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We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Call your local branch to book your space at all these events and courses

Ashleigh House, The Square, Bradworthy EX22 7SZ All courses 9:30am—1:00pm. Breakfast is supplied.

Thursday 12 December 2019 January dates - Monday 7, Monday 20, Tuesday 28

The new Red Tractor standards require that at least one person, who is responsible for administering medicines, has undertaken training and holds a certificate of competence/attendance from training undertaken since October 2016.

£60pp (ex VAT)

Hints and tips to improve early calf development FREE supper talk. From 7pm Thursday 5 December - Trethorne Leisure Farm, PL15 8QE

Suitable for all dairy and beef farmers Topics to be covered include: Diseases - pneumonia, scour and other neo-natal conditions Colostrum management +++ Housing +++ Feeding Kindly sponsored by Virbac

Ashleigh House, The Square, Bradworthy EX22 7SZ Saturday 8 February 2020 - 9:30-11:30am (Young Person’s*) Monday 10 February 2020 - 9:30am-3pm Topics will include care of the pregnant ewe, causes of abortion, managing flock nutrition, prevention of common problems and guidance on tricky presentations. Includes lunch £75pp (+ VAT) The Young Person’s course has content created especially for U18s. (*minimum age 14) £25pp (+VAT)

By Dan Forrester BVSc MRCVS It’s always frustrating to find a cow has gone lame. Of all the common causes of lameness a sole ulcer is amongst the worst. Where a case of foul will hopefully respond well to a course of antibiotics an ulcer is a hole in the horn and for new horn to grow over that hole is obviously a slow process. On average 6% of dairy cows annually will suffer with an ulcer; but the range on farms is wide and some farms may have up to 55% of cows affected. The average cost of a sole ulcer has been estimated to be £325 per case. However it is the welfare cost which is of greatest concern, as sole ulcers result in chronic cases of lameness that require repeated treatments and in many cases lead to other secondary problems such as joint infections.

Sole ulcers are caused by the soft tissue under the horn getting damaged by pinching and concussive trauma. The pedal bone in the hoof capsule has a hooked process on it where

the tendons attach and this is why sole ulcers always tend to be in the same position. A number of factors contribute to the development of sole ulcers. Calving – the relaxation of ligaments and tendons ready for calving means that

sometimes the pedal bone within the capsule sinks pinching the soft tissue. Once this sinking occurs it cannot be reversed and so these cows will always be prone to solar bruising and ulcers.

Loss of Body Condition – fat pads in the hoof act as shock absorbers, if a cow loses condition these pads shrink up.

contd

Sole ulcer

Our cover image shows Sam Nancekivell at the Cornish Winter Fair

Bradworthy 01409 241241 Camelford 01840 212229 Holsworthy 01409 253418 Launceston 01566 86985 Stratton 01288 353766

Shallow foot angle and claw overgrowth – increases overloading and pinching in the heel.

Standing on concrete – long standing times produces bruising that ultimately will go on to cause ulcers. Prolonged milking times or poor cubicles can contribute to this. Cubicle training of heifers will pay off in the long term. Improve walkways and cow flow to reduce cow waiting times.

Exposure to slurry – softens the horn leading to poor foot angles. Successful treatment of sole ulcers involves trimming to relieve the pinching and inflammation on the ulcer site. Applying a block to the sound claw obviously helps to offload the ulcer site. Providing soft surfaces under-foot (pasture, straw bedded yard) will aid recovery. Encouraging cows to rest is important – free access to a comfortable lying area and plenty of feed space. Don’t shut cows off from beds after milking, although this is a risk for mastitis it should

be mitigated if cows have plenty of access to feed as they exit the parlour. Anti-inflammatory drugs have been proven to make a real difference to recovery rates.

If caught early, claw trimming can be sufficient to prevent an ulcer at a bruising stage. Preventative foot trimming (foot checks is probably a better description) should be carried out when cows (and heifers prior to calving) are dried off and again 70-100 days in milk to ensure the foot is in good shape. The paring out of the sole is important to off load the ulcer site. Recovery will be influenced by avoiding further damage to the quick. Caustic chemicals like copper sulphate will inhibit healing. Rough stony tracks will not help recovery. Hygiene at trimming and in the housing is vital. If the

quick can be kept clean and disinfected then healing should be rapid. Digital dermatitis will infect sole ulcers inhibiting healing. Antibacterial spray will speed up recovery of infected quick. If any swelling is detected above the claw then injectable antibiotics should be considered. Bandages should be avoided in most situations as they retain slurry. The single most important single factor in the treatment of sole ulcers is treating promptly i.e. on the day the cow becomes lame.

Trimming a foot

Examples of Katy’s artwork

Name: Katy Peat

Age: 25

Hometown: Sheffield (The Steel City)

How do you usually start your day? I normally wake up only 10 minutes before I’m in work. I’ll grab a coffee and cold porridge or even curry before I get going (yes I am gross!). What are your favourite aspects of the job? I like travelling around the countryside, meeting and talking to people about themselves and their animals. I love surgery - I’ve done a digi-amp (taking a toe off) and an LDA. I actually worked in a spay and neutering clinic in Chiang

Mai, Thailand and in the past I worked on an organic pig farm in Northern Canada. So I’m not afraid of variety! Anything you're not so fond of? I don’t like getting cold hands or cold toes!

What do you do in your spare time? I spend a lot of my time on the beach or down by the sea pool. I also enjoy painting and bouldering. What is your greatest achievement? I completed a 60mile hike around the Scottish Highland in just four days for my Duke of Edinburgh Gold award. It meant lugging around my tent and supplies. What are your plans for your next holiday? I really want to go surfing in Sri Lanka Describe yourself in three words Short. Chatty. Northerner.

With uni friend, flatmate and Penbode Equine Vet Megan Jacques-Ross by the sea.

Once again we were delighted to show our support for The Royal Cornwall Show’s winter event The

Cornish Winter Fair, held at the Royal Cornwall Showground on Saturday 16 November. We sponsored the Young Handlers’ Beef and Sheep Classes and Stratton vet Lizzie Milbank had an enjoyable day meeting clients and their families. Our photos show

Oliver Buriton, Winner of the Sheep Young Handlers up to 12 years and Winner of the Beef Young Handlers up to 12 years and Penbode client Bea Hooper in action on behalf of Throssell & Warwick of Holsworthy.

Kivells Dairy Event was held during the day this

year (rather than in the evening). The Penbode Farm Vets team were on hand to dish out warm mince pies

and clotted cream, washed down with mulled apple juice and luxury hot chocolate! In spite of the weather and the noise, Alkis Polychroniadis

gave an interesting presentation to about 20 or so people on calf pneumonia as part of the Dairy Seminar Series. Penbode Farm Vets sponsored the Highest Points in Show prize which was won this year by Thuborough Farms. Our photo shows Andy Stokes presenting their award in the Dairy Ring.

We

We were so pleased when four of our clients were nominated for the South West Farmer Awards this November. Stratton Farm Vet Steph Prior was kindly invited by the Smale family of South Hellescott Farm (better known as Cornish Moo!) to the glittering awards ceremony at Somerset County Cricket ground in Taunton. So imagine how thrilled we were to be told that two of our clients were top winners that evening! Mrs Gemma Smale-Rowland accepted the

award on behalf of her family for Family Run Farm of the Year (top)

Mr Mark Thomas of Treguddick Farm

was awarded Beef Farmer of the Year (right)

Penbode clients who were also nominated were: Phil Allin of Fernhill

Farm, Holsworthy (right)

(Dairy Farmer of the Year) Mr A and Mr J Brewer of

Reddivallen Farm, Boscastle

(Beef Farmer of the Year)

By Sarah Philpott BVSc MRCVS Scanning can be seen as an unnecessary additional cost, however the initial investment can lead to maximising profits later in the year. By identifying the number of lambs being carried (90-95% accuracy), it enables ewes to be grouped and fed accordingly to body condition and litter size and hence, targeting nutrition towards multiple-bearing and thin ewes and

eliminating overfeeding to the singles. This targeted additional feeding will help reduce cases of twin lamb disease, improve colostrum quality and increase birth weights – all of which reduce ewe and lamb mortality, and in turn improve lamb growth rates. Furthermore, and sometimes most importantly, it identifies barren ewes with high accuracy. The overall barren ewe rate should be less than 2% (or <15% for ewe lambs), and most lowland flocks should be achieving a scanning percentage of 180% or above. If you are struggling to meet these targets, please get in touch with a member of the sheep team to discuss this further. A high barren rate may indicate an infectious disease problem, e.g. Toxoplasmosis, Enzootic Abortion, or Border Disease, which we can test for via blood sampling of barren ewes. Alternatively, other causes can include nutrition, trace element deficiencies, ram health, parasite burdens and underlying “iceberg diseases” such as Johnes, Maedi Visna (MV), and Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma (OPA). Scanning also allows you to sell any barren ewes straight away eliminating the need to feed them unnecessarily over winter. Finally, after lambing, you can compare your scanning percentage with your lambing percentage. If there are large differences (aim for less than 6% losses), a management review of feeding, health planning and handling should be conducted with your vet. Please contact your local branch if you would like to discuss any of these points further with a member of the Penbode Sheep Team.

Scanning is key to maximising profits in your flock

Getting ready for lambing Some of you may be preparing for lambing in just under six weeks time, whilst others may have only just removed the tup, however it’s never too early to get a head start on lambing preparation. Nutrition – ensure ewes are fit for lambing Optimising nutrition in the period up to lambing is crucial, especially in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy. 70% of lamb growth occurs in the last 8 weeks and the udder develops in the last 2 weeks, so ensuring that ewes (especially those carrying multiples or thin ewes) receive enough energy and protein is essential. Poor nutrition pre-lambing can cause low

birth weight lambs, and poor quality colostrum, which inevitably leads to poor lamb survival rates. Scanning and body condition scoring can aid accurate feeding of concentrate in the last 6 weeks to the at risk groups (multiples and ewes less than BCS 3). Contact the sheep team if you are concerned about pre-lambing nutrition in your flock. We can assess the energy and protein adequacy of the diet by blood sampling 10 ewes four weeks pre-lambing. This then gives us enough time to modify the diet to ensure it meets the ewes needs prior to problems occurring (twin lamb disease, poor colostrum production, low birth weights). Vaccination Clostridial diseases and Pasteurella are the most common causes of death in growing lambs. We can reduce these losses by vaccinating ewes with Heptavac P. Are your ewes on the Heptavac P programme already? If so, make sure they receive their booster 4-6 weeks pre-lambing. This boosts the level of antibodies in the colostrum, ensuring that lambs are protected in the first few weeks of life. If replacement ewes have been purchased, they will need a full primary course of Heptavac P. This is two injections, four weeks apart, so start the course 8 weeks pre-lambing.

Contact the Penbode Sheep Team if you need to discuss your flock health

You will need to top up your MilkSure accreditation before the end of March 2020, regardless of when you took your original MilkSure course. Please register with MilkSure (milksure.co.uk) and then contact us to book your top up visit. Saputo will pay for your MilkSure registration.

Are you interested in improving your knowledge of livestock management? Do you know someone who could be interested? Do you or they live in North Devon or Cornwall? Well there are still spaces available on the Penbode Level 3 Agricultural Apprenticeship based in and around Bradworthy (no travelling down to Stoke Climsland!) Not just academic. Getting your hands dirty. We are running the course at sites within an hour of our Holsworthy branch and you will learn both in classroom and on farm. Real ‘on the job’ learning! I’m an employer...what’s in it for me? You benefit from employing a student who is motivated to learn and apply their knowledge on your farm. Plus the government will pay £1000 to employers if they train a 16-18 year old.

If you would like to find out more or want to register, then contact Steph Prior at the Stratton branch on 01288 353766.

Date Opening hours

Tuesday 24 December Shortened opening hours 8am - 4pm

Wednesday 25 December Normal emergency service

Thursday 26 December Normal emergency service

Friday 27 December Normal opening hours 8am - 6pm (Bradworthy 5pm)

Saturday 28 December Normal opening hours 8:30am - 1pm

Sunday 29 December Normal emergency service

Monday 30 December Normal opening hours 8am - 6pm (Bradworthy 5pm)

Tuesday 31 December Shortened opening hours 8am - 4pm

Wednesday 1 January Normal emergency service

Penbode Farm Vets Christmas Opening Hours

When: Saturday 4 January 2019 What time: Gates open and hog roast 1:30pm Where: Bude RFC, Bencoolen Meadow Ground, Bude EX23 8QG Who’s playing: Bude v. Lanner RFC - KO 2:30pm

All clients and their families are invited. This is always a popular event and spaces are limited! Call your local Penbode practice to book your tickets.

Bradworthy 01409 241241 Camelford 01840 212229 Holsworthy 01409 253418 Stratton 01288 353766

Launceston 01566 86985

Pneumonia Investigation Packages Calf post mortems for just £35 including a FREE visit. PMs are an essential tool in establishing an accurate diagnosis of pneumonia. Acutely affected calves will yield more relevant results than testing calves that have been chronically sick. We can take tissue samples which can be tested for the top 8 respiratory pathogens for an extra £100 (inc P&P).

Save over £100 on Pneumonia Blood Testing Up to five unvaccinated calves (from 4 months old) from each farm can be screened for four respiratory viruses for just £95, saving over £100. This price includes sampling, lab fees and postage. The results are invaluable for deciding which pneumonia vaccine is right for your farm. For an additional £10 the five calves can also be tested for exposure to Mycoplasma bovis which is a common bacterium that can cause chronic pneumonia, often with swollen joints and/or head tilts.

12 month calf vaccination scheme If you already purchase calf pneumonia vaccine from us or start a new protocol after an investigation you can now sign up to a 12 month calf vaccination scheme, in agreement with your routine vet. Clients can then have the added benefit of all calf pneumonia vaccines being administered for FREE on a regular basis by our Penbode VetTechs. This means no more wasted or forgotten/missed doses resulting in the best protection possible.

Speak to your vet or call your branch to find out more