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Mile House vets give advice for and treat all farm animals in whatever size or shape they come, including the more exotic species such as camelids (llamas, aplacas etc) which are becoming increasingly more common across our countryside.
Please click on the following links to navigate this page:
Sheep:
Lameness:
Lameness is possibly the most serious problem to the sheep farmer in terms of productivity, profit and welfare. It is estimated that lameness alone costs the sheep farming industry £24 million each year so we regard it as a very serious issue.
There are several different causes of lameness which all require different treatments therefore it is important to have the correct diagnosis before buying drugs, vaccines and foot-baths.
Parasites:
Sheep are susceptible to both internal and external parasites, and like lameness, these can have serious effects on the productivity of the flock if not adequately controlled.
Fly-strike and sheep scab are examples of external parasites, but sometimes the symptoms can be as simple as wool loss or head-shaking.
Fluke, coccidia and worms are all internal parasites and can potentially be very detrimental to the health of an animal if not fatal.
However due to over-use of drugs to control them, the parasites have become resistant to some treatments. Therefore we discourage the use of “routine worming” and advise using simple tests (such as faecal egg counts) on a regular basis to establish whether or not you have a problem on your farm and therefore whether your sheep need treating. This method saves you money, reduces the chance of resistance in the parasites and ensures you have a healthy flock!
Lambing time:
This can be a stressful time for farmers so ensure that you are prepared! If you have any queries in the lead up to lambing please do not hesitate to phone and we can give advice on management of pregnant ewes or new-born lambs, and on any required treatments.
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Sometimes ewes can have bad uterine prolapses or severe difficulty with lambing. These are emergency situations and require surgery which we can come to the farm to do or can be done at the practice to save a call-out fee. |
Flock Health Reports:
This is an annual report produced between farmer and vet and is a very pro-active approach to modern sheep farming. The report is specific to each farm and contains details of:
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Fertility and breeding
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Parasite control
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Lameness treatment and prevention
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Infectious disease treatment and prevention
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Nutrition and feed
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Housing and lamb management
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Biosecurity
The above information is then analysed and we produce an action plan which will contain suggested improvements if necessary to increase the productivity of your farm.
Artificial insemination (AI):
Artificial insemination is a specialist technique used in many pedigree flocks. With this technique, the farmer can ensure that they use sperm from rams with the highest genetic merit on the ewes, thus improving the pedigree of their progeny. The ewes are synchronized so that they all come into season at a fixed time, are inseminated and therefore lamb all at a fixed time. This also helps with lambing management.
Ed has been doing AI since 2006 and it has become increasingly popular since then. For more information please phone him at the practice or go onto http://www.edthevet.co.uk/.
Please feel free to ring and ask advice about vaccination, parasite control, buying in stock, disease prevention etc.
Routine Visits:
We offer routine fertility visits for our dairy clients. If your herd is greater than 100 cows it is recommended to have this done once every 2 weeks and if less than 100 once every 4 weeks. This should enable you to increase productivity and therefore profitability.
Calvings and emergencies:
We are available at the end of the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for emergencies such as difficult calvings, downer cows, emergency slaughter etc. If it is necessary we can carry out caesarians and other operations on your farm.
Post mortems:
Post mortems can be invaluable in diagnosis of disease. We offer cheap post mortems to assist you with disease control and in order to prevent further loss of stock. However, we need fresh animals in order to carry out an accurate post mortem.
Abortions:
Please report your abortions to us in case investigation is necessary. All abortions should be reported to Animal Health.
Calves:
We can come and see calves on your farm or you can bring them into us in order to save a call-out fee.
All calves should receive 3L of colostrum within 6 hours of birth to help protect them against disease.
Calf diarrhoea: Diarrhoea in neonates (calves less than 2 weeks old) can lead to mortality of up to 50% in affected calves. If a calf is collapsed and unable to stand it probably needs intra-venous fluids to be given by a drip. If the calf is standing then the most important way of helping that calf to survive is by giving oral fluids. Normal water does not contain enough electrolytes and energy which is why rehydration sachets/tablets should be added. Most of the causes of neonatal diarrhoea are not bacterial so the routine use of antibiotics is not necessary in most cases.
Calf pneumonia: There are multiple causes of pneumonia in calves and it is most commonly found in calves between 2 and 4 months. Poor ventilation and large groups of calves kept in the same air-space over winter are the biggest risk factors. Affected animals need quick and efficient treatment before too much damage is caused to the lungs, which will affect growth rates. The best control of this disease is by vaccination and good husbandry.
Small-holders and pedigree breeders:
We are available to give advice on management of your pig herd and treat any problems you may be having whether it is affecting an individual or an illness spreading through the whole herd. Farrowing can be a stressful time for both pig and owner so if you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact us. Outdoor pigs are susceptible to parasite problems both internally from worms or externally from mites and lice. Both are easily treated and prevented.
Commercial Herds:
With a growing emphasis on quality assurance we can provide quarterly visits to your farm to draw up control strategies for disease prevention such as Salmonella to fit in with BPEX standards.
Gamebirds:
Due to the intensive production of gamebirds in the early stages, they are susceptible to many infectious and parasitic diseases. In order to prevent out-breaks of these diseases, we can do routine checks on your poults and if necessary, post-mortem examinations to diagnose the problem and start on the correct treatment for the rest of the group.
The most common problems we see in poultry present themselves as a sudden drop in egg production, loss of plummage or behavioural changes such as reluctance to go outside. There is a variety of conditions leading to these symptoms which can treated successfully.
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