Salmonella Outbreak

During the summer Public Health Officials have been mystified by an outbreak of salmonella in London, Hampshire, Cheshire and the West Midlands. More than two hundred and fifty people were affected and a further one hundred and fifty historic cases were reported in the past week alone once it was realised that something was going on. It is now understood that the same strain of salmonella has been shown to have affected people on the continent and the source has  been traced to eggs from a farm in Europe. It is unusual for this to happen as the assumption is that the strict hygiene regulations and monitoring that we do here is enforced through out the EEC.

Another Source

 I have long thought that there is a heightened risk from this infection from people who keep their own hens. Many of these will not be vaccinated against salmonella and it is inevitable that they will share their rations with garden birds that are known to carry this type of infection.

The end of an Era

From now on there is something missing in the Shropshire Country side because Boons has closed. Over the years they have been a great help to us when we have needed to investigate why an animal has died. They have been operating for such a long time that I know many of you have had a phone call to tell you it was probably staggers or blackleg so you would know at least most of the time what had gone wrong. These are skilled operators who know how to dispatch a horse or a cow that has become dangerous with no fuss and no danger. At time of crisis they have played a major role when Foot and Mouth Disease got out of control and BSE was causing concern we can only hope that this will never happen again.

Laboratory Closures

 It is ironic that this has happened at the very time that Animal Health has cut back on their laboratory service and is seeking to encourage Veterinary Practitioners to undertake post mortems on farms. We are lucky that Shrewsbury is one of the few remaining laboratories offering post mortem facilities. Our local laboratory now covers the whole of North Wales and most of the West Midlands as other laboratories have closed. Until recently six Vets worked at the laboratory in Shrewsbury there are only four now and it is sometimes difficult to arrange a post mortem.

Investigating Losses

It has never been easy to undertake a post mortem of an animal of any size on a farm. In the distant past we used to do it next to the hole that the animal was to be buried in. Now that everything is taken away it is impossible to do it and stop dogs and badgers getting involved. Boons have always gone out of their way to help with post mortems in a safe environment and it is a big loss that we cannot do this anymore. I have only ever done post mortems at Boons and the Hunt Kennels. The remaining  knacker yards are distant from our surgery and it is just not practical to investigate deaths there.

Ewes with Worms

Just to remind you that ewes with worms do not always scour. The warm and wet conditions have lead to overwhelming numbers of Haemonchus contortus developing on pastures. These worms suck blood so you are likely to find pale mucus membranes and swellings under the skin rather than mucky tails. There is a tendency now not to worm ewes unless you really have to in an effort to stop resistant worms occurring on farms. This summer has been a good year for grass but a bad year for worms. If your flock is back on pastures that you have used for most of the year the chances are that you will see a significant increase in the worm larvae on the ground and it would be a good time to get out the drenching gun to avoid any losses.

Spreading Infection

Digital dermatitis which has been identified as a cause of lameness in cattle and sheep for some time now has been shown to persist on hoof knives and trimmers even when they have been left to dry overnight. After trimming treponema has been cultured on all of the sheep blades and 97% of the knives used for cattle on infected farms. These are the results of a study undertaken at the University of Liverpool. This spirochete is difficult to kill even with disinfectants and hoof knives are probably not significant in spreading the infection if they are only ever used on one farm because even if you have just a few animals with digital dermatitis it has to be treated as a herd problem. It is always wise to keep equipment clean and knives and trimmers should be disinfected at the end of each trimming session. 

E Coli Research

You will be aware that cattle can act as an incidental host for verotoxigenic Escherichia coli 0157 that is harmless to animals but can cause acute diarrhoea and renal failure if people are exposed to it. This has long been a public health concern and the food standards agency are now carrying out research to determine how many farms in the UK have finishing cattle that are carrying the infection. From now until the end of 2015 researchers from Scotland’s Rural College will be visiting farms to take faecal samples from the floor for culture. What they are interested in is identifying the phage types of the organisms that are currently causing human illness to see if they can understand more about the infection. Farms will be chosen at random and there is no question that the location of the holsings will only ever be known to the researchers. Participation is voluntary, but I would urge you to get involved if you are asked. Although this disease doesn’t make your stock ill or affect their production it is important to know if they might be carrying bacteria that could potentially affect your health and the health of those that work for you.

Dry Cow Mastitis

September isn’t the end of the summer mastitis season. Wet weather in August has boosted the fly population and repellents used earlier in the year may now be exhausted. Pour on fly products are convenient to use, but the drug hits the skin a long way from the udder where they need to work. Some farms see more cases of dry cow mastitis now than at any other time in the year.

Damaged Udders

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