Animal Care

A LIFE WELL-LOVED

Mark Newton-Clarke MAVetMB PhD MRCVS, Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeon

Boom, it’s February and if winter is leaving us alone, signs of new life should be returning. I think we all look forward to the next couple of months as light gradually gains ascendency over dark. Photoperiod has a visceral influence on almost all life on this planet – the return of the sun central to survival for so many. Not surprising then that at sunrise on the ‘shortest’ day of the year (which was spectacular) record numbers of people gathered at Stonehenge to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Perhaps the size of the crowd that assembled was a sign that we are starting to re-learn the connection between ourselves and the natural world and hopefully, a greater appreciation of it.

The rhythm of the seasons signposts my year, reminding me of the cyclical nature of life. But life also has a linearity – time in the dimension most of us inhabit going in only one direction. Good and bad this, as nobody wants to live in Groundhog Day but then again, we don’t want to get any older! But we do and so do our pets, at a rate 5 or 6 times faster than ourselves. Of course there is so much pleasure watching a kitten or a puppy grow up but I think most of us prefer the middle phase of their lives. This seems to go on forever as spared many of the human signs of ageing, it’s easy not to notice the effect of the years on our animal family members. So it was with Trilby, my beloved Border Terrier, who came to me 16 years ago in part-exchange for an unpaid bill. I never received the balance of the debt but Trilby made up for it by being the best dog and having the best life. Should I be sad? Of course I miss him but I am mostly happy for all the memories I have and the fact that he passed away peacefully in his sleep.

Now, when I say that, I mean a sedative-induced sleep and then an intravenous injection of an anaesthetic called a barbiturate. We were at home, in familiar surroundings and Trilby was totally unaware that his life was about to end. As vets, we work hard to engineer exactly this situation to minimise stress for the patient and grief for the owner. This is a difficult subject for everyone who loves their animals, but my aim is to reassure, as for many owners, the process is as daunting as the loss. It’s very important that we make the process as caring as possible so the loss is easier to bear.

Now, I mention this as I want to put a positive slant on the sadness of losing an animal companion. I remind bereaved owners that our pets are the most privileged creatures ever to have walked this Earth, having a far better standard of life than 90% of the world’s human population. We can also offer them a peaceful and pain-free exit from life when the time comes – a responsibility that falls on every owner. I have always wondered if animals can rationalise the privations of old age, as humans mostly can. If not, it must be very confusing being in a body that cannot perform the antics of youth and have a mind that’s unable to understand why. I can relate to that!

So, I have celebrated the life of my lovely Trilby rather than mourned his passing. He was ready to go and I was happy to help him on his way. The loss of a pet is an important milestone in our own lives, reminding us of our own mortality and the importance of living a good life for the time we have. And how time flies as next month the Druids will be back at Stonehenge to celebrate the Spring Equinox and new life will be ready to burst. Can’t wait.

newtonclarkevet.com

GOOD SHEPHERDS

Lucy Hepworth (BVSc MRCVS), Friars Moor Vets

Whilst we can be called to a lambing at any time of year with a high proportion of Polled Dorset flocks (a unique breed for lambing all year), our main lambing season is just around the corner.

One of the most rewarding days of the lambing season is the ‘lambing course’. I ran the first of these courses back in 2008 and they have been an annual practice event ever since; with a constant supply of enthusiastic people wanting to learn more about lambing their own small flocks or to be trained to work as shepherds for commercial flocks.

We have been lucky to run our courses over the last few years on a farm in Gillingham during their lambing time. Participants learn how to feed and vaccinate their ewes for optimal preparation. Using a homemade lambing simulator, we teach people how to deliver lambs and how to correct malpresentations, such as a lamb coming with a leg or head back. Occasionally, ewes on the farm choose to lamb during the course which is always met with delight! Participants are always especially keen to learn when to let nature take its course and when to intervene.

Our veterinary technician Steve Place, who has his own small flock of sheep, expertly teaches participants how to stomach-tube lambs, how to tail and castrate, how to inject lambs and use ear tags. We use dead lambs as a valuable teaching aid and there is usually the chance to practice these new skills on some of the recently born Polled Dorset lambs on the farm. There is always a good atmosphere amongst participants sharing their range of experience.

The success of lambing is the culmination of good shepherding throughout the year. For all our sheep clients we use flock health plans to make bespoke calendars detailing vaccinations, parasite monitoring and management tasks. Lamb health gets off to a good start if the ewes have plentiful good quality colostrum; this is determined by the body condition

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of the ewes and protein intake in late pregnancy. Lambs are completely dependent on antibodies in colostrum for immunity in the first few weeks of life. We would always advise a flock to use a clostridial vaccine in the ewes pre-lambing to boost antibodies in colostrum. A useful intervention three to four weeks before the start of lambing is for us to visit a flock to check protein and energy status of a sample of ewes to assess whether diet is adequate.

Most flocks prefer a tight lambing period to minimise the age spread of lambs which is good for disease control, as well as maximising growth rates ahead of weaning. A tight block will allow better observation of the ewes which reduces avoidable

losses. Flocks can achieve this by using a teaser ram (vasectomised) a fortnight ahead of tupping so that all ewes are cycling well for the fertile tups, as well as having the ewes in the appropriate body condition after recovery post-weaning.

The importance of weather in the success of lambing is clear. Lambs are vulnerable to hypothermia. When grass growth and quality are optimal, farms can spend less on purchased feed for the milking ewe, increasing overall profitability. Ewes rearing twins have high nutritional demands. It is crucial that she gets enough feed to maintain her milk yield, otherwise her lambs’ growth and health are compromised, and she is susceptible to mastitis. The overall aim for the commercial ewe is to rear her body weight in lambs by 100 days. Last year we had a cold wet May which impacted many ewes at peak production so let us hope for good grass growth in spring 2022 so that our ewes are well placed to maximise rearing their lambs off grass.

friarsmoorvets.co.uk

___________________________________________ Wednesday 16th and 23rd February 10am-4pm 2022 Practical Lambing Courses £100 including VAT. For further details, please contact the farm office on 01258 472314. Places are limited.

VOLUNTEER DISTRIBUTORS REQUIRED

BRADFORD ABBAS LEIGH LONGBURTON NETHER & OVER COMPTON SHERBORNE THORNFORD YETMINSTER

PLEASE CALL 01935 315556 OR EMAIL info@homegrown-media.co.uk