by Bas van Luijk, Bas is the Head Veterinarian at East Coast Farm Vets With the impending dog trialing season almost upon us, now is a good time to discuss kennel cough and how to best look after your dogs. The technical name for kennel cough or canine cough, is Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis. Which means it affects dogs, is easily passed on from dog to dog and is an inflammation (often associated with swelling and itching) of the upper respiratory system. Due to the itc

by Bas van Luijk, Bas is the Head Veterinarian at East Coast Farm Vets If you notice coughing in a large proportion of your lambs, or if you have more pleurisy listed on kill sheets, you are not alone. Pneumonia (Ovine pneumonia (or “viral pneumonia”) is detected in an average of 28% of lambs’ lungs at slaughter but rates can vary greatly, affecting 6%-80% of animals in each line. The most severely affected (an estimated 7% of lambs) take an average growth rate check of more

by Andrew Cribb (Cribby), Cribby is the Director/Veterinarian at East Coast Farm Vets It’s typically from late-December to early March when Barber’s Pole sets in. The warm, wet and humid weather conditions are a perfect combination for this debilitating parasite to take hold. Barber’s Pole is a parasite that will attack sheep when climatic conditions are right, i.e. warm dry conditions followed by periods of rain. They suck blood from the fourth stomach and cause the affected