Badgers and Tuberculosis

At last scientists have been able to prove that it is possible to transmit specific strains of Bovine tuberculosis from infected badgers to cattle. In a small study undertaken by the University of Glasgow twenty six infected badgers were shown to have transferred a specific strain of the infection to cattle over a period of ten years in Northern Ireland. The researchers were cautious as to the rate of transmission of the disease as they had to concede that once the cattle were infected it could then be passed on from cow to cow. I am a little surprised that it has taken the scientists so long to demonstrate that badgers are spreading bovine tuberculosis and suspect there was a reluctance to fund research in these matters.

Laboratory Closures

Sometimes you read a report about something brought out just before Christmas and think at first glance of the summary that this must be a good idea if it is to improve the way that animal diseases are detected so that we are able to react more effectively to new and emerging conditions. After a short time I began to realise that what is proposed is to reduce the number of the Veterinary Laboratories that are able to do post mortems on farm animals from fifteen to four and to operate a system of nine vans to transport carcasses to the few facilities that remain open. Some of the journey times will be of up to seven and a half hours. It’s going to take a lot of talking to convince me that somehow this is going to improve the geographical coverage of the disease surveillance system, to enable better early detection of threats and increase access to live stock owners to post mortem facilities.

 Limited Picture

There have been concerns for decades that MAFF later to become the Veterinary Laboratories Agency were not aware of the true disease position you were coping with on your farms. The were fairly good at identifying major diseases such as enzootic abortion in sheep but would have no idea as to how widespread sheep scab is as there is no mechanism to report it even though it is easy to transmit information by computers and mobile phones now. It took a long time for the laboratories to identify the cause of dermatitis in cattle and even now there is no licensed product to treat it.

The Value of Post Mortems

If the proposed changes go ahead and the likelihood is that they will, we are in some ways fortunate in Shropshire as it is proposed that the laboratory in Shrewsbury will remain open. It will however be accepting carcasses delivered by van from as far away as Cornwall and Anglesey. Our colleagues at the laboratory are forever telling us that for a proper diagnosis they need fresh material within twelve hours and certainly not more that twenty four hours after death. Often if you have lost calves with pneumonia to send in a live animal will give a better chance of an accurate diagnosis rather than waiting to further deaths. Our experience is that most deaths are discovered in the morning. By the time you have been able to go around your stock and discover what has happened it would be difficult to get carcasses to a collection centre before mid day. This means that most laboratories are going to be idle each morning then get a big intake late afternoon into the evening. Often we ask for telephone reports of post mortems if things are urgent. Most practices will now be getting these long after their support staff have left for the night.

Comment Required

AHVLA are asking for comments on their proposals by answering questions on their web site. It would be appreciated if you could find the time to do this. We are lucky in Shropshire as we have always been close to a Veterinary Laboratory that is able to do post mortems and that Shrewsbury seems safe at the moment, but it is still wrong to implement these cutbacks so your comments are valued.

Try one of these links or paste them into the address bar on your browser.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla/about-us/consultations/surveillance-2014/

http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla/files/surveillance14-consultation.pdf

The consultation will close on February 15th

 Sheep and Copper Shortage

Copper is an essential element needed by all animals. It is a little bit different because it can cause problems particularly for sheep both if there are inadequate levels in the blood stream and if it is present in excess. Sheep can become deficient in copper if there are low levels of the element in their diet or if there are other things present that stop the mineral getting absorbed from the gut. In our part of Shropshire it tends to be hill farms that have low levels of copper in the soil on some farms it is the presence of lead and other metals that prevent it's absorbsion from the gut. Pregnant ewes need a regular supply of copper to allow the proper development of the spinal canal of their lambs. If the myelin sheath does not form adequately or is incomplete nerve impulses to the back legs will be blocked and the lambs will be born with sway back. If you suspect you have had this problem in the past there is still time to act for ewes that lamb in March and April as the nervous system of the lamb develops in the second half of pregnancy. Blood samples taken from six ewes now will tell us if you might need to supplement the rest of the flock.

Sheep and Copper Toxicity

Copper poisoning occurs usually in lambs that are born now and are housed and fed on creep feed to maximise their potential growth. Some diets can be too high in copper and the liver is not able to cope with high levels of the mineral in the blood, it builds up in the organ so it is not able to work properly and the animal will become jaundiced. Some breeds, notably Texels, are prone to developing this problem if they are housed for long periods. Also note that pig diets have high levels of copper added and should never be fed to sheep. There is no specific antidote to copper poisoning. If you realize it is happening withdrawing the creep feed does help, but the animals involved will lose condition and take a long time to recover.

Sheep and Cobalt

This wet winter has been a difficult time for store lambs and some animals have been shown to be suffering from low cobalt levels. Cobalt is required to make vitamin B12 which keeps the lining of the small intestine healthy, when there is a shortage nutrients are not absorbed fast enough and the lambs will scour and fail to thrive. Lambs with cobalt deficiency, also known as pine, tend to have more problems with internal parasites and coccidiosis and can be frustrating to treat as you might keep drenching them suspecting that you cannot get on top of their worm problem when it is a simple injection that they need to get them growing again. It always surprises me how quickly lambs respond with this condition when they have had a B12 injection.

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