FARM Sanatorium Road Cardiff CF11 8DG 029 2038 2211 www.park-vets.com JULY 2014 FARM NEWSLETTER OUR TEAM Mary Walters (0771 5447730) Welcome to the July newsletter. We have has a fantastically warm & sunny June and I hope that this has helped you do all of your necessary jobs. On 4 th June 2014 we held a very well attended meeting our first of a series on beef fertility. The topic was The Bull and Sara Pederson captivated the audience with a suitable mix of gruesome pictures and information. Watch out for the next topic Reducing Barreners and tightening calving patterns to be held at the practice on 23 rd July 2014. If you didn t receive an invitation last time and would like to in future please phone & speak to Emma or Sian. Alex Kempson Our Sheep Club continued in June with a visit from Sian Mitchell from AHVLA who spoke to the club about worms & fluke. Again a very well attended meeting with the general consensus being that we all understood the topic in a lot more at the end of the evening We have organised two ram fertility testing days in July and August for our Sheep Club Members. The cost is 50 per ram and if anyone else would like to have rams tested please speak to Emma or Sian and we can try and organise further days. Morgan Richards We have seen many cases of Fly strike in sheep this last month. We sell CLIK and CLIKSIN for anyone who would like to order it. Also, don t forget the ZOLVIX mid-season dose. We have a few free guns as well. Quick update for all the those dairy farmers who visited Simon Davies at Brynhyfryd he is currently averaging 39.41 / cow/day, and on the day of the trip he started using porridge waste/chaf as bedding and remained mastitis free for over a month! Don t forget to ask us to identichip your dogs its free and can be invaluable in reuniting your errant pet! MARY
Gavin Droney Andy Wales Iuilian Carlea Reports from the Large Herds Conference Alex, Morgan and myself attended the recent Large Herds Conference in Gloucestershire and we all enjoyed meeting up with old and new friends and learning a bit along the way. Prof Sandra Godden from the University of Minnesota gave an excellent presentation on Colostrum. This applies to all cattle (+ sheep) but a lot of the information applies mainly to Dairy. Calves are born with ZERO protection they need to gain immunoglobulins (IgG) via colostrum The main principles are :- 1) Quality need 50 grams/litre colostrum This can be affected by lots of factors inc, short dry period, heat stress, social stress, dry cow vaccination 2) Quantity Recommended 4 Litres in first 6 hours. 3) Quickness time to first feeding. There is a progressive loss of ability to absorb IgG, a complete loss by 24 hr. Your goal should be to feed within the first 1-2 hours. For dairy calves, ideally milk out the cow & stomach tube within 2 hours. 4) Cleanliness possible sources of contamination include infected cow, faecal contamination, contaminated collecting/feeding equipment or proliferation during storage. Keep for <2 hrs. fresh, <2d in fridge, <1 year frozen. 5) Monitoring checking passive transfer by blood sample at 3-7 d age if any doubt. In Summary 1) Quality - >50g/l 5gG 2) Quality 10% birth wt (3-4L) 3) Quickness 1-2 hrs after birth (def <6 hrs) 4) Cleanliness as clean as possible. DATES FOR THE DIARY Wednesday 23 rd July 2014 Beef Fertility Meeting (No 2) @ Surgery 7pm with Sara Pederson Friday 1 st August 2014 Pre-Tupping Practical for Sheep Club Members on farm TBC with Kate Hovers Wednesday 13 th August 2014 Come and visit us at The Vale Show Wednesday 20 th August 2014 Dairy meeting Milk Fever (BOVIKALC) Sara Pederson MARY Functional and therapeutic trimming techniques for today's dairy cows The 2014 Large Herd Seminar served as a useful reminder of the importance of appropriate and effective foot trimming for today's herds. The impact that minimising the incidence and severity of lameness has on production is often overlooked in favour of more tangible measures of herd health and productivity e.g. fertility or yield. We do so, however, at our peril! If a cow is not pain-free and mobile then a succession of herd problems such as reduced fertility or milk drop are sure to follow. Lameness (in the foot) can be broadly divided into infectious and non-infectious causes. The most common infectious causes include Digital Dermatitis, Heel Erosion and Foot Rot/Foul whereas Ulcers and White line lesions account for the majority of non-infectious causes. Risk factors for non-infectious lesions include incorrect foot trimming, extended standing times (>3hrs/d) and poor stall design. The infectious lesion risk factors include poor hygiene, poor footpath management and the presence of infected animals in the herd.
Having properly identified the type of lameness we are dealing with, we must endeavour to record the lesion/s as accurate records are vital for appropriate treatment. Despite the majority of us not actually carrying out the foot trimming, we still have an important part to play if we are to get a successful outcome. Historically, a successful outcome has meant aesthetically pleasing claws, symmetrical in shape and gleaming white in colour. This idea has since been proven to be not only ineffectual in reducing the incidence and severity of lameness, but actually greatly contributes to its increase. For example, unless a lesion is identified and necessitates intervention, no hoof wall should be trimmed except for the point of the toe. If hoof wall is removed, a block must be applied which is to remain in place for a minimum of four weeks. Subsequent lame cow checks should be limited to the removal of loose horn and ensuring the block is in situ and perpendicular to the leg. Regular checks on every cow in the herd should be performed, with a minimum of two to three checks per year depending on environment. In addition, lame cows must be looked after every day with regular monitoring representing a key component to a successful outcome. The key take-home message from this part of the seminar is "Less is More". It's time to abandon the quest for perfectly shaped, gleaming white claws and not be afraid to just leave things be! OPEN FARM SUNDAY AT GOLDSLAND FARM On 8 th June, Morgan and I went to Open Farm Sunday at the Readers family dairy farm, Goldsland in Wenvoe to help Abi with a vet station We represented Park Vets by demonstrating a full cow examination, with younger members of the audience participating, listening to heart & lungs Alex The aim of the event was to present all the aspects of life on a farm, as well as to make the general public aware and understand how the farm products that are bought in the supermarkets are obtained. Abi selflessly put on the event with the help of family and friends providing tractor & trailer rides, static machinery display, farm tour and meeting animals. We look forward to future similar events where we will gladly bring our contribution to promote our rewarding profession to the large public and promote the future of farms and farming in this country. Iulian Veterinary press AHVLA surveillance and news on lameness in sheep Copper toxicosis - sheep At Carmarthen a farmer reported a number of stillbirths and late abortions in his flock and some ewes had died following stillbirth. Ewes were fed silage and concentrate and were fully vaccinated. Postmortem examination of a two-year-old ewe revealed jaundice and a bright orange liver, containing an abnormally high level of copper. The owner was advised to evaluate the complete diet for copper levels. At Penrith, a similarly high level of liver copper was found in a jaundiced adult ewe that had recently been dosed with a copper-containing bolus. Late pregnancy can be a risk period for copper toxicosis as stress and/or reduced food intake can result in liver pathology and the release of copper into the blood stream during fat mobilisation. Interesting evidence for the benefits of a coordinated approach to lameness in sheep. A current article in the veterinary press describes the application of a 'Five Point Plan' on three UK farms,
summarised in the table. 5 Point Plan Relevance Implementation 1. CULLING of badly or repeatedly affected animals 2.QUARANTINE incoming animals 3. TREAT clinical cases promptly By removing worst offenders, flock resilience to disease is increased. Ewes with chronic misshapen feet likely to be a source of infection. Minimising overall disease challenge for incoming and existing animals, allowing time for inclusion to vaccination and management programme. To alleviate disease in the individual animal, and to reduce disease transmission to others. Ewes treated more than once for footrot or scald should be cull tagged. Two strikes and you're out policy. Cull ewes with misshapen chronic feet. Develop robust quarantine procedure to protect both existing ewes and the newcomers. Identify and rapidly treat lame animals in the whole flock. Use a simple scoring system to regularly select animals and target treatment. 4. AVOID propagation of infection on farm Reduce the opportunities for the Identify opportunities for improvement in disease to spread sheep to sheep via underfoot conditions, both in the the ground, periods of close contact field/barn and in the handling set-up and are high risk. frequency. 5.VACCINATE biannually Build immunity in breeding stock, vaccination gives additional protection at high-risk times. Initially vaccinate all breeding stock biannually, timing doses to coincide with high-risk times, such as housing and late summer. One farm, with 1000-ewe breeding flock, was studied intensively for four years It used the plan to identify specific areas of weakness and began by implementing a strict lameness culling policy (4% of ewes in the first year) and biannual vaccination. The farm also improved mobile and permanent handling facilities, and focused on reducing the number of handling events throughout the year. The very encouraging sustained reduction in lameness is shown in the graph. On the two other farms, farmers also reported a notable improvement. We can supply paper or email copies of the whole article on request. Andy
FOG FEVER Fog fever is a misnomer, since it is neither caused by fog, nor do sufferers have a high temperature. The scientific name is Acute Bovine Pulmonary Oedema. The condition occurs typically in adult cattle moved to fast growing, lush pasture with high protein levels. Clinical signs begin within 1 to 14 days after the cows start grazing and death often follows 2 to 4 days after that. The condition can affect up to 50% of the herd, and around 30% of affected cattle may die as a result. CAUSE With the change to lush green pasture, the dietary protein concentration increases dramatically. An amino acid in this plant protein, tryptophan, is converted by rumen bacteria to a substance called 3-MI. This 3-MI enters the bloodstream and is transported throughout the body, including to the lungs, where it causes widescale destruction of lung tissue. CLINICAL SIGNS Difficulty breathing Coughing Frothing at mouth Cattle do not normally run a fever Anxiety (separation from group) Collapse Death TREATMENT AND PREVENTION There is no specific treatment for fog fever. However, limiting grazing time and gradually increasing exposure to the pasture over time is advisable. Also, giving monensin or lasalocid, which inhibit the conversion of tryptophan to 3-MI, may help prevent fog fever. Are you a farmer aged 20-40? Gavin We shall be helping to organise a series of workshops this autumn specifically focused on the next generation of farmers with the aim of updating and improving knowledge and skills about livestock. We have a number of sponsors lined up keen to offer training on topics of your choice covering beef, sheep and dairy cows. So far interest has been expressed in EBVs, latest findings on fertility, better methods of young stock rearing and basic health assessment skills. If you are aged between 20-40 and this interests you let us know and keep an eye on our newsletters for more information. Also if you have topics in mind you would like us to consider please do not hesitate to contact us. The Herd Health Plan (H.H.P.) A health plan has traditionally been in place as a tick box exercise; skimmed over and signed by a Vet. Times are changing and an increasing number of farm assurance schemes are realising the importance of a well thought out HHP and are making it compulsory to have active vet involvement.
A health plan is an agreement between the farmer and vet, it aims to benefit the farm by showing how we are going to manage the herd/flock to ensure sure that they are healthy and well cared for as well as optimizing production. It covers every topic from housing and nutrition, right through to any preventative strategies such as vaccinations and ways that we're going to treat and look after our cows. We aim to personalize each plan to the individual farm, and suggest relevant testing to make informed decisions for this purpose. The health plan is reviewed at least once a year; it should be an active document that changes when necessary. An average plan will involve a visit to the farm looking at current management procedures and relevant records as well as a review of our own records in the practice to determine previous vet involvement and testing carried out as well as problems encountered. Farming Connect are involved in a scheme Menter a Busnes which provides funding to help with establishing a H.H.P. You can apply for up to eight days support over the programme period (Rural Development Plan 2007-2013) for numerous projects. All eligible businesses will receive 80% reimbursement of fees charged for projects such as herd health plans. To apply you will need to register with Farming Connect and then contact your local Farming Connect Regional Co-ordinator. Their role is to... Discuss your requirements and provide more information on the service Guide you through the application process Help you select the appropriate mentor(s) from our approved list (some of whom are within the Farm Animal Team at Park) Advise you on your entitlements to subsidised support Please contact us if you would like any more information on Herd Health Planning or Menter a Busnes, including contact details for your local Farming Connect Regional Co-ordinator. Morgan Park Vets Large Animal Vets