Sheep, Beef, Deer & Dog Newsletter – Spring 2025

Real relationships. Real results.

At Aorangi Vets, we believe genuine, long-standing relationships are the foundation of everything we do. It’s not just about veterinary care it’s about building transparent, trusted partnerships with our clients and communities that last year after year.

Our commitment means:

• Long-standing connections built on trust and respect
• Unaffected, objective advice tailored specifically to your farm and goals
• Practical, customised solutions supporting sustainable growth and development
• A strong reputation grounded in delivering real value and retaining loyal clients

When we understand your operation, we can provide advice and support that fits your unique challenges and ambitions leading to healthier animals, smarter decisions, and stronger results.

Plan ahead with your RVM Script and Animal Health Plan As part of our partnership, we encourage you to book your annual RVМ (Restricted Veterinary Medicine) script and animal health plan appointment early. Getting your paperwork in order ahead of time means no last-minute stress when ordering products or managing compliance.

These appointments give us the chance to review your animal health strategies, tailor your plan to your current needs, and ensure you have the right products approved and ready. It’s a straightforward step that saves you time and hassle during busy seasons and helps avoid costly mistakes – because your animals are our priority, every day.

The Aorangi Vets Team

Efficient lamb growth

The period from birth to weaning provides the most efficient lamb growth in a sheep flock and influences the overall production of the flock in many ways.

Our ewes, along with our farmers, have made it through a muddy winter and are waiting, as I write this, for spring grass to come away. In early lactation the ewe’s energy requirement skyrockets and to enable unrestricted intake, pasture levels need to remain above 1200kg DM/ha (about 4cm depending on pasture quality). If the grass growth is slow to come, supplements may be needed to fill the deficit.

Feeding ewes well is critical of course to help her milk well enough for lambs to grow to their genetic potential. Our average growth rates in lambs are 180- 200gm/day however trials prove the potential is there to achieve 300- 400gm/day. Over 90 days from birth to weaning a 5kg lamb can wean at 30- 40kg. One of the figures we like to monitor on our farms is the kg of lamb weaned per ewes mated. Collecting this data can help identify opportunities for improving performance.

Some properties use lucerne to feed lactating ewes and if this system suits the operation it can outperform pasture in several ways including kg lamb weaned/ha and lamb growth rate from tailing to weaning as well as a greater proportion of the ewe flock weaning in good body condition.

Tailing Tailing is the opportunity to check on things and ensure timely inputs are made. A faecal egg count (FEC) on ewes lets us know whether they need some help to get a worm burden under control or check how a long-acting drench product is working.

By tailing, the antibodies lambs received from colostrum are becoming depleted. There is a risk of death from tetanus, pulpy kidney, malignant oedema and other clostridial diseases. This risk appears to be higher in high performing flocks. Collecting data on lamb deaths from tailing to weaning can help determine which clostridial vaccine your flock requires.

The industry has known for decades the importance of cobalt (converted to vitamin B12 in the ruminant) and selenium for growth in lambs. While they are naturally born with good liver reserves of B12 and can absorb selenium from the milk, lambs can begin to drop into the suboptimal range before weaning. Boosting the supply of these essential nutrients at tailing and in the lead up to weaning helps avoid dips in their growth trajectory.

The recent spring winds remind me of the condition’s flies enjoy being out and about in – calm humid weather. That is often the challenge our grazing animals face through the latter part of spring and summer.

Preventing flystrike is not only good practice from an animal welfare point of view and insurance against the labour required to fix a problem, but it is also a tool to keep lambs growing at their greatest potential. Spray-on prevention at tailing, when applied properly can get your lambs through the risk period with very little effort.

SmartShot B12 plus Se: A smarter way to support your lambs this spring

The most efficient growth your lambs will achieve is when they are on Mum prior to weaning. Trace elements that have the potential to limit this efficiency include cobalt (converted to vitamin B12 in the lamb) and selenium. SmartShot B12 Plus Se is a unique product designed to improve the production of lambs from tailing onward through supplementing these growth limiting trace elements.

What is SmartShot B12 Plus Se?

SmartShot B12 plus Se is a long-acting vitamin B12 and selenium injection for lambs (and calves). It has a flexible dose rate you can tailor to suit the length of efficacy you require. The consistent pay-out avoids periods of B12 and Se insufficiency.

How does SmartShot B12 Plus Se work?

Key benefits include:

• Improved animal performance: consistent supply of Vitamin B12 is essential for energy production and therefore growth. Selenium also is required for growth.
• Better immune system: Selenium is essential for proper development of the immune system.
• Greater appetite: Supplementing B12 improves appetite and therefore feed intake which leads on to greater growth.

Who should use SmartShot B12 Plus Se?

SmartShot B12 Plus Se is especially valuable for sheep farms aiming to maximise lamb growth rates, reducing drench inputs and grazing brassica crops.

How is SmartShot administered?

The injection is given under the skin on the neck. It is quite a thick liquid and is best administered at about 20°C.

Final thoughts

Adding SmartShot B12 Plus Se into your sheep flock health program this spring can give your lambs a strong head start; supporting greater weights at weaning, better immunity against parasites and potentially fewer drenches as well as a reduced need for regular trace element supplementation.

Talk to your Vet for more details or contact us here.

Protect your working dogs from Parvovirus

As spring approaches and your working dogs gear up for another busy season, it’s important to remember that canine parvovirus remains a real risk even for adult dogs.

Every once in a while, we see cases in adult working dogs that remind us that parvo is not just a puppy disease. Any dog that is unvaccinated or overdue for boosters is vulnerable.

Working dogs face increased exposure through contact with other dogs, shared water sources, and contaminated environments where the virus can survive for months. Parvovirus causes severe vomiting, diarrhoea, and dehydration, and can be fatal. Treatment can be intensive and isn’t always successful.

The best protection is prevention through vaccination. If you’re unsure about your dogs’ vaccination status, now is the perfect time to check and update before the spring workload peaks.

Ask us about our convenient on-farm vaccination options designed to keeр your dogs safe and healthy.

Supporting working dogs for peak spring performance

Spring means longer days and heavier workloads for your working dogs – and for more senior dogs it can also bring mobility challenges into sharper focus.

Osteoarthritis is common in older dogs and can cause stiffness, pain, and reduced movement. Early signs include reluctance to jump, stiffness after resting, limping, slower walks, behavioural changes, and muscle loss. These signs often develop gradually and might be mistaken for normal ageing, but they shouldn’t be ignored or brushed off as “just getting old.”

Fortunately, many options exist to improve comfort and mobility: weight management, joint supplements, antiinflammatory medications, and lifestyle changes such as supportive bedding and non-slip flooring can make a big difference in daily comfort.

Don’t forget to fuel your working dogs well during this busy time. Premium nutrition provides the energy they need to maintain stamina, while also supporting faster recovery between tasks and protecting joint health as the demands add up.

A balanced diet rich in quality protein, essential fatty acids, and key vitamins and minerals helps keep muscles strong, coats healthy, and overall resilience high making sure your dogs stay fit, sharp, and able to perform at their best throughout the season.

Velveting preparation: Tips fora smooth season

As velveting season approaches, we want to help make your experience as efficient and hassle-free as possible. Proper preparation not only saves time but also ensures you have everything you need to keep the process running smoothly.

Plan ahead: Order online or call the clinic

To avoid delays during busy times, please place your velveting stock orders in advance using our online order form or by calling the clinic. This allows us to have everything ready for you, especially Veltrak tags which need to be registered online before collection, and makes pick-ups smoother and quicker for everyone.

Book your Supervisory Visit early

We encourage you to book your veterinary supervisory visit as early as possible. This helps us schedule a time that works best for you and ensures you have the expert support you need during velveting. Please note the booking deadline is 15 December.

Don’t forget the Velvet Book

Accurate record-keeping is vital. Please remember to fill out your Velvet book thoroughly and correctly. This includes recording all drug purchases and keeping track of totals on hand. Good records are essential for compliance, stock management, and ensuring the welfare of your deer.

By following these simple steps, you’ll help streamline your velveting season and maintain the highest standards of animal care.

If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Meet Peter Crawford – Director and Veterinarian

Growing up on a local family farm, Pete experienced firsthand the challenges and rewards of drystock farming. Today, he continues that connection, running a property in Cannington where he oversees a sheep breeding, cattle breeding and a dairy young stock grazing operation.

Pete joined us at Aorangi Vets as a Director in 2018 after building his career across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK. With experience spanning dairy, sheep, beef, and deer, he has a particular passion for helping farmers succeed through practical, outcomes-focused advice.

Much of Pete’s work involves developing tailored animal health plans that give farmers clear, measurable strategies to boost productivity while maintaining high welfare standards. “Trusted advice and measured results give farmers real confidence,” he explains. “It takes the guesswork out of animal health decisions and sets the farm up for long-term success.”

Pete’s approach is pragmatic and relationship-driven. Farmers value that he combines technical expertise with an understanding of the realities of farm life knowledge shaped by his own hands-on experience. “Better results come from stronger relationships. It’s about working alongside farmers to achieve the outcomes that matter,” he says.

Whether it’s planning for the future or tackling challenges on the spot, Pete brings straightforward, dependable guidance, advice farmers know they can trust.