June 2008

Change of Office times!

Partly as a result of moving across the road last year and partly during a review of health and safety legislation we have become uncomfortable with the vulnerability of our office staff when they are here on their own on Saturday mornings. We have taken the decision that with immediate effect the office will no longer be open for collection of drugs on Saturdays. We realise that this may cause some of you some inconvenience but as ever there will always be a vet available at all times and where possible we always try to ensure you get medicines if required.You may still find that one of the girls answers the phones on Saturdays but as from now the office doors will shut Fridays at 5.30pm.
Please speak to Alistair, Tim or Roel if you think this will cause you particular problems but it is a decision we have not taken lightly!

Fly control

We have managed to get a good price on Swish this summer which is very effective in controlling flies and also has a claim for reducing midge numbers. Monthly application is recommended for treatment of midges but longer activity is claimed for other species of flies. One of our clients was telling me that he only used a single application early in the season last year and felt that it gave gave him sufficient control that he didn't have to use it again.

Cell counts and mastitis

Never ending problems for the milking herd. In our experience you have to do lots of things right to solve a problem but very few things wrong to create one. With the value of individual cows rocketing every new case of mastitis is extremely costly especially if it leads to a chronic carrier cow or a cull. The fundamental points of control remain the same. Now is a good time of year to get the parlour serviced and if possible have a dynamic test done ie. Tested with cows in the parlour and the results acted on. Review how often you change the milking liners. If you are putting 20, 30 or 50% more cows through the parlour than ten years ago has your parlour maintenance kept pace.
Obviously with the cows outside they should be coming in cleaner and so many farmers reduce the level of teat preparation over the summer. Don't forget that the purpose of teat preparation is also to enhance milk letdown giving a smoother better milking out which will reduce overmilking. Sticking to a good routine may well save cows in the long run.

Dry Cow Tubes

We are great believers in double tubing with antibiotics and Orbeseal which also seems to help in the control of summer mastitis. The extra £5-6 /cow that the sealant costs is probably the most effective money you can spend on mastitis control. Obviously the choice of antibiotic tube depends on your particular farm and length of dry period but is always worthy of review at least annually with us.

Treating the problem recurrent cow

I am afraid there are no magic solutions but the more effective strategies will always involve the use of injectable solutions in combination with tubes. Treatment success is influenced most by duration of infection, age, changes in the udder, the bacterial type of mastitis and by how aggressive the treatment used. Many of you will already be using cephguard , tylan and mamyzin injectables along with tubes. On repeat cases you should use these for a minimum of 4 days. Be aware that tylan and mamyzin have very limited if any action against e.coli so are not always suitable in the newly infected cow especially if there is any deterioration in the first 24 hours. Also every year we have somebody who tries to use excenel against mastitis- IT DOESN'T GET IN THE UDDER AND WON'T WORK.
Your best chance of successful treatment is always at drying off when longer acting injectables can be used. We are always trying new combinations so if you are banging your head against a brick wall try speaking to any of the vets.

BlueTongue

The protection zone now extends as far as Tamworth and it seems likely that we may receive vaccine within the next month. Obviously if we get all 100,000 or more doses of vaccine in one hit we will be stretched for storage space. In order to get it moved quickly we will be offering an initial 20% discount for payment on collection. On the 50 dose packs this works out at 55p per dose for payment on collection which is as low as anywhere nationally, the 20 dose packs work out closer to 70 p per dose ( all plus vat). As soon as we get word that the vaccine is on the way the girls will be on the phones.

Drug Prices.

As ever we are never going to get complaints that our drug prices are too low and we are always trying to get the balance right between getting the best, the most effective or simply the cheapest product. Obviously we are always keeping an eye on our competitors pricing and will always strive to match them but here are a few simple measures to ensure you are being cost effective in your use of drugs.

If you've bought a product from us then please use it. The amount of vaccine we see going out of date in fridges and on shelves on our travels is truly staggering.
Certain products such as Ketofen Eprinex and Excenel command a substantial premium because they have nil withhold. If the animal is not producing milk for the tank there are much cheaper alternatives such as flunixin, enovex or noroclav. Often less than half the price!!
Use the correct dose rates giving better cure rates and fewer treatments.
WE GIVE 7.5% DISCOUNTS FOR PAYMENT ON COLLECTION ON ALL OUR MEDICINES. In general only a quarter of you take advantage of this each month!
Our advice is always available on treatment regimes and drug options.

And finally .......

Pfizer fertility meeting

Pfizer are holding an evening meeting at Albrighton Hall at 7.30 pm on Thursday 10th of June. The main speakers are Mark Burnell and Nick Cobb a vet and farmer respectively from the southwest who will be talking about how they structure their fertility work and the benefits they have seen.
The meeting is being promoted through several veterinary practices in Shropshire and borders so a decent turnout is likely. Food and liquid refreshments will be provided on the night. Please use the contact details on the invite if you are coming or contact us at the surgery.

back to main page