74 | nzdairy RURAL SERVICES » Putaruru Veterinary Services Lizzy and Axel De Zeeuw and family. Delivering a quality service a focus Richard Loader Providing a high level of service was a key driver for Axel and Lizzy De Zeeuw forming their own veterinary practice almost a year ago, deep in the heart of New Zealand’s dairy farming country. Located just on the outskirts of Putaruru in the small rural settlement of Waotu, the team is made up of vets Axel and Lore Geenevasen, supported by Lizzy, a veterinary technician, along with a number of other technicians who can be called upon as required. “Our name, Putaruru Veterinary Services, speaks of our emphasis on service,” says Axel. “I really enjoy being a vet and the clinical work. The key thing for me is being out and about seeing animals, talking to farmers. That’s what I thrive on.” Axel had been working for a large veterinary practice in the district for about eight years, when last year he and Lizzy decided the time was right to set their own standard of service, with dairy farmers forming over ninety percent of their clients. “We’re very lucky in South Waikato where there’s a high density of smaller owner/operated dairy farms with smaller herds between 300 – 500 on average. “I also spent a few years in an equine practice and so look after the occasional horse. There’s a handful of drystock farms and an increasing number of lifestyle block owners in the district that we service. Delivering a quality service is really important to us. People call us and things get sorted and they are well looked after.” With the emphasis on the district’s dairy farms, the practice’s services include the full range of veterinary care from calving, all ambulatory services, mating, and scanning. “Being a small team, we’re highly approachable. Lizzy and I pick up the phone ourselves 24/7, or people can txt us. We’re also very flexible, as are our customers too. “If two of us are out scanning a herd and a calving call comes in, one of us can continue scanning, while the other goes to the calving. Sometimes people might have to wait a little longer, and sometimes we can be there very quickly, depending on what the need is.” One of the issues that Axel and his team are called upon to treat is facial eczema in dairy herds. “The main issues with facial eczema in dairy cows is straight sickness and loss of production. The real frustration that we’re having is that there’s clinical facial eczema and sub-clinical facial eczema. “A cow with clinical facial eczema has the classical sunburnt redness on the skin; photo sensitivity. Those animals are easily detected, while there are no such visible signs on a cow with sub-clinical facial eczema. If there are animals with clinical facial eczema, there will be a whole bunch of animals with sub-clinical facial eczema who are unwell with liver damage, and a big drop in milk production.” Axel urges dairy farmers to be proactive, and be aware of their farms’ risk of facial eczema, and says that is where spore counting comes in. Spore counts can change within two adjacent paddocks, and it’s important that farmers do regular spore counts across the paddocks on their farms; they know their rotations. In terms of prevention there are two solutions; one is feeding zinc to the ruminants, which is the classic treatment, and even then success can be variable. Zinc can be applied through the water system or an oral dosing through feed. The other is spraying paddocks, which has random success.” Being strong members within the community including the local school, Axel says close personal and professional relationships are formed, with many of the local farmers also having young families at the same schools. “A cow with clinical facial eczema has the classical sunburnt redness on the skin; photosensitivity. Those animals are easily detected, while there are no such visible signs on a cow with sub-clinical facial eczema.”
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