NCVC Sheep & Beef

Call Directions Website Contact the business

NCVC Sheep & Beef Est. 1954 North Canterbury Veterinary Clinics is a mixed-practice veterinary company that has four clinics throughout Hurunui District, NZ.

North Canterbury Veterinary Clinics (NCVC) provides veterinary services from our clinics at Amberley, Cheviot, Culverden, and Waikari, delivering care and innovation to dairy, sheep & beef, lifestyle farmers, equine and companion animal owners. We have a team of vets dedicated to sheep and beef production animals and take pride in supporting farmers to achieve their animal health goals. Amberley - 8:30 to 5:30 (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), 8:30 to 7:00 (Tuesday and Thursday), 8:30 to 4:00 (Saturday), 10:00 to 4:00 (Sunday). Culverden & Waikari - 8:30 to 5:30 Monday to Friday. Cheviot - 8:00 to 5:00 Monday to Friday,
All clinics have 24 hour emergency large animal cover. Please phone the clinic and follow instructions to contact the duty vet.

NCVC Top Tip!Multine Vs Ultravac – they both cover the main 5 clostridial diseases and can come with B12 +/- selenium, b...
23/09/2026

NCVC Top Tip!
Multine Vs Ultravac – they both cover the main 5 clostridial diseases and can come with B12 +/- selenium, but remember:
• Multine = 2ml dose for sheep
• Ultravac = 1ml dose for sheep
Only the plain version of Ultravac and the Multine plain and B12 versions are licensed for cattle, and the dose rates are:
• Multine = 2ml for cattle UNDER 4 months, and 4mls for cattle OVER 4 months
• Ultravac = 2ml for cattle
Animals need 2 injections 4-6 weeks apart to be fully protected.

BVD is a common cause of reproductive failure in both beef and dairy herds.Heifer mating is coming up, and it’s a great ...
21/09/2026

BVD is a common cause of reproductive failure in both beef and dairy herds.
Heifer mating is coming up, and it’s a great time to check that you are not introducing any BVD carrier animals, also known as Persistently Infected (PI) animals, into the herd as heifer replacements.
We can do this through a simple screening test that measures BVD antibody levels. If there has been, or is, a PI animal in the tested mob, we would expect a large number of cattle to have recovered from infection and have high antibody levels against the virus. If antibody levels are high, we may need additional individual animal tests to make sure there are no PI’s in the mob. This testing is best done before the first BVD vaccination.
There is also some good news: we can do this testing very cheaply through the M.bovis testing scheme. MPI will cover visit fees, blood collection, and mileage, and you only pay the additional lab fees for BVD testing!
Please call your NCVC vet to discuss which tests and timing are best for you and your heifers

Needle sizes are important when administering injections to your animals. The guidelines are as follows:• Young lambs at...
17/09/2026

Needle sizes are important when administering injections to your animals. The guidelines are as follows:
• Young lambs at tailing for under-the-skin injections = 1/4 inch 18 gauge needle
• Adult sheep for under skin injections = 3/8 inch 18 gauge needle
• Adult ewes in the muscle injections = 1/2 inch 18 gauge needle
Exceptions apply when using long-acting iodine injections (Depodine and Flexidine), which may need a larger-gauge needle (bigger hole) since they go into the muscle = 1/2 inch 16 gauge needle.

A team of staff from across our clinics entered the Kaikoura Whale Run last weekend and, as running enthusiasts, were pl...
11/09/2026

A team of staff from across our clinics entered the Kaikoura Whale Run last weekend and, as running enthusiasts, were pleased with their results in their respective age groups.
Left to right: Zena (Sheep & Beef Animal Health Rep) - 21 km Run; Robert (Amberley Clinic Coordinator) - 12 km Run; Nicky (Culverden Clinic Coordinator) - 12 km Run; and not in photos: Andrew, NCVC's General Manager, who did the 5km run.
Great stuff team, we are proud of you all!!

Are you having to administer pain relief at tailing? If so, you should have already had a discussion with your vet about...
08/09/2026

Are you having to administer pain relief at tailing?

If so, you should have already had a discussion with your vet about what product you are going to use this season – local anaesthesia or meloxicam.
There have been reported cases of adverse events in lambs given meloxicam at tailing. Adverse events reported to date have primarily involved underweight or compromised lambs, often with overestimated age and standardised dosing (e.g. all lambs receiving a 0.5mL dose). In these cases, concurrent dehydration or existing illness likely contributed to poor outcomes.
Therefore, it is important to weigh some lambs before you start to get an idea of the range of weights and what dose rates are suitable. A recent study found weights ranged across farms from 4.5kg to 28kg at tailing, so a standardised dose rate may not be suitable. If you do have some very small lambs, they may need to get a smaller dose. Don’t just assume they are all 10kg and dose all with 0.5mls.
You could start by picking up and tailing/treating the smaller lambs first at a lower dose rate. Then pick out the bigger lambs in the pen, and increase the dose rate for them next.
Remember the dose rate is 1ml per 20kg of live weight!
Overdosing lambs can lead to kidney damage and death of the lamb.
Lambs who are dehydrated – so separated from mum for a while during tailing/mustering are at higher risk of kidney damage associated with meloxicam.
To ensure lambs are mothering up within a few hours after tailing, leave them in a smaller paddock/area after tailing to sort themselves out before letting them go back to a bigger area. Lambs who take longer to mother up don’t get a drink of milk and therefore can become dehydrated – this can lead to an increased risk of kidney damage and death after a treatment with meloxicam.
Monitoring lambs for 5-7 days after tailing is extremely important to ensure no adverse events occur. Any unusual number of deaths MUST be reported immediately to a vet.

A Coat Can HelpMany people assume working dogs don't need coats, but even tough dogs can become chilled after a long, we...
02/09/2026

A Coat Can Help
Many people assume working dogs don't need coats, but even tough dogs can become chilled after a long, wet day. A well-fitting waterproof or insulated coat can:
• Reduce the energy needed to stay warm.
• Improve recovery after work.
• Be especially helpful for older dogs, lean dogs, puppies and short-coated breeds.
The best time to use a coat is after work, once your dog has cooled down slightly.

Scabby mouth vaccine. Make sure your technique is correct:The vaccine uses a wire applicator to create a scratch in the ...
26/08/2026

Scabby mouth vaccine.
Make sure your technique is correct:
The vaccine uses a wire applicator to create a scratch in the skin. These are usually given in the thigh or axilla [armpits] at tailing; they should be deep enough to scratch through the skin surface but not draw blood.

Bearings seem to be very seasonal, and the cause of them is multifactorial, so not just one thing is to blame. However, ...
24/08/2026

Bearings seem to be very seasonal, and the cause of them is multifactorial, so not just one thing is to blame. However, we do tend to see more bearings in a year where the ewes are in better condition, and there has been more feed around in the lead-up to lambing --- i.e. this season.
Although we still do not have a one-shot miracle to stop bearings, we have, however, had some good success in treating bearings – or at least reducing the number of ewes who, once replaced, pop those bearings back out- by giving the ewes an anti-inflammatory injection.
As you can imagine, popping a bearing out causes swelling and is quite painful. By giving an anti-inflammatory, we have found this reduces the swelling and also helps make the ewe more comfortable once it is replaced. This has then resulted in fewer ewes continually pushing and popping the bearing out again.
Recommended treatment for bearing:
• Euthanasia is valid for ewes with bearings, especially if the tissue is damaged or now dark in colour, suggesting it has lost blood supply.

• If you choose to treat a bearing:
- Make sure it is clean – so gently clean by pouring warm clean water over the tissue, removing debris and faeces.
- Lubricate and replace – Use lubricant to gently replace the tissue.
- Retention – apply your retention device, such as a spoon or harness to secure the bearing.
- Medication – Administer meloxicam (anti-inflammatory) and antibiotics

Lambing kit essentials:• Meloxicam – anti-inflammatory for bearings and ewes you needed to help lamb• Penicillin• Glucal...
20/08/2026

Lambing kit essentials:
• Meloxicam – anti-inflammatory for bearings and ewes you needed to help lamb
• Penicillin
• Glucalphos – for down ewes
• Ketol/headstart/triplemix – oral solution for down ewes
• Clean examination gloves
• Lubrication
• Dextrose – for comatose lambs
• Retaining devices for bearings – harness or spoons
• Marker spray – to mark a ewe you may want to keep an eye on or retreive

Transport Veterinary certificatesWhen you think you need a certificate for an animal to go to the works, here are a few ...
17/08/2026

Transport Veterinary certificates
When you think you need a certificate for an animal to go to the works, here are a few things to remember:
• An animal can only travel to the nearest works if it is issued a vet cert – so make sure that is where you are sending them (i.e. Belfast or Malvern)
• A vet cert is only valid for a maximum of 7 days after the vet has examined the animal
• If the vet needs to discuss the case with the MPI vet, it may take a few days to get this sorted – so try not to book the vet out to do the cert the day before/day of the transport date. Ideally book the vet in 7-5 days before they are due to go.
• Therefore to make this work, make sure you have the animal booked in at the nearest works before you ring up for an appointment.
• The vet may need to examine the animal up close, not just from a distance, so ideally have the animal in the yards to make this easier and quicker – if you have to move the animal to the yards for us – you get charged for the time it takes. So save yourself money.

Address

1 Osborne Road
Amberley
7441

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 7pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 7pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Saturday 8:30am - 12:30pm

Telephone

+64 3-314 8612

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when NCVC Sheep & Beef posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to NCVC Sheep & Beef:

Shortcuts

Share

Category