05/29/2023
Remembering all those who were lost to become our freedom. We honor you today and are every day thankful.
North East Farm & Family Mobile Veterinary Service
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North East Farm & Family Mobile Veterinary Practice makes farm and home calls for first opinion care Welcome to our page!
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North East Farm & Family Mobile Veterinary Service and Dr. Pearson, BVMS is pleased to offer comprehensive first opinion care for large and small animals. We are open by appointment and look forward to meeting you!
05/22/2023
NEFFVET is looking for you! This is your chance to join and experience the rural vet life. Put your valuable skills to use in helping us help many creatures from chickens to cattle on any given day. Join us in the office or on the road with the option to work from home on some days as well. Is this your dream job? LVT/CVT are desired for this position, though we are open to someone working towards qualification who we are the perfect fit for.
05/01/2023
It's May Day! 30 days until June. Most of you are well prepared by now.
For those of you stocking up the shelves in preparation for the changes coming to how antibiotics are sold and used next month; please keep the following in mind:
Withdrawal Period, also known as withholding period, is the time that MUST elapse between the administration of a veterinary medicine and the proruction of food from that animal to ensure that the food does not contain levels of the medicine within that animal's body does not exceed the maximum residue limit.
All antibiotics have labeled uses that have been heavily studied with detailed protocols on the packaging for each species for that intended use. Anytime we use a medication outside of that labeled use, it falls under the federal juristiction of Extra Labeled Usage Drug (ELUD).
ELUD's are common in the realm of minor species such as goats and pet birds. It is common in veterinary medicine to treat certain conditions with medications that do not have a specific labeled use for the condition treated. This means that a withdrawal period has to be issued by the Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank for that specific animal treated with the specific antibiotic at the specific dose used at that specific time to keep everyone safe. A copy of that treatment must be part of the animals record by the farm and veterinarian. It's a lot of work to do things right!
Now, what about medications that are expired? THROW THEM AWAY. Expiration dates are real, especially for injectables. Expired means the medications don't work the way that they used to or that their packaging breaks down and allows for contamination, which effects usefulness. Anything in a brown bottle is light-sensitive and definitely is not going to work as intended past the expiration date. Using more isn't going to fix the problem. Using more or not enough changes the withdrawal and can result in antibiotic resistance.
***Please note that under the law, we cannot and will not provide treatment protocols, dosages or withdrawal periods for medications we don't prescribe. This is for our protection as well as the animals and their keepers living in todays world. ***
This should go without saying, but the storage instructions on the packaging are also very important. Leaving medications in the hot sun or freezing in the barn can make them worthless as the medication can be broken down and not work properly. This is also true for vaccines. Do you have a thermometer in your fridge?
Another common bad habit we see is leaving needles sicking out of the top of injectables that got used and were then left chillin' on the shelf in the barn for 6+ months. Ew. The resident needle creates a super highway for air, dirt, fungus, mold and bacteria to enter the bottle! Don't do it unless you want to make your own injectable vial snow globe. Fun to look at, not fun to use.
If you are marketing or using products from animals and are not paying attention to these things, it could make someone very sick, negatively impact animal health/welfare and result in a bigger mess than one started with. Most of you already know this, but for those of you who don't, please keep this information in the forefront of your mind when you are at the homestead and shopping at the farmer's markets.
04/21/2023
They're here! Come check out the Heritage Baby Animals Exhibit - 6th Edition. This is a great event focusing on educating visitors about livestock and their importance to society past and present.
This event has gone to great lengths to preserve animal welfare, comfort, and biosecurity while on view for the public. We applaud and support Strawbery Banke for their efforts!
03/02/2023
With many people and animals anticipating new babies coming it is time to look through those first aid kits. Check your animal medicine cabinet and first aid kits regularly. Keep a list and check it twice, better find out what's expired and nice in those kits before you need them.
This post is also a reminder about government-mandated VCPR changes and antibiotic over-the-counter (OTC) sales coming in June 2023. We must have done a wellness exam (animal not sick or needing a procedure that day) on the premises within the past calendar year to provide basic prevention prescriptions including basic antibiotics like the penicillin listed in this first aid kit list. More information can be found on our website under the announcements tab.
Have a wonderful snowy day!
02/14/2023
Happy Valentines Day!
02/08/2023
Antibiotics are coming off the shelves of retail stores June 2023 as mandated by the FDA. This is bringing us all a lot of change to our local agricultural landscape. Make sure you and yours have a Veterinary Client Patient Relationship (VCPR) so you are prepared for the changes to come this summer.
At NEFFVET we plan to arm our VCPR clients with written treatment protocols for common farm specific ailments and make sure clients have ready access to the medications outlined within that treatment plan. We already offer this to our current VCPR clients so it will be an easy transition. In some cases clients will be given those antibiotics and prescriptions at their annual wellness/health planning appointments. We aim to offer in person and telehealth/consulting services to our VCPR clients to aid in our treatment plans and expedite communication.
Clients utilizing veterinarians for emergency only cannot be deemed VCPR clients under the State and Federal Veterinary practice act laws. Know this and be prepared, veterinarians cannot bend federal law and it is unrealistic to expect them to. Be proactive.
More information can be found on our website under the Announcements tab.
Plan ahead. Save lives, time and frustration.
See you next month for another reminder for the changes coming Summer of 2023.
01/31/2023
Hi, Friends and Family! Galaxy Goats is hosting an online event Feb 24 at 7pm to help farm animal owners learn how to respond in an emergency. We cannot always predict when an emergency will arise, but we can be better prepared. Sharing is caring as they say, please share with your farm friends and family!
01/11/2023
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-finalizes-guidance-bring-remaining-approved-over-counter-medically-important-antimicrobial-drugs
This link will take you to the FDA order to remove antibiotics from the shelves of feed stores, agricultural suppliers and online retailers summer of 2023. This is a BIG change to our agricultural landscape and to already dwindling number of farm animal veterinarians. The FDA's plan to increase antibiotic stewardship and regulation has been in motion for the past 4 years with completion set for June 2023.
How will this affect you if you have a valid Veterinary Client Patient Relationship (VCPR)? Not much. You contact your veterinarian who you see each year and you work out a plan to get the medications needed after the recommended exam (in person or virtual where applicable) and follow the treatment protocol.
How will this affect you if you do not have a valid VCPR? FDA has mandated you need veterinary guidance and a prescription for any antibiotics used. This means you have to have a valid VCPR. The veterinarian will be in federal violation to dispense antibiotics without a valid VCPR per FDA/AVMA/State mandates.
Yes this costs money, more than usual if you don't utilize a veterinarian. All problems cost money when we think about it. Some problems cost more money than they should if not handled appropriately. Ever do a DIY project at home that turned out less than ideal? This is about the future as far as the FDA is concerned and veterinarians are bound to uphold to the law or face prosecution. Please do not make their lives more difficult. Complain to your state and federal law makers instead to make the changes you want to see.
In the interest of preventing animal suffering, protecting our food supply and upholding to the federal law NEFFVET wants our agricultural community to be well informed and prepared for this change. Tell your neighbors, friends and coworkers. This is going to take a while for us all to get used to and we will be doing our best here to keep more things in stock and devise cost effective means of providing care that fits within the framework of the law. More information can be found about the VPCR and this new regulation change on our website at www.neffvet.com under the Announcements tab.
Plan ahead, be prepared. It saves lives, wasted time and frustration.
We will be launching monthly reminders and more information for everyone's convenience.
01/04/2023
NEFFVET Veterinary Client Patient Relationship Statement
The Veterinary Client-Patient Relationship, VCPR, is the legally mandated basis for the interaction between the veterinarian, clients and their patients. This vital relationship is paramount for providing quality care and upholding animal welfare by allowing the veterinarian to regularly assess animal patient environmental and physical status and to communicate regularly with the animal owner- the client.
Establishment of the VCPR means:
• The veterinarian has assumed responsibility for making medical judgements regarding the health of the animal patient including the need for medical treatment. The animal owner/client has agreed to comply fully with the veterinarian’s instructions.
• The veterinarian has sufficient knowledge of the animal patient to initiate a preliminary diagnosis of the medical condition. Meaning, the veterinarian has physically examined the patient within the past 12 months during a regularly scheduled non emergent appointment. Additionally, should an animal patient possess a condition or need for recurring therapy such as with controlled substances, the care is conducted within the prescribed guidelines.
• The veterinarian is available for ongoing care of the patient or has arranged for emergency coverage or continuing care and treatment of the animal by an appropriate veterinary professional or veterinary referral center.
• The veterinarian maintains comprehensive medical records indicating the assessment, treatment plan to allow for another veterinarian to provide continuity of care should the need arise.
• The client has agreed to pay their account balance at the time of service.
• Telehealth/consults may be utilized to benefit the VCPR, but only with the context of a previously established physical examination within the past calendar year or sooner as deemed appropriate by the veterinarian befitting the scenario. Telehealth/consults are an aid to the VCPR in the diagnosis, formation of the treatment plan and prescribing only.
01/03/2023
We have a planned route to these towns on Jan 13. If you are an existing client and have something that needs the Doc's attention, give us a shout, while appts are still available.
12/24/2022
Have a cheerful holiday, Everyone!
12/19/2022
Enterotoxemia, also known as Overeating Disease, is a severe disease that often affects ruminants under 1 year of age. It is caused by toxins from the bacteria Clostridium Perfringens types C and D.
This bacteria is a normal finding in healthy animals, normally they remain low in number and cause no ill effects. Illness occurs when the amount of bacteria in the digestive system becomes out of balance and the population has rapid exponential growth. The overgrowth of bacteria release more bacterial toxins than the body can handle. This leads to intestinal damage and damage to the other organs. Many cases, sadly, do not recover and result in fatalities.
What triggers this population explosion?
Abrupt dietary changes seem to trigger this shift in the biome. Specifically, rapid increases in grain, milk/milk replacer (lambs and kids), protein supplement, sudden change/access to lush pasture. These foods are high in starch, sugar and/or protein. As an aside, excess protein that is unable to be utilized straight away is metabolized into sugars and stored as fat for future use.
Signs and Symptoms of Enterotoxemia
· Abruptly goes off feed
- Bloating
· Stomach pain- cramping- Watch for repeat kicking of the abdomen, hoofing the ground, standing with head pressed to wall/tree etc, frequent shifting from laying to standing, teeth grinding, laying on side, panting, and crying out
· Diarrhea/loose stools can develop. Some cases the stool has visible blood
· When toxins reach the brain, they may lay on their side, unable to stand, legs extended, with their head and neck craned back over their withers.
o Unfortunately, at this stage death is soon upon them, typically within minutes to hours.
· This disease progresses rapidly and animals can be found deceased without any previous signs of illness.
Prevention and Treatment
The most effective form of treatment is prevention. When it comes to prevention feed and diet management with routine vaccination is the gold standard. There are two types of vaccines, a two way and a three-way. The two way protects against the Clostridium Perfringens Type C&D and the three-way adds the additional protection against tetanus (Clostridium Tetani).
For previously unvaccinated adult animals, the initial dose requires a booster 21-28 days later so that the body develops the proper amount of long term antibodies to be considered protected. From then annual boosters are needed due to these long term antibodies only last a maximum of a year in small ruminants. In flocks and herds residing on soils containing high levels of clostridial tetani bacteria or with high prevalence of clostridial disease history, more frequent boostering is necessary.
We recommend that pregnant ewes and does receive a vaccine approximately 1 month prior to kidding/lambing. This maximizes the amount of anti-body present in the colostrum. Colostrum is vital to the offspring’s immune development and well-being. Vaccinating 30 days prior to the anticipated birthing allows for passive transfer of antibodies to protect the offspring from enterotoxemia until they are old enough to receive their initial vaccine and booster.
For new goat/sheep owners and seasoned producers alike, we offer vaccine program customization for your unique goals. The right vaccine program can enhance your disease prevention, so you can maximize your herd/flock’s productivity and reduce preventable illness. Ask us how today!
12/16/2022
Public Health Announcement
We were alerted today that there has been a confirmed human case of Echinococcus, which is a type of tapeworm, in New Hampshire. This parasite is readily transmitted to humans and can cause devastating and even fatal illness called Echinococcosis.
Echinococcosis is classified as either cystic or alveolar. The hosts for the cystic variety are dogs, goats, sheep, cattle and pigs. Whereas the hosts for the alveolar are dogs, fox, coyotes and rodents.
Cystic echinococcosis infections in humans are often asymptomatic. It tends to progress slowly and undetected for many years. The disease causes cysts to grow in the liver, lungs and other organs.
By contrast, the Alveolar echinococcosis infection is rare in humans, but causes much more harm. It causes the growth of parasitic tumors in the lungs, liver and other organs that can be fatal.
Treatment for these illnesses is extensive, expensive and can be challenging to access. Treatment options for the cystic variation for a time was only surgery, but now there are other intensive options such as chemotherapy. Unfortunately, alveolar infection requires radical surgery, chemotherapy or both and is much more difficult to treat, sadly with often poor outcomes.
How Is the Parasite Transmitted?
The parasite is transmitted when your dog eats the organs of an animal that has been infected with hydatid cysts. The cysts develop into adult tapeworms in the dog. When the tapeworm eggs are shed in the dogs manure and the f***s contaminate the ground. Sheep, cattle, goats and pigs graze on the contaminated grounds and grasses. The eggs hatch and then grow into cysts in the internal organs.
The most common way humans are infected is by accidental consumption of contaminated soil, water or food that has been tainted with the infected f***l matter of an infected animal. Usually that animal is a dog. Most common human infections happen for people who raise livestock with guardian dogs, statistically, those who raise sheep, because of the cyclical relationship and the dogs access to ingesting the manure of the sheep.
Prevention
Preventing parasite infection is key to preventing its spread to humans and other animals on your farm. Here are our recommendations on how you can keep you and yours safe and healthy:
· Prevent dogs from feeding on rodents or other wild animals
· Do not attract stray dogs or wild animals from coming to your home
· Restrict home processing of sheep or other animals
· Do not allow your dogs to eat p**p or other “treasures”
· Restrict where your dog can roam with proper fencing or containment
· Walk your dog on a leash so you can restrain them from eating a carcass or other manure
· Do not consume any food or water that may have come become tainted by f***l matter
· Wash your hands with soap and warm water after handling animals, farm chores and before and after food prep.
· Take biosecurity measures on your property to deter rodent infestations
· Teach children proper handwashing methods
Our final recommendation: Screening for internal parasites routinely to confirm if deworming is necessary can reduce the risk of infection. In some cases, deworming on at prescribed intervals is recommended.
If you would like to find out more about the options available to protect your farm and family, please contact us.
Address
2435 Milton Mills Road
Acton, ME
04001
Opening Hours
| Monday | 8am - 5pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 5pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 5pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 5pm |
| Friday | 8am - 5pm |
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It is World Emoji Day! Just for Fun what are your favorite emojis? Ours are 😁👍👌🤩 and anything with an animal (of course!)
Happy 4th of July! Be safe. Enjoy!
Spring and fall are fun times for Fungis! Paying attention to our feed and feeding is a huge part of caring for animals. If you see moldy, clumpy, or funny smelling feeds discard it and re-evaluate feed storage to prevent those pesky molds and fungus from growing and making animals who consume them sick. Metal trash cans in warm/wet environments are the usual culprit. These cans sweat (condensation) inside and ruin feed quickly. Similarly a silage bunker face that is either not packed tightly enough or open for too long and exposed to too much air will spoil similarly.
Ready- Set- 4H! Let us help you get ready for a fantastic 4-H Season and help your livestock put their best hoof forward!! The due dates for animal approval forms vary based on the animal and NH/ME requirements. Check your local NH Extension or Maine Extension for specific details. 4-H REQUIRES: -Rabies vaccination at least 30 days prior to shows/fairs/exhibits. -Health Certificates of Veterinary Inspection -HORSES: require up to date Coggins, Current EHV-1 and Equine Influenza -WORKING STEER over 6 months must be castrated Animals Require Permanent ID: Goats, Sheep, Cattle, and Swine. (check out our website NEFFVET.com/helpful-links to learn more) Prior to the kick off to fair season we recommend respiratory illness prevention vaccines to protect your livestock from dangerous, potentially devastating respiratory illnesses. Reach out to find out what vaccines are right for your 4-H Animals. Call to book your appt 207-206-5521
You know Spring is in the air when the sounds of adorable baby lambs and kid goats fill the barn. They grow so fast and so do their horns. Did you know baby goats and lambs can be disbudded as early as 1 day old? Early disbudding is not only a faster procedure, but it is less invasive and has a faster healing time. Bud development and size is the ultimate gold standard in determining when the ideal time is to disbud, but a general rule of thumb is between days 1-3 and up to day 7. Ideally we want to disbud when their bud length is less than 1/2". The well being, care and comfort of your little babies is very important to us. We offer disbudding with pain management for their comfort and farm calls for your convenience. For our existing clients, we know kidding time can be stressful. Call our office and Marina will be happy to help you schedule your disbuds before the kids hit the ground.
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! Holiday Hours The office will be closed Christmas Eve. We reopen Monday at 8am. As always...we are here for you.... Current clients experiencing a Farm Animal Emergency can call the Large Animal Emergency Line at 207.464.8595 For a Small Animal Emergency: MVMC (207) 885- 1290 or Port City Vet - (603) 433-0056 For Non-urgent questions or to request an appt you can send us a message at www.Neffvet.com. Be well. Stay warm. Enjoy!
We receive many questions from our clients about lice. The most common is: What do I look for? This video gives you a close up at lice. You can see them crawling on the hair shaft. There a quite a few here, so they are easy to see. You might have to look a little closer. Use a flea comb and comb against the hair coat. Be sure to run the comb with firm steady pressure against the skin. Take care not to damage the skin. (Aim for the same pressure you would use on your/your child's head with a hairbrush) Comb along the spine, neck, base of tail and behind ears or anywhere they have been scratching or biting. If lice are present you will scrape up their debris, eggs and possibly some live ones. Keep an eye out as you comb and look at the skin as the hair coat is moving. Watch for lice and eggs. The eggs are attached to the base of the hair follicle in clusters. Some symptoms of lice infestation: - Excessive biting, scratching or rubbing - They may bite at their feet/pasterns - Dull coat - May have thinning coat or bald patches To find out more about how we can help you treat lice on your farm, give a call or send us a secure Televet message from our website to book your farm call or telemedicine appt. 207.206.5521
Snow Sweater
Looking at heartbeats today in 90 day kids
Sample C
Sample B
Here are 3 different biological samples frozen by 3 different processors, thawed at the same time, in the same vessel. Which one do you think would win the race to the egg? Kinda neat huh? Below is sample A
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Yesterday, we played Goat Spotting. Super fun! ☺️ Goat kids + calves and lambs are on the way! 🩺 Our thanks to Taryn Pearson North East Farm & Family Mobile Veterinary Service for checking on the health of our expectant moms! 📸: Lindsey McAllister
We can finally announce it! In 2020 Tiny Hill Farm had not one but TWO goats produce enough milk to make ADGA's 2020 Top Ten Breed Leader list. Lois (Elite SG The Tinyhillfarm’s SuperLois 6*M) was ranked 5th after producing 1640lbs of milk in 305 days, and Sansa (SG The Tiny Hill Farm Sansa 1*M) was ranked 7th after producing 1550lbs. They also both made the 2020 Top Ten List for Protein Production. Sansa was ranked 4th with 69lbs while Lois was ranked 6th with 67lbs. These are national rankings for Nigerian dwarf dairy goats. To say we are over the moon is an understatement! Both does are incredible milk producers and also absolutely wonderful creatures. We are so honored to have them as cherished members of our herd. We have many fantastic people to thank for their help and encouragement with our goats accomplishments! First shoutout goes to our incredible farm helper/assistant/manager/dear friend Melody Carrier We could not have done this without you! 🐐Secondly we so appreciate the words of wisdom and exceptional veterinary care from North East Farm & Family Mobile Veterinary Service 🐐thanks to Blarney Heights Farm Transportation for always safely getting our goats to wherever their travels may take them. 🐐Many thanks to Rochester Blue Seal and Hurd Farm Hay for keeping our goats well fed 🐐Thanks to our friends, supporters, and cheerleaders! There are too many to list but here’s a few: Windswept Acres Ever-Green Gables Farm Rose Acre Ranch On Golden Farm McDreamer's Meadow Farm❤️ 🐐we also need to thank our neighbors at East Coast Aquaponics for putting up with our goat shenanigans next door 🐐And thanks to Shouting Fire for broadcasting our goats’ favorite jams 24/7.
❤️ Betty and Frankie ❤️
Thank you For all your help this past weekend with our little Frankie. Could not have got him through this without you! 🥰
Did you know we have frozen semen available for sale? Well we sure do! It’s Sugar Moon V High Roller *B’s and it is $250 for 5 straws or $400 for 10. We keep it affordable so that people want use it to make baby goats instead of just letting it sit in a tank. And speaking of making baby goats: check out out this lovely group of Sugar Moon High Roller*B AI babies bred by Fiesta Texas Dairy Goats. Congrats to Diane Goddard on her gorgeous kid crop and best of luck on her future breedings! Check out her adorable photo! And endless thanks to Dr. Pearson at North East Farm & Family Mobile Veterinary Service for her exceptional skills in dairy goat reproductive services. 🐐❤️🐐
Check this out! NEFFVET proudly serves the Moose Mountian region and this event is a great way to network and get your farm/business out there and meet others in the region!
Never Forget
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