DOCTORING THE HERDS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 71, 6 October 1939, Page 5

DOCTORING THE HERDS

WORK BY RANGITAIKI MEN

REPORTS FOR YEAR

The report of Mr A. Thomson, veterinary surgeon, to the Rangitaiki Plains Dairy Co. Ltd.. presented at the company's annua] meeting, showed that he attended 129 calving cases, 38 milk fever eases, 507 general cases, visits to horses totalled 250, 40 were paid to pigs and 29 to dogs. When discussing bloating Mr Thorn son said that sodium bicarbonate and vegetable turpentine are still the most reliable remedies. Kerosene was. used by some, but although it was fairly reliable he did not recommerd it, as stock took a considerable time to recover from its harmful cflects. Many farmers thought they were safe from bloat if there was no clover in their pastures, but this idea was erroneous as cows were liable to blow on any young succulent pasture. The report mentioned paspalum staggers, of which a considerable number of cases occurred, the majority l-ecovering rapidly when removed to paddocks free of paspalum and given an oily laxative. The condition of acetonemia or acidosis was extremely common, said Mr Thomson, and although he had been unable so 9ar to demonstrate the presence of acetone in cream that had been graded down for cow flavour, he was of the opinion that this condition was the cause of much badly flavoured cream. The treatment was largely doses of molasses, combined with a formalin Nux Vomica mixture. SCOUR IN CALVES. Referring to white and blood scour in calves he said'that the call! paddocks in some farms were heavily infected with the bacteria responsible for this condition, and it was essential that frcsli paddocks should be laid out,. Infected calves should be dosed with castor oil and no milk given for at least two days, barley water being given freely. The use of) Iysol internally might serve as a preventive for calf scour, and the vaccination of calves immediately they were born had given excellent results in many cases, he said. Feeding buckets must be kept scrupulously clean.

On the subject of pig diseases he said that pleurisy and suipestifer infection bad caused the death of a considerable number of pigs. To a great extent losses from these diseases coukl be eliminated by suitable housing and strict attention to cleanliness in pens. Septic ?orcs caused considerable trouble in a few piggeries, but they responded rapidly to treatment with tartar emetic. Butter of antimony, which gives even better results, must be used with extreme caution.

Mr Thomson mentioned the enormous number of cows culled for mastitis, and said that the herds should be put under control as soon as a number of cases discovered. DISTEMPER. Quite a number of dogs died O'f canine distemper in the autumn. Cases treated in the early stages with antiserum recovered promptlv, but this was only useful in the early stages of the disease, and in its later stages good nursing was the only satisfactory 'treatment..

Parasitic gastritis in calves was a common perennial elisease he said & he knew of no w T ay of clearing the pastures of the young stages o£ the worm responsible, If possible it was advisable to remove the young stock before the trouble started in the autumn; otherwise they must be drenched regularly and given an ample allowance of good bay. Care must be taken to reduce the nicotine coppcr sulphate drench for very anaemic cah^es.

Mr Thomson added that while most farmers appreciated the necessity of supplying their cows and calves Avith suitable minerals, only a £ew sought to supplement with minerals the diet of their, pigs, even though they must realise that proper growth and disease resistance was promoted by this means.