The Vet Chat NZ

Searching For Diseases We Don’t Want To Find | Mark Eames

Exotic animal diseases are a threat to New Zealand’s farms and economy. While FMD is the most obvious concern, there are others on the radar for Biosecurity New Zealand. Mark Eames is a Biosecurity New Zealand Incursion Investigator. He joins Matt to discuss what vets should be looking out for, how we can monitor animals for these diseases, and what the process looks like for a practitioner if they report something unusual. 

NZ Wildlife - Practical Tips for the General Vet | Jordana Whyte

In this episode of The Vet Chat, Sumari Potgieter talks to Jordana Whyte, manager of the trust that runs the Wildlife Hospital Dunedin. They discuss the responsibilities of the veterinarian, the public, and the Department of Conservation (DOC), and how various roles work together to ensure the best outcome for the patient. Helpful resources for vets for bird and bat care are provided by the New Zealand Vet Association and are referenced in this talk. Vets can access the full documents on the NZVA website. For anyone interested in further reading, training and support, this list of references will be useful:

1. Available to all NZVA members, the Avian and Wildlife health guidelines, policy, and resources can be found here. This includes bat care advice for first responders and vets, as well as advice for managing emaciated seabirds.
2. Contact DOC (0800 DOC HOT) or rehabilitation facilities identified through the Wildlife Rehabilitation Network — WReNNZ — to arrange for transfer to longer-term care as soon as the patient is stabilised, or to seek additional advice/guidance.
3. Find out which NZ birds are threatened, listen to bird song, and learn about birds on the DOC website.  
4. A digital encyclopaedia of NZ birds can be found here.
5. Call the Department of Conservation emergency hotline 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468) immediately if you see anyone catching, harming, or killing native wildlife.
6. DOC resources on bats.
7. Information on lead poisoning, psittacine beak and feather disease, and avian influenza.
8. The Wildlife Hospital Dunedin can be contacted through Jordana Whyte at 021735211 or info@wildlifehospitaldunedin.org.nz

Dry Cow Therapy - the Present and the Future | Dr. Scott McDougall

We've made significant progress at reducing antibiotic DCT in New Zealand dairy herds, albeit slower than was initially hoped. Scott McDougall and Matt discuss the current situation in 2023 and the likely future of antimicrobial use. They cover adverse events and how we've learned to minimise these, how much AMR we already have, how well-managed selective DCT compares with blanket DCT, and the updated best practice recommendations for cow selection and teat sealant administration in NZ conditions.  

Links for further reading below.

• Vet Council Statement on Authorisation of DCT
• NZVA drying off resources
• SmartSamm Technote 14 

 

Highlights from the World Buiatrics Congress | Dr. Greg Chambers

Greg Chambers, an Epidemiologist at EpiVets, and Matt Wells were two of the thousands of attendees at the recent World Buiatrics Congress in Madrid. They share some of their highlights of the week from a New Zealand perspective, covering everything from phantom cow treatment, to applying Toyota's car manufacturing methods to calf rearing, and treating ketosis with red wine.

When Your Patient Bites - Managing Reactive Animals in Clinic | Dr. Jess Beer

Sumari Potgieter is joined by Jess Beer, owner of Kiwi Vet Behaviour. Following the significant and widespread reaction to an NZ court ruling on a case in which a dog bit a veterinarian, Jess and Sumari discuss the need for better education about raising safe dogs. Using the CAV resource, they discuss how both vets and owners can work together to manage the pet's behaviour so that the pet can receive the care they need in a safe manner. Reactivity is not aggression, but it can quickly escalate, and Jess provides practical advice on how to identify and manage these situations.

Links to the relevant topics can be found below:

• Managing anxious or reactive animals: https://nzva.org.nz/resource/companion-animal/
• Recommended Best Practice: Managing Reactive, Anxious and Aggressive Behaviours in the Veterinary Setting: https://nzva.org.nz/assets/For_vet_professionals/cd748b1dab/Guidance_Reactive_Dogs.pdf
• Association of Professional Dog Trainers New Zealand (APDTNZ): https://www.apdtnz.org.nz/
• Sophia Yin poster downloads: https://cattledogpublishing.com/poster-download/

FMD - What Vets Need to Know | Dr. Mary van Andel

In this Special Edition, Matt is joined by Mary van Andel, MPI's Chief Veterinary Officer. They discuss how the FMD outbreak in Bali has changed the risk to NZ, and how MPI are responding. They cover vet-specific topics like what happens when you call the 0800 80 99 66 exotic disease hotline, how a response to an incursion would play out, and what to tell farmers about questions on vaccination and PKE. 

Click the links for more information on Surveillance for Veterinary Professionals and an FMD factsheet.

Why Farmers are Milking Their Cows Less Often | Dr. Katrina Roberts

Once a day (OAD) miking has been a farmer-driven revolution, with most farms now milking at least their treatment mob OAD. Matt is joined by Katrina Roberts, a veterinarian from Anexa and Headlands Consultant, to discuss how Kiwi farmers have gained time and achieved better animal health, despite science that is only now catching up. They cover everything from OAD colostrum mobs to whole herds on 10 in 7, and what vets should know about successfully implementing OAD on farm.

Can research make animals happier? | Dr. Emma Cuttance

Matt is joined by Emma Cuttance, Research Manager and Epidemiologist for the newly formed company EpiVets Ltd. They discuss how consumer pressure is beginning to change farming practices, and how we now need good science to support these changes. This means a move towards research about how happy animals are, rather than just how productive they are. Emma uses a couple of studies that she has been involved with as examples to frame the discussion.

Developing Rapport & Communication Skills in the Veterinary Profession | Dr. Meg Irvine

Currently clinical lead veterinarian at Stoke Veterinary Hospital in Nelson, Dr. Meg Irvine speaks with host Steve about the juggle of family and her veterinary career, and how she came about to develop her rapport and communication programme designed specifically for the veterinary profession, Vet Lifeskills. Meg discusses quick and easy ways to improve communication skills in practice, what to do when things go wrong or when you are dealing with a difficult patient and client, and how you can put these communication and rapport skills into practise everyday.

Salmonella Outbreaks in Dairy Cattle: Looking for New Answers to an Old Problem | Chris Compton

Salmonella cases are on the rise once again in dairy cattle, but we don’t yet know why. Chris Compton, now a Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Epidemiology at Massey University, is part of a team working on a research project to identify risk factors and better understand what has changed in recent years. He talks with Matt Wells about what we’ve learned from previous outbreaks, what the major concerns are, and how we can limit the severity of outbreaks until we have more answers. More cases are needed for the study, so listen out for details of how you can contribute to solving this problem!