Eltham Vet Service

02/04/2026

Be careful with Easter treats around your pets!

02/04/2026

30/03/2026

As expected with the recent rains and humid temperatures, spore counts have risen and are at dangerous levels in some aeras. Make sure you continue treating at maximum rates. Don't get caught with a late season facial eczema outbreak causing welfare issues, a drop in production and other potentially long-term health effects.

23/03/2026

Great news, spore counts are looking stable this week. Continue your current management practices and always feel free to contact the clinic if you have any questions.

22/03/2026

A reminder of this great event taking place in Eltham tomorrow at 10am. Click the link to register

Don't miss this opportunity, if interested register at: https://beeflambnz.com/events

19/03/2026

Don't miss this opportunity, if interested register at: https://beeflambnz.com/events

11/03/2026

Don’t be fooled! Spores that have already been produced before the temperatures have dropped are still toxic, and for the fungus to stop growing we need cooling to get soil temps below 12 degrees for 3 days in a row. It is super variable again - those in low spore count areas are not reporting clinical signs and we have not seen many raised GGTs (the liver enzyme marker for FE). Those in high spore count areas are seeing cases including a drop in milk production as the first sign.
Keep spore counting your own farm to know where you sit.

03/03/2026

Spore counts are very variable at the moment even between paddocks on the same farm. Most farms should be treating at full zinc dose. Are you treating with zinc through the water alone? Water treatment is the least effective way to treat. Book in some zinc and liver enzyme testing to see how effective your treatment really is.

02/03/2026

🚨New Newsletter Alert🚨

https://www.elthamvetservices.co.nz/newsletter/february-2026

24/02/2026

It’s normal for a small percentage of pregnant dairy cows to continue showing heats while in calf — especially in early pregnancy.

What’s normal?
Typically, 1–3% of pregnant cows may show heat signs. In herds using wearable technology, this figure can be slightly higher — around 3–5% — particularly in active, high-producing herds.

Why does this happen?
• Pregnant cows continue to produce waves of follicles (eggs) on their ovaries, these follicles produce oestrogen.
• Usually, oestrogen levels aren’t high enough to trigger visible heat because the egg is not ovulated.
• Some cows have a lower threshold for showing heat signs — so even small increases in oestrogen can result in mild heat behaviour.
• Some cows have a lower threshold for heat signs to develop so they may show heat while pregnant.
• High production animals can have lower progesterone levels (the hormone present during pregnancy) and this can mean low levels of oestrogen can cause mild heat signs.

One of our clients herds with wearbles is having a high percentage of the cows identified in heat that have been confirmed pregnant with a recent ultrasound pregnancy test. 31% of cows on in the last 26 days are pregnant. While this is only 4.4% of the herd it highlights that cows identified as empty using wearable technology should be double checked before culling by scanning or milk testing.

Cows identified as empty by wearable technology should always be double-checked before culling — ideally with ultrasound scanning or milk testing.