Livestock Veterinary Service, University of Sydney

22/05/2026

Our Intern at Livestock Veterinary Service, University of Sydney, Dr Paige Ayton won an amazing award this week! The Don Kerr Award. Congratulations. Paige Ayton we are so very proud of you and all of your accomplishments! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 from John, Jennie, Sam, Luke, Dini, Francisco, Nick, Sharniece, Rory, And Gus and UVTHC Team!

🏆 Congratulations to our 2026 AVA Award winners!

Presented at the AVA Awards Gala Dinner on Wednesday 20 May at AVA Conference in Brisbane, the awards celebrate veterinary excellence, dedication, and the outstanding contributions our members make across Australia and around the world.

Please join us in recognising this year's worthy recipients:

🌟 President's Award: Professor Bill Tranter
For outstanding practical contribution to the profession, including pioneering preventative herd health management, influential education programs, and decades of service to the ACV and the AVA.

🌟 Gilruth Prize: Emeritus Professor Roger Morris
The AVA's highest honour, recognising more than five decades of global leadership in veterinary epidemiology, biosecurity, and disease control across Australia, New Zealand, and internationally.

🌟 Kesteven Medal: Dr Leslie (Les) Sims
For distinguished international contribution to disease control, including his pioneering work on avian influenza eradication and consultancy with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Bank, and governments across South-East Asia.

🌟 Meritorious Service Awards

Dr Stacey Rae, for outstanding leadership in rural and cattle practice, including her role as ACV President from 2024 to 2026.

Dr Susan Swaney, for advancing sheep husbandry, nutrition, and welfare across research, practice, and industry.

Dr Deborah Monks, for more than two decades of leadership in avian and exotic veterinary medicine.

🌟 Emerging Leader Award: Dr Liam Mowbray
For early-career leadership in cattle health, reproduction, and genetics, and his work establishing a national ACV student representative network (Sponsored by Bank of Queensland Specialist)

🌟 Don Kerr Student Award: Dr Paige Ayton
For exceptional academic achievement, clinical skill, and dedication to cattle medicine throughout her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Sydney.

Congratulations to all our winners. Read the full announcement: https://bit.ly/4f2gKUv

20/05/2026

Worms! 🐛Worms! 🪱🐛Worms! 🪱🐛 And More worms!! It’s that time again! For a little reminder!

The conditions over the last few months provided for a favourable environment for intestinal parasite infestation in our small ruminant populations most notably Haemonchus contortus (Barber’s pole)😳 and Teladorsagia spp (Black Scour worms). And sadly the LVS team are seeing patients at the clinic with signs like sudden death, anaemia 🧛🏼 (white membranes), bottle jaw (soft swelling under jaw that is oedema) and ill-thrift in 🐐goats, 🐑🐑sheep, and 🦙Alpacas! 😱.

To promote effective management of parasites we recommend monitoring of parasite burdens in small ruminants through regular faecal egg counts (FEC)🔬. The objective of this monitoring is to keep your animals healthy and to avoid over-use of drenches which will select for resistance making them less effective in the future. We don’t want that!!

❓What we need? About 6-10 pellets of poo as fresh as possible from at least 5 individual animals. If you have less than five animals that is fine.

😳 How do I get the poo 💩?? You can collect from the re**um which is best, but you can collect from the ground but must be fresh. We recommend doing this in the morning and looking for steaming ♨️ piles. Wear gloves 🧤🧤and wash hands 💦thoroughly afterward.

📦What do I collect it into? Plastic lunch baggies or use old egg carton.

🏥 Drop off to our clinic as soon as possible. Ideally keep in a cool place till drop off. No longer than 24 hours after collection for best results

Please contact us if you have concerns about worm infestations or pricing on investigations and flock plabWe would love to help develop a treatment and control plan for your pets and farm!! 02 4655 0777

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animals-and-livestock/sheep/health/internal-parasites/managing-worms-in-goats-in-nsw

24/04/2026

In recognition of World Veterinary Day tomorrow, we are celebrating the veterinarians who are central to the work of our Veterinary Teaching Hospitals and the wider veterinary profession.

Their work goes beyond patient care, with a valued commitment to education and training. Through roles as academics, teachers, and mentors, our veterinarians help shape the next generation of professionals, with an impact that reaches well beyond our hospitals.

Thank you for your dedication, leadership, and ongoing contribution to the profession.

24/04/2026

Our experienced team of livestock veterinarians will be on call over the ANZAC Day weekend for 24/7 emergency care.

Please contact us immediately if urgent veterinary attention is required. 📞 0422 006 759

Our University Veterinary Teaching Hospital will reopen for routine care on Tuesday at 8 am.

17/04/2026

Three day sickness / Bovine ephemeral fever is here !

Three day sickness, or bovine ephemeral fever (BEF), is a viral disease of cattle that is spread by mosquitoes 🦟🦟🦟and biting midges🪰🪰. And due to recent rains 💦 and increase in standing pools of water we have a lot more mosquitoes than usual.

Clinical signs that you may see that would lead you to suspect Three Day Sickeness (BEF):

Fever🌡
Lethargy and depression
lameness (sore muscles)
muscle stiffness,
shivering and twitching,
droopy ears
drooling saliva🤤
watery eyes, runny nose
recumbency (sitting down)
Inappetence
Abortion in pregnant animals
Heavier (bulls, fatten steer, pregnant cows, dairy cows)/ older animals are more severely affected because long periods of recumbency can lead to muscle damage.

It is called three day sickness because the clinical signs of the disease usually last for three days. So like the flu in humans. And the symptoms often resolve quickly.

However, Three Day Sickness can become life threatening in cattle that are severely affected if they become laterally recumbent or suffer misadventures (falling into dams, becoming cast) as they are often weak and unable to maintain sternal recumbency. And this year it is hitting young stock hard.

Diagnosis of three day sickness will require assistance from a veterinarian. Unfortunately there is NO quick fix, but we can provide supportive care to severely affected animals.

Nursing care is critical:
☑️Provide easy access to food and water
☑️ Keep in sternal and prevent animals from becoming laterally recumbent
☑️ Encourge to stand twice a day

Prevention:
Prevention of three day sickness relies largely on vaccination and control of mosquitos and biting midges.

If your animals are already showing signs, vaccination has limited efficacy. In early November each year we take expressions of interest for the BEF vaccine.

If you are concerned about BEF please contact one of our veterinarians Livestock Veterinary Service, University of Sydney. We are happy to advise and if needed to provide supportive care via our ambulatory service.

Office-4655-0777 : M-F, 8am - 4:30pm
Afterhours ☎️🚑 0422 006 759

More info on BEF➡️➡️https://www.mla.com.au/research-and-development/animal-health-welfare-and-biosecurity/diseases/infectious/three-day-sickness/

16/04/2026

Wise Repro and The University of Sydney (Embryo Transfer and Theriogenology service with Dr Rory Nevard & Gus Ruiz, Sydney School of Veterinary Science), alongside A/Prof Margot Day and A/Prof Michael Morris (School of Medical Sciences) have received $2.5 million to accelerate the development of AI & robotics enabled bovine IVF.

Accelerating genetic gain in Australia’s cattle herd is essential to meeting growing global demand for meat and dairy while addressing challenges such as climate change. While IVF offers a powerful solution, adoption has been limited by high costs, lower pregnancy rates than traditional breeding, limited accessibility in regional areas, and a shortage of skilled personnel.

This project will deliver a robotic, high throughput automated embryo production system, purpose built for cattle and powered by AI. By integrating automated embryo culture, real time AI embryo selection, and Australian made media, the system aims to improve pregnancy rates, reduce costs, and enable wider IVF adoption – transforming livestock breeding, boosting productivity, and strengthening Australia’s sovereign capability.

15/04/2026

Meet Paige Ayton, our new veterinarian in the Livestock Veterinary Service team.

Paige spent her early years on Norfolk Island and in Sydney before growing up in Hobart. She went on to complete a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours. She majored in biology, sociology and anthropology, with a minor in art theory.

She was drawn to veterinary medicine by her desire to support the farming community and her enjoyment of working alongside farmers and their animals.

Her interest in rural livestock practice grew during her Honours research, where she used qualitative methods to study how farmers work with their dogs. She completed her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Sydney in 2025.

Paige is keen to build a strong foundation in livestock medicine and surgery. She’s looking forward to learning from our clinicians and specialists, working closely with farmers and building her teaching skills. She has a particular interest in dairy cattle health and production, especially herd health and reproduction. She’s motivated by the role vets play in safe, sustainable farming and food security.

We’re excited to welcome Paige and to see the contribution she’ll make to the Livestock Veterinary Service team.

02/04/2026

Happy Easter from Livestock Veterinary Services at UVTHC! We are open for emergencies over the Easter break. Please call for on-farm assistance.

21/03/2026

Rory Nevard has some dates still available for IVF.

🧬 𝐔𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐕𝐅 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

The April program is already 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱, with limited donor spots remaining in the May run.

Our IVF program works in collaboration with Boviteq Australia and the Livestock Veterinary Service, University of Sydney and we’ve been very pleased with the pregnancy rates achieved from recent embryo implants at Murribrook — including 𝟱𝟱% 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝘇𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝘆𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟳𝟯–𝟴𝟲% 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 across recent programs.

If you're considering IVF this season and would like to discuss donor collections, recipients or managing the process through Murribrook, feel free to get in touch.

📍 Moss Vale NSW
📞 0408 659 673
🌐 www.murribrook.com.au

Semex Australia
Semex Beef Australia

21/03/2026

What a great show! Come on down for the fireworks and grand parade!!