Sanatorium Road, Cardiff CF11 8DG Tel: 02920 382211 Email : enquiries@park-vets.com FARM NEWSLETTER November 2016 OUR TEAM MARY WALTERS Welcome to November! - Where did the time go? October was kind to us, a dry month with a lot of cattle still out. Let s hope it continues We have all recovered from the Cardiff 10k. We raised over 1000 a big thank you for all your generous donations, the money will go some way to helping families of children with cancer. Matt was the fastest runner finishing in an impressive 52 mins. Apparently, it s going to an annual event for us (great!) MORGAN RICHARDS THOMAS SEARLE We had a great Sheep club meeting kindly hosted by the Bowen family in Nelson. The meeting was led by Kate Hovers on looking after ewes in pregnancy it was well attended and enjoyed. Kate covered a lot of topics. Last month, I went to the BCVA annual conference over 3 days. It covered lots of topics I listened to Temple Grandin the Texan Cattle Behaviourist about improving cattle welfare, did workshops on in the field post mortems and Johnes test results interpreting, and heard the latest on lameness in dairy cattle and resistance to anthelminics and flukicides amongst other things. And in between it was good to meet up with old friends. As vets we are obliged to go to education courses but it s hardly a chore when it s as good as that. This month we are concentrating on a few seasonal problems. Morgan starts our Small Holders corner. Tom talks about fluke and flukicide resistance. Stewart Wilson, our new farm vet gives us a bit of an introduction to himself and his background and he is now officially part of the farm animal team with the passing over of the coat from Andy Wales! The Meeting on Thursday 10 th November (Abi Reader hosting Owen Atkinson for a day of building design at Goldsland farm in Wenvoe) has been postponed and we will inform you as soon as we get a new date, should be in December! Mary
JONNY FAIRE Small Holders - Sheep Sheep - Common problems and preventative care. If you are a new holding that has not had sheep before you will need to acquire a County Parish Holding (CPH) number from Defra. You can then contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency to obtain a Flock number. If you intend to move sheep the APHA can also give you information on movement licences. You must also keep an annual Flock Register of all sheep movements on and off your holding. All sheep must be identified with ear tags, the type of tags depends on the age of the sheep. This information can be sourced from APHA MATT PACK Stewart Wilson Worming Worming resistance is a major problem in sheep and no matter the size of your flock it is important to use anthelmintics (wormers) wisely. We advise using worm egg counts (WEC) to ensure that anthelmintics are only used when necessary. A single (WEC) costs 18 and one of the large animal vet team will be happy to discuss sampling and results as this will be individual to your flock. The main worms of a concern in sheep are round worms and fluke. External Parasites Sheep Scab This is a skin condition caused by mites. It is a highly contagious at is usually introduced to a flock by bought in sheep. It causes intense itching and yellow orange scabs. If you notice these signs a vet should be contacted for diagnosis and treatment advice. Prevention involves quarantine periodso for bought in stock and ensuring fences are well maintained. Fly Strike A common problem in warmer months. Flys attracted to wet, dirty areas around the sheeps hind quarters. Prevention includes adequate fly control and dagging. Dagging is the removal of excess wool around the tail to minimise faecal contamination. Vaccination Heptavac is a commonly used vaccine. it protects against Clostridia which is a family of bacteria causing problems like tetanus, lamb dysentery, pulpy kidney, black disease, blackleg, struck and braxy. Initially, two vaccinations are given four to six weeks apart followed by annual vaccination four to six weeks before the expected lambing date to ensure adequate accumulation of protective immunoglobulins in colostrum. Lambs are vaccinated from three to four month-old with the programme complete before weaning unless sold for slaughter before waning of maternal antibody at around four to five month-old. We recommend using this vaccine as a standard protocol. Heptavac P is an additional product that covers Pasteurellosis as well as the Clostridial diseases. Pasteurellosis causes septicaemia in young lambs, pneumonia in older sheep and mastitis in ewes. Most other vaccines are generally used if disease has been confirmed. Enzovax/Toxovax are used to reduce abortion due to Enzootic abortion and Toxoplasmosis respectively. If you have poor fertility or abortions we can carry out tests to confirm if either of these diseases are present in you flock. Lameness Foot Rot, Scald and CODD are common causes of lameness due to bacterial infection. Treatment can be with antibiotic spray or injection. Prevention can be achieved with foot bathing and vaccination along with good management. A veterinary examination will ensure a diagnosis and correct treatment plan.
Foot trimming - Routine foot trimming has become unpopular due to the difficulties or disinfection between sheep and the risk of trimming intoned sensitive tissues. In general, only trim overgrown horn and do not trim lame sheep. Shearing It is advisable to withhold food a few hours before shearing. This to ensure the rumen is small and will not cause breathing difficulties when the sheep is restrained. Nutrition And Trace elements Nutritional requirements vary throughout the sheep year. This is especially true in breeding flocks. Blood samples can provide information on energy levels in ewes to ensure they are receiving adequate nutrition. Blood samples can also monitor trace element levels, these can be affected by different soil types. Low levels can affect growth rates and supplementation may be required. Common plants poisonous to sheep include: Ragwort St John s Wort Rhododendron (and similar shrubs) Water Dropwort Yew Hemlock Water Horsetail Bracken, acorns and oak leaves if consumed in quantities Flock Health Plan Medication Box Medicines Book (Recording all medicines given and withdrawal/expiry dates) Sharps bin Needles (18g/21g 1 inch length) Syringes (5 and 10ml) Metacam (50ml injectable or Oral suspension available in different sizes) Electrolytes (variable forms depending on species) Antibiotics as recommended by Vet Foot Shears/Clippers Purple Spray or Antibiotic Spray (Alamycin) if recommended by Vet Dosing gun for worming treatment/vitamin drenches Gloves Above is a brief overview of the common problems faced by shepherds. By working alongside your vet we can create an extensive flock specific health plan. This is an interactive plan that provides information, targets and advice on fertility, disease and nutrition in your flock MORGAN
Choosing the Correct Fluke Product: Can I still use Triclabendazole? When discussing fluke control, I frequently refer farmers to the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS www.scops.org.uk) website as it has relevant, up-to-date information. For a very useful Fluke Forecast see www.nadis.org.uk. Autumn is peak liver fluke season and it is forecast in some areas to be a very high season. This is because last winter was very mild and was followed by a very wet summer, South Wales was typical of this! These conditions have been ideal for the mud snail which we know is an important part of the fluke life cycle. Acute fluke is caused by immature fluke migrating through the liver and occurs during Autumn and early Winter. It is reported that a surprising number of farmers don t know the activity spectrum of the different flukicide products available, hence this article. The table below outlines the efficacy of the different products available. As you can see there is only one active ingredient (Triclabendazole - TCBZ) effective against immature fluke and therefore is the only product useful as a treatment in preventing acute fluke. Recommendation from the AHVLA would be to use a TCBZ product this time of year and move animals onto a drier, less contaminated pasture. Dosage with an adulticide (albendazole/oxyclozanide/nitroxynil/closantel) in May will further help reduce immature numbers later in the year. Because of its broad spectrum of activity TCBZ has been a widely used product in the sheep industry. However, resistance has been exhibited and proven in UK sheep since 2012. However, it has previously been difficult to carry out reliable and affordable field tests to prove TCBZ resistance on farms. The University of Liverpool published a paper in 2012 validating a Faecal Egg count reduction test useful for detecting resistance in Fluke to TCBZ. This faecal egg count reduction test is now available through their university laboratory, for approximately 90. It is simple to carry out as it requires two sets of pooled faecal samples with a dose of TCBZ between the two if fluke eggs are detected in the first sample. It is recommended this testing is carried out between January-March. Personally I think we should all be more aware of the effectiveness of the drugs we use on farm and think this testing is a vital part of creating a farm specific fluke control program on your farm. Feel free to contact me to discuss further at the surgery. Thomas Sheep Scab Sheep scab is mainly a winter disease affecting the flock between September and April. It can be a major source of economic loss by resulting in secondary infections and loss of condition as well as a severe welfare issue. Sheep scab is caused by an allergic reaction to the faeces of the mites infesting the animal. These mites can just about be seen by the naked eye and are spread by sheep to sheep contact or from surfaces such as fence posts and shearing equipment. Signs Early signs can include restlessness and scratching at fence posts/undergrowth- this results in areas of poor fleece and stained wool. Later in the disease lesions are visible and head tossing and rubbing becomes more apparent. Sheep will lose condition rapidly at this point and bleeding wounds can be cause by scratching excessively.
What to do If you suspect sheep scab give us a call, we can take skin scrapes or blood samples to determine the cause. Other parasites such as lice and blow fly strike and infections like ringworm can have similar symptoms. If sheep scab is confirmed then treating with one of the products below is advisable. Manufacturers instructions must be followed and accurate dosing to weight is essential. Mites can survive off the sheep for 14 days so in some cases isolation post treatment is necessary. Further actions to take include: Inform neighbours with adjacent fields. Double fencing to prevent shared access might be necessary. Injectable Products For Scab Company Chemical Use And Protection Against Infestation Meat Withdrawl Period Cydectin 1% Zoetis Moxidectin Prevention - one injection protects against infestation for 2 days. Treatment - two injections 10 days apart 70 days Cydectin 20mg/ml LA injection (2%) Zoetis Moxidectin Prevention against infection or reinfection - 60 days after one injection. Treatment - one injection in base of the ear. 104 days Dectomax 10mg/ml Solution for Injection for Cattle and Sheep Elanco AH Doramectin Treatment : one injection. Avoid contact with untreated or infected and treated flocks for 14 days. 70 days Ecomectin 10mg/ml Solution for Injection Eco Animal Health Ivermectin Treatment: Two injections 7 days apart. 42 days Ivomec Classic Merial AH Ivermectin Treatment: two injections 7 days apart. 37 days Noromectin 1% Multi Injection Norbrook Labs Ivermectin Treatment: Two injections 7 days apart 42 days Panomec Injection for Cattle, Sheep and Pigs Merial AH Ivermectin Treatment: Two injections 7 days apart. 37 days Paramectin Multi Injection Norbrook Labs Ivermectin Treatment: Two injections 7 days apart. 42 days Premadex 1% Injection Downland Ivermectin Treatment: Two injections 7 days apart. 43 days Qualimec Injection 10mg/ml Solution for Injection Elanco AH Ivermectin Treatment: Two injections 7 days apart. 42 days Zermex 1% Injection Downland Moxidectin Prevention - one injection protects against infestation for 28 days. Treatment - two injections 10 days apart. 70 days Zermex 20mg/ml LA for injection (2%) Downland Moxidectin One injection for treatment and prevention. Persistency of reinfection - 60 days. 104 days Plunge Dips For Scab Control Company Chemical Treatment And Protection Meat Withdrawl Period Osmonds Gold Fleece Dip Bimeda Diazinon Treatment and up to 4 weeks protection. 49 days Paracide 62 Animax Ltd Diazinon Treatment and up to 4 weeks protection. 70 days If you have bought in sheep recently review your quarantine protocols Figure 1. Treatment protocols for sheep scab (SCOPS) Matt
NEW VET STEWART WILSON Stewart recently graduated for the Royal Veterinary College in 2016 and will be working as a mixed vet. He comes for a small family-run dairy farm of 100 Holstein-Friesian cows over 200 acres of East Kent countryside. It is a closed herd that uses autumn block-calving to maximise labour and grass use. They make a variety of dairy products including cheese, yoghurt and cream, all of which are sold in a farm shop on-site as well as used in local restaurants. Recently, they have started selling unpasteurised milk from the farm via a milk vending machine -customers purchase either a plastic or dishwasher-proof glass bottle and can come and fill up at any time during the day. This area of the business has really taken off and has helped massively with the current poor milk prices. On top of the dairy products, a few beef cattle, lambs and pigs can always be found on the farm, as well as around 50 free range chickens with the meat and eggs also being sold in the farm shop. When not at work Stewart enjoys playing rugby, trekking and skiing. He is looking forward to getting out and about and visiting the farms of South Wales.