Stef Knaack: Keeping animals happy in the wet

When I sat down to write this article earlier in the week, Mother Nature appeared to be in one of those moods.

First earthquakes rattled the entire country, then the heavens opened up and it poured down with rain ...

So my focus today is wet weather and what to watch out for with your farm animals during this rather moist time of year.

The first health problem that springs to mind is footrot, which is essentially an infection of the soft skin between the claws of cattle, goats and sheep following prolonged exposure to wet mud.

The cracks that form in the skin allow bacteria to enter and animals become lame on one or more feet. Prompt treatment is essential and often antibiotics are needed to resolve the infection, along with pain relief and topical "foot baths".

Always make sure your goats, sheep and cattle have a space of dry ground available. Goats especially like to climb, so consider piles of concrete or stones or even climbing frames and the roof of a goat house for them to scale.

Another issue with the torrential rain is feed quality and feed intake. Animals tend to eat less when sheltering from the weather, and quality and nutrition of the grass deteriorates, leading to weight loss and malnutrition.

Consider supplemental feeding of baleage, silage, grain based feeds (although gradually introduce these to avoid stomach problems), to keep your farm animals' energy levels up.

The third problem with this insane amount of rain, especially in conjunction with earthquakes, is the risk of slips and washouts in the paddocks that can pose a physical danger to our livestock.

Keep animals in flat paddocks with secure shelters available, away from drains. And avoid low lying paddocks that can flood also. Young stock are at particular risk of drowning.

So remember your lifestyle and farm animals in these conditions. They all appreciate some TLC, safety and good feed.

- For more information or advice, please don't hesitate to contact your vets at Levin & Horowhenua Vets on 368-2891.

- Stef Knaack (BVSc) is a veterinarian at Levin & Horowhenua Vets.