Leahurst Farm Animal Practice

04/12/2025

Not only do the glove booties keep our surgical site clean during the castration of this piglet, they're also very cute! 🐽💤

✅Vitals monitored
✅Surgical site clean and prepped
✅Keeping up with the latest anaesthesia fashion trends

02/12/2025

Well done to one of our clients!

I haven't won a rosette since I came third in the egg and spoon race at primary school, but receiving this one means a whole lot more!
Official prize ticket and rosette for joint 1st Galloway herd in rest of England and Wales.

This was a new competition by the Galloway Cattle Society, so thank you to them for organising it and for the help from its sponsors
Galloway & MacLeod Ltd
Davidson Animal Feeds
Starlyne Macmin Ltd
Wallets Marts
Fane Valley Stores
Ballymena Livestock Market
Moore Concrete Products Ltd
Steele Farm Supplies

Finally, thank you to the judges who took part, in our case Mark de Wynter-Smith who travelled all the way from Exmoor to view our cattle.

01/12/2025

We have recently found our first confirmed case of bluetongue strain BTV-3 with a client of the practice

Although this does not currently affect the current in-place restrictions zones, please be vigilant for signs of BTV-3 in your livestock and check either the GOV.WALES or GOV.UK websites for details on current advice and what to do if you suspect the disease in your animals

30/11/2025

Well done to our vet Gabe who corrected a torsion calving last week with the assistance of some of our students 🪢🐄
Both mum and baby are doing well

27/11/2025

What is/has been the actual impact of bluetongue on UK cattle and sheep farms this year?

If you have been impacted by BTV in any way (whether or not you reported it) this please complete this simple anonymous online survey:
https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=7qe9Z4D970GskTWEGCkKHpQRgFf8ZilEoZXC3trqedpUNTBUS05UOFdaMDA1WVZXVDBTN0pJMEJSQy4u&route=shorturl

14/11/2025

🚨Attention camelid owners 🚨

Now that the days have drawn in please remember it is now time to supplement your alpacas and llamas with vitamin D!

Vitamin D controls calcium and phosphorus balance and is essential for the growth and maintenance of a healthy skeleton. Deficiencies in vitamin D cause skeletal abnormalities and rickets especially in growing crias.

Vitamin D requires UV sunlight for its synthesis in the skin. Unfortunately, British UV levels are well below that of South America and are insufficient for alpacas to synthesise enough vitamin D, especially during the winter months, and especially in dark fleeced camelids

Supplementation using injections or paste should occur every 4-6 weeks from October through to March

13/11/2025

Here we have our vet Corien taking some parlour measurements as part of an on-farm investigation

The vets at the farm practice have a huge range of experience and skills, and can help with cases at a herd level which involves sampling and data analysis, as well as provide individual and inpatient care for our smallholders and referral patients

12/11/2025

We've got the creepiest of crawlies on the slide today!

These are red mites (Dermanysuss gallinae), which are blood sucking parasites found in chicken coops 🐔🛖 you can also see the eggs they've laid in our video

Although they don't live on the bird, they crawl out of the dark cracks and feed on the chickens after dark 🧛‍♂️ and can cause lethargy and anemia, which can cause their combs to go from red to pale pink

You can diagnose these bugs by checking your coops at dusk, especially the cracks and crevices

There are many treatment options, and to find out more please call the practice to chat to one of our vets

06/11/2025

Last week our vets Corien and Kate put on an evening talk for the members of the Liverpool University Veterinary Zoological Society and the Liverpool farm animal Veterinary Society about camelid behavior, management, and disease from the perspective of a farm vet

We hope the students found the talk informative and enjoyed themselves as much as Corien and Kate enjoy talking about alpaca cases!

01/11/2025

31/10/2025

Today’s scariest phrase in large animal medicine, “This is my granddaughter’s favorite cow.”

30/10/2025

As temperature drops, the risk of pneumonia in your animals rises, especially when they are young

Although measures such as a well ventilated pen, calving Jackets and vaccination can help prevent an outbreak, it's useful to know the early signs of respiratory issues so that you can intervene early

Looking at your calves eyes, ears, nose, demeanor and temperature can help with early diagnosis and influence treatment options

For more info please call the practice