News

Monday, 26 March 2018 - 4:12pm

Kate Lethbridge explains a recent case of geriatric donkey called Frazzle who's had a few bouts of lameness

Frazzle is a 21-year-old Donkey who presented to me with acute lameness.

Frazzle’s owners were understandably concerned when they noticed him laying down in the field and unable to weight bear on his right forelimb.

I examined Frazzle and he was very sore on his right fore heel bulbs. 

There also appeared to be a draining abscess to the outside of the white...

Monday, 26 March 2018 - 3:56pm

EFFICIENT milk production is the economic driver in the dairy herd and the primary aim is to optimise milk production per cow per year.

Most dairy cows will drop in production by 0.3% per day after peak production. The birth of a calf is essential for the onset of lactation and evidence shows the better the calving interval is, the more milk the cow will produce.

The transition period (three weeks before to three weeks after calving), although short, is when most metabolic and...

Monday, 26 March 2018 - 1:54pm

We know how hard it can be to make sure you are buying good quality supplements and healthcare products for your pets! 

With the plethora of tubs, bottles & tubes for sale in pet stores, supermarkets and pharmacies, how can you be sure you are buying a good quality product that really will do what it claims?

Here are St Boniface Vets we are helping to remove the uncertainty, by supplying you with our own range of supplements and healthcare products.  Some products are...

Friday, 23 March 2018 - 5:05pm

We are seeking a dedicated night nurse to provide excellent in-patient care at our modern small animal clinic. 

A newly refurbished flat is available on site with all mod cons!

Working Hours:  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - 6.30pm until 8.30am.

Please email your application to Sarah Woodvine (Head Nurse), sarah@stbonifacevets.co.uk

Wednesday, 14 March 2018 - 5:20pm

While we all hope that our pets are going to be healthy and live a long and happy life. Unfortunately some of our four legged friends develop conditions that require long term medication, often life- long. Diseases such as diabetes, hypothyroidism and epilepsy can develop in young to middle aged dogs and with appropriate medication can live a normal life, while some diseases, such as arthritis or heart disease (which often develop in later life), can be effectively managed to give your pet a...

Thursday, 8 March 2018 - 3:30pm

There is a national commitment from the sheep industry to reduce the amount of lame sheep to 2% of the national flock.  As it was estimated that 10% of sheep were lame when this was announced  this seemed ambitious.  However, the flocks that have tackled lameness in the ways described have found the number of lame sheep in their flock reduced to 2% quite easily, compared to 95% of those treated with injectable antibiotics alone.

The first task is to identify the cause of lameness, ...

Thursday, 8 March 2018 - 3:28pm

These are now regarded as different stages of the same disease, both caused by Dichelobacter nodosus.

It is the most common cause of lameness on a majority of farms.

Treatment

Do not trim - only 5-10% of trimmed feet cured, compared to 95% of those treated with injectable antibiotics (trimming as well as injection halved the number that recovered). Therefore, aim to catch and inspect all lame sheep within 3 days, treat Footrot/scald with injectable oxytetracycline...

Thursday, 8 March 2018 - 3:26pm

Spirochaetes seem to be a necessary cause for CODD, like in digital dermatitis in cattle; but we also find the footrot bacteria  - dichelobacter nodosus and fusobacterium necrophorum in more than half of CODD lesions.  Studies suggest there is an important link between the two.

We don’t know if/how much disease passes between species but bought in sheep are the main risk for introducing it to a flock.

Appearance – disease starts at the coronary band, forming an...

Thursday, 8 March 2018 - 3:24pm

These are the non-infectious causes of lameness, normally Shelley hoof or white line abscesses.

The connection between wall and sole is elastic, but is the weak point in the foot. 

Shelley hoof, which is a separation of wall and sole, is common but is not usually associated with lameness, although can cause a problem if mud becomes impacted.

In this case, trim the loose horn out in a semi circle to prevent leaving a space for the mud. If pus forms at the white line the...

Wednesday, 7 March 2018 - 5:14pm

We have teamed up with Vetoquinol, Semex and ActivfET to offer you a chance of winning a trip to World Dairy Expo 2018 in Madison.

We have a limited number of vouchers available. Each voucher entitles you to 3 donors each having a full OPU/IVP cycle on the same day with St Boniface Farm Vets, at a discounted total rate of £325 plus VAT (NB there will be additional fees of £95 plus VAT per embryo produced and keep fees may apply).

There will be...

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