Services

1 in 4 bulls in the UK are subfertile. This could be the result of small scrotal circumference, poor semen quality or serving ability. Therefore, we recommend getting your bulls tested 2 months prior to breeding to pick up any issues promptly.

Electro-ejaculation (EEJ) is the method of semen collection which is widely used. This is carried out by individuals who have been suitably trained. The vet will carry out a physical examination of the bull to check for any abnormalities and then will proceed to semen collection and examination. The semen examination will be done using a microscope, firstly the movement of the sperm will be assessed and then the vet will later look at the morphology of the sperm to look for abnormalities that would prevent fertilisation of an egg.

It is important to note that semen testing bulls requires safe handling facilities. The Bull needs to be adequately restrained in a suitable sized crush, which has doors that can open up on the sides.

Tups are often forgotten for most of the year until it comes to the breeding season. You need them to be in top shape at this time of year and the failure of a tup to work can cause significant problems. We recommend performing a ‘Tup MOT’ 2 months before they are planned to be put out with the ewes. This involves checking feet, teeth, body condition score and examination of reproductive organs to check there are no abnormalities. The second part of this is a semen examination, a sample is produced using a rectal probe. This sample is checked under the microscope to see how many sperm are alive and moving with purpose.

This process gives you confidence in your tups when you need them most and will pick up any issues early enough, that you can either change the number of ewes put in with a certain tup or arrange to find a different tup where necessary.

Pelvic area in heifers is a good indicator of calving ease and it can help you make decisions on which animals to breed from. It is best to check heifers before being put to the bull or started on a synchronisation programme to assess their pelvic size and identify any reproductive abnormalities.

The procedure is quick and simple to carry out in a standing animal. A device called a Rice Pelvimeter is inserted rectally to take vertical and horizontal measurements of the pelvis, these measurements are then used to calculate pelvic area. At the same time, we can scan the reproductive tract to check for free-martinism and other abnormalities.

Mastitis is one of the major concerns of dairy farmers, whilst sometimes also causing significant problems in sucker and sheep enterprises. We provide a range of services to help you optimise mastitis control, minimising losses and increasing productivity. For milk-recording herds, veterinary analysis of individual cell count records can be vital in mastitis management and preventative health planning. 

In individual cases and mastitis outbreaks, in-house and external laboratory diagnostics are essential in determining appropriate treatment and management methods, whilst seeking to reduce the development of antibiotic resistance and can also inform decisions about targeted drying off therapy. In some cases, vaccination can be a useful part of mastitis control.

Calf health is fundamentally dependent on colostrum which provides essential antibodies to fight infection, energy and nutrients required for growth. Calves need the right quantity of good quality colostrum quickly after birth. We provide advice on achieving all these elements, as well as methods for monitoring colostrum quality and the success of passive transfer of immunity to the calf. 

Vaccination is a key element in protecting calves against the common problems of scour and pneumonia, alongside appropriate management, which depends on which pathogens are active on your farm. We provide full post-mortem services and rapid ante-mortem diagnostics in-house, supported by specialist laboratory services to diagnose outbreaks and tailor control programs to your individual circumstances.

These flexible services are essential for both suckler and dairy herds.

Stress free dis-budding is the most welfare-friendly method of dehorning cattle and should be done between 2 weeks and 2 months of age. It is increasingly used on dairy farms where dis-budding is already the norm to improve welfare, free up farm staff and maximise calf growth rates. It is equally suitable for batches of suckler calves and is MUCH calmer, quicker, cheaper and lower risk than dehorning!

Calves are sedated to reduce stress caused by disbudding also making the actual process easier, quicker and more accurate, local anaesthetic is used to numb the horn bud before removal with a super-hot iron and anti-inflammatory is given to provide 48 hours pain relief. Calves are up and drinking normally within 1-2 hours.

We can work with you to provide stress-free dis-budding sessions which, in some circumstances, can be done by our vet/vet tech teams without you even needing to be present.

Locomotion scoring can be a useful tool to assess how lameness in your herd is changing over time. Particularly when performed by the same technician.

Jess and Gemma are both registered mobility scorers with RoMS. They score in accordance with AHDB guidelines and their reports can form a component of your herd health review, if you are farm assured. If you wish us to undertake a mobility score on your farm please ring the practice to arrange.

We can assist with Herd & Flock Health planning at various levels. A basic health plan, detailing preventative measures for common and historic disease problems may suffice the requirements of a farm assurance scheme.

An analysis of flock/herd performance data against benchmarks for similar production systems, can help target health interventions to produce the maximum reward.

We can help both formulate health plans and advise about the best production data to collect, to allow the business performance to be successfully monitored.

We have the ability to process various parasite samples in-house, to enable rapid and timely diagnosis of fluke, roundworms, lungworms, lice and scab. We have both automated and manual diagnostic equipment.

Parasitic Gastro-enteritis is the cause of the greatest economic losses to the sheep industry in the UK. We can advise process samples to advise on optimal dosing times and identify issues of wormer resistance in worm populations on farms. Speak to our vets for advice on how best to use our services.

Some diseases are strongly linked to climatic factors which can vary season to season. We can provide our clients with an automated disease alert by text or e-mail when high risks are anticipated for Nematodirosis, Fluke disease or Blowfly strike. This data will be specific for a 40km square containing your post code.