19 / 20
SUMMER 2016 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
1 8
Growing Experience
It was certainly a hectic spring for us, with
both clients here in Cheshire and farmers from
home reporting that lambing went well despite
the weather. Many seem to have got on much
quicker this year, with a significant number of
triplets by all accounts! This meant we had an
even more intense March and April which
kicked off with a dramatic Easter weekend,
with the on-call vet getting 25+ calls and
needing to draft in extra help from one of the
partners. We are one vet down at the
moment, however we have been lucky to have
a great locum to take some of the strain.
The six-month testing regime we have here in
Cheshire means that a lot of our cattle farmers
try to get their TB tests done at housing and
turn-out, adding to the already heavy
workload. It’s at this time of year that we’re
even more pleased to have our dedicated TB
testers, who take the biggest and most time
consuming tests out of our hands, leaving us
free to get to all those emergency calls. But
enough about TB testing – it’s certainly not the
most exciting thing I’ve been getting up to!
The number of caesareans I have been called
to do has increased no-end since the last
article was written. I am now feeling a lot
more confident with cattle C-sections, and
doing them on sheep can be quite good fun.
The vast majority of these have been
successful, with some outstanding calves and
lambs being delivered live and kicking. There
is no more rewarding sight than a big, strong
calf standing next to you whilst you finish
stitching up its mum’s side – until it goes
stumbling into your table, sending your surgical
kit flying!
Lambing is now over and our suckler herds are
getting through calving. It’s been a great time
of year for me, with my background in sheep
and beef farming I’m really enjoying getting
out to see some of our less frequently visited
clients. As we head into the summer months
I’m hoping we can keep in touch with these
clients and see how these new arrivals have
gone on to finishing or sale. It is always nice
to see how they end up, and know that I
played a part in them getting there.
After a spring full of rain, flurries of snow and unpredictable
temperatures, it is safe to say the weather has been less than
ideal so far this year. Thankfully, now we have reached July,
we have had a much needed spell of warm, sunny weather
and rain and the grass has now grown. We can only hope
that the days of blue skies and sun during May and into June
were not the only signs of summer we see!
GRADUATE DIARY
Matt Raine
, BVMedSci BVM BVS MRCVS
Wright & Morten
About me
I graduated from Nottingham in July 2015,
and started work here in Cheshire just a
week later. Having grown up in a sheep
and beef farming family in the North
Pennines, I was always farm-focused
through my time at university. I was lucky
enough to get the job with Wright and
Morten, working in solely farm practice.
Our day-to-day work is largely dairy based,
however there is a good balance of sheep
and beef work mixed in, which I find
particularly interesting.
In September 2015 I started the XLVets Farm
Graduate Scheme which involved an
eight-day crash course for all aspects farm
vetting. This really spurred my interest in
how we can offer more to our beef and
sheep clients, as with the unpredictability of
the livestock industry there is increased need
for efficiency.
Outside of work I enjoy shooting, getting
back up to the family farm and working
my unruly cocker spaniel.