Naturaliste Veterinary Services - Farm Animal Service

Naturaliste Veterinary Services - Farm Animal Service For commercial producers, hobby farms and breeding operations.

Leaders in livestock veterinary services throughout the South West, with a dedicated farm vet team combining responsive emergency care with proactive herd health support.

05/09/2026

⚠️ This semen was about to be used in an artificial insemination program—but it was dead.

Before insemination, our veterinarian thawed and examined a sample under the microscope. The semen showed no viable progressive motility and was unsuitable for use.

Identifying the problem before insemination prevented a costly mistake for the owner: wasted semen, synchronisation drugs, labour and time, followed by an empty cow and another delayed breeding opportunity.

This is one of the advantages of having a veterinarian involved in your pregnancy-testing and artificial-insemination program. We do more than perform the procedure—we assess the whole reproductive system and investigate problems when something does not look right.

Veterinary involvement can include:
- examining semen quality before insemination;
- assessing ovarian structures and stage of cycle with ultrasound;
- confirming that insemination timing is appropriate;
- identifying uterine infection, reproductive-tract abnormalities and non-cycling females;
- designing or reviewing synchronisation protocols;
- accurately diagnosing pregnancy and estimating fetal age;
- assessing fetal viability and, where relevant, identifying twins;
- investigating disappointing conception rates; and
using reproductive records to identify where time and money are being lost.

No reproductive program can guarantee a pregnancy, but careful veterinary oversight can identify avoidable problems before they affect the entire breeding program.

In livestock production, every missed pregnancy has a cost. Early diagnosis, quality control and evidence-based reproductive management help improve conception rates, shorten calving intervals and protect the profitability of the enterprise.

This video is a powerful example: checking first prevented an expensive failure later.

Contact Naturaliste Veterinary Services to discuss pregnancy testing, artificial insemination or a veterinary review of your herd’s reproductive program.

🐄 Why do we pregnancy test cows around 6 weeks after the bulls come out?Pregnancy testing isn’t just about finding out w...
15/08/2026

🐄 Why do we pregnancy test cows around 6 weeks after the bulls come out?

Pregnancy testing isn’t just about finding out which cows are in calf — it gives you valuable information to make better management decisions before you keep spending money on empty cows.

At around 6 weeks after bull removal, ultrasound pregnancy testing can help us:

🐮 Identify empty cows — so you can make early culling or rebreeding decisions rather than carrying unproductive cows through the year.

📅 Estimate pregnancy age — helping identify early vs late-calving cows and predict your calving spread.

🐂 Assess bull performance — a higher-than-expected empty rate or a late conception pattern can flag potential bull fertility, joining or nutrition problems.

🌱 Plan feed and stocking rates — particularly important heading into periods when feed availability may be limited.

💰 Improve herd profitability — every empty cow still eats, takes up pasture and requires management without producing a calf.
Preg testing is one of the simplest ways to turn your joining season into useful information for next year.

If your bulls have been out for around 6 weeks or more, now is a great time to book your herd pregnancy testing.

📞 Contact Naturaliste Veterinary Services to organise your preg testing

🐄🐑 PEM in LivestockA sheep or cow that suddenly becomes blind, starts staggering, separates from the mob or begins “star...
08/08/2026

🐄🐑 PEM in Livestock

A sheep or cow that suddenly becomes blind, starts staggering, separates from the mob or begins “star-gazing” needs prompt attention.
One important cause of these neurological signs is polioencephalomalacia (PEM) — a brain disorder commonly associated with disruption of thiamine (vitamin B1) availability or high sulphur intake.

🧠 Why is thiamine important?
Thiamine is essential for normal brain function. Adult cattle, sheep and goats usually rely heavily on microorganisms in the rumen to provide thiamine.
Changes to the rumen environment can interfere with this process and increase the risk of PEM.

⚠️ Common risk factors include:
• Sudden introduction of grain or high-concentrate diets
• Ruminal acidosis and poor rumen function
• Inadequate effective fibre/roughage
• Thiaminase-containing plants, including bracken fern
• Excessive sulphur intake from feed or water
• Rapid dietary changes, particularly in young, growing stock

🔎 Signs to watch for:
• Reduced appetite or separating from the mob
• Dullness or depression
• Staggering or loss of coordination
• Muscle tremors
• Apparent blindness despite normal-looking eyes
• Head pressing
• Circling
• “Star-gazing” — holding the head and neck abnormally upwards
• Seizures, recumbency or sudden death

PEM can progress very quickly, sometimes over only a few hours.
💉 The good news? Early treatment can be very effective.
PEM is an emergency. Animals treated with thiamine early in the disease can show a dramatic response, while delayed treatment may result in irreversible brain damage or death.

🌾 Prevention starts with good rumen management:
• Introduce grain gradually over 2–3 weeks
• Maintain adequate good-quality fibre in the diet
• Avoid abrupt feed changes
• Reduce the risk of ruminal acidosis
• Be aware of sulphur concentrations in feed and water

📞 If you notice sudden neurological signs in your livestock, contact your veterinarian promptly.

🐑 Not every sheep needs drenching—and that's exactly how we slow drench resistance.Internal parasites are one of the big...
07/07/2026

🐑 Not every sheep needs drenching—and that's exactly how we slow drench resistance.

Internal parasites are one of the biggest hidden causes of lost productivity in sheep. Worm burdens can reduce growth rates, fertility, milk production and wool quality, while severe infections can cause anaemia, bottle jaw and death.

The challenge? Drench resistance is becoming increasingly common. Every unnecessary drench increases selection pressure for resistant worms, making our treatments less effective over time.

So how do we drench smarter?

🪱 1️⃣ Faecal Egg Count Reduction Tests (FECRT)
A FECRT is the gold standard for determining whether your drench is actually working on your property.
We collect faecal samples before drenching, repeat them after treatment, and calculate how effectively the worm burden has been reduced.
This tells us:
✅ Whether your drench is still effective
✅ Whether resistance is developing
✅ Which drench classes still work on your farm
✅ How to build a strategic parasite control program

🐏 2️⃣ FAMACHA Scoring
Not every animal carries the same worm burden.
FAMACHA scoring assesses the colour of the lower eyelid to estimate the degree of anaemia caused by blood-sucking worms, particularly Haemonchus contortus (Barber's Pole Worm).

By identifying the animals that genuinely need treatment, we can:
✔ Drench only those individuals carrying the heaviest parasite burdens.
✔ Leave healthier animals untreated, maintaining a population of susceptible worms (refugia) that helps slow the development of resistance.
✔ Reduce drench costs.
✔ Preserve the effectiveness of the drenches we rely on.

🐑 Smarter parasite management means:
✅ Better weight gain
✅ Improved fertility
✅ Healthier lambs
✅ Increased wool production
✅ Lower treatment costs
✅ Longer-lasting drench effectiveness

Every farm has a unique parasite challenge. Combining Faecal Egg Counts, FECRTs, FAMACHA scoring and strategic grazing management allows us to tailor a parasite control program that improves both animal health and long-term farm profitability.

📞 If you'd like to assess your flock's parasite status or test whether your drenches are still working, get in touch with the team at Naturaliste Veterinary Services. We'd be happy to help you build a sustainable worm control program.

30/06/2026

🐄 Can you spot the early signs of Bovine Respiratory Disease?

This calf was diagnosed with bovine respiratory disease (BRD), one of the most common and costly diseases affecting young cattle.

By the time calves are coughing or struggling to breathe, significant lung damage may already have occurred. Early recognition and treatment are key to improving recovery and reducing long-term production losses.

🔍 Watch for these early warning signs:
• Standing away from the mob
• Reduced milk intake or appetite
• Droopy ears or head down
• Depression or lethargy
• Increased respiratory rate or effort
• Coughing
• Nasal or eye discharge
• Fever

Several factors contribute to BRD, including viruses, bacteria, stress, transport, weaning, poor ventilation, cold weather, and mixing groups of calves. Often it's a combination of these factors that allows pneumonia to develop.

Prevention is always better than treatment.
✔️ Ensure calves receive adequate high-quality colostrum.
✔️ Minimise stress during weaning and transport.
✔️ Provide good ventilation while avoiding draughts.
✔️ Maintain appropriate nutrition.
✔️ Develop a strategic vaccination program for your herd.
✔️ Isolate and treat affected calves early.

The earlier pneumonia is recognised, the better the outcome. Delayed treatment can result in permanent lung damage, slower growth rates, and reduced lifetime productivity.

If you're noticing coughing calves or think pneumonia may be circulating through your herd, contact us early. We can help diagnose the cause, implement effective treatment, and develop a prevention plan tailored to your operation.

Servicing livestock producers from Busselton to Augusta.

🐑🐄 Don't Guess When It Comes to Worms 🐄🐑One of the biggest misconceptions in livestock production is that drenching equ...
28/06/2026

🐑🐄 Don't Guess When It Comes to Worms 🐄🐑

One of the biggest misconceptions in livestock production is that drenching equals worm control.

In reality, over-drenching can accelerate drench resistance, while under-drenching can impact growth rates, fertility and production.

So what does strategic drenching actually mean?

🔍 Perform faecal egg counts before making drenching decisions.

The most useful animals to test are:
• Weaner sheep
• Weaner cattle
• Yearlings
• Any group showing poor growth or body condition

Adult animals generally develop immunity to worms and often carry lower burdens, making youngstock the most valuable group to monitor.

📅 When should faecal egg counts be performed?
• Weaners: late autumn before the break of the season
• 2 weeks after drenching to assess drench efficacy
• Whenever poor growth, scouring or ill-thrift is observed
• Before implementing a drenching program on a new property

💉 Strategic drenching may include:
• Weaner drenching at weaning if burdens are significant
• Drenching before periods of high pasture contamination
• Quarantine drenching all introduced livestock
• Using faecal egg count reduction testing to ensure your drenches are still effective

Remember, the goal isn't to eliminate every worm. The goal is to maintain production while slowing the development of drench resistance.

A faecal egg count can often save hundreds or thousands of dollars in unnecessary drenches and lost production.

If you're unsure whether your drenching program is working, contact Naturaliste Veterinary Services about faecal egg count testing and parasite management plans tailored to your farm.

Sheep
FECs are most valuable in weaners (3–12 months).
Test 10–15 animals representative of the mob.
Sample in late summer/early autumn, then again during winter/spring if growth rates are disappointing.
Consider a drench resistance test (FECRT) every 2–3 years.

Beef cattle
Worms are mainly a problem in calves and weaners under 12 months.
Test weaners at weaning and again 8–12 weeks later.
Mature cows rarely require routine drenching unless body condition is poor or stocking density is high.

Dairy
Focus on replacement heifers and first-grazing calves.
FECs in autumn and spring can help determine whether a drench is actually required.

We offer a WormCheck Program where producers submit 10 fresh dung samples from a mob and receive:
• Faecal egg count results
• Interpretation
• Drench recommendation (or recommendation not to drench)
• Follow-up testing plan

🐄 Tetanus from Marking Calves🐄Every year we see calves develop tetanus following routine marking procedures such as cast...
17/06/2026

🐄 Tetanus from Marking Calves🐄

Every year we see calves develop tetanus following routine marking procedures such as castration, dehorning or ear tagging.

Tetanus bacteria live naturally in soil and manure. When they gain access through a wound, they produce a toxin that quickly attacks the nervous system.

Affected calves may show:
▪️ Stiffness and reluctance to move
▪️ Difficulty eating or drinking
▪️ Lockjaw
▪️ Muscle spasms
▪️ Found down with their head thrown back
▪️ Sudden death

Unfortunately, by the time clinical signs appear, treatment is often unrewarding and most affected calves are humanely euthanised.

The good news? Tetanus is highly preventable.

✅ Vaccinate cows with a 5-in-1 or 7-in-1 vaccine around 4-6 weeks before calving to provide passive immunity through colostrum.
✅ Vaccinate calves with their first 5-in-1 vaccine 4–6 weeks before marking, followed by a booster at marking.
✅ Maintain annual booster vaccinations as part of your herd health program.

If you're unsure whether your current vaccination program provides adequate tetanus protection, give us a call. We're happy to help tailor a herd health plan to your operation.

🐄 Not Every Sick Calf is Sick at Birth 🐄This heifer calf appeared bright and healthy for the first 24 hours of life and ...
15/06/2026

🐄 Not Every Sick Calf is Sick at Birth 🐄

This heifer calf appeared bright and healthy for the first 24 hours of life and initially gave no cause for concern. By day two, however, she had rapidly deteriorated and was unable to stand.

On closer examination of both the cow and calf, it became apparent that the calf had never successfully nursed.

Newborn calves are born with limited energy reserves in the form of brown fat, which helps keep them warm and active during the first hours after birth. Once those reserves are depleted, calves become entirely dependent on milk intake to maintain their energy levels and blood glucose.

By the time we examined this calf, her blood sugar was critically low and she required intravenous dextrose supplementation. Dr Jonathan Wright is administering a dextrose infusion to help restore her energy levels while a feeding plan was put in place. She was also treated to protect her against failure of passive transfer as she didn’t receive colostrum in the first 24 hours and stomach tubed with the cows colostrum as even though her gut is closed to the colostrum antibodies, mums milk is still very beneficial to the gut.

This case is a good reminder that seeing a calf standing and appearing bright shortly after birth does not always mean it has successfully nursed.

During calving season, producers check:
✔️ The calf has stood and suckled within the first few hours of life
✔️ The cow has adequate milk available
✔️ The calf has a full, rounded belly after nursing
✔️ The pair have bonded appropriately
✔️ The calf remains bright and active beyond the first 24 hours

Early detection of nursing issues can be the difference between a healthy calf and a veterinary emergency.

Fortunately, after treatment and nutritional support, this little heifer was back on her feet and nursing from mum.

While a call-out for a calf may seem like a big investment, a replacement heifer can represent many thousands of dollars in future value to a business. Early intervention when calves fail to nurse can protect both animal welfare and the long-term productivity of the herd.

10/06/2026

🐄 You Can't Manage What You Don't Measure 🐄

Modern dairy farming generates an incredible amount of data.

The challenge isn't collecting it, it's knowing what to do with it.

At Naturaliste Veterinary Services, we work with dairy farms to track and analyse key herd health and production metrics so management decisions are based on facts, not guesswork.

Some of the parameters we routinely monitor include:
📊 Clinical and subclinical mastitis rates
📊 Bulk milk cell counts
📊 Transition cow disease incidence
📊 Calf morbidity and mortality
📊 Fertility performance and pregnancy rates
📊 Treatment rates and antimicrobial usage
📊 Lameness prevalence
📊 Culling rates and reasons for removal
📊 Fresh cow performance and metabolic disease trends

By benchmarking these figures over time, we can identify emerging problems before they become expensive ones.

A small increase in mastitis, a decline in conception rates, or an increase in transition cow disease may not seem significant on its own, but when multiplied across an entire herd, the financial impact can be substantial.

Our goal is simple:
✅ Improve animal health
✅ Improve production efficiency
✅ Reduce preventable losses
✅ Deliver a measurable return on investment

Veterinary services should never be viewed as a cost centre. The right herd health program should pay for itself many times over through improved productivity, reduced treatment costs and better overall herd performance.

Because good decisions start with good data.

📞 If you'd like to learn more about our Dairy Analytics and Herd Health Programs, get in touch with our farm animal team.

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Cowaramup, WA

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