Farm Newsletter - December 2017

Transcription

1 Farm Newsletter - December 2017 The Day Before Christmas T was the day before Christmas, when all through the vets Nothing was stirring, not even the pets. The calving jack was leant by the back door with care, In the hope that when needed it still would be there. The theatre scrubs were nestled away in their draw, With the theatre shoes beneath in a line on the floor. Even the lab machines ceased to go bleep As they all settled down for a long winters sleep. When out on in reception there arose such a clatter That we all hurried down to see what was the matter And there in the hall such a sight met our eyes, St Nick and his reindeer, oh what a surprise! Said Santa, It s Dasher, he just isn t right, He s too weak to pull all these toys through the night. So whilst Santa negotiated a free microchip offer We all went to see what advice we could proffer. Said Sam, I shall scan him and see what I find So she pulled on a glove and went round his behind Whilst Rachel waited patiently for a sample of poo Which she tested for lung worm and liver fluke too. Murmured Richard, Do you think that it could be a sprain? Said Craig, I think something is wrong with his brain. Anna exclaimed at the high thermometer reading And Kate went to find out what Santa was feeding. Alan came in with a Pen Strep injection Saying, I m sure this will cure almost any infection But even with the best efforts of the nursing crew It seemed Santa would have to manage with one reindeer to few. Throughout that day drugs were given and tablets were fed In an attempt to knock this disease on the head. But nothing improved the reindeer s condition Even Neil had to admit that this case was a mission. Then Michelle exclaimed, To me it seems clear, What this reindeer needs is some festive cheer. Let s throw a party and a big one too To stop this reindeer from feeling so blue. So Ley told some jokes and Maz sang a ditty Whilst Jane told some stories that were funny and witty And after many long hours and some wine and mince pies A sparkle crept in to the poor reindeers eyes With a prance and a pawing of each little hoof He suddenly leapt right onto the roof Hurrah cried the vets and the nurses and staff As Santa let out a relieved, booming laugh. He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle And they all flew away like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim as ere he drove out of sight Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night! Carly emerged from the lab looking grim, I m starting to think that it s bad news for him. A bout of Tinsilitis seems the most likely reason For Dasher s condition this festive season.

2 Calf Pneumonia Calf pneumonia is a constant problem for all those involved in calf rearing. The housing period is a good time to have a critical look at your calf accommodation and think about any management changes you can put in place to ensure good calf health which will result in well grown, productive and profitable replacement animals. Prevention Preventing calf pneumonia is a balance between challenge and immunity. The organisms causing pneumonia include Viruses such RSV, PI3, IBR and BVD, Bacteria such as Mannhaemia (Pasteurella) and Mycoplasma. These organisms are very common in the environment and some or all are present on most farms, what determines whether or not a calf is affected by disease is the balance between the level of challenge and the calves immunity. The calves environment will have a big impact on this tipping the balance in the bugs favour if conditions are suboptimal. Factors to consider stocking densities, ventilation, hygiene, mixing of age groups and isolation of sick animals. Stress is also a potent immunosuppressant and can be increased due to overcrowding, events such as castration or disbudding and competition for food. Consider trying to minimise stress by reducing stocking densities and spreading out stressful events over several weeks rather than all taking place on the same day. Nutrition of calves is also vital and this is especially true of newborn calves. All new born calves should receive at least 4litres of colostrum within the first six hours of life. It is vital that the colostrum is given within this time period to allow maximum absorption of maternal antibodies into the blood stream. Any doubts over the quality of the colostrum or efficiency of administration can be investigated by taking a blood sample from the calf to measure antibody levels. This will help to ensure the balance is tipped the calves favour by maximising their immune defences. Treatment Treatment usually centres on anti-inflammatory treatment with drugs such as Recocam or Cronyxin which will provide significant relief from clinical signs by lowering temperatures and reducing inflammation in the lungs and improving breathing. The vast majority of the cases are caused by a virus and therefore do not require antibiotics although they will provide protection against secondary infection. If you are suffering from a pneumonia outbreak and would like advice about treatment options or if you need further advice on preventing pneumonia, please speak to a member of the farm team.

3 Sheep News - Parasite Forecast It might be winter, but our predominantly warm wet winter so far means that parasites are still very active. Parasitic gastroenteritis we have seen several outbreaks of trichostrongyle infestations this autumn. Lambs are most commonly affected, having a profuse dark scour. This worm is most common in the autumn winter and is different to the ostertagia worm that causes parasitic gastroenteritis during the summer months. This worm can often have a different anthelmintic resistance profile to ostertagia too. We recommend continuing worm egg counts into the winter, until we get some proper sustained frosty weather to kill larvae on the grass. Liver fluke the NADIS forecast for the South West of England gives Devon a medium/high risk for liver fluke disease this year. (Red=high, yellow=medium, green=low) Chronic liver fluke disease, due to the presence of adult fluke, peaks during late winter/early spring. Symptoms include severe weight loss, poor fleece quality, anaemia and bottle jaw, a soft swelling under the jaw. It is important to seek veterinary advice regarding the most appropriate fluke treatments for your farm and key treatment times. Not all flukicides carry out the same job, and triclabendazole resistance is becoming more widespread. As a general guide, for those giving a liver fluke treatment before Christmas, the risk of immature flukes being present is still reasonably high so closantel would be the most appropriate treatment to use. Later on in the winter/spring, as the flukes within the liver become more mature, nitroxinil or oxyclozanide are more suitable. Testing for the presence of liver fluke in your flock can help save uneccessary treatments. The test that is most appropriate depends upon the age of animal tested, the farm risk, and the time of year. Sheep scab autumn and winter are key times for itchy sheep. Sheep scab and lice infestations can look very similar in the early stages however the treatments are very different, so obtaining the correct diagnosis prior to treatment is essential. Sheep scab causes severe itching, restlessness, oozing skin lesions and weight loss. Sheep scab is highly infectious, and one sheep carrying one mite entering your flock is sufficient to start an outbreak. Quarantining purchased sheep on arrival and ensuring your flock boundaries are secure are an essential part of preventing an outbreak of sheep scab in your flock. Seeking veterinary advice in order to establish the correct diagnosis and then the most appropriate treatment protocol for your flock is essential for a successful outcome. One sheep missed or inappropriately treated and scab will recur.

4 Focus on Body Condition score The results of the AHDB KPI project, carried out by Lesley Stubbings and Nerys Wright over the last four years are finally being released. The key message so far is the importance of all year round body condition score on the long term performance of ewes. They found that: BCS had a direct correlation on lamb 8 week weights and weaning weights. Poor ewe BCS= poor lamb weights at these key stages. If lambs do not reach target 8 week weight they will also be below target at weaning weights. Losses were greatest in low weight lambs. Ewes that continue to gain weight from weaning to scanning perform best KEY MESSAGES FOR THE LOWLAND FLOCK: Keep ewe BCS variation to < 1.0 throughout the year Weigh lambs and BCS ewes at critical times to assess performance and identify areas for improvement Target for terminal sire x lambs >20kg by 8weeks Monitor % small lambs (<17kg at 8 weeks) Improve ewe nutrition to maintain BCS Make better creep feeding and weaning decisions Graze ewe lambs and shearlings as separate groups with priority on the best grazing Improve grazing management BCS target lowland ewes At weaning 2.5 At tupping 3.5 Mid pregnancy 3.0 Lambing 3.0 EWE nutrition Meeting - Date to be confirmed. The focus of the meeting will be explaining the nutritional requirements of ewes in late pregnancy to match your forage with an appropriate concentrate feed to ensure lamb health and to prevent disease. Please could I have some volunteers to provide a silage sample with its analysis that we can look at on the evening please contact Rachel ASAP.

5 Christmas & New Year Opening Hours Barnstaple 10am-1pm ( Emergencies only) 8.30am pm 10am -1pm ( Emergencies onl) 8.30am-6.30pm 23rd December 24th December 25th December Boxing Day 27th December 28th December 29th December 30th December New Years Eve New Years Day 2nd January 2018 South Molton These are our Christmas surgery opening times, however we will always have a vet on duty at all times for genuine emergencies out of our normal opening hours. If you have an emergency and need a vet please contact the surgery on or