Liver copper concentration dynamics with different methods of injectable copper supplementation in dairy cows in New Zealand.

Aims: To compare the responses of liver Cu concentrations in dairy cows between three forms of injectable Cu supplementation and a negative control group.

Methods: Across two dairy farms in North Canterbury, New Zealand, 80 mid-lactation dairy cows (n = 28 and 52 per farm) were randomly allocated to four treatment groups: (a) 100-mg or (b) 200-mg dose of Cu administered as Ca Cu EDTA; (c) 75-mg dose of Cu as disodium Cu EDTA combined with Se, Zn, and Mn; or (d) no treatment (negative control). Each treatment group contained 20 cows.

The effect of three different preservatives on the numbers and types of bacteria, Brix percentage, pH and nutritional composition of bovine colostrum sourced from New Zealand dairy farms.

Aims: To investigate the effect of preservation by addition of yoghurt starter, potassium sorbate and citric acid on counts of aerobic bacteria, spp., and coliforms, Brix percentage, pH, protein, fat and anhydrous lactose concentrations at 0, 7 and 14 days after collection for colostrum stored at ambient temperature.

Method: Approximately 2 L of first milking colostrum was collected from 10 farms in the Waikato region.

The prevalence of damaged tails in New Zealand dairy cattle.

Aims: To undertake a survey of the prevalence of tail deviations, trauma and shortening on a representative selection of New Zealand dairy farms, and to assess whether sampling based on milking order could be used instead of random sampling across the herd to estimate prevalence.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study, with 200 randomly selected farms enrolled across nine regions of New Zealand via selected veterinary practices (one/region). Veterinary clinics enrolled 20-25 farms each depending on region, with 1-2 trained technicians scoring per region.

Randomized, noninferiority trial evaluating the efficacy of a novel teat sealant in pasture grazed dairy cows.

The intramammary infusion at the end of lactation of a bismuth subnitrate internal teat sealant (ITS), with no antibiotic component has been shown to be an effective means of reducing new intramammary infections over the dry period. There has, however, been very few comparative studies between different brands of ITS under grazed pasture conditions. The objectives of this study were, therefore, to determine if a new bismuth subnitrate internal teal sealant (ShutOut, MSD Animal Health) was noninferior to Teatseal (Zoetis) regarding end-points such as (a) detection of the ITS product after calving, (b) clinical mastitis during the dry period and early lactation, and (c) subclinical mastitis at 30 to 60 d in milk.

Investigating the use of local nerve blocks and general anaesthesia in reducing pain during and after disbudding procedure in goat kids.

The aim of this study was to compare the pain responses (as measured by noise and movement) during administration of local anaesthetic and during and after disbudding in goat kids. Eighty, seven- to ten-day-old, Saanen goat kids from one farm were enrolled and randomly assigned to one of four different methods of pain relief. Twenty kids had local anaesthetic (LA) applied at two sites per horn bud (LA group), 20 kids had LA applied to the two locations using a jet injector (JI group) and 20 kids were given a general anaesthetic (GA) using a combination of 0.