Livestock SCC MATTERS. Drying-off. Inside this issue: Investigating a somatic cell count problem VOLUME 3 EDITION 3

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1 VOLUME 3 EDITION 3 Livestock WORKING TOGETHER FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE Inside this issue: 3.25 MATTERS Drying-off We focus on what you need to consider and manage at drying-off, with advice on what dry cow treatment to use. SCC Investigating a somatic cell count problem

2 EXCELLENCE IN PRACTICE XLVets - We Excel The members of XLVets have worked hard to create what they see as a model of how practices can work together, sharing the latest ideas and passing on savings and joint expertise to clients. Invest in Health Don t pay for Disease The group comprises of a number of the foremost farm practices in Ireland. With many years of combined experience, it is able to give expert advice on all areas of farm livestock, health and production. XLVets member practices are dedicated to providing a high quality, cost effective service to their clients, to support long-term growth and future prosperity within the Irish livestock industry. Adare Veterinary Surgery Adare, Co.Limerick Telephone: Donal Lynch Veterinary Tullamore, Co.Offaly Telephone: Killenaule Vets Thurles, Co.Tipperary Telephone: Riverview Veterinary Group Bandon, Co.Cork Telephone: All Creatures Veterinary Clinic Roscommon Town, Co.Roscommon Telephone: Glen Veterinary Clinics Tipperary Town, Co.Tipperary Telephone: Mulcair Veterinary Clinics Cappamore, Co.Limerick Telephone: Sliabh Luachra Veterinary Centre Rathmore, Co.Kerry Telephone: Avondale Veterinary Clinics Arklow, Co.Wicklow Telephone: Glenbower Veterinary Group Killeagh, Co.Cork Telephone: O Connor Julian Vets Cashel, Co.Tipperary Telephone: Southview Veterinary Hospital Clonmel, Co.Tipperary Telephone: Clerkin Vets Cootehill, Co.Cavan Telephone: Glenina Veterinary Clinic Galway, Co.Galway Telephone: Old Church Veterinary Hospital Ballyshannon, Co.Donegal Telephone: The Veterinary Hospital Gorey, Co.Wexford Telephone: Comeragh Veterinary Kilmacthomas, Co.Waterford Telephone: Gortlandroe Veterinary Clinic Nenagh, Co.Tipperary Telephone: Ormonde Veterinary Kilkenny, Co.Kilkenny Telephone: XLVets is committed to being a part of a healthy future.

3 CONTENTS VOLUME 3 EDITION 3 XLVets is a novel and exciting initiative conceived from within the veterinary profession. We are all independently owned, progressive veterinary practices located throughout Ireland committed to working together for the benefit of our clients. XLVets Ireland Member Practices Adare Veterinary Surgery Station Road, Adare, Co.Limerick All Creatures Veterinary Clinic Lanesboro Street, Roscommon Town, Co.Roscommon Avondale Veterinary Clinics Ferrybank, Arklow, Co.Wicklow Clerkin Vets 90 Bridge Street, Cootehill, Co.Cavan Comeragh Veterinary Main Street, Kilmacthomas, Co.Waterford Donal Lynch Veterinary Killurin Cross, Killeagh, Tullamore Co.Offaly Glen Veterinary Clinics Blind Street, Tipperary Town, Co.Tipperary Glenbower Veterinary Group Clashdermot East, Killeagh, Co.Cork Glenina Veterinary Clinic 1 Glenina Heights, Galway, Co.Galway Gortlandroe Veterinary Clinic 6 Church Street, Nenagh, Co.Tipperary Killenaule Vets Killenaule, Thurles, Co.Tipperary Mulcair Veterinary Clinics Dromsally, Cappamore, Co.Limerick O Connor Julian Vets 67 Main Street, Cashel, Co.Tipperary Old Church Veterinary Hospital The Mall, Ballyshannon, Co.Donegal Ormonde Veterinary 14 Barrack Street, Kilkenny, Co.Kilkenny Riverview Veterinary Group Distillery Road, Bandon, Co.Cork Sliabh Luachra Veterinary Centre West End, Rathmore, Co.Kerry Southview Veterinary Hospital Irishtown, Clonmel, Co.Tipperary The Veterinary Hospital Arklow Road, Gorey, Co.Wexford CONTENTS HERD HEALTH 03 Salmonella in cattle: James Keane, Gortlandroe Veterinary Clinic explains the causes of salmonella in cattle causing high disease and death rates, as well as the potential threat of the disease spreading to humans. 07 Management of cows at drying-off: Paschal Gibbons, Ormonde Veterinary Group focuses on what you need to consider and manage at drying-off, which cows should be dried off early, which cows should be culled and what dry cow treatment to use. 09 How to investigate a somatic cell count problem: Tom Julian, O Connor Julian Veterinary Surgeons provides information on how to identify the cause of high somatic cell count (SCC) and how to treat the problem. Practical, farm based training, delivered by vets to improve your livestock and business performance... AUTUMN FEATURE 05 Parasites in horses: Patrick Clerkin, Clerkin Vets explains how over the last eighteen months we have seen an increase of chronic parasitism in horses due to obscure weather conditions and meat scandals. Contact XLVets: and office@xlvets.ie XLVet Ireland Ltd Registered Office at: Dromsally Cappamore County Limerick Tel: XLVet Ireland No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher. Disclaimer: XLVets does not necessarily share the views of contributors. No responsibility can be accepted for opinions expressed by contributors, or claims made by advertisers within this publication. Training is a vital part of the jigsaw that makes up modern farm business success. But finding the training that s right for you needn t be a puzzle. XLVets FarmSkills courses are designed to put the farmer first; finding out what you know now and what you d like to know to improve your business. Courses are available across Ireland and are open to everyone. Topics catered for include cattle lameness, mastitis and cell count, calf rearing and fertility management. XLVets Skillnet is funded by member companies and the Training Networks Programme, an initiative of Skillnets Ltd. funded from the National Training Fund through the Department of Education and Skills.

4 SALMONELLA JAMES KEANE MVB Prudent use of the correct antibiotic is very important to try to prevent the creation of carrier animals and minimise antibiotic resistance. Salmonella in cattle Diseases caused by salmonella bacteria are important because they are common, cause high disease and death rates and can potentially spread to humans. Incidence of disease increases with intensification. Transmission to people can occur by contamination of drinking water, milk or meat. Source of disease Within a herd the source of infection is usually faeces from infected cows. It is difficult to identify the source of infection because asymptomatic and subclinically affected cows shed salmonella organisms. Carrier animals can shed constantly or intermittently. In wet, warm conditions salmonella can survive for months in the environment. Veterinary Surgeon James Keane XLVets Practice Gortlandroe Veterinary Clinic, Co.Tipperary 3 LIVESTOCK MATTERS WORKING TOGETHER FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...

5 SALMONELLA Clinical disease Clinical disease is commonly associated with stressful situations such as transport, drought or overcrowding. In newborn calves illness is acute with depression, high temperatures and sometimes death within 24 to 48 hours. These animals have severe watery diarrhoea and often associated abdominal pain and forcing. This occurs in calves older than one week. In some cases calves develop terminal dry gangrene as a result of salmonellosis. This condition affects the blood supply to the extremities such as the tips of the ear, the tip of the tail and the feet. Other Treatment consequences of salmonellosis are arthritis, spinal abscessation, pneumonia as well as nervous signs. Adult cattle are also affected by salmonellosis. Acute diarrhoea can occur in these animals. The diarrhoea has a putrid smell and contains blood and intestinal lining. Abortion may occur with this acute diarrhoea. Abortion can occur without any previous clinical evidence of salmonellosis. This occurs in the second half of pregnancy. These animals may show subsequent signs of illness or may retain foetal membranes. Control It is difficult to identify carriers but any carriers identified should be culled. Infected groups should not be moved and avoid contact with other groups. Drinking water should be via troughs with no risk of faecal contamination. Houses should be cleaned and disinfected. Try to reduce stress to animals due to transport, feed deprivation, drought etc. Similar to many diseases biosecurity is very important. Early treatment is essential. Animals will require fluid therapy to alleviate dehydration and correct electrolyte imbalances. Antibiotics are usually indicated as well. Prudent use of the correct antibiotic is very important to try to prevent the creation of carrier animals and minimise antibiotic resistance. Vaccination An inactivated vaccine is available to help in the control of salmonellosis. A vaccination programme should be created with the help of a vet if salmonellosis is an issue on a farm. The programme may vary depending on clinical signs. Photo Courtesy of Sterimatic VOLUME 3 EDITION 3 LIVESTOCK MATTERS 4

6 PARASITES IN HORSES PATRICK CLERKIN MVB MRCVS MBA Some say 'those wormers aren't cheap', but from experience if used correctly they can be a lot cheaper than feeding parasites and treating ill-thrift horses. These horse wormers aren't cheap, sure do me a deal on the cheapest one you have and it will do them rightly! One of the most common phrases used when selecting a horse wormer. No different to all the other species we dealt with over the past eighteen months of obscure weather conditions and meat scandals, horses suffered severely due to poor feed, high worm burdens, and possibly more than any other species due to a collapse in the market, that left owners hesitant on spending further income on a losing bet. Parasites Veterinary Surgeon Patrick Clerkin XLVets Practice Clerkin Vets, Co.Cavan I have seen more cases of horses showing symptoms of chronic parasitism in , than ever before. It leads you to question it in every case, as the symptoms are so broad and can include: Depression and lethargy Dull rough coat Ill-thrift with emaciation Stunted growth Pot belly in horses As veterinarians the most common clinical presentations we see are: Diarrhoea Colic To answer the initial question as to the best deal, my answer will always refer back to the basics of proper husbandry. 5 LIVESTOCK MATTERS WORKING TOGETHER FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...

7 PARASITES IN HORSES Management: Plan the worming regime on your own farm. Know and understand your target parasite, your vet knows this, and can perform simple tests once or twice a year to obtain this information: 1. Faecal Worm Egg Count (FWEC): By counting the number of eggs per gram of manure sample a measure of the horse parasite burden can be established and appropriate medication prescribed. 2. Tapeworm antibody test: Tapeworms are not detected in FWEC so a blood sample can be used to indicate the presence of tapeworm(s) and then appropriate medication prescribed. Once this plan is in order on your farm advice on de-wormers can be discussed with your veterinarian. Treatment intervals can be determined using the tests and your vet will advise on: 1. Rotation of products. 2. Method of administration either; Oral paste Feed additive - powder, pellets or liquid Nasogastric stomach tube. The decision will be based on the age of the horse, the health status of the animal, the time of year (as parasites are seasonal), history on your farm and the tests you have performed. Some say 'those wormers aren't cheap', but from experience if used correctly they can be a lot cheaper than feeding parasites and treating ill-thrift horses. Good management of pastures is essential as parasites are primarily transferred through manure. Regularly remove manure from pasture - at least twice a week as most worms enter from infected manure orally to the next horse feeding, or indeed the same horse. Rest pastures, and be aware that larvae and eggs can survive freezing but cannot tolerate extreme heat and drying for very long. At least three months is needed for a significant reduction in parasite burden on pastures. Mowing and harrowing pastures to break up manure piles and expose the parasite to heat and drying. Use a feeder for hay and grain rather than feeding on the ground. Keep the number of horses per acre to a minimum. This reduces further pasture contamination with parasite eggs and larvae. Consider rotating pastures by allowing sheep and cattle to graze alternately, so as to break the equine parasite life cycle. Segregate foals and weanlings from yearlings and older horses to minimise the foal exposure to high parasite burdens. Don't mix donkeys with horses as donkeys are the natural host of the lung worm (Dictyocaulus arnfieldi), and may show no signs of infection, while causing chronic coughing in horses and ponies. Ask your vet, take his advice, as with any treatment, the appropriate drug at the right time, and in time, is essential. VOLUME 3 EDITION 3 LIVESTOCK MATTERS 6

8 DRYING-OFF PASCHAL GIBBONS MVB MRCVS Dry cow treatment is more effective than lactation cow treatment due to the long exposure to the antibiotic. Management of cows at drying-off Veterinary Surgeon Paschal Gibbons XLVets Practice Ormonde Veterinary Group, Co.Kilkenny As spring calving dairy herds are now in late lactation it is now timely to consider: i. Which cows need to be dried off early; ii. Which cows need to be culled;; iii. What dry cow treatment (DCT) to use. DCT is an important part of any mastitis control plan in dairy herds. The purpose of DCT is to kill any existing infections and prevent new infections during the dry period. DCT is more effective than lactation cow treatment due to the long exposure to the antibiotic. The length of the dry period should preferably be eight weeks (but at least a minimum of six weeks). If high Somatic Cell Count (SCC) cows are being retained in the herd they should be dried off early and allowed an extended dry period. This will increase cure rates in these cows. Cows must be dried of abruptly when production falls to 9 litres/day. Cease milking cows producing 12 litres or less per day at the drying off date. If cows are producing over 12 litres/day their diet and routine should be managed to bring production below this level. In low SCC herds once a day milking for 3-5 days may be considered. 7 LIVESTOCK MATTERS WORKING TOGETHER FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...

9 DRYING-OFF There are two types of DCT (a) Antibiotics and (b) Teat Sealers. (a) Most farmers use blanket DCT; this means treating all cows in the herd with intramammary antibiotics. Selective DCT means treating only selected cows with intramammary antibiotics. If a cow from a low SCC herd, has had no clinical episode and her peak SCC is below 200,000 she may not need antibiotic DCT. Another option for individual high SCC cows is to administer a systemic course of antibiotic in combination with the dry cow tubes. Please seek advice from your vet. (b) Teat sealers have been shown to reduce the risk of new environmental infections during the dry period. This will reduce the incidence of clinical mastitis around calving time. Teat sealers can be used in combination with antibiotic DCT. Please seek advice from your vet or consult the Cell Check Farm Guidelines for Mastitis Control for further information. Criteria used in selecting cows for culling: Choice of DCT antibiotic is based on: This includes: SCC records over last two years. If high SCC for two consecutive lactations consider culling. Age of cow. Number of clinical episodes; if greater than three episodes then consider culling. Pathogen involved. Number of infected quarters. Use California Milk Test (CMT). Examine udders for scarring/ abscessation. Other issues such as yield/lameness/ infertility etc. Results of culture and antibiotic sensitivity; Historical cure rates; Length of Dry period; Withdrawal period; Cost. Dry Cow therapy protocol Milk out completely as usual at last milking; Good teat preparation; Dry cow treatment; the choices: Wear gloves; Ensure teats are clean and dry; Use disinfectant wipes; Administer antibiotic DCT as recommended; Administer teat sealer as recommended; Dip teats, cover whole surface of teat; Record details/mark cows; Keep cows standing for two hours; Put cows in clean dry area paddock/ indoors; Check udders daily. VOLUME 3 EDITION 3 LIVESTOCK MATTERS 8

10 SOMATIC CELL COUNT TOM JULIAN MVB With accurate records we can determine which cows will respond best to treatment, which cows require treatment and which cows simply need to be culled. How to investigate a somatic cell count problem Veterinary Surgeon Tom Julian XLVets Practice O Connor Julian Veterinary Surgeons, Co.Tipperary The first steps are: 1. To know when you have a problem; 2. Identify the cause of the problem; 3. Treat the problem. Somatic cell count (SCC) is a measure of the cow's immune response to an infection of the udder. The udder is made up of four separate compartments. Infection gets in at the teat orifice, the opening at the end of the teat where the milk comes out. There are mechanisms to keep out dirt and infection (the teat sphincter) but a poor milking technique or a dirty environment will increase the risk of mastitis. Milk recording is the first step in a mastitis investigation. Milk recording data includes milk yield, fat %, protein %, SCC, EBI, lactation number, days in milk, 305 day predicted milk yields, milk solids etc., but importantly it also includes the same information from the previous 12 months for comparison. The Mastitis Incidence Problem Cow report is the page of the milk records to look at if you want to tackle an SCC problem. You cannot manage what you cannot measure so this report is vital to the investigation of a herd SCC problem. Below is an example Mastitis Incidence Problem Cow report which includes many types of individual cow examples: Mastitis Incidence Problem-Cow Report example Mastitis incidence history (current lactation) Prev. Lact Cow ID I&R - Tag Cow name Sire ID Calving Date Age Group Lactation Days Test Tests > 250 Mastitis Treatments Latest SCC % Herd SCC Last treatment Previous SCC (*1000) herd test Previous mastitis treatment Ave SCC Tests > 250 Mast Treats 10-sep 21-jul 13-may 25-mar 02-oct 24-jul /09/11 8y 7m Winter /03/12 8y 7m Spring /01/12 7y 7m Spring /01/12 3y 6m Spring /08/12 2y 7m Spring /01/12 2y 10m Spring LIVESTOCK MATTERS WORKING TOGETHER FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...

11 SOMATIC CELL COUNT Mastitis Incidence Problem-Cow report explanation So we can see from the first column on the problem cow report that the first problem cow's ID is 750, her name (if a pedigree), her sire number and her full tag number. From the second column; cow 750 calved on 20/9/11, she is 8 years and 7 months old and she is a winter milker. In addition she is in her fifth lactation and has been milking for 356 days with 6 milk recordings during this period. From the third column over we can see that cow 750 has had three SCC readings over 250 in the current lactation (but no record of mastitis treatments as information not entered on ICBF by farmer). Column 4 shows that she had an SCC of 7942,000 on September 10th and if her milk was to enter the bulk tank it would contribute 18.2% of the total SCC. Not a good cow to have in the herd but trust me she looked a million dollars, no inflammation in any quarter, no obvious indication of any problem - I know because I milked her. The final column is the information from her previous lactation. As you can see she had an average SCC of 255 but don't be fooled as she had 3 tests over 250,000. A chronically infected cow and not a good candidate for treatment; we tried anyway but as you can see it did not work. The second cow on the list, 727, seventh lactation, SCC 2615,000, spring calver, a serious cow to look at, classified 90 points, only a single high SCC reading in the current lactation and none in the previous lactation. This is a newly infected cow. This cow was tubed and injected with antibiotics and the outcome was good. If you don't know what you are treating the chance of treatment failure is higher. Get your vet involved to take samples for culture and sensitivity. Cow 836 looks similar for this lactation, only one high SCC reading but in her previous lactation she had 4 tests over 250,000 so a poor candidate for treatment as chronically infected cows are more difficult to cure. The speed in which mastitis is detected and treated will determine the outcome and this cow was probably not treated appropriately or speedily enough in her previous lactation. The next cow, 1244 is a second calver, who had one curd on pre-milking, no sign of redness or inflammation but an SCC 1,449,000. Three tests this lactation, all over 250,000 with a single high reading in the previous lactation. Alarm bells flashing so milk samples were cultured and she was treated and cured successfully. However she made less money because due to her high SCC she produced less milk but the main problem is that she acted as a source of infection for the milker's hands and the milking machine liners so she spread infection from one cow to the next. Further down cow 1298 is a fresh calved heifer. SCC can sometimes be high in fresh calvers. The last cow, Cow 1289 has SCC 487 but this is her first high reading and she is 234 days in lactation so is a candidate for early dry off and appropriate Dry Cow Therapy as she has been clear all year around. With accurate records we can determine which cows will respond best to treatment, which cows require treatment and which cows simply need to be culled. CULLING ALONE WILL NOT SOLVE A HERD SCC problem. When it comes to milking cows do the simple things right and stick with the five point plan: 1. Machine maintenance, (service and liner change) 2. Teat dipping: post-milk dipping for all; some need to pre-dip 3. Treat mastitis cases during lactation with suitable therapy 4. Use appropriate dry cow therapy 5. Cull chronic cows In addition don't forget to: 6. Wear gloves 7. Clip tails 8. Clean and dry teats: if you wash them, dry them with clean disposable paper towel 9. Good general hygiene 10. Cluster dip 11. Draw cows before milking Whilst tackling an individual cow or herd SCC can be a challenging task you can't manage what you don't measure and milk recording data is a great help to rooting out the source of the problem. Talk to your vet about the options for your herd and develop a mastitis control programme for more profitable milk production today. VOLUME 3 EDITION 3 LIVESTOCK MATTERS 10

12 Welcome to the XLVets readers competition... NUMBER 12 YOUR CHANCE TO WIN... We have an XLVets fleece to give away to the first correct entry drawn at random after the competition closes. ENTER TODAY To enter, simply answer the three questions below and complete your details on the entry form. All the answers can be found in the articles in this issue of the magazine. Details of where to send your entry can be found below. GOOD LUCK... A winner will be chosen from all the correct entries received before the closing date, Friday 29th November The winner will be revealed in the next issue of XLVets Ireland Livestock Matters. one... List two types of DCT in cows My details Name Address two... three... What is the usual source of salmonella on farms? List three symptoms of chronic parasitism in horses Daytime Telephone Number XLVets Practice Name Fleece size (please circle) S M L XL The editor s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The actual fleece supplied may differ slightly from the one pictured. I would like to receive further information from XLVets by I do not wish to receive further information from XLVets Send your completed entry to: Farm Competition No.12 XLVets Ireland, Dromsally, Cappamore, Co.Limerick Summer edition winner: Seamus Norris, Clonmel. (client of Southview Veterinary, Clonmel, Co.Tipperary) XLVets Ireland Our primary aims are fourfold: 1. To be a primary source of on-farm advice and the central co-ordinating consultant for other farm services for our clients. 2. To be committed to the sharing of current best practice advice to our clients through direct XLVets newsletters and client training, associated with our own high levels of Continuing Professional Development (CPD). 3. To be highly competitive in the health and medicines market with not just prescription only medicines but also re-establishing the vet as a primary source for other on-farm medicinal and consumable products supported by impartial professional advice. 4. To improve our own efficiencies and reduce our costs by economies of scale over a wide range of practice needs and requirements.