01/06/2026
🐄 Cows, Calves & Curveballs - Week 1 🐄
📍 Double Trouble in the Calving Pen
In this week’s edition of cows, calves and curveballs, we attended multiple calving cases, which included a special case; a mother and daughter who began calving within 5 minutes of each other. Both calves were delivered safely by our vet, Shane.
📍 Sudden Death Cases & The Importance of Vaccination
We have did some post-mortems on farms this week. This included a PM on two that the farmers had reported sudden death in a home-bred weanling on one farm and a bought-in store heifer on another farm. Both farms reported checking the stock that morning and finding the animals dead.
Following the PM, the cause of death was clostridal disease.
A vaccination programme was advised for both farms, for all home-bred and bought in stock, including calves, which can be vaccinated from two weeks of week, cows, heifers, stock bulls, bulls bullocks, and heifers - everything!
Give a booster 4-6 weeks later after first
injection and don’t forget the yearly vaccination top-up. Use the vaccination within the specified time of opening.
📍 Lamb Losses Linked to Pulp Kidney
There was also another case reported of a lamb, circa 2 months of age, that again was found dead in the field. The PM identified pulp kidney in the lamb. Again, a vaccination programme was advised for all lambs, in particular.
📍 Multiple Cases of Redwater Detected
Then, we had multiple cases of redwater, seen in maiden heifers, cows and bullocks. A number of farmers reported blood-tinted, dark urine and animals that were off-form and animals straying away from the rest of the herd.
Upon examination, Redwater was diagnosed and animals were treated accordingly. Ticks were identified in the animals by the vet and removed.With prompt treatment, all made a recovery.
📍 Seasonal Reminder: Watch for Maggots in Sheep
Advice: Watch sheep for maggots this weather, given the warm, moist conditions. Sheep are most at risk during the summer, with ewes in full fleece, particularly, most at risk. Some practical measures to help prevent include clip, dip or a suitable pour on product, as per veterinary advice.
📍 Coccidiosis Cases in Calves & Lambs
And lastly, this week, we also saw a number of cases of Coccidiosis in both calves and lambs.Farmers reported animals with very dark, black manure, with some observed straining/forcing manure.
Animals were treated accordingly with a suitable oral drench as per veterinary advice.Our in-house faecal egg counting machine can give a result within 15 minutes.
