The Problem with Copper

Sheep can have problems with minerals if you are over generous and end up feeding too much. Copper is essential for the development of the nervous system in lambs. Some acid soils on hill farms can be deficient in copper. If the pregnant ewe does not take in sufficient quantities of the mineral the spinal cord of the lamb will not develop properly and the resulting lambs will not have full control of the back part of their body. This is what you will recognise as sway back. We haven’t seen any cases of swayback this year so far and it is rare to get it in lowland flocks as the pastures supply adequate amounts of the mineral.

Copper Toxicity

There have been several reports of copper toxicity this month. If you feed excessive amounts of some minerals such as calcium the body will take what it needs and the rest is left in the gut. With copper things are a little different as all of the mineral is absorbed and it is the liver that tries to remove the excess. The liver does many things and it is involved in the way blood clots. Sheep with copper toxicity develop haemorrhages throughout the body and stop eating as they are not able to make use of the feed they are given. It can be difficult to spot animals with the first signs of copper toxicity. There is no specific treatment and even when the source of the mineral is withdrawn affected animal do not tend to survive. Certain breeds notably Texels, Herwick and the more Primitive Breeds are noted for their susceptibility to this problem. This unexpected spell of wet weather has meant that more concentrates have been fed this year and this has been enough to cause toxicity problems in some smaller flocks.

 Abortion Vaccines

The Veterinary Laboratories Agency report that their predominant diagnosis for sheep abortion was enzootic abortion followed by toxoplasmosis and campylobacter. Occasionally salmonella bacteria have been found to be responsible for pregnancy loss, but this is not very common. The laboratory in Shrewsbury has investigated lambs with limb deformities for the Schmallenberg virus, but all of the results have been negative. I have been assured that both the enzootic abortion and the toxoplasma vaccine will be available from June of this year. We are still coping with a small animal vaccine shortage where the manufacturer has been unable to meet the required quality standards so it is good that all of the farm animal vaccines have passed the required tests.

Controlling Dogs

For more than two years the Government has been pondering how to manage the dog population and how to control the menace of dangerous dogs. We are fortunate that we do not have many uncontrolled dogs in our area. There are some places that I have been recently where my own dogs have confronted on public footpaths by animals that were out of control. These are animals that I do not want to come across again. Also it saddens me when out walking with my two dogs that like to meet people when we come across children who are obviously terrified of all dogs. It is impossible to know if they have been bitten in the past and I can understand some parents being cautious, but they should be able to realise that if a dog walks up to them wagging its tail they want to make friends and will cause no harm.

The problems the Police have are that if there are complaints about a particular animal it is not easy for them to trace the owner. Most weeks we have to deal with stray dogs, either animals that are reported missing or animals that are found with no owner. Since 1992 it has been a requirement that all dogs in a public place must wear a tag with the name and address of the owner engraved on it. Strangely the Act does not state that the post code or a telephone number is included on the tag. Also there are exemptions dogs used on official duties by the armed forces and Police dogs. Animals used for sporting purposes, packs of hounds, dogs used for the  destruction of vermin. Dogs used for driving or tending cattle or sheep. Guide Dogs for the Blind and dogs used for emergency and rescue work are all exempt from the legislation.

Proposed Changes

The new proposal is that all puppies in England will need to be micro chipped before they are sold. In many ways this is un necessary, if efforts were made to enforce the current legislation about dog identification tags and to stop some of the exemptions which can just be an excuse for owners not to comply with the legislation. Whatever laws are passed somebody will find a way around them. There are practical problems when puppies are micro chipped. In most litters all of the pups look the same so the breeder will need to have a reader to ensure that the right paper work goes home with the new owners. Micro chipping just puppies means that it will be another fifteen years or so before the whole of the dog population are identified. It will do little to stop the problem with strays as owners have the excuse that their animal is exempt because of his age.

 Scouring Lambs

Nematodirus is the worm that has lain dormant on the ground since this time last year, when the temperatures increase, and there is plenty of moisture in the soil now, the eggs hatch out in massive numbers to overwhelm the developing defence mechanisms in the lambs. Nematodirus is easy to treat. It responds to any of the wormers as it doesn’t become resistant to the available treatments. It is important to repeat the dose after three weeks and catch the next batch of worms before they have a chance to develop inside your lambs.

Blackleg

The last time we had summer floods and water logged soils there was an increase in the number of cattle that died as a result of Black Leg infections. This is a soil organism that can survive almost indefinitely on some fields in particular those close to water courses and open ditches. Growing cattle are particularly at risk, especially if they have horns as young horned cattle tend to get bruised and this is often all that it takes for the infection to develop.

The vaccine is relatively cheap and easy to administer. Most animal will need a single dose to protect them for up to a year. If you have ever had any cattle die from Blackleg in the past this will be a good time to use the vaccine as there are no effective treatments available once symptoms develop.

Lungworm Vaccine

There is still time to use the oral lungworm vaccine Huskvac. Lungworm has become a difficult problem in adult cows in recent years. Affected animals suffer dramatic weight loss and take many months to recover after treatments so a single course of vaccine for your calves now will stop trouble for years to come

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