Services

We have a range of facilities to ensure we can provide the highest quality of care

Delaware Veterinary Group has been serving the farming and dairy communities around Somerset for over 100 years.

Our team of farm vets includes three members with additional qualifications in cattle health and reproduction to provide a high level of service to our farm clients.

We also strive to keep up to date with the latest research in the farming industry to ensure the service and advice we offer is on cutting edge of latest developments.

At Delaware, we aim to provide our clients with the highest level of service and expertise. Three members of the farm animal team have gained extra qualifications in cattle health and reproduction and together with our emphasis on team work helps us to deliver this aim.

We believe a proactive approach to fertility management and disease prevention is essential for a healthy, efficient and profitable herd.

Tech Services; affordable solution for stock management and labour shortages

Routine Fertility Visits

Herd Health Planning

Dairy Youngstock Monitoring

OV Services

In House Laboratory

Medicines ordering/delivery

Emergency service

  • Tech Services
  • Routine Health & Fertility Services
  • Herd Health Planning
  • Youngstock
  • Foot Trimming
  • OV Services
  • In-House Laboratory
  • Mastitis
  • Lameness
  • Large Animal Hospital
  • Sheep

Tech Services

Affordable solutions for stock management and labour shortages including:

  • Youngstock; Disbudding / Vaccinations / Weighing
  • Lameness; Foot trimming / Mobility scoring
  • TB testing
  • Herd & Flock treatments / sample collection

Routine Health & Fertility Services

  • Regular herd visits
  • Accurate Pregnancy diagnosis with latest ultrasound scanners
  • Diagnosis & Treatment of ‘non bullers’
  • Health screening
  • Nutrition advice
  • Bull Fertility Testing
  • Record Keeping
  • Data Analysis – measure manage and monitor

Herd Health Planning

Herd Health planning is an essential tool for all farms to prevent losses through disease and poor production. It has become a key requirement for Farm Assurance schemes, which are is now mandatory for most producers.

We use www.myhealthyherd.com as our Health Planner of choice which meets the requirements of the Red Tractor.

Youngstock

Youngstock are the future of your herd. Investing in your rearing system will allow for an improved quality of your herd. In order to see these results, it is important to follow a structured and goal orientated approach; which will support a continuous progression of your herd.

Blood sampling to measure colostrum administration success and regular weighing of your calves can be used to produce a tailored report, which can highlight any areas requiring improvement. A member of our Vet Tech team will be able to gather the information needed to produce the report, and alongside the advice of a vet, we will be able to adapt an action plan in correlation with the results.

Our Vet Tech team are also able to carry out Stress-free disbudding, under the guidance of a Vet. Stress-free disbudding involves sedation of the calf, which reduces the risk of injury and stress. Research shows that the Daily Live Weight Gain (DLWG) of calves after being disbudded using sedation was greater than those disbudded without sedation. During this procedure, we are also able to check (and remove) any supernumerary teats, and perform any vaccinations.

For any extra information regarding our Youngstock Services, please contact: youngstock@delawarevets.co.uk or by phoning the office on 01963 350307.

Services Provided

  • Colostrum management
  • Feeding advice
  • Worming programmes
  • Health planning
  • Age at first calving reports
  • Paraprofessionals (assistance with disbudding etc)

Foot Trimming

Lameness is a major issue that affects every farm to a greater or lesser extent. By making improvements to lameness levels it will help to improve cow health with the added benefits of increased production, decreased culling rates and profits for you. It covers many conditions: some are caused by infection, and some by physical and management factors. Understanding the types of lameness present, coupled with a structured approach to tackle the underlying causes, is required to tackle lameness effectively.

Chris Watts, Giles Turner & Phillip Bath together offer a unique, professional foot trimming service which is fully supported by veterinary advice and, if needed, practical assistance. Giles joined Delaware in 2009, and has been foot trimming since 1994 whilst working as a herdsman and has since acquired a Diploma in cattle foot trimming. Chris joined the Delaware farm animal team in 2012 and has been involved with dairy cattle since 1982 when he qualified with a HND in agriculture. Chris recently completed a four day professional Dutch foot trimming course under the tutelage of world lameness expert Pieter Kloosterman. Phillip Bath joined in 2018 and has extensive experience as a herdsman for many years.

If you feel this service would be beneficial to you, please feel free to contact us so we can arrange a package to meet your specific requirements. At the practice we offer the DairyCo Healthy Feet Programme. The programme aims to help dairy farmers reduce the number of lame cows on their farms by identifying and applying the right management techniques.

Giles, Chris & Phil are trained in mobility scoring and use the latest software to collect the data.

Delaware Vet Group run regular foot trimming courses for herdsmen and farm workers, covering the theory of the Dutch 5 step method, lesion recognition and treatment. The theory is then backed up with on farm practical sessions with our foot trimmers.

OV Services

OV Services include:

  • Product exports
  • TB testing
  • TBAS

In-House Laboratory

  • Ovacyte parasite testing
  • Sick cow profile
  • Ketone testing
  • Passive transfer monitoring

Mastitis

Lameness

Our services to help manage the risk of lameness in your farm animals includes:

  • Mobility Scoring
  • Hoof Action Plans
  • Foot Trimming by one of our experienced foot trimmers

Large Animal Hospital

We have a purpose built large animal centre on site at Castle Cary, with a drive-through breezeway for easy loading and unloading.

  • In the Don Collick Large Animal Unit we have “knock-down” facilities and stocks for all surgical procedures, both under general anaesthetic and standing. We have secure stabling within the main building complex, with rubber, straw, paper and shavings as bedding options.
  • Large animal operations are carried out in clean disinfected stables using a specially designed crush. All dairy cows are milked on single units before returning to farm ‘in milk’.

Sheep

We offer a range of services to help you care for your sheep flock including:

  • Flock health plans
  • Vaccine advice
  • Lameness investigation
  • Parasites control
  • Lambing advice and preperation

Smallholders Advice

Smallholders Advice

General advice to help you take the best care of your farm animals