3 ANIMAL ISSUES AFTER A DROUGHT

•IF YOU have a swamp, slow-moving streams or drains on your block, your stock are more at risk of infection by a parasite called liver fluke. It’s widespread through NZ, but the north of the North Island, the West Coast of the South Island are particularly affected. This parasite spends 1-3 months of its lifecycle in a snail host near slow-moving bodies of water, and then up to three months in an animal which means infections are most commonly seen in autumn and early winter. Talk to your vet about the best options and check your livestock (or a representative sample) daily, especially for signs of anaemia, eg pale membranes in the eyelid, pale gums, and depression. Diagnosing liver fluke requires specific tests – talk to your vet – and can also cause the often deadly black disease.