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Dairy News
Volume 13 Issue 5 May 2013
Welcome
Paul Dunn
We would like to welcome Paul
Dunn to The Vet Group as a farm
technician. Paul has spent the last
5 years working on a dairy farm in
Glenormiston North.
Paul enjoys football and is very
involved with the Kolora/Noorat
Football Club on the committee and
coaching/assisting with the under
12's and under 14 1/2 teams. Other
interests include playing tennis and
lawn bowls.
Paul is looking forward to meeting all
our farming clients and being part of
The Vet Group Farm Services team.
Next calf+plus workshop:
The workshop is run over two days
Dates: Tuesday May 14th and Thursday
May 16th
Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm
Venue: The Vet Group Conference Room,
99 Bailey St Timboon
Cost: $185 per person, lunch included
Bookings essential:
email: [email protected]
phone: 1300 838 700
Farm Services
1300 8 3 8 7 0 0
1300 V E T S 0 0
Antibiotic resistance
Our customer service staff ready to answer the phone when you call
The Vet Group Farm Services on 1300 838 700.
Are you ...
 in charge of rearing
calves?
Is it an issue when treating mastitis?
calf+plus
workshop
 tired of unacceptable or
unexpected disease and losses
each season?
 committed to raising the healthiest calves possible?
 serious about rearing the best possible heifer replacements?
Yes?...a calf+plus workshop is for you!
Our calf+plus workshop is designed specifically for experienced and progressive
farmers who strive to be the best they can be. The workshop is ideally suited
to participants from corporate or family-run businesses where successful calf
rearing is recognised as an important and integral role within the farming
system.
Led by experienced vets with a special interest in calf rearing, the workshop will
focus on practical ways to achieve optimum calf health, along with the latest
information on calf rearing relevant to South West Victoria.
You will come away with…
1 A thorough understanding of the biology of calf immunity and infection.
2 The ability to recognise and measure disease occurrence and know which
triggers mean a change of action is necessary.
3 A handbook full of practical advice regarding disease prevention from precalving decisions through to weaning.
4 A farm-specific action plan to achieve the best possible outcome for both calves
and farmers.
Comments from previous participants
• Thanks for a great 2 days.
• It was all very good. If I already knew some of
it, it was like a top up of knowledge.
• Everything all pieced together well, all
presenters were excellent, easy to listen to
and easy to relate to.
• Valuable workshop – thankyou – in my
35th year of dairying/calf rearing and I
learned and understood more.
Inside this issue
Pet Care
Allansford/Wollaston Phone: 03 5561 6911
Simpson/Timboon Phone: 03 5558 6666
Make sure you speak to one of our vets
for advice on the most appropriate
antibiotic selection for dealing with
mastitis in your herd.
We can also provide advice and training
on milk sampling, early detection of
clinical mastitis, and effective prevention
and treatment strategies.
We often hear the comment :“We need new drugs to treat mastitis because the
bacteria are resistant to the ones we currently have”. A recent study conducted by Neil
Charman and Rod Dyson and sponsored by Zoetis endeavoured to find the answer to
this and several other questions Australian farmers have about mastitis treatments.
The Vet Group was one of thirteen veterinary practices in Western Victoria,
Northern Victoria, Gippsland and Tasmania who participated in the study by
providing milk samples from 65 farms. The study looked at 2986 clinical
mastitis samples and 1038 subclinical mastitis samples.
Some of the significant findings were:
•The big four bacteria cause the majority of mastitis – no new dominant
bacteria have emerged;
54.3% Strep. uberis – environmental bacteria
14.8% Staph. aureus – cow associated bacteria
11.7% E. coli – environmental bacteria
8.9% Strep. dysgalactiae – cow associated bacteria
•Environmental bacteria are the leading cause of clinical mastitis.
•Staph. aureus was the organism most frequently isolated from subclinical
mastitis samples (17.5%).
•Regional differences were minor – Staphs and Streps were the
predominant organisms likely to be present in a high ICCC cow at the time
of drying off.
•The frequency with which a contaminated sample was submitted from
cows with subclinical mastitis (40.7%) was far higher than for clinical
mastitis submissions (16.1%).
The good news
For more than 35 years Cloxacillin has been the most commonly used
antibiotic for treating mastitis. The Staphs and Streps responsible for the
clinical cases of mastitis in the study were all still 100% sensitive to this
antibiotic.
The most likely bacteria to be causing mastitis in your herd in 2013 are still
highly sensitive to the antibiotics we currently have registered in Australia.
We may need to take more care in the application of these antibiotics to
improve cure rates. Compliance and hygiene are very important.
Earlier detection of clinical mastitis and prompt treatment strategies may
also enhance the effectiveness of our antibiotic arsenal.
thevetgroup.com.au
The Vet Group has endeavoured to ensure that all information in this newsletter is correct. However, we make no warranty with regard to the accuracy of the information and will
of date. Its contents should not be used as a substitute for seeking personalised professional advice.
not be liable if the information is inaccurate, incomplete or out
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Page 2
Page 3
Antibiotic resistance. Is
it an issue when treating
mastitis?
The benefits of
synchronising
Calvings are you ready?
Synchronisation programs
Metricheck
Page 4
TM instructions
Welcome Paul Dunn
Welcome to The Vet Group
this is...
Calf+plus workshop
The benefits of
Synchronising
The aim of a successful synchronisation
programme in a seasonal calving herd
is to achieve maximum conceptions to
A.I. in the first 30 days of joining. The
benefits of synchronising dairy herds
are:
• Tighter calving pattern. This reduces
the number of days required for close
observation of springers. An earlier
calving date will also give extra days
prior to the start of mating, increasing
submission and conception rates in
the next joining period.
• Early lactation milk production.
More cows are calved down early so
a greater volume of milk can be sent
at the start of the season. This avoids
long periods where not enough milk
is produced to be picked up by the
factory.
• Extra cycle in the A.I. period. In herds
where the A.I. period is restricted,
cows which do not hold to the first
service often have an extra cycle in the
A.I. period at which to conceive.
• Early detection of non-cycling cows.
Non-cycling cows can be detected
early in the AI period and treated at
this time.
• Reduced labour costs. If cows are
joined quickly and do not need to
be joined again, the amount of time
dedicated to joining can be reduced.
• Increased number of replacement
heifers. A successful synchronisation
program may result in extra calves born
to AI and hence extra replacement
heifers. The heifers can be raised in
batches of uniform age. The cost of
purchasing replacement heifers is
reduced as is the risk of introducing
disease.
• Decreased need for induction.
Calving induction costs money when
we take into account the reduced milk
production, the lost calf, increased
time to clean and get back in calf, as
well as the increased risk of illness.
If pregnancy rates can be increased
in the early joining period, significant
savings are made. In the current
animal welfare climate, a system that
relies on calving induction may not be
sustainable long term.
Page 2
Synchronisation programs
Programme
Cows
Heifers
Start
CIDR 1 round

Nonlactating
only
10 days
prior to
MSD*
Tight synchrony allows for fixed time
insemination. Most expensive.

At MSD*
Most commonly used synch program, tells
us within 7 days which cows are not cycling

13 days
prior to
MSD*

10 days
prior to
planned
mating

10 days
prior to
planned
mating
Modified
Why-Wait


PG 2 shot
OVsynch
fixed time
insemination

OVsynch/
Pregnacol
fixed time
insemination

* MSD=
Mating Start Date
Comments
Calvings
are you ready?
Have you got a plan for dealing with calving difficulties this season? Take a moment to
refresh your memory on the stages of calving and discuss the plan for dealing with calving
issues with your farm team.
When is assistance required?
Includes gun for delivery of product to cows
and comes in 100 cow herd packs.
Includes gun for delivery of product to cows
and comes in 100 cow herd packs.
Improved conception rates but higher cost.
NOTE: all programs are enhanced if some form of heat detection is
used in the month before mating starts
With the autumn joining period rapidly approaching many herds will
consider synchrony to mate this group of cows. The Vet Group can
help you with tailored synchrony programs to suit your joining pattern.
For example the
OVsynch (‘Mating
Made Easy’) herd pack
comes boxed with:
•When the cow has been constantly straining or agitated for more than 6
hours (without sign of the water bag)
•When the water bag has been present for more than 2 hours without a
calf being passed
When giving calving assistance:
•clean your hands and the outside of the vulva
•lubricate your arm well
•and examine gently to determine the position and size of the calf
When should you call the vet?
•If you are unable to determine the calf’s position, or the calf’s head and
feet won’t fit in the pelvis at the same time
•If you are unable to correct the calf’s position or no progress is made
within 10 min
What should you do post calving?
• a tailored program
for your herd
• a kit of all the
necessary product
to treat 100 cows
in each pack
• a calibrated gun
for delivery of
product to cows
It is also very competitively priced.
Below is a table showing an example of how an OVsynch program
can be tailored for your herd so that mating is planned around
the availability of labour and AI technicians. The Vet Group has
technicians available to assist you with the administration of each
stage of the program at a time that suits you.
Day/ Time
Date
Treatment
Day 0
PM
- afternoon
Administer 1cc dose of “GonaBreed” (GnRH) by
injection into the muscle.
Day 7
PM
- afternoon
Administer 2cc dose of “Estroplan”
(Prostaglandin) by injection into the muscle.
Day 9
PM
- afternoon
Administer 1cc dose of “GonaBreed” (GnRH) by
injection into the muscle.
Day 10
AM
- morning
Day 11
PM
- afternoon
Inseminate every animal in the program.
Apply heat detection aid to all animals in the
program.
If you are able to deliver the calf consider giving the cow syntocin to assist the
passage of membranes after calving. Always check for another calf before
giving syntocin (oxytocin) after calving.
All cows who have had an assisted calving should be Metrichecked 14 days
later, as they have a high chance of developing uterine infection that could
reduce their chances of getting in calf if not treated promptly.
Be aware of that cows have an increased demand for calcium and magnesium
around calving time to support their milk production. Cows that are unable to
meet their calcium demand at this time may develop milk fever. When this
happens the cow will often need assistance with calving.
Cows down with milk fever usually appear bright and alert. They should be
given calcium CBG 25% or 37.5% under the skin or slowly into the vein. If
you are giving a cow a cocktail solution that contains glucose or dextrose
the solution should be given IV only. This is because the glucose will take
a long time to be absorbed into the body; the solution often remains in the
site you place it and the glucose can stimulate a nasty inflammatory reaction
at the injection site. Oral calcium drenches such as calol® can be given to
animals that are able to swallow and will boost calcium levels for 8-12 hours.
Remember prevention is always better than cure and good transition
feeding for 21 days before calving will reduce the risk of milk fever
around calving.
Once down cows have received solutions to correct the mineral
imbalance they need to be checked for what may have caused the
problem. Check:
•for signs of calving - is there a second calf?
•hips, legs and knees for signs of dislocation, fracture or paralysis.
•udder for signs of swelling, heat, discharge, infection.
Don't leave it too long before calling for assistance. Down cows will suffer
severe muscle damage within 6 hours of going down. This damage may
result in the cow never standing again. If your cow has any of these
problems or is not responding to treatment within 6 hours call the vet for
help. If in doubt get advice, help is only a phone call away.
METRICHECK™
We know from trials that animals that
have previously experienced one or
more of the following: Dystocia, Dead
Calf, RFM, Vulval discharge, Twins, BCS
(<5.0 on 1 to 8 scale), short interval
from calving to examination, large/
flaccid uterus, age (2yo heifers) are
more likely to develop endometritis.
The metricheck device has proven to be
much quicker, less intrusive and more
accurate than the visual vaginal method
for detecting endometritis.
Effectiveness of METRICURE™
treatment
Metricheck scores can predict reduced
reproductive performance if used 2-4
weeks prior to MSD in herds.
The difference in 6WICR between
a negative and positive cow is
approximately 10%. Infection causes a
decrease in reproductive performance
in individual cows and treatment of
these cows will improve their chances
of conceiving. The effect on overall
herd performance will depend on the
proportion of the herd affected.
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