Oakhill Farm Vets Clitheroe

Oakhill Farm Vets Clitheroe:

Improved farm productivity is one of the hot topics in British agriculture following last year’s Brexit referendum. Although the specific details are yet to be ironed out, there are a huge number of potential export markets for British produce. To realise this potential, Lancashire farmers need to boost farm output whilst maintaining a close eye on their cost of production. Animal health is one of the key drivers of efficient farm output on dairy, sheep and beef farms.

Farmers often rely on a team of trusted advisors to help them make the right decisions for their business. This can include business consultants, nutritionists and vets. The team at Oakhill Farm Vets have been working with Lancashire farmers for over 40 years.

Based at Goosnargh, Preston, the practice covers an area from Garstang through to Blackburn and now Clitheroe. The 9 farm vets provide 24/7 cover to over 400 farms, with 2 vets on call at all times in order to deal with all emergencies quickly.

As the business has expanded from 4 vets in 2010 to 9 vets in 2017 the practice area has also grown. To help clients with medicine collection, Oakhill has partnered with Michael Hoyle & Co at Clitheroe auction. Medicines dispensed from Oakhill at Goosnargh will be available for collection the same day in Clitheroe through Michael Hoyle.

Oakhill Farm Vets have also developed the highly successful Red Rose Dairy & Sheep Discussion Groups. This has helped farmers and vets to discuss topical animal health issues with leading industry experts. Watch out for the Clitheroe Red Rose meetings this winter.

Oakhill Farm Vets can be contacted on 01772 861300.

PPID Risk Increase With Age

ppid horses preston

The risk of developing PPID significantly increases with age. TAL research shows that a horse aged 15-20 is three times more likely to have PPID than a horse under 10. A horse of 20-25 is six times more likely, a horse of 25-30 is 10 times more likely.

ppid horses preston

You can pro-actively identify PPID in your veteran patients by offering a free* annual ACTH test to patients aged 15 and over during the TAL campaign.

Until the 31st October we’re offering FREE CUSHING’S LAB TEST FEE* FOR HORSES

Past ‘Talk about Laminitis’ test results show that you should look out for any of these clinical signs in your horse:

Laminitis
Abnormal or delayed moulting
Muscle wastage
Periorbital fat (fat round the eyes)
Increased drinking and urinating

To claim your free Cushing’s lab test fee, generate your voucher code at www.talkaboutlaminitis.co.uk, then call us to make your appointment.

Oakhill blood sampling fee, visit fee and postage still apply. Each voucher is only redeemable against an ACTH blood test where the patient has not previously diagnosed and being treated for PPID and is not valid for repeat testing /case monitoring.

Equine Client Evening Event 15th November: Find Out More…

Bovine Ischaemic Teat Necrosis

This is a disease that has emerged in the UK over the last 5 years affecting the skin around the base teat but often extending down the teat and onto the udder.

The lesions tend to be irritable causing the cow to lick the affected teats and in severe cases remove them. Currently very little isknown about the disease but due to the increase in cases recently the cause is thought to be infectious. Currently there are no known effective treatments with severely affected animals often culled. Other diseases affecting the teats can be mistaken for Bovine ITN but the lesions don’t tend to be as irritant to the cow.

AHDB Dairy are currently running a project in conjunction with Liverpool University to learn more about the disease and how to control it. If you suspect you have any cases on your farm please get in touch with us.

Meet one of our latest patients..

cat swallowed kids toy

This adorably cheeky kitten is 12 week old Freddie!

He recently stayed at our Conway Drive practice after his owners noticed he wasn’t himself after chewing on a children’s toy.

foreign body cat preston and clitheroe

After blood tests, medications and fluids he was much brighter but still not back to his normal self and an ultrasound revealed a blockage in his intestines.

The blockage was caused by a foam letter that poor Freddie had swallowed. This is referred to as a foreign body and needed an exploratory laparotomy operation to find and remove it from Freddie’s intestines.

As you can see from the photos he was soon back to his normal happy self, playing with toys and wrapping our nurses around his paws!

Could your pet be affected by pyometra?

Although pyometra is a fairly common condition, many people don’t know what it is.

Pyometra is an infection of the uterus (womb), common in female dogs and cats that haven’t been spayed.

In dogs, every time they have a season (usually about twice a year) they undergo all the hormonal treatments associated with pregnancy, regardless whether or not she is pregnant.

The changes that occur in the uterus during each season, increases the chances of an infection with age. A very common organism called E. coli, found in your dog’s faeces, usually causes pyometra. Some injections with hormone, either to prevent seasons or for the treatment of other conditions can increase the chances of pyometra developing.

pyometra dogs preston

The signs usually develop around four to six weeks after the female has finished bleeding from her last season. In some cases, the bitch may appear to be having a prolonged season.

The signs and symptoms to look out for are:

Early stages:

Licking back end more
Season lasts longer than usual
Off colour
Off her food
Drinking and urinating more
Vomiting

Advanced stages:

Pus coming from vulva
Swollen abdomen
Collapse

If your dog has this condition, urgent treatment may be required, if left untreated these signs will worsen to the point of dehydration, collapse and death from septic shock, so please contact your vet as soon as possible.

Diagnosis and treatment

Your vet will probably suspect your dog has pyometra based on your description of the signs and from their examination of your pet.

They may suggest procedures such as ultrasound and blood tests to confirm the diagnosis, rule out other possible causes, and to check that your pet is well enough to undergo treatment.

The treatment of choice for pyometra is surgery to remove the uterus. The operation is essentially the same as a routine spay.

However, there is more risk involved and a higher chance of complications when the operation is being carried out on a sick pet. Your dog will also be given intravenous fluids (a drip), antibiotics and pain relief.

Can I prevent pyometra?

Most dogs will make a full recovery after treatment for pyometra, if the condition is caught early. Spaying your dog before she develops a pyometra will prevent this condition occurring.

If left untreated, or if the dog has had a pyometra for a while before presentation, she may be septic (bacteria has gone into the bloodstream) and more prolonged hospitalisation and treatment may be required. In this situation the prognosis is usually worse.

EVENT: Keeping The High Yielder Healthy: Part 1

OCTOBER 3RD farm events lancashire

Venue: J & D E Mitchell & Son, Snapewood Farm, Snapewood Lane, Garstang, PR3 0JP

Consultant Dairy Vet and Johnes enthusiast Peter Orpin (Park Vet Group, Leicester) talks innovative control strategies and common pitfalls of infectious disease control. Workshops to include the latest in Johnes and IBR control, becoming BVD free and, if the weather holds, a look at zero grazing on the host farm.

For more information or to book, please contact Oakhill Farm Vets on 01772 861300.

Red Tractor Standards Changes

Red tractor standards

There has been an update in the Red Tractor Assurance Standards coming into effect from October 2017. A full list of changes is available on the Red Tractor website, the main changes affecting your herd health plan are listed below.

Dairy:

· Documented medicine records – all antibiotics used must be collated, and an annual review must be undertaken by the vet.

· Farm to farm sales of animals under statutory withdrawal periods for medicines must be accompanied by a withdrawal period declaration.

· Colostrum – a colostrum protocol must be put in place to ensure young stock are receiving adequate colostrum. The protocol must be added to the herd health plan. A recommendation has been added that the quality of colostrum should be tested.

Beef and Lamb:

· Animal medicines – recommendation that the highest priority critically important antibiotics are only used as a last resort and under veterinary direction.

· Farm to Farm sales of stock under statutory withdrawal periods for medicines must be accompanied by a withdrawal period declaration.

· A farm biosecurity plan must be created, implemented and updated in relation to health and performance reviews. Disinfectants across the farm should be DEFRA approved.

To find out about all Red Tractor Assurance Standards, please go to: http://assurance.redtractor.org.uk/tools-and-library

#CALFMATTERS Farm Africa Challenge

Holly #CALFMATTERS Farm Africa Challenge

Farm Vet Holly Critchley has been taking part in the #CalfMatters Farm Africa Challenge in which 100 animal health professionals are aiming to take 140,000,000 steps (70, 500 miles) by 19th October.

#CalfMatters is an initiative set up by Merial to highlight the importance of vaccination against pneumonia in calves. If you wish to donate to the cause or find out more about #calfmatters please contact Holly at the practice.

Holly #CALFMATTERS Farm Africa Challenge

The importance of regular health checks for your dog

Owning a dog is great fun and immensely rewarding, but they’re also a big responsibility.

Although you get to know and understand different aspects of their behaviour and their day-to-day routines, it isn’t always obvious to know if your dog is ill, it’s even harder to spot any potential dog health problems.

Most people don’t take their dogs to the vets unless there’s an emergency or obvious signs of illness, however a regular health check may detect issues earlier.

A health check up usually includes 10-points that include:

10 point health check dog preston vets oakhill veterinary centre

If any abnormalities or issues are found, the vet will discuss them with you and a plan for further investigation can be discussed.

Health checks every 6 months are great for your dog as the vet can detect subtle changes in your dog’s overall health. This is especially important for older dogs as these checks play a huge part in the ‘prevention is better than cure’ approach. As part of our 365 Care Plan, dogs and cats get a 10 point health check with a vet every 6 months included.

Oakhill Veterinary Centre puts an emphasis on preventative health care and our 365 Care Plan for dogs and cats was designed with this in mind.

To find out more about the 365 Care Plan click here. If you’d like to book your dog in for a health check, then please contact us.

Respiratory Disease- Cattle

Respiratory disease is estimated to cost the UK cattle industry £80 million annually through increased mortality, veterinary drug costs and most importantly weight

loss/reduced performance. Whilst the effects on clinically affected animals are obvious often the rest of the group will be affected sub-clinically resulting in reduced growth rates.

For respiratory disease, prevention is vital as many animals never fully recover from severe cases and is through a combination of good management, good ventilation, and effective vaccination protocols prior to the risk period (housing/weaning).

respiratory symptoms cattle

Respiratory disease occurs when environmental factors, infectious agents and inadequate immunity come together and tip the balance in favour of disease. In beef systems, stressful events such as dehorning and castration are best undertaken before housing or delayed until calves have been housed for at least 6 weeks.

Ventilation is key!

The minimum recommended air changes within a building of 10 times each hour, increasing in summer up to around 60 air changes per hour. High ammonia levels from manure irritate the respiratory tract and will make the animal more vulnerable to respiratory disease. Studies have shown that the ammonia levels a calf is exposed to in the first four months of life severely impact on the age at first calving, and lifetime productivity.

respiratory disease in cattle

Author: Julie Nuttall