Eltham Vet Service

04/05/2026

Spores for this week 4th May 2026

29/04/2026

Hi everyone! I’m Paige, the newest member of the Eltham Vets Customer Care team. I’m born and bred in the Naki and have been dairy farming in Riverlea for the past five and a half years. In my free time you’ll find me spending time with friends and family, out walking, at home in my craft room or spending time with my flock of birds. I’m really excited about this new opportunity and, while I know quite a few faces already, I’m excited to meet plenty of new ones too.

29/04/2026

We’ve seen spore levels drop with the colder weather, which is encouraging. That said, it’s important to keep treating until your farm’s spore count is below 10,000. We also recommend doing your own spore counts so you can keep a close eye on what’s happening, as levels can still rise again during warmer days.
Once your spore counts are consistently at or below 10,000 for three weeks in a row, and temperatures remain cool, you can consider stopping zinc treatment.

23/04/2026

21/04/2026

We have had high amounts of animals showing clinical signs lately of FE. I see more spores on grass samples with more dry matter so this is a warning if your animals are eating down to lower levels that they are at risk of ingesting toxic spores. Do not stop treating- base decisions on our flow chart on when to stop treating with zinc.

13/04/2026

Spore counts are again variable this week post the weekends rain, and we expect them to rise again with the warm weather and extra moisture around. There are some reports of mild clinical signs from our farmers. For every one animal with skin signs, it is estimated that at least 10 more have liver disease and loss of milk production. One of our farms seeing a few cows with FE signs is the Mahoe monitor farm which shows low counts this week. This is a reminder to monitor spores on your own farm and do not stop treating at this stage. Other areas are seeing very high spore counts.

07/04/2026

Facial Eczema Monitoring Weekly Report 07/04/2026

02/04/2026

Be careful with Easter treats around your pets!

30/03/2026

As expected with the recent rains and humid temperatures, spore counts have risen and are at dangerous levels in some aeras. Make sure you continue treating at maximum rates. Don't get caught with a late season facial eczema outbreak causing welfare issues, a drop in production and other potentially long-term health effects.

23/03/2026

Great news, spore counts are looking stable this week. Continue your current management practices and always feel free to contact the clinic if you have any questions.