Kingswells - Small Animal 01224 740700
Bridge of Don 01224 826121
Kingswells - Farm and Equine 01224 740700

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Farm

Vet services for farm animals in Aberdeen

Farm

Vet services for farm animals in Aberdeen

  • Introduction
  • Standard Services
  • Health Planning & Benchmarking
  • Farm Courses
  • Useful Links & Contacts

Introduction

Our team of farm vets grew up immersed in the agricultural industry so understand the importance of practical advice and a hands-on approach to treating your livestock. We pride ourselves on offering a friendly, personal service and our large number of long-standing clients is a testament to our ability to tailor our service to meet each specific farmer’s needs.

The farm animal department employs a team of three experienced farm vets, headed by Andrew Millar BVMS MRCVS. We cover a wide area surrounding Aberdeen, extending to a radius of 35 miles from our premises at Skene Road, Kingswells, although the majority of our clients are within a 20 mile distance. Many of our clients have been with the practice for a considerable period of time. This has allowed a mutual understanding to build up about the services we can provide for their livestock.

A dedicated and forward-thinking service is provided to all our clients by excellent animal healthcare thus improving farm productivity. We provide 24/7 emergency cover 365 days a year with routine and emergency procedures on your farm; herd/flock level preventative planning and advice. We are proud of the rapport we have built up over the years with our loyal clients.

The farm veterinary department is based at Ardene House Vet Practice Ltd, Skene Road, Kingswells, Aberdeen, AB15 8PJ. Telephone 01224 740700.

For non-urgent farm enquiries, please email us.

Standard Services

At Ardene House Vet Practice Ltd we aim to provide excellent animal healthcare and to help improve individual farms’ productivity through the advice and services we provide. We provide a comprehensive range of services including:

  • Herd health planning and benchmarking
  • Training courses for farmers and smallholders
  • APHA Import/Export certificates
  • Routine services including dehorning, castrating and pregnancy diagnosis
  • Bull fertility testing
  • Goat kid dehorning
  • Testing for Premium Cattle Health Scheme (BVD, IBR, Johne’s disease, Leptospirosis)
  • Testing for Premium Sheep and Goat Health Schemes (Maedi-Visna, Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis, Enzootic Abortion of Ewes, Scrapie, Caseous Lymphadenitis)
  • Laboratory services either in-house or via SAC Veterinary Laboratory at Craibstone
  • Monthly newsletters providing up-to-date advice and information
  • Advice regarding many production-limiting problems including advice on calf rearing, parasite control and fertility
  • Second opinion bull insurance work
  • 24/7 emergency service

Health Planning & Benchmarking

At Ardene House Vets, we believe that good heard and flock health planning is a very important part of managing a successful farm. We wish to support our clients when creating a comprehensive health plan for their farms. Many farm assurance schemes now require an annual health plan discussed with and signed by your vet. At Ardene House we mainly create health plans on the online Scottish Animal Health Planning System. This allows both the client and vet to access the health plan and update any changes to the health plan or benchmark figures at any time. If the online plan is kept up to date then a current and relevant health plan can be quickly accessed and printed whenever required.

Many of our clients are members of the Premium Cattle Health Scheme and Premium Seep and Goat Health Schemes for which we provide annual testing and advice. Other schemes are also available so please keep us informed if you become a member of any health scheme.

Farm Courses

DIY AI

DIY AI Courses can save you time and money by getting your cow inseminated at the right time without the stress of waiting for the technician.

Our DIY AI courses are delivered over four days: 85% of the course time is devoted to hands-on tuition so that the dexterity skills required have adequate time to be mastered.

All aspects of AI are covered, including:

  • Legislation
  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Safe handling of liquid nitrogen and semen straws
  • Thawing procedures
  • The practical AI technique

The AI technique is practiced on live cows, on farm. The on farm environment gives a very relaxed training atmosphere. Assessment of the technique is done by ultrasound examination since the cows are inseminated with a viscose liquid which shows up on an ultrasound scanner.

Date of next course and booking information: To be announced on our news page.

Lambing

Our lambing courses can provide you with the knowledge every sheet farmer needs to know to ensure a successful lambing season.

All aspects of lambing are covered including:

  • How to prepare for lambing time
  • The importance of good nutritional management prior to lambing
  • How to prevent and treat common per-natal problems in both the sheep and the lambs
  • Common causes of ovine abortion
  • Clostridial vaccinations
  • How to investigate and reduce the incidence of abortion in your flock
  • Normal parturition and when to either intervene or seek veterinary advice

Date of next course and booking information: To be announced on our news page.

Sheep Smallholders

Our sheep smallholders’ course teachers a range of practical techniques which every sheet owner would benefit from learning, including:

  • Application and regulations
  • Correct usage of drenching guns
  • Common injection sites and methods
  • Basic lameness control for your flock

This course can be adapted to suit the experience of the group.

Date of next course and booking information: To be announced on our news page.

Milksure Training

We are pleased to be able to offer our dairy farming clients MilkSure training. This will be delivered by our own experienced Vet, Andrew Millar BVMS MRCVS.  The training has theoretical and practical components. The theory can be done at Ardene or your farm, but the practical has to be done on your farm because it includes aspects such as medicine storage.

The MilkSure Initiative is for British dairy farmers and is supported by the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) and the milk processors.  Safeguarding the production of wholesale milk which is free of veterinary medicine residues is in all our interests. MilkSure is led by Dairy UK and has been developed in conjunction with BCVA.  MilkSure is a training course for British dairy farmers and their employees.

Training is provided by vets for their own clients, using a workbook and other learning materials.  The course covers all the technical and practical aspects necessary to safeguard residue fee milk.  A Certificate of Achievement is award to those who complete the training and pass an online test.  The completed course and test earns 7 Dairy Pro points, for those who are collecting these.

To register, go to www.milksure.co.uk where you will need to enter Andrew Millar as your Vet’s name and andrew.millar@ardenehouse.co.uk as his email address. If you would like help with registering, please phone Ardene Vet Practice on 01224 740700 and Andrew will be happy to help you.

Click here to download the Milksure PDF.

Foot Trimming

Our foot trimming courses can save you time and money by teaching you the skills required to identify lameness quickly and be able to correct the most common minor causes of lameness before the welfare of your cattle and the productivity of your farm is compromised.

These courses are delivered over three days; the vast majority of the course time is devoted to hands-on tuition, so that the foot trimming skills required have adequate time to be mastered.

All aspects of foot trimming are covered, including:

  • Anatomy and physiology of the bovine foot
  • Dairy co-mobility scoring to quickly identify and rate severity of lameness
  • Common disease affecting the bovine foot
  • How to safely restrain a cow and pick up its feet for trimming
  • Practical foot trimming using the 5-stage Dutch trimming technique
  • How to adequately maintain your foot trimming knives
  • How and when to apply blocks
  • When to seek specialist/veterinary advice

The foot trimming technique is practiced on live cows, on farm. This on farm environment gives a very relaxed training atmosphere.

Date of next course and booking information: To be announced on our news page.

Veterinary Medicines

The Safe and Effective Use of Veterinary Medicines.

The XLVets FarmSkills Safe and Effective Use of Veterinary Medicines workshop aims to increase trainees’ knowledge of safety and good practice as well as outlining the legislative requirements for on farm medicines use.

The course also aims to increase trainees’ understanding of the different types of medicines used and how these relate to the common diseases on farm.

Date of next course and booking information: To be announced on our news page.

Bull Fertility

Trainees will be able to manage the health of their bull effectively and know how to make the most of this valuable asset on farm.

There is some theory taught in our CPD room and then the rest of the course if on farm.

Suitable outdoor clothing and footwear, which can be disinfected when entering farm, are required for most of these courses.

Date of next course and booking information: To be announced on our news page.