Livestock Matters - Spring 2018

Plenty of calf work: from calvings to Calf Tracker Scarsdale’s Vicki Rhodes will be further developing her interests in working with calves as the practice begins signing farmers up to the XLVets Calf Tracker scheme. GRADUATE DIARY Vicki Rhodes Scarsdale Veterinary Group About Vicki From a young age, Vicki always wanted to be a vet. She spent a lot of time working on various farms prior to gaining a place at Liverpool University to study veterinary science. After graduating in 2015, Vicki started her veterinary career with a 12-month internship at the farm animal department at University College Dublin. She then covered maternity leave at 608 Vets in Solihull, an XLVets practice. She took up her current position as large animal veterinary surgeon at Scarsdale Veterinary Group, based in Derby, in April 2017. In her spare time, Vicki enjoys breeding and showing a herd of pedigree Simmental cattle with her partner. SPRING 18 ISSUE LIVESTOCK MATTERS 2 2 Vicki is one of ten vets in Scarsdale Veterinary Group’s farm animal department. The practice’s client base is mostly mixed farms and dairy farms. It is centred in Derbyshire, but also extends across to Nottingham, up to Mansfield and down to Lichfield. Vicki explains: “We are in one of the Edge areas for TB, and so are testing herds every six months. We’ve got two TB testers, and the rest of the work is spread between the vets. Calf Tracker “I really enjoy working with calves. In my first job, at University College Dublin, I gained a lot of practice in surgical procedures in calves, especially calf hernia surgery. “I’ll be working even more with calves now that the practice is joining the XLVets Calf Tracker scheme. For example, I’ll be showing farmers how to check their colostrum quality and advising on aspects of general husbandry. “We have been encouraging the use of calf jackets, and recommending that these are worn until weaning. The farmers who have used them have been very impressed by the increased growth rates in their stock. “We already have two Vet Techs at the practice who provide a monitoring service for pneumonia in calves. They carry out regular checks using the University of Wisconsin scoring system to determine if treatment is needed or not. “After joining the Calf Tracker programme, farmers will be recommended to weigh their calves on a regular basis to monitor growth rates.” Support and learning Vicki has just gained a certificate in Dairy Herd Health. She explains: “This two-year course went into a lot more depth than my degree, and has given me a more rounded knowledge on aspects of dairy health, analysis and report writing.” Vicki also attended the XLVets Farm Graduate Development Programme which involved days spent learning key skills at several XLVets practices, along with other graduates. “It’s always good to talk to other vets, both relatively new graduates like myself and senior partners. I picked up several good tips. For instance, when called out to a calving, I now set a timer, and if we’re not making any progress after 20 minutes, we’ll carry out a C-section. “My biggest job satisfaction comes from assisting with a calving and producing a live calf and cow. Sadly this isn’t always possible, so another tip was to take photos as a morale boost for when there’s a run of ‘rubbish’ ones. There will always be times, no matter how many years I’ve been in practice, when nature is just against us.” “I think, wherever you work, it’s important to have a good supportive team around you, and I’ve certainly got that here.”