Treating Pasteurellosis

Managing your flock to reduce all the trigger factors is crucial to the prevention and control of pasteurellosis. As M.haemolytica is often found in the upper respiratory tract of apparently healthy animals, eradicating the organism is not an option and biosecurity will be limited in preventing its spread. If pasteurellosis does occur it can be treated with long acting antibiotics. Treatment of all the lambs in a flock as soon as possible after the start of an outbreak can prevent a significant number of further cases and be economically justified but usually still results in some stunted lambs. Outbreaks often occur close to the time that lambs are due to go for slaughter so you may be reluctant to use antibiotics at this time.

Protecting your flock from Pasteurellosis

This year the vaccines have been readily available. These contain Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasturella trehalosi which are the most important serotypes active at the moment. It is advised that all sheep are protected against pasturella including lambs that go fat. Fat lambs are particularly vulnerable when they are getting towards slaughter weight. The more you push them the more likely they are to catch the disease. Remember this is a bacterial infection. Unlike viruses bacteria tend to give a weak immune response to vaccinations so two injections four weeks apart are needed for adequate protection. Some farms give a third dose now in the autumn for particularly valuable stock.

Whats in a Name?

Animal Health has another name change. These seem to come on more frequently now there is hardly time for the paint to dry on the new signs before they start again. We were MAFF for a long time then DEFRA which split to Animal Health and the separate Veterinary Laboratories Agency before combining to be AHVLA. Now this already unwieldy  organisation is uniting with the Inspectorate teams of the Food and Environmental Research Agency and taking on responsible for plant  health as well. The new name now seems to be the Animal and Plant Health Agency. I never quite know when I ring Animal Health, or who ever they are, just who I am speaking to. When I ring through to the Regional Office in Stafford  I often seem to end up speaking to someone in Worcester or Shrewsbury. It is virtually impossible to get back to the same person again.

Cattle Abortions

Neosporosis is the disease of cattle caused by Neospora caninum a protozoan parasite that circulates between cattle and dogs. It usually manifests itself in cattle as a cause of abortion and it may lead to significant financial loss. Infection is caused by two routes. From the cow to her calf and when a cow ingests the infectious eggs from dog faeces on pasture or in feed. Not all infections lead to abortion. Some infected calves will be born normally, but they will carry the disease and have the ability to pass it on to their offspring.

Management Options

There is no vaccine against neospora. There is a blood test that is most sensitive at the end of pregnancy or when there has been an abortion. Dog should be kept away from fields and pens where cows calve. Do not allow them to eat cleansings or go near newborn calves. You should be able to get assurances from your feed supplier that cattle feeds have not been contaminated with dog faeces. You should be able to stop dogs on your farm contaminating cattle feed. There is no vaccine or effective  treatment for neospora.

Detecting the Infection.

 If you have had it diagnosed affected animals should not be kept for future breeding and any heifer calves should not be retained as they will either abort or pass the infection on to their offspring. Neopsora is becoming a growing problem for cattle, especially on farms that have footpaths across their fields that are regularly used by dog owners.

Fax Paper.

After many years and much abuse our fax machine has stopped working. The new one prints onto plain paper so if you have an old style, virtually indestructible fax machine, we still have three rolls of the thermal paper which you are welcome to have as we have no use for them now.

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