26 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Vetlife T T Russell Fredric Passion for animals drives service Vetlife’s services cover production animals, working dogs, equine and pets, with general practice hand-in-hand with increasing specialisation. One of the largest veterinary businesses in the South Island, Vetlife offers a wide range of general practice and specialised services, with a lot of heart for creatures great and small. Originating in South Canterbury in the 1950s, and headquartered in Timaru, Vetlife operates 26 clinics and retail stores in Canterbury, Mackenzie, Otago and Central Otago, Tasman/Nelson and Marlborough, employing around 400 staff. Managing director Adrian Campbell attributes the business’ growth to its directors and staff being passionate about their work, profession and clients, both human and animal. “That passion tends to drive engagement, and engagement drives growth, so the people that have connected together in Vetlife are shareholders and colleagues and employees, who tend to have that same wiring of real enthusiasm and passion for providing our services. “I think that is the reason we have continued to grow, and it really does drive our direction and becomes part of our vision and our mission.” Vetlife’s services cover production animals, working dogs, equine and pets, with general practice hand-in-hand with increasing specialisation and technology in addition to land-use change through dairy conversions and irrigation resulting in significant changes for some clients’ veterinary needs. Veterinarians previously tended to be general practitioners, but are increasingly specialising as clients seek solutions for more complex problems, Adrian says. “That’s driven the specialisation approach. Equine services was an early one that veterinarians migrated into, then companion animals followed soon after that, and I think it would be fair to say dairy followed after that, leaving sheep and beef amongst that, and deer became recognised as well. “That has created challenges and that’s one of the advantages of having a larger practice; we have colleagues that cater for those specific needs, and it’s a real privilege to work with a team that has that focus on all those areas.” Vetlife’s staff, from veterinarians to nurses and other staff, stay up to date with the latest procedures and treatments to ensure that animals get the best-possible care, while also dedicating a significant amount of time into research to ensure that the medicines and products offered are of the best quality. Some of the specialised services include dentistry, diagnostics, in-house laboratory diagnostics and X-ray diagnostics. In 2022, Vetlife established CowSmart, an animal-monitoring data consultancy headed by veterinarian Line Ferriman, who hosted a stand in the Innovation Tent at the Wanaka A & P Show in March. Technologies such as cow collars and robotics are increasingly being adopted by dairy farmers, and the real-time data produced is often crucial to decision making, Adrian says. “Being able to utilise that data and to take that back to the client with a very quick turnaround for management decisions is a major technological step forward for our dairy clients.” A key strength of Vetlife is the vital access it provides to veterinarian services in small communities and the availability of the support of larger clinics with more comprehensive facilities. A crucial role of veterinarians often overlooked is national biosecurity, Adrian says. “We are also the eyes and ears of biosecurity and surveillance with diseases so our practice has been involved actively with originally identifying Mycoplasma bovis. “So veterinarians are certainly viewed as providing services on-farm for farming operations, but there is that far bigger role that New Zealand veterinarians play around biosecurity surveillance and underpinning the economy.” Fuel your working dogs needs Scan the QR code or speak to your Vet clinic about ROYAL CANIN® diets royalcanin.com/nz HIGH ENERGY FORMULA with 30% fatty acids, providing working dogs with a sustained source of energy 32% PROTEIN content helps maintain muscle mass
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