I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

The Ewe in

Late

Pregnancy

2

Parasite

Outlook

3

Metabolic

Profiling in

Sheep

3

Johnes

Disease

4

Calf

Pneumonia

5

Diary Dates 6

Calving Tips 6

Lambing Season Arrives Again

Farm Practice

Newsletter

Winter 2013 Happy new year to all our clients! – after a good summer and au-

tumn the winter has proven difficult with above average rainfall.Stock

have though benefited from a better grazing season earlier on and

are fitter than in previous years. Silage quality and yields were up in

2013 –but stock are going through it fast!

are caused by dystocia. So if in

doubt call the vet out!.

Approach to the difficult

lambing….

Wash your hands before

intervening ( no excuses!) or

wear long gloves

Assess the presentation and

position of the lamb– check the

legs that might be presented

are from the same lamb!

Try and correct any abnormal

positioning of the lamb/legs

( e.g. legs bent back/head bent

back)

Assess the size of the lamb

relative to the size of the ewe’s

pelvis. If you think the lamb may

be too big, stop and contact the

vets.

If you are trying unsuccessfully

for 15– 20 minutes it is time to

bring the ewe in!

Dystocia is not only a major cause

of ewe deaths; pulling too hard or

forcing a lamb through the pelvis

It’s that time of year again… lambing season is upon us! We have recently run 2 successful lambing workshops, in conjunction with Farming Connect, at the surgery in Neath. Gareth gave a talk on prepariation for lambing while Beki and Jon ran practical demonstrations of tubing lambs, intra-peritoneal injections in hypothermic lambs and a run through of common abnormal positions of lambs during birth ,rounding off with basic post mortem of lambs.

Dystocia It is estimated 70% of ewe deaths in the UK

when it is just that little too big

may break the lamb’s ribs and it

may not survive.

Colostrum...Colostrum….

Colostrum. Colostrum provides

energy,antibodies and is a natural

laxative The all important window

for getting colostrum into the

lamb is ideally within the first 4-6

hours of life.

Check the ewe’s udder - does she

have plenty of colostrum which

you can take for the lamb? Is she

affected by mastitis? The amount

and the quality of colostrum is

vital. If you are using a powdered

substitute read the instructions

carefully; if prepared at the

incorrect temperature it will not

form a clot in the abomasum.

50ml per kg body weight of

colostrum is required for the

optimum start.

Visit us at www.afonvets.co.uk

BE PREPARED:

Lambing kit checklist

Being prepared is key -

keep all equipment clean

and in an easily accessible

place.

Lambing ropes ( soft ropes

not chord!)

Lubricant

Head snare

Strong Iodine navel dip

Hibiscrub (no excuse for

dirty hands!)

Gloves

Prolapsed harness or

spoons

Calcium 20%

Glucose 40% (dilute in

equal volume of cooled

boiled water)

Thermometer

Metabolic problems in ewes The following diseases affect ewes in late

pregnancy and it is important to be able to

tell the difference between them and have a

protocol to hand for treating them.

TWIN LAMB DISEASE (PREGNANCY

TOXEMIA)

The ideal position to be in is to prevent

this happening with adequate feeding of

ewes during pregnancy.

These ewes tend to be isolated and

appear to be blind.

Treatments: use a good quality drench -

one that just contains glucose will not be

beneficial. Make sure the drench you are

using contains both glycerol and

propylene glycol—take care not to over

dose with drench either. If the ewe is

unresponsive with supportive care and

drenching then she may require

veterinary attention and steroid injection.

The Ewe in Late Pregnancy

Sheep Abortion Abortions can be sporadic but levels above 2% suggest an infectious cause and

should be investigated. The main causes are enzootic abortion of ewes (Chlamydia),

Toxoplasmosis and Campylobacter and the costs of abortion can be £20-£65 per

aborted ewe.

It is important that aborted ewes are separated from the flock and

aborted material should be removed and destroyed along with infected

bedding. Any ewe lambs fostered onto aborted ewes shouldn’t be kept for

breeding. (See our Autumn newsletter for more detailed info on abortion or

request a copy from the practice.) Subsidised blood testing (Barren ewe check)

is available to check aborted ewes for Enzootic abortion and toxoplasmosis and is

available from the practice. MSD VET is running this barren ewe program again this

winter until March 2014. Any client with scanning figures showing 3% or more empty

ewes should take advantage of this subsidised blood testing service to check for

evidence of Toxoplasmosis and Enzootic abortion - more details are available from

the practice.

In Other News... New Cattle Scanner

We have recently purchased

the latest model of the BCF

Easi-scan large animal scanner.

This will now allow 2 vets to

scan on separate farms at

once and also has a more

mobile screen and goggles.

Contact us if you still haven’t

had your cows scanned

before calving.

——————— Keeping up to date!

In the last few months of

2013 we have attended a

number of courses to ensure

our knowledge and skills are

right up to date for the

benefit of our clients.

Jon has attended an advanced

cattle scanning course while

Gareth and Beki undertook a

practical course in bovine

surgery. We are constantly

attending further training in

order to give you the best

service.

———————–

New Requirements for

Dispensing Medicines

As part of meeting the Royal

College Practice standards we

will be asking you to sign a

consent form for off label use

of medicines—this applies

mainly to sheep. Although we

use a wide range of drugs

safely and appropriately in

sheep, very few are actually

licensed. Overall it is to help

us make sure we are using

medicines responsibly.

HYPOCALCAEMIA

Suspicious signs include: recumbancy, not

ruminating, weakness, cold extremities,

dry dung not being passed much.

Treatment: supportive care is important

make sure the ewe has access to fresh

water and feed. Inject calcium 20%

under the skin (80 ml for small ewes/

100ml for larger ewes) if she is

unresponsive to this within an hour then

she will require calcium Intravenously.

HYPOMAGNESAEMIA

This is less common than the other two.

Clinical signs include tremors/fitting, over

-reaction to stimulus.

Treatment: up to 75ml Magnesium 25%

under the skin. Contact us if no response

in one hour.

Ewe Nutrition We are now entering a critical period for

ewes in the winter feeding period, 70% of

the lambs growth occurs in the last 8

weeks of pregnancy, udder development

begins and colostrum is produced. The

rapidly expanding uterus creates

significant competition for space in the

abdomen - leaving less room for the

rumen.

Remember that lamb mortality is highest

in low birth weight lambs and/or born to

ewes in poor condition. Ewes need to be

fit at lambing and poorer ewes will need

preferential treatment. Ewes carrying

twins will require twice maintenance

levels of feeding by full term. Remember

also to ensure that ewes have a supply of

vitamins and minerals as body reserves

are limited.

Feed provided must have the following

characteristics:

Continued on page 3...

New Twin Lamb Treatment -

Selekt Glycerol Plus We trialled this new treatment for

Twin lamb disease last year with a

lot of success, this product in

addition to

Propylene Glycol

and Glycerol and

vitamins also

contains yeast,

which helps rumen

function. Rather than

just giving the ewe

glucose which she

will burn rapidly this

product gives her

energy precursors

so she can produce

more energy for recovery.

NADIS webinars in conjunction with Afon Vets are now available monthly. Please visit the link below to our NADIS site webinars include the updated liver fluke forecast, lice in cattle and parasite gastroenteritis in sheep, including advice on clostridial vaccination in sheep and treating milk fever in cows

Afon Vets News now

online!

http://webinars.nadis.org.uk/distributors/afonvetcentre.aspx

Remember to check the fluke forecast regularly this winter!

...Continued from page 2

Fibre high in dry matter >30%

Total diet high digestibility >60%

Concentrates high in energy density -13mj/kgDM,

High in crude protein >16%

While good hay or silage are capable of supplying these

requirements, anything inferior will not. Intake will be

adversely affected if roughage is too course and fibre

length too long.

This high nutritional demand in late pregnancy continues

into lactation - a 5 kilo lamb will take in 1 litre of milk a

day- prolific ewes may need a diet of 18 % crude protein.

A ewe with twins may have three times the maintenance

requirements of the dry animal.

Many low priced concentrates are available - beware of

anything with a very low price and an ash content of 10%

or over- such feeds always prove false economy in the

long run.

Parasite Outlook Fluke As usual we just can’t leave out the

liver fluke! At this time of year

flukicide treatment should aim to kill

the immature and adult stages of the

fluke life cycle. The most effective

product against these is still

Triclabendazole and ideally most

flocks will have already received an

Autumn dose. However, most farms

should still repeat this dose in the

sheep to ensure immature fluke don’t

have a chance to build up.

In cattle we usually advise the use of

triclabendazole just after housing or

nitroxynil/closantel 6weeks after

housing, to clear out any infection

but if cattle are overwintered at

pasture they may also require a later

winter dose. Over the past year we

have had a few cases of suspected

triclabendazole resistance in our

practice area.

A new accurate test is now available

with Liverpool University to test for

resistance to triclabendazole. The

test requires pre and post drench

samples 21 days apart. Please contact

us if you suspect you have had a

problem with triclabendazole on

your farm and we can carry out a

resistance trial on your farm. If fluke

is a cause for concern on your farm

don’t hestitate to contact one of the

farm animal team to arrange a

comprehensive overview and plan for

your farm. Worms Mild average temperatures so far this

winter will allow continuing

development of larvae so in sheep

we would still advise faecal sampling

of fattening lambs if you have

concerns. Watch for signs of ill thrift

and scouring.

In cattle the dry summer followed by

autumn rain before housing may have

led to a late challenge from Ostertagia

ostertagi larvae with large numbers

of inhibited larvae in the abomasal

wall so young stock should receive a

larvicidal wormer (Group 3, Macro-

cyclic Lactones) after housing to

prevent emergence of many worms

in the gut as temperatures rise after

winter.

External parasites Stay alert for itching and wool loss

with scabs on sheep this winter as

Sheep Scab requires diagnosis and

appropriate treatment and can often

be mistaken for lice. In cattle watch

for lice infestations which can

reduce feed intake and damage hides

mainly in housed cattle.

Metabolic Profiles in Sheep

Ewes should be scanned 60 –90 days before

lambing .Body condition score your ewes at the

same time and use the information it gives you to

group your ewes and manage them appropri-

ately.In the last month of pregnancy its crucial to

determine the protein and energy status of ewes

to tailor feeding regimes—especially twins and

triplets who are under far more metabolic strain

compared to singles. Metabolic blood profiling

can be carried out for the whole flock for less

than the cost of a dead ewe and measures en-

ergy and protein status. Inadequate nutrition at

this late stage of pregnancy results underweight

weak lambs more susceptible to disease and the risk of twin lamb disease in the ewes. For more

information on metabolic profiling your ewes

give the farm team a call to arrange a visit and

sampling of your flock.

What is it? Johnes is caused by a bacteria – mycobacterium avium

subspecies paratuburculosis. It has a long incubation

period, where the bacteria hides in the wall of the gut.

Infection occurs in the calf but clinical signs don’t

normally develop until between 3-5 years of age

(although can be from 24 months of age). Infected

animals will shed bacteria – sometimes for years before

they show clinical signs but the chance of shedding

increases the closer they get to showing symptoms of

the disease. The bacteria damages the small intestine

preventing absorption of food and causes wasting and

profuse watery diarrhoea despite the animal still eating.

Johnes can remain in the environment for a long

time- up to 2 years.

In heavily infected dams there is evidence to suggest

infection of the calf can be in utero through the

placenta.

There is no treatment for johnes, the disease is always

fatal, and all ruminants are susceptible.

Disease Focus: Johnes Disease Johnes Disease is a bacterial infection which causes scour and wasting in

adult cattle and is a major cause of losses in both the UK Beef and Dairy

industries. Cases are on the increase, it is thought to affected between 20-50%

of UK herds. In this disease focus we look at the disease in detail and discuss

how to help keep it out or deal with it.

Testing for Johnes Blood testing

The blood test detects antibodies however it is unlikely that an animal will show positive on the test while they are

only incubating the disease. Like the chance of an animal shedding bacteria, the chance of picking up an infected

animal with the test increases the closer they come to actually showing symptoms of the disease. For this reason,

animals under 2 years old do not tend to be tested and animals with the disease tend to be older before they are

detected. Testing is advised annually – a cow may be negative one year but positive the next.

The offspring of positive cows should be traced. They should not be used as replacements/for breeding and in some

cases cull is advised.

Faecal examination

Faeces can be examined for the actual bacteria but as stated, a cow can be positive for the disease but not

necessarily be shedding or shedding can be intermittent. Again if an animal is actually showing symptoms then it is

more likely to show in the faeces.

We would generally advise screening the herd for johnes with the blood test. It helps determine the extent of the

disease in the herd so we can work out the best strategy for control. Johnes can devastate a herd if left

uncontrolled.

Clinical signs Progressive weight loss and chronic wasting.

Scouring – often chronic and bad smelling/

bubbly

Oedema – bottle jaw (swellings under jaw

and brisket)

Poor fertility

Signs often follow a stressful event such as

calving.

Clinical signs can last for months – the cows

become emaciated but maintain a good

appetite.

If you have stock with any of these clinical

signs isolate immediately pending testing away

from animals due to calve.

Dealing with Johnes/reducing the risks Control is difficult because of the long incubation period meaning that an outbreak can occur over years. Cows that can

look completely normal can be shedding the bacteria which can be picked up by calves which themselves may not go down

with the disease until years down the line.

The main objective of control is to identify and remove infected animals to prevent them infecting their calves and so the

next generation. The culling of positive animals is an essential step towards control.

Hygiene is a major part of control particularly around calving. Faecal contamination needs to be reduced. The main route

of infection is faecal oral. Reduce the faecal contamination of food/water (make sure food troughs are raised). The

bacteria can also be found in stagnant water sources so restriction of access ponds etc is important.

Calves can be infected by colostrum. It is important that if you use home frozen colostrum you mark the container with

the number of the cow and if she becomes positive for

johnes this is discarded. If the cow will tolerate it, clean the

teats when the calf is born before it sucks to reduce

contamination. Do not feed pooled colostrum if johnes is

present.

Because of the likelihood of the calf getting infected from a

positive cow it is important not to keep calves from infected

dams. It is advised calves from infected dams are not sold as

replacements/breeding animals.

Bulls can also bring johnes on to a farm. When replacing a

bull blood testing whilst the bull is in isolation is advisable.

Purchasing accredited stock would be recommended.

Muck spreading is a risk – sharing of equipment is a biosecurity

risk. The bacteria can survive in the pasture for a long time.

Ideally muck spreading on pasture should be avoided.

An ideal environment for the spread of Johnes to young

animals.

Reduce the pneumonia

risk Avoid Mixing calves from

different sources/ages in same air space.

Timing of Routine

procedures worming/

castrating/dehorning

Housing: ensure a

clean ,dry bed, good

ventilation without chilling

or draughts

Good hygiene practice is

critical to limit the spread

of contagious disease

Ensure buildings

maintained no leaking

troughs or gutters

especially in the weather at

moment

Identify sick calves,

isolate, treat early and

follow a treatment plan.

When outbreak occurs if

possible reduce stock

density to reduce pathogen

load.

Despite the mild weather we have

seen few outbreaks of calf

pneumonia in single suckled calf units

over the Christmas period. This has

been associated with severe rain

often soaking sheds. All calves

housed at this time of year need

access to a lying up area whether this

is provided by a restricted access

section of a shed or something as

simple as running an electric fence

around the shed perimeter to allow

the calves access to a dry bed away

from the cows. Good ventilation is

also essential to help prevent

pneumonia in housed calves this

winter; we are able to assess

ventilation on farm and advise on

changes that could improve

conditions. Vaccination of bought in

bucket calves against the major

causes of viral pneumonia is now

advised on all units we visit. These

calves are often under more stress

and receive reduced immunity in

their mothers milk unlike their single

suckled counterparts. Remember

that we have access to a subsidised

blood testing scheme to investigate

calf pneumonia outbreaks on your

farm. Contact us for further info.

Calves at Risk from Pneumonia this Winter

Stress of mixing increases the risk of pneumonia in calves passing through cattle markets

Monday 3rd February 7.30pm at Neath RFC.

Farming connect are hosting a Johnes meeting for our clients with Bruce Lawson

MRCVS– this will be focussed on practically tackling johnes disease. We look

forward to seeing you all there.

Mid february—venue and date to be confirmed

Following our recent successful lambing workshop in conjunction with Farming

connect we will be running a Calving workshop in preparation for the up coming

calving season.

We appreciate any feedback you have on the newsletter or any aspect of our service. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Neath surgery: 01639 642739 Email: afonvetcentre@btconnect.com

Good farming from all the team at Afon Vets!

Calving tips Make sure you are prepared for calving with adequate supplies of

colostrum, iodine for navel dressing, clean calving ropes, and

medicines. For those of you calving indoors the provision of well designed

clean calving pens is essential and make sure the cows udder is

cleaned before the calf sucks! If you are handling cows, cut tails to

minimise dung contamination on teats. Taking bulls out of autumn calvers at end of January will mean

calving ends mid November. Scour problems in previous years? Vaccination against rotavirus

needs completing 12-3 weeks prior to calving. Early born autumn calves should be eating approaching 2kg per

head/day of 14%CP creep. This is the optimum intake if calves are

going on to grass with their mothers later.

Dates for your Diary In Other News...

Farming Connect/Menter

a Busnes Update

All applications for 80%

funding for health planning

and investigations need to be

submitted by March 2014.

your trained mentors within

the practice and Gareth

Mulligan, Jonathan Reilly and

Beki Reilly. Please ring us

ASAP if you are interested In

having a health plan -

remember it is a farm

assurance requirement!

—————————

Pregnancy Scanning

Offer

We are continuing our

scanning offer into 2014 for

pregnancy scanning of more

than 20 cows. Remember

early scanning can identify

problems. Unlike lay scanners

we can also give advice during

visits for methods of

tightening the calving pattern

and can identify possible

problems with individual

cows. Don’t worry if your

calving pattern is spread, give

us a call to discuss your

options.

————————-

Availability of Rotavec

Corona TM

We have been informed by

MSD that some supplies of

the vaccine will be available

from the start of February

2014 however these are likely

to be in short supply. We

strongly advise clients who

require this vaccine to contact

us at the surgery to order

supplies. We will be selling

the vaccine in spring 2014 at

£49.92 plus vat per 5 doses

and £188.32 plus vat for 20

doses. Please note these

prices are only available to

clients if payment is made at

the time of vaccine collection.