Rangiora Vet Centre - Lifestyle Block

16/06/2026

An important consideration for your livestock this winter 🐮🐑

As livestock owners, we have an obligation to ensure that animals within our care have adequate shelter and protection from the elements. Generally, New Zealand’s temperate climate provides good conditions for our livestock (particularly sheep and cattle).

However, extreme adverse weather events such as heavy rain, floods, snow and strong winds have implications for animal welfare. It’s important to remember that adverse weather events can have affect even the healthiest members of a flock, but a greater impact is often seen on the more vulnerable animals because of their age (e.g. newborns) or condition (e.g. newly shorn sheep and animals suffering from illness).

Follow the link for info on the minimum requirement standards regarding shelter: https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/fah-shelter-from-the-elements

12/06/2026

How many animals can I graze on my property? 🌾🐑
A very important question, but also a very difficult one to give an exact answer to.

Each property will be unique in many ways: land size, topography, soil type/fertility, rainfall, irrigation, and grass type. Each of these will have an impact on how many, and what type of animal you can graze.

👉To calculate the number of grazing animals on your property you need to know a few things: https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/how-many-animals-can-i-graze-on-my-property

29/05/2026

Our team is taking a break over the long weekend.
We re-open for business as usual on Tuesday, 2nd at 8am.

If you experience an emergency with any of your animals, do not hesitate to call the clinic for the details of the after hours emergency vet on call. Phone: 03 313 7438

06/05/2026

We recently hosted an information evening on blocked bladders in goats.
Large Animal Vet, Tristan, explained what causes blocked bladders in goats, when to call the vet, treatment, aftercare and more!

If you missed it, the evening was recorded and is now live on our website.

https://vimeo.com/1188293520?fl=pl&fe=sh

This is "Blocked Bladders in Goats" by Rangiora Vet Centre on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

24/04/2026

Our team are taking a break over the long weekend.

We re-open for business as usual on Tuesday, 28th at 8am.
If you experience an emergency with any of your animals, do not hesitate to call the clinic for the details of the after hours emergency vet on call. Phone: 03 313 7438

21/04/2026

A HUGE congratulations to the Wakelins for winning Champion Animal of the Show at the Oxford A and P Show 🏆

Champion of Champions

Our Annual Show held last weekend once again showcased some of the finest livestock, equestrian talent and rural exhibits in the region. A highlight of our show is the presentation of the prestigious 'Champion Animal of the Show', recognizing excellence in breeding, presentation and performance across all categories.
This year the Champion Animal of the Show was awarded to a 4 year old Red & White Holstein Friesian Dairy Cow owned by Robbie, Emily, John & Sue Wakelin of Belbrook Holsteins in Springbank. Belbrook Stoplight Esther-Red had earlier in the day won the Robson Environment Champion All Breeds Dairy Cow, Holstein Friesian Champion Cow, the Type and Production Class having produced 690kgs of milksoilds in her 2024/25 lactation and also taking out the best uddered Dairy Cow.
It has been quite some season for Esther having won All Breeds Champion Cow at Ellesmere, Rangiora and Christchurch Shows back in the spring to complete an unbeaten show season.
When asked what makes Esther such a special cow Robbie said “she is the type of dairy cow the industry is wanting; she is a non fussy cow of moderate stature with alot of capacity, a good rump and a well attached desirable udder that knows how to milk. What holds special significance to us is Esther is the 8th desendant of a cow my father purchased back in 1973.”

Congratulations


holsteins

02/04/2026

We're taking a break for the Easter holidays and re-open for routine Vet Care on Tuesday, 7th at 8am.

If you experience an emergency with any of your animals, large or small over the long weekend, do not hesitate to call the clinic for the details of the after hours emergency vet services available.

📞Phone: 03 313 7438

17/03/2026

As the cooler weather of winter arrives and rats and mice take the opportunity to avail themselves of our sheds and heated homes, as veterinarians, we annually see an increase in poisoning of pets by the baits laid to manage the unwanted visitors.

The use of rat and mouse poisons increase in autumn as rodents seek shelter and attempt to move indoors. Rodenticides are highly toxic to pets and, if ingested, the results could be fatal. If you must use these products, please do so with extreme caution and put them in places inaccessible to your pets. Contact your vet immediately if you suspect your pet has ingested rodent poison.

Read our full seasonal dangers article and keep your pet safe this Autumn https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/faq-autumn-dangers

17/03/2026

All grazing species of animal are infected by a variety of different gastrointestinal worms. It is normal for most grazing animals to have a low burden of worms resident in their gut. Different species of worms inhabit different parts of the gut, some like the stomach walls, while others are found more in the intestine.

Worms cause gut damage, which leads to an inability to absorb nutrients properly and protein leakage from the gut. Animals can have diarrhoea and lose condition despite being fed well.

Animals may lose condition / be poor growers, look unwell / lethargic, have diarrhoea (scours), or have no signs at all.

Young stock are more at risk from clinical cases of parasitism. Sheep and cattle develop some immunity to worms by 15 - 18 months of age and are generally less affected. Camelids (llamas and alpacas) and especially goats do not develop as strong an immunity and often have problems as adults.

Follow the link for drenching and worm management advice from our vets https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/fah-worms-and-parasites

16/03/2026

⚠️Oak tannins are nephrotoxic, and result in renal (kidney) dysfunction. Read more 👇

Poisoning by tannins and volatile phenols in plants of the Oak is relatively common. Ingestion of acorns is the most common cause, but ingestion of leaves and young shoots can also cause toxicity. 🌳

Signs of toxicity develop soon after ingestion (within days), and young animals seem to be more severely affected than older animals. It is often seasonal, occurring in autumn when the acorn ‘crop’ is at it’s highest and more are present on the ground around the trees.

⚠️Oak tannins are nephrotoxic, and result in renal (kidney) dysfunction.

Affected animals will often present with some of the following clinical signs:
• Diarrhoea (black and watery, sometimes bloody)
• Increased urination
• Lethargy
• Reduced appetite
• Dehydration
• Oedema (swelling under the jaw or abdomen)
• Sometimes sudden death may occur

💌To help keep pets safe this Animal Poison Prevention Week, share this to a friend or family member.

😱 Worried your pet has been poisoned? Follow this helpful pet emergency guide https://www.rangioravetcentre.co.nz/pet-emergency-guide