Farm Animal Information

Modern farming is big business and is an integral part of the financial well-being of the country. From a veterinary perspective our involvement with primary producers is as much based on disease prevention as it is on treatment. We aim to develop farm specific health programmes and strategies based around animal health and performance goals. The resultant profile allows advice that is based on best practice and sound scientific knowledge that is focused on achieving these goals.

At the Ballarat Veterinary Practice we offer a comprehensive range of health services, advice and support for cattle and sheep producers in the following areas:

Sheep

• Vaccination programmes against diseases such as clostridial infection, salmonella, campylobacteriosis and toxoplasmosis.
• Internal parasite control programmes utilizing both strategic anthlemintic usage and on-farm management to reduce parasite exposure to livestock.
• Disease control programmes such as brucellosis and Johne’s control programmes.
• Ram management programmes ranging from mating soundness to use during the mating period.
• Breeding performance schemes aimed at increasing lambing percentage
• Nutrition advice from lamb through to ram.
• Flock health surveillance and plans, which include areas in trace elements, internal parasites (via faecal egg counts) lameness, ill thrift in hoggets, metabolic issues, cheesy gland, sudden death, skin diseases and external parasites.

Cattle

• Transition feeding.
• Applied breeding technologies (metrichecking, non-cycling cow programmes, synchronization, etc).
• Pregnancy testing.
• Diagnosis and treatment of mastitis.
• Gradebusting.
• Evaluating milking systems and processes.
• Interpretation of data (ie bulk milk SCC and herd test results), and strategic planning (ie when and how to dry cows, use of dry cow treatments, etc).
• Examination, diagnosis and treatment of lame animals, and environmental assessment (ie races, yards, etc).
• Body condition score targets for different times of the year.
• All aspects of calf rearing and post-weaning management to increase your on-farm performance.
• Herd health plans focusing on parasite control, nutrition, growth rate monitoring, trace element monitoring, yearling mating programmes, etc.
• Disease monitoring and vaccination plans, ie BVDV, lepto, vibriosis, clostridial diseases, EBL, etc.