For Cattle you need to be thinking about housing doses as the cattle come off pasture for the winter. Ideally there will be an animal health plan in place for the farm and worm egg counts will have been done so that the farmer knows what parasites need to be treated with and when. External parasites later in the season will also be a potential nuisance for the livestock as well and many of the treatments will treat both internal and external parasites.
You will need to know what products your company is purchasing for what problems and remember all manufactures are on hand to assist with any queries that you may have with their products.
For sheep as the ewes go in for tupping the use of mineral bolus and drenches are becoming more and more popular every season and there are some very high spec products now available to help obtain the best results from the farm stock.
Good hoof health is vital at this time and footrot vaccines and good hoof care is a vital part of the management routine.
As the lambs go to market the worming programme will change and again faecal egg counts will indicate what product will need to be used on the flock. Ewes too will need to be treated for worms to be in optimum health as they go to the ram.
Remember to ask the customer how many animals are going to be treated, the weight of the animal and if they are treating lambs to be mindful of the withdrawal period. For optimum benefit the animals must not be under dosed and the risk of anthelmintic resistance must never be underestimated.
Exciting Products:
Zolvix is top of the list! It’s been released from a veterinary only product and now enabling qualified SQP’s to sell this remarkable product whilst also giving farmers a choice of supplier.
Zolvix gives us the chance to discuss resistance to farmers and relate it to their flock, emphasising the importance of good flock health.
Furthermore, it is vital to be able to have an open discussion about farm protection with a quarantine dose, the chance to use it for a mid to late season clear out dose with lambs and on farms with known resistance.
Advice for SQP’s :-
A few trade secrets would be to make a seasonal chart to remind yourself what to order in and when, this will help with planning and stock management throughout the year.
Another key element to remember when offering advice, is to ask questions when serving your customers, concentrate on the right product for the problem and help them to make the correct choice for their unique situation.