% of the calf’s body weight should be fed in colostrum within the first two hours of calving for the calf to absorb sufficient amounts of antibodies. All colostrum harvested should be tested for quality using a refractometer or colostrometer and anything measuring over 22% (50mg/ ml immunoglobulin) on the scale should be fed and stored – it’s always good to date and label the colostrum! Discard colostrum that comes under 22% on the immunoglobulin scale.

We run a Colostrum Check report that helps identify the level of passive transfer your calves are receiving from colostrum. Serum protein levels are assessed from calves 1 – 7 days old and from this we can identify if they have absorbed sufficient antibody levels from the colostrum. The higher the level of protein, the higher the quality of colostrum. We do this as a monthly report, and we can utilise this as VetTechs to help introduce a colostrum protocol on farm and give feedback on colostrum management, leading to healthier and thriving calves.

For more information on the Colostrum Check report, please speak to your vet or give the practice a call.

Colostru

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Introducing the TBAS service A new service, which is free to farmers, has come to LLM. Joe Wheeler from our VetTech team dishes out the info on this funded service.

The TB advisory service (TBAS) have trained some of the VetTech team - Natalie Parker and myself – to be advisors to farmers who are in high risk areas or edge areas.

Each session is designed to provide unique TB prevention/action advice based on the farm system. The sessions which are FREE, offer an opportunity to discuss possible improvements in your defence on the battle against TB. The sessions last around two hours in which we welcome your vet to join to aid the discussion on current practises and where changes may be made. Split into two sections, the visit is designed to give you the best advice possible that will benefit your business. To start with we will discuss your current TB situation and on farm processes, which will then be followed by a constructive assessment of buildings and fields, should time allow.

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Welcome! The TB Advisory Service team have had a busy few months, and it has been great to meet

so many on farmers your at the shows and events weand have Depending system attended. We have more events planned over the situation,coming a number of areas may months – but if you are holding a famerbe and would like one of our advisers to speak focussedmeeting on including: about TB, then please get in touch!

From the meetings we have held, it’s clear that most farmers understand the ‘ins and outs’ of their

•

How‘routine’ best TBtotesting set regime, up an unit butisolation that many questions can arise if a farm is brought in to more frequent should you currently be free of TB testing, due to a TB incident in the area – or even on

•

Advice on‘rules the utilisation of via red Whilst the and regulations’ are available the TB Hub website, many farmers are keen to markets understand how these apply to their specific

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holdings, temporary associations (TLA) orand a Identification of land wildlife runs temporary CPH. The TBAS Telephone Advice Service howisbest them here to to help!prevent If you have any questions, or simply

•

correctly, then please give us a call!

Updates on government For more bespoke advice, we would recommend a regulations your FREE on-farmin Advice Visit area – this should take no more

their own farm.

situation, especially where the farm has multiple

want reassurance that you are interpreting the rules

than two hours of your time and you will receive a comprehensive report for your farm.

There are easy steps that can be taken Don’t forget….

The TB Advisory Service has teamed with IAE to to help protect your farm fromupTB. We give one lucky farmer a brand-new badger-proof want to cattle help you set realistic targets feeding trough! All farmers receiving a FREE Advice Visit from TBAS which can be31st implemented with relative before October will be entered in low cost 2018 and be of great benefit to your a prize draw – so don’t delay, book your business.

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If you’re currently TB free but within find out more about the TB Advisory Service or to request ad a high Torisk area, we would fully recommend taking up this free service.

E info@tbas.org.uk Additionally, if you’re down with TB, W intbas.org.uk please get touch because we can give you T practical tips and information 01306 779410 that could help protect your herd.

If you are interested in taking up this opportunity please contact TBAS on 01306 779410 or phone us direct and we will sort your visit.

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People Pages We say goodbye to Louise!

As many of you are already aware I’m heading for pastures new after nearly 10 years at the Broughton practice.

It has been a tough decision for me but with a lot of thought, it’s the right one.

I just want to say a massive THANK YOU to all, clients included, for just being awesome and I will come away from here with a lot of memories and most importantly friends.

Classifieds Weekend milker required. To work alternate weekends.

Dairy herd near Middlewich.

Milking approx 180 cows. 30 point Rotary parlour. Duties include milking feeding calf’s.

Phone Andrew 07831 764985 or email Highergreenfarm@gmail.com

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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.

Kelpie x Hunterway x Collie puppies for sale.

Two 4 year old grazing type bulls for sale.

Please call Andrew Steven for more information 07801545262

Please call Richard for more information - 07973115908

Caption Competition Welcome back to the caption competition! This month we found this cosy couple on farm. Give us your best and we will pick our favourite...

If you have any of your own that you would like to send in, email them to lucy.evans@llmvets.co.uk 13

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

www.lambertleonardmay.co.uk info@llmvets.co.uk To unsubscribe from our newsletter, please email info@llmvets.co.uk