Amethi Vets

16/09/2026

🐑 Flystrike in Sheep: Recommended Treatment

Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen several cases of flystrike in our sheep patients. With fly activity continuing to be a concern, we thought it would be helpful to revisit the recommended approach to treating affected sheep.

If you find a sheep with flystrike:

🪰Clip the affected area
Carefully clip the wool away from the affected area, extending until you reach healthy, unaffected tissue. This allows the full extent of the strike and any underlying wounds to be assessed.

🪰Thoroughly clean the area
Remove all visible maggots and contaminated material. Gently clean the affected area using a suitable, appropriately diluted antiseptic solution, such as iodine.

🪰Treat the wound
Depending on the severity and extent of the wound, topical and/or systemic antibiotics may be required. Please contact us for advice if you are unsure what treatment is appropriate.

🪰Manage pain and inflammation
Anti-inflammatory medication should be given to help control pain and inflammation in the affected area.

🪰Prevent further flystrike
Once the sheep has been treated, use appropriate preventative fly repellents or insecticides. It is also important to address any underlying risk factors that may have contributed to the strike, such as dagging.

🪰Watch for signs of systemic illness
Severe flystrike can cause significant illness. If the sheep is showing signs of shock, weakness, collapse, severe lethargy, or other signs of systemic illness, please contact us to arrange a visit as soon as possible.

⚠️ Flystrike can progress rapidly, so early identification and treatment are essential.

11/09/2026

Please join Rachel and Alex in wishing Roxie a very happy birthday! 🥳🎉

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank her for everything she does for us, and especially for creating Amethi into a workplace that we are both incredibly proud to be part of and genuinely enjoy coming to every day.

You’ve created an environment where we can flourish as vets while always feeling supported by our amazing team of girl power! 💪🏼💚

We hope you have a wonderful birthday, Roxie, and enjoy your time away celebrating with friends and family. You deserve it!

Lots of love,
Rachel & Alex xx

02/09/2026

Happy Birthday to our Amazing Rachel!!

Unfortunately our clients have gifted you with a ton of poo samples on this glorious day, but no doubt they will be done with a massive smile!

We can’t believe it’s been nearly a year since you joined Team Amethi and are so greatful for everything you do to keep the team ticking along!! 💜

01/09/2026

An interesting read in addition to our post last week about ram fertility following the summer we have had! 📖

Guidelines on the examination of rams for breeding – a BTV update from The Sheep Veterinary Society...

• In order to achieve conception rates in excess of 85% of ewes in the first cycle ram health and fertility must be optimal.

• Bluetongue virus (BTV) replicates in the testicles in infected rams, causing significant impact on s***m production. This is in addition to the general effects on fertility of the high temperature and blood vessel damage making animals unwell.

• Rams do eventually recover s***m production but their fertility for the coming season is expected to be very poor.

• The time taken for s***m to develop is 50 days and recovery of breeding soundness after BTV infection is considered to be up to 100 days therefore there are long lasting impacts on ram fertility for the current season.

• Ram MOTs and electro-ejaculation (EEJ) should only be carried out by those trained and competent in the techniques.

• Given the ongoing risk to fertility, unvaccinated ram assessment should happen as close to mating as possible to be useful at the time of mating but sufficiently in advance that alternative
ram power can be sought if necessary.

• However, please be aware that BTV infection after a successful ram MOT test can still impact fertility, making vigilance and vaccination essential.

• Vigilance should include checking for clinical signs in all animals daily, using raddle on rams to detect returning ewes and scanning early.

• The standard advice remains that every ram should be physically examined every year (however
note that this does not necessarily mean that EEJ should be included).

• It is not considered acceptable to perform EEJ on any ram that fails the first stage of a ram MOT and no ram should be condemned on the basis of an single unsuccessful EEJ.

This information is made available with thanks to Sheep Veterinary Society

26/08/2026

🐏☀️ Did This Summer’s Heatwave Affect Your Rams’ Fertility?

We don’t know about you, but we really struggled working through the heatwaves this summer! 🥵 But have you ever considered the effects those high temperatures may have had on your animals’ productivity?

Many of our sheep farmers will soon be thinking about tupping and giving their rams their pre-tupping MOT. However, one thing you won’t be able to assess externally is your ram’s fertility.

☀️ Heat stress can occur at temperatures consistently over 25°C.
When this happens, the sc***um may struggle to reduce the temperature of the testicles below normal body temperature. That cooler temperature is important for healthy s***m development.

So, what are the consequences?
Heat stress can result in:
- Lower s***m concentration
- Decreased s***m motility
- Higher rates of abnormal s***m morphology
- Reduced s***m viability

⏳ However, the impact on fertility won’t be immediate!
The s***m cycle takes approximately 60–65 days to reach full maturity. This means the effects of a summer heatwave may not become apparent until around two months later.

Does this coincide with when you were planning to put your rams in? If so, what can you do now?

As we see it, you have a few options:
1️⃣ Do nothing – Go ahead with tupping as planned and accept the possible outcome (extended lambing season, higher number of barren ewes, lower scanning percentage).
2️⃣ Increase the ram-to-ewe ratio – Put more rams out with the ewes than usual to compensate for lower individual fertility.
3️⃣ Delay tupping – Giving your rams more time for healthy s***m production and recovery.
4️⃣ Fertility test your rams – Include fertility testing as part of their pre-tupping MOT to assess their current fertility before turning them out.

🐏 If you’d like to discuss your individual flock and tupping plan with us, please feel free to get in touch. We’d be happy to help you make the best plan for your flock.

Likewise, if you’d like to arrange a fertility test on your ram then please get in touch to get it booked in! We have attached below full details of what is involved ⬇⬇⬇

24/08/2026

This summer has brought with it more than one battle for farmers. As well as Bluetongue Virus, we have also been struck by drought, resulting in many people having to dip into their winter feed.

As well as being concerned about whether our animals have enough to eat, there is another risk to consider. When grass is short, hungry cattle and sheep may begin grazing on bitter or unpalatable plants that they would normally ignore, some of which can be highly toxic - But are you confident identifying them?

In Cornwall, some of the toxic plants we may encounter include:

🌱 Hemlock Water-Dropwort (Oenanthe crocata)
Highly prevalent across West Cornwall along watercourses and ditches. Livestock may venture into boggy areas in search of green growth and bite into the highly toxic roots, also known as “dead man's fingers”. These contain a powerful neurotoxin that attacks the central nervous system.

🌱 Hemlock (Conium maculatum)
Commonly found in Cornish hedgerows and field margins and recognised by its purple-spotted stems. Livestock will often avoid its unpleasant smell when grass is plentiful but may graze it out of desperation. It also contains potent neurotoxins.

🌱 Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
Bracken blankets extensive areas of Cornish moorland and rough hill ground. If pasture grass becomes scarce, cattle and sheep may eat the green fronds in summer or rhizomes in winter, potentially causing severe illness, including bone marrow suppression resulting in depleting blood cells.

🌱 Common Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris)
Widely seen on dry pasture and coastal clifftops across the county. While generally unpalatable when fresh, a severe lack of grass may push livestock to eat it, potentially leading to irreversible liver damage.

🌱 Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
A familiar native wildflower found in Cornish hedgerows, woods and banks. While incredibly bitter, desperate livestock may take a bite, introducing potentially lethal cardiac glycosides into their system.

🌱 Rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum)
Often spreads into pastures from old Cornish country estate gardens or woodland margins. It remains green year-round, which can make it tempting to hungry livestock when fields turn brown. As well as causing neurological and cardiovascular signs, rhododendron is the only cause of true vomiting in ruminants.

🌱 Oak (Quercus spp.)
Found along old hedgerows and wooded borders. Hungry livestock may seek out fallen leaves and green acorns, which can cause severe kidney damage.

Signs to look out for include:
⚠️ Excessive drooling: Heavy salivation or frothing.
⚠️ Digestive upset: Severe diarrhoea (sometimes bloody), abdominal pain, bloating or unusual vomiting.
⚠️ Neurological distress: Muscle tremors, staggering, incoordination (ataxia), head pressing or seizures.
⚠️ Breathing difficulties: Shortness of breath, rapid breathing, gasping or respiratory paralysis.
⚠️ Unexplained sudden death.

🚨 If you notice any combination of these signs, please remove all animals from the current grazing and give us a call immediately.

With grass becoming increasingly scarce, now is a good time to take a careful look around your fields, hedgerows and boundaries. Being able to identify potentially toxic plants could make all the difference. 🐄🐑🌿

20/08/2026

💉 Bluetongue Virus (BTV) Vaccine Update

Following the recent outbreak of BTV across the South West, there has been a huge increase in demand for vaccination. This has placed significant pressure on vaccine production and supply.

Like many farm practices, we are currently experiencing an increased wait time on securing enough vaccine to meet all of our clients' requests.

We have back-ordered enough vaccine to cover everyone who has requested it. Unfortunately, at this stage, we have no guarantee of when the vaccine will arrive.

We would, however, like to reassure you that we are keeping an up-to-date list of all requests, including the date each request was made, so that we can ensure vaccines are allocated fairly.

We are also planning to split bottles where possible, helping us make sure every available dose is used and that no vaccine is wasted. This may at times require some cooperation from you as once opened the vaccine needs to be used within 10 hours. As this is a prescription-only medicine, splitting bottles must be organised and carried out by us. Please do not coordinate shared bottles between yourselves.

We promise that we will contact you as soon as your doses are available for collection. We really appreciate your patience and understanding while we navigate this challenging situation and work to ensure everyone's needs are met as fairly as possible.

Thank you for your continued support. 💚💚💚

14/08/2026

📞 A quick message to our clients on the the best way to contact us:

We really appreciate that many of our clients send us a text or WhatsApp when their enquiry is non-urgent. This helps to keep our phone line free for animals who need urgent attention.

However, if your animal is sick, injured, or you think they may need to be seen the same day, please call us.

While we do our best to monitor texts and WhatsApp messages, they aren't always seen as quickly as phone calls. Due to the logistics of passing the phone between us, calls can sometimes be forwarded to another team member to ensure that they are answered. Texts, WhatsApp messages, and WhatsApp calls cannot be forwarded and so may not be seen as quickly.

📸 Photos and videos are often really helpful, but if you're sending them about a poorly or injured animal, please give us a call as well so we can make sure your message is seen promptly.

💚Thank you for helping us provide the best care for your animals💚

03/08/2026

🦟 Bluetongue Virus (BTV) – Please Don't Wait to Act

By now you've probably heard a lot about Bluetongue Virus (BTV) in the news, with the disease rapidly approaching West Cornwall.

From the experiences of our veterinary colleagues in North Cornwall and Devon, it is clear that this year's outbreak has been more severe than last year. More animals have been affected within individual flocks and herds, and there has been an increase in sudden deaths in sheep.

As BTV is spread by biting midges, and with current weather conditions favouring their activity, they are expected to remain active until at least January.

Unfortunately, we have to assume that it is only a matter of time before we are in a similar situation. That's why we are encouraging our clients to plan ahead and act now.

💉 Vaccination
Bluetongue is caused by a virus, meaning there is no specific treatment once animals become infected. We can only provide supportive care to help affected animals recover.

We do, however, have a vaccine available. Protection takes around three weeks to develop, so if you are planning to vaccinate, please don't wait until cases are on our doorstep.

🐑 Sheep
Sheep have experienced the greatest losses during recent outbreaks, so we would strongly encourage vaccination for sheep and other small ruminants, including goats.

• Single injection under the skin from 3 months of age, followed by an annual booster
• We will coordinate vaccine bottle sharing wherever possible to help reduce costs.

If you'd like to be included in a bottle share, please contact us as soon as possible, as groups are filling up quickly.

🐄 Cattle
To date, disease in cattle has generally been less severe. However, infection can still result in significant production losses, particularly through reduced milk yields and decreased fertility. For this reason, we recommend prioritising breeding stock for vaccination.

• Two injections given three weeks apart, followed by an annual booster
• From 2 months of age
• Full protection is achieved three weeks after the second dose

As immunity takes longer to develop in cattle, early planning is even more important.

⚠️ Bluetongue is a Notifiable Disease
If you suspect Bluetongue, it is a legal requirement to report it to DEFRA on 03000 200 301. Reporting suspected cases also allows us to arrange DEFRA-funded testing to confirm the disease for up to three animals showing clinical signs.

Please note that due to the high number of cases currently being investigated, laboratory results are taking up to two weeks, meaning the published maps of confirmed cases are likely to lag behind the true situation.

Clinical signs to look out for:
🦠 Ulcers or sores in the mouth and nose
🦠 Swelling of the lips, tongue, head, neck or coronary band (where the skin meets the hoof)
🦠 Fever
🦠 Lameness
🦠 Abortions, stillbirths or foetal deformities
🦠 Deaths in newborn calves and lambs
🦠 Sudden death in sheep

If you have any concerns or suspect Bluetongue in your animals, please contact us immediately.

We're here to support you through these uncertain times, answer your questions, and help you make the best decisions for the health of your flock or herd.

28/07/2026

Better late than never...! 😅

It's been a very busy few weeks for us, which is very unusual for farm vets during summer, so we're only just getting around to our Stithians Show roundup!

First things first...a moment of silence for our poor gazebo, which put up a brave fight against the Cornish wind before dramatically calling it a day! Thankfully, that didn't stop us from having a fantastic time. A huge thank you to our clients who helped us quickly and safely dismantle it 🙏.

It was brilliant to catch up with so many friends, clients and familiar faces away from the farm for a change. Thank you to everyone who came to say hello, had a go at Wet the Vet, and bought raffle tickets.

Thanks to your amazing support, we raised an incredible £400, meaning we'll be donating £200 to each of our chosen charities. 👏💚💜 RABI and Kidney Research UK

One last thing… we still have a few raffle prizes sitting in the office looking a little unloved! 👀 If you think one of them might be yours, please get in touch and we'll make sure it's waiting for you.

Thanks again to everyone who made the day such a success, we're already looking forward to next year (hopefully with a gazebo that's a little less adventurous! 😉).