Bovine Tuberculosis

Most of you will be aware that there has been a considerable increase in the new infection rate and the numbers of animals found as TB reactors this summer. Shropshire now has the unenviable title as the county that is experiencing the most new herd breakdowns anywhere in the Country. It was almost inevitable I suppose that nothing positive would come from the long delayed announcement from our current minister of agriculture I am sorry to say that our government still has no answers to this problem.

Help Needed

Over the years I have been to numerous meetings and read countless articles and opinions about Bovine Tuberculosis. What I have never heard is anything practical that can be done on your farms to protect you against this disease. It is not possible to see a pattern as to which management practices leave you vulnerable to the infection. Because of this I have started a web page open for all to read and contribute to. If you have found any lawful way to discourage the notorious badger and stop the spread of infection I would be pleased to publish them on the Bovine Tuberculosis page of our web site. I am quite happy to give you due credit for your contributions but I will understand if you would like to remain anonymous.

Using the Web

I realise that not everybody makes use of the internet or has the time to do so. I will keep you updated if there are any significant developments. If there are any practical ideas that come out of the web pages I will share them with you. If you would like a printed version of the views express so far please let one of us know.

Tuberculosis in Local Sheep

During the winter fifteen ewes died on a farm in mid Wales. Detailed post mortems were carried out on two of the ewes at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Shrewsbury. A primary diagnosis of pasturella pneumonia was made as the cause of the problem. One of the ewes had nodules in the lungs and Bovine Tuberculosis was eventually cultured from the lesions. Further tests revealed the strain of bacteria matched up with cultures from cattle on the same farm and Road Traffic Accident Badgers that had died near by. It is un usual to get visible tuberculosis lesions in sheep as they are though to be resistant to it. It might be that on this occasion the presence of an under lying pneumonia contributed to the progress of the infection. Most sheep that die are not given the benefit of a detailed post mortem. Tuberculosis in sheep is something we will have to look out for when there are losses on farms where there is a known active cattle infection.

The Vaccine has come now

After a prolonged wait the Protection Zone has now been extended so that we can now use the Bluetongue Vaccine here. Shropshire and Herefordshire ended up as the last Surveillance Zones in England, we have now caught up with the rest of the country.  Just to remind you it is a 1ml sub cutaneous dose once for sheep, twice with an interval of three weeks between doses for cattle and goats. It is reported that the vaccine is quite temperature sensitive so to get it to work to its full potential it is recommended that you only have the one vial that you are using out of the fridge at any one time. If you have a cool bag or an insulated box it easy to keep the vaccine at an optimal temperature before use. Also it is recommended that the dose is given alone and not at the same time as any other inoculations. It is acceptable to worm animals when the vaccine is given if you wish. If you have any questions about the use of this new vaccine we will be happy to answer them.

Cows with Lungworm

When testing cattle at this time of the year it is not uncommon to hear cows coughing. Cows cough for several reasons, in the summer there should not be any involvement of ammonia of fungal spores. If it tends to be the younger cows that are heavy milkers the most likely reason is the start of a lungworm infection. This is still a common disease. Lungworms have a complicated lifestyle, in dry summers they find it difficult as they are forced to migrate to the base of the grass stems to find moisture. When it is wet they move up the stalks and your cows eat vast numbers of them. Most larvae will be eliminated by the immune system of the cow before they can get close to the lungs. They have to get to the lungs if they are to lay eggs and complete their life cycle. Young cows are under metabolic stress and vulnerable to large numbers of lungworm larvae from the wet grass. There will be a noticeable weight loss and it is very difficult to get higher yielding dairy cows back in calf if they are fighting this infection. The worm challenge comes in waves and sometimes individuals will go for some time with little coughing before it builds up again.

One dose Treatment

There is really only one wormer that can be used to treat worm infections in milking cows. I am still not sure how such a potent drug can leave no residue in the milk, but just one dose is effective as it gives the cow’s immune system time to recover. Cows that carry lungworm will never reach their full production potential. We are not always made aware of the milder outbreaks of lungworm infection. We are aware that there have been clinical cases in both milking and suckler cows in the past two weeks. It is better to worm the whole herd at least once each year either on a single day or each animal soon after calving.

Dogs and Mushrooms

Dogs will eat all sorts of things and in some ways it is not surprising that they get dramatic digestive upsets sometimes. Last week I came across a rottweiler that was seen to eat either mushrooms or toadstools from a paddock near their house. It is not clear exactly what was eaten, but it certainly had a dramatic effect on this poor animal at both ends of her digestive tract. Fortunately no great harm was done and there was a good response to treatment. Once the vomiting stopped she was able to keep fluids down and start to recover. It is still early in the mushroom season so just be aware that if one of your dogs does develop a liking for any of the fungi that are starting to appear in the fields it might be better to discourage him as they can have severe effects once they have been eaten.

Road Closure

Just a reminder, because even I keep forgetting, the road between Minsterley, though Horsebridge to the Asterley turning will be closed until the 17^th August for BT to upgrade their cables for faster internet access.

Fast Food

Also Little Efes has moved into the village next to the Post Office and we can recommend their fish, pizzas, burgers and chips.

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