It is good to see that the new market is finally up and running in Shrewsbury and that there was so much stock there on the first day. I think most people were expecting things to be a little chaotic to start with and it certainly did not help that this was also the first time that the pre movement tuberculin testing regulations were operating. I like the way that the whole of the market is now under one roof as there is a much better atmosphere there now. It still does not seem to make it any easier to find anybody and you have to be careful not to get in the way of unpredictable cattle as nobody was quite sure of the best unloading bays to use. All of you will have different views on the new market; where it is, different aspects of the lay out and sale rings as well as the new sale times. With so many sectors of the livestock industry under pressure at the moment it is pleasing to see a substantial investment in a modern building as it gives a boost to every one who makes use of it.

Coccidiosis Treatment

It has taken a long time, but I am pleased to tell you that Vecoxan has finally been licensed for the treatment of coccidiosis in calves. This drench has long been established as the treatment of choice for lambs with coccidiosis as it attacks the parasite at two different stages of its developments and virtually eliminates shedding for three weeks or more. Coccidiosis occurs because the calves take in too much of the parasite before they have a chance to build up an effective immunity to the infection. The drench helps as it gives the calf a chance to rebuild its defences. Vecoxan has been used successfully in other countries to treat calves, but this is the first time it has been licensed here.

It is never easy to predict the weather and it is foolish for me to try. Because it was so cold for most of March and there is very little grass about at the moment the chances are that when the grass does grow it will grow quickly. Plus there will be the temptation to apply extra nitrogen to help things to catch up. Rapidly growing spring grass, plenty of nitrogen is just the wrong conditions for encouraging magnesium shortages. This is something that has not been too troublesome in recent years, but we might get caught out this time. Dairy cows that are past their peak of production and Hereford cows and their relatives are the most vulnerable. Occasionally we see growing cattle and sheep affected.

Start taking precautions well before the cattle see any grass, it is not always enough to rely on the extra minerals that are put into the dairy ration at this time of the year. The low yielders may not have an adequate amount for their daily needs. Staggers is a serious condition that builds up rapidly when it first starts. You may not have long to react. Sometimes as little as half an hour from being normal, to the first tremors thought to terminal violent fits. The magnesium buckets work well on many farms, if the cattle are taking a substantial quantity from them it is because their blood levels are low, do not restrict them, they are trying to tell you something. Very high risk individuals and those that have a past history of the disease are better dosed with the Rumbul Bullets as these slowly dissolve to boost their daily needs.

Pfizer have been very quiet about their latest vaccine and it is a surprise really as it a significant development to solve a difficult problem. They have found a safe way to incorporate the Respiratory Syncital Virus into an intra nasal product. The vaccine is combined with the Influenza Virus and can be given as a single dose from three weeks of age. RSV is difficult to treat in young calves as it takes four to five weeks to build up immunity when injectable vaccines are used and the virus may already be running rampant at that stage. It if fairly easy to administer an intra nasal vaccine to calves. This is a live vaccine that cannot cause disease to treated calves and in contact animals. An Intra nasal vaccine such as tracherine gives a rapid immune response after a single dose and is ideal for the way we expect things to work today.

So far I have been able to keep up with the pre movement testing. Just bear in mind that there is a substantial amount of paper work involved to complete the copy of the test and issue the certificates. The earliest that we can post these to you is the day after the second visit so some forward planning would be beneficial. The rules are that you are advised to keep a copy of the test results for three years and sixty days and that you do not actually have to give any documents to the buyer of the cattle. It seems to work better with the individual certificates.

Problems that I have come across so far relate to the selling of a group of cattle around fifteen months of age when some need to be tested and some do not. You need to decide on a sale date and work out who needs to be tested and keep to your plan or some animals may be left out. On some farms where we have added extra animals to a routine test we have tested animals from thirteen months of age to cover the possibility of any changed plans. You do not have to pay for testing added animals on a routine herd test.

Also we have already done some post movement testing of cattle that were sold where the owner did not understand the new rules. It is not the end of the world when this happens and you have sixty days to organize the testing on your farm. It is strange that in markets now there are sections for cattle that have not been pre movement tested, they are segregated as if they have tuberculosis. This is far from the case and might merely mean that they come from a parish that is still on testing every four years, or they may have come from across the border in Wales.

You might already know but David Whittaker who heads the Dairy Health and Productivity Service at Edinburgh University is giving a lunch time talk on Dairy Cow Fertility at the Sweeny Hall Hotel near Oswestry on Wednesday the 19^th April. This is the man who interprets the metabolic blood tests and he is always commenting on trends in the Veterinary and Farming press so he knows what he is talking about. The meeting is being organized by Robert Cope and Richard Pearce. You can contact one of them on either 07966 987691 or 07970 526342.

Following my concerns last month the Veterinary Laboratories agency is sending out warnings now about Nematodirus. They point out that the lambs that are most at risk are from six to twelve weeks of age. Especially triplets and lambs on first time ewes or those on older ewes that may have limited milk. They point out that there never has been any resistance reported from Nematodirus to the white wormers and that they are the drench of choice to deal with the disease.

All animals can get tumours from time to time most of the ones that we treat are in older dogs. Occasionally younger dogs will get a type of skin cancer that is readily treated by surgical removal. It is unusual to come across tumours in farm animals, especially calves of three weeks of age. This week I removed a skin tumour from the shoulder of a three week old Charolais calf. The growth was the size of a tangerine and had been present since birth. When I had finished the suturing I cut into the tumour to find out what it was. The cut surface was deep black in colour indicating that the growth was a melanoma. This is a little bit unusual in a calf that did not appear to have much dark pigment in her skin.

Yes there is still just about time to organise your lungworm vaccine for this year. I still think that this is a much under used product. Not only can you hold over 1000 irradiated living lungworm larvae in your hand, you will also be able to give calves complete protection from Husk that will last them for the whole of their lives. Prevention is always better than trying to treat after the coughing starts. It’s a good thing to be able to say if you sell heifers through the market as they might never need to be wormed again.