Vetnuus | January 2025 47 In so doing you are removing that essential supplementary income needed for your local vets to thrive. They in turn can’t offer new young vets attractive salaries, let alone those other amenities. All contributing to the speeding up of the downward spiral of vets – including town vets - emigrating. You farmers also seemingly forget that a) the company vet who sets foot on your farm a few times a year and writes out prescriptions whenever you want Act 101 drugs; or b) the smiling staff in your kooperasie where you purchase your disinfectants, doses, vaccines and cheap-and-nasty antibiotics (that are contributing to drug resistance because the nice smiling staff know and care sweet Fanny Adams about such things), c) neither “a” nor “b” come out on freezing nights to extract rotting calves or work in the scorching sun, icy winds, dust and gales for your enterprise to boom, or lie awake at nights because they just can’t put a finger on your calf scour, or mastitis, or fertility or whatever problem. Come on!! If you have read this vitriolic (gatvol) warning letter to this point, thank you and well done. But PLEASE think ahead like Rassie Erasmus. If you want to have a decent vet service to remain part of your dynamic enterprise to win the World Cup again and again … don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish. PLEASE, guys, obtain your reliable-quality animal health meds/ products THROUGH YOUR VETS even if they might be a bit more expensive than those hundreds of mostly cheaper options that line all those shelves of the ”Super-stores.” Listen to the company representatives who visit the farm, but insist on getting his/her products through your vet practice. Otherwise, you or your son might find yourselves back to when I started out in 1974: Telephone rings: “Good morning, this is the vet practice …” Farmer mumbles. ”Sorry they are both busy today.” Farmer shouts. “Mmm, let’s see, … tomorrow they’re booked for the whole day. How does Saturday morning sound?” Farmer grinds cell phone under the heel of his boot and yells, “Paulos, how many more have died?” Farmer - like Gerrie - thinks to himself, “Oh oh! Here comes trouble!” Dr Tod Collins Vet Livestock Consultant & Author Underberg 0833501662, tcollins@isat.co.za Dr Tod Collins was in private livestock practice in Underberg for 44 years before his – as he likes to spell it – re-tyre-ment from clinical work. For many years Dr Tod wrote the lighter back page articles for the DAIRY MAIL. He has spoken at national and international veterinary and livestock conferences, written many articles and published 7 books. He has - and continues to - perform on-farm trials on new products or strategies on behalf of vet pharmaceutical companies. He has an interest in a family dairy farm in Underberg. He does not enjoy confrontations but is keen to listen, debate and learn, and calls a spade a spade. v 24-Hour, Toll-Free Helpline: 0800 21 21 21
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTc5MDU=