Pippa – Patent Ductus Arteriosus

Pippa, a beautiful Cockerpoo, was diagnosed at 4 months of age with a serious congenital heart defect known as Patent Ductus Arteriosus (or PDA for short) after a heart murmur, that was picked up during her initial vaccination appointment, failed to disappear.

A PDA is caused by a blood vessel that connects the body’s major artery (aorta) to the main vessel that supplies the lungs (pulmonary artery) failing to close after birth as it should normally do. This can lead to poor growth, damage to the lungs, heart failure and ultimately death with 50% of cases not even seeing their 1st birthday.

Pippa’s diagnosis was made at our Conway Drive branch by vet, Giles Lambert, performing an ultrasound scan of her heart which showed the PDA and the abnormal blood flow that it was causing. The scan also revealed that her heart was already becoming enlarged because of the PDA, a worrying sign that heart failure would develop if left for too long.

Fortunately for Pippa she was able to be referred to specialists at Liverpool University’s Small Animal Teaching Hospital. A month after her diagnosis she underwent an operation to place a small device into the PDA (via a catheter in one of her back legs) to stop blood flowing through it.

Pippa PDA Angiogram

The procedure has been a complete success so far and Pippa can hopefully now look forward to a completely normal and lengthy life!

Thank you to Pippa’s owners for letting us share her story.

Atypical Myopathy

Atypical Myopathy is a very serious and often fatal disease that horses can get when out at pasture from consuming sycamore seeds.

What is Atypical Myopathy?

An acute, severe rhabdomyolysis (a severe form of azoturia / tying up) that occurs independently of exercise. The disease causes extreme muscle cramping and often irreparable muscle damage.

Muscle enzymes that are released when the muscles are damaged, cause multiple organ failure.

What is the cause?

A toxin called Hypoglycin-A found in sycamore seeds. Ingestion of these seeds at pasture causes Atypical Myopathy. Outbreaks may occur with multiple horses affected in one geographical area within a few weeks of each other.

What are the clinical signs?

The onset of Atypical Myopathy is acute. Early presentation of the disease may be confused with colic or laminitis. Horses may be found dead, but more frequently they start by showing signs of weakness, stiffness, falling over, lying down more than usual, sweating, apparent sedation or depression, fine muscle tremors, dark brown urine that can look like blood and respiratory distress.

Progression to recumbency is often rapid and once at this stage, the prognosis is hopeless. Mortality is seen in 70% – 90% of cases within 3-5 days.

Who is at risk?

The condition predominantly affects young animals, but all horses are at risk. No sex or breed predisposition has been described, but to date, no cases of the disease have been reported in donkeys. Underweight body condition is associated with increased risk.

Overgrazed pastures and poor quality grazing gives a greater risk of disease.

What can I do to prevent Atypical Myopathy?

Clear fields and water troughs of sycamore seeds, leaves and saplings. If this is not possible, do not allow horses to graze affected paddocks or fence off affected areas. Do not over graze paddocks and avoid overgrowth of weeds on pasture. Provide hay if the fields are low on grass and where possible consider stabling horses over night.

What to do if you think your horse may have Atypical Myopathy

Ring your vet immediately. Try and move the horse to a stable with deep bedding in case they want to lie down. If you notice your horse urinating try and catch a urine sample with a clean jar or mug so that we can test it.

RAM FERTILITY & MOT

Ram Fertility & MOT

With tupping time approaching it is time to take an important look at your rams. Their performance over a few months of the year will contribute significantly to the profitability of your sheep business over the next 12 months.

The rams will have to work hard during the tupping period and if they’re not on top form fertility is likely to suffer. A general MOT is the best place to start – are the rams healthy and can any problems be corrected? After which, we need to know if they are fertile. Checks need to be made early in the run up to tupping to allow plenty of time to correct any problems.

RAM MOT – the 5 ‘T’s

How to check your ram…

• TOES

Check his locomotion, arthritis and feet.

• TEETH

Check for under/overshot teeth, gaps and molar abscesses.

• TESTICLES

Measure and check firmness and for lumps and bumps.
Did you know that the testicle tone of a healthy ram, should be that of a tensed bicep?

• TONE

Aim for body condition score of 3.5 – 4.

• TREAT

Vaccinations (Clostridia, Pasteurella, Louping Ill), parasites and lameness.

After a general MOT, we need to know if the ram is fertile….

WHAT DOES RAM FERTILITY TESTING INVOLVE?

• EXAMINATION OF GENITALIA – the testes are examined for any abnormalities. Scrotal circumference is measured, when it comes to fertility the bigger the better!

• COLLECTION OF A SEMEN SAMPLE – a semen sample is collected by inserting a probe into the rectum and applying a voltage. This may make your eyes water but causes minimal discomfort.

• EXAMINATION OF SEMEN/SPERM SAMPLE – any abnormalities such as low sperm count, poor swimmers, abnormal sperm and infection can be seen. The sample is examined on site so we can give you an answer straight away.

For more information or to book a ram in for tup testing, please contact the Oakhill Farm Team.

Can we fight resistance?

Can we fight resistance? Responsible equine worming.

The approach to worming of the general horse population has changed significantly over the years. Unfortunately there are no new worming products in the pipeline and resistance to the current wormers is becoming more and more of an issue.

Testing to identify those horses (approximately 30%) that carry a worm burden significant enough to warrant worming is taking over from the ‘blind worming’ approach that we have previously taken.

In this ‘test before you treat’ approach, the positive tested horses then need to be wormed with the correct product, dependent upon the time of year. Ensuring you are administering the correct dose for the horse’s weight is really important as well because underdosing contributes to resistance.

The basic life cycle of an equine roundworm is shown in the picture below.

roundworm cycle

Stage 1: Eggs shed onto pasture develop, under the right conditions, into larvae.

Stage 2: Larvae are then eaten by the horse on grass where they enter the large intestine. These larvae mature to produce eggs.

Stage 3: Eggs are passed out in faeces, back to Stage 1.

Our new Equine Worm Control Plan is now available!
This year’s Oakhill Worm Control Plan is a bit different from previous years to avoid over-worming. It consists of an Equest wormer, 3 faecal egg counts spread over the year and a tapeworm saliva test kit.

If any of the tests come back positive, the appropriate wormer will be sent out for no extra charge, including the tapeworm-only praziquantel wormer that is no longer available from shops/online.

Click here for further information about the Oakhill Worm Control Plan.

Poisonous Ragwort

Did you know that Ragwort is poisonous to horses, ponies and donkeys?!

If eaten, the toxins in ragwort can accumulate over time and have the potential to cause irreversible liver damage. Your horse may get just as ill from eating a small amount of ragwort over a long period as it would eating a large quantity in one go.

Signs may include:

[checklist icon=”fa-chevron-circle-right” iconcolor=”#39aa87″ circle=”yes”]

Lethargy and depression
Change in behaviour or appetite
Loose droppings
Photosensitivity with sunburn developing easily
A yellow appearance to gums/around the eyes
Significant weight loss

[/checklist]

However, there are often no signs until it is too late.

For more information on the best way to remove ragwort, please follow the link….

http://www.bhs.org.uk/our-work/welfare/our-campaigns/ragwort-toolkit/toolkit-dealing-with-ragwort-england/ragwort-removal-at-plant-stage

Image source: www.bhs.org.uk

If you’re concerned that your horse has eaten Ragwort, please contact us.

Stumpy’s corneal ulcers

Stumpy presented to equine vet Jess when his owner noticed a very swollen and closed left eye (blepharopasm) with some discharge (epiphora) after coming in from the field.

On further examination he had damaged the top surface of his eye (cornea) and several areas could be seen after applying some fluorescein dye. This is a very clever dye that will show up as green when it sticks to areas of the cornea that are damaged or ulcerated (see top left image).

Stumpy started different types of eye drops to help promote healing of these lesions and some very strong anti-inflammatories and pain relief to make him feel comfortable and reduce the inflammation in the area. We also decided to put a fly mask on stumpy during turnout to prevent him making it any worse!

However after several weeks Stumpy’s corneal ulcers were not healing as quickly as they should and had developed into a chronic condition. New cells in the top layers were not adhering to lower layers and a very irregular surface was developing (see top right Image). This required a procedure called corneal debridement with a motorised diamond burr to remove any unhealthy tissue from the corneal surface and speed the healing process.

Video shows Corneal Debridement procedure:

[youtube id=”_qxb3UpYONU” width=”600″ height=”350″ autoplay=”no” api_params=”&rel=0 “]

The image on the bottom left shows a much clearer and brighter eye with unhealthy cells removed. The last image shows a completely healed cornea with no ulceration and a shiny smooth regular surface. Result!

Stumpy and his lovely owner have done so well over the last few months as he hasn’t been the easiest to treat with eye drops. We are all so pleased that he is back to normal and enjoying his retirement.

RCVS Accredited

RCVS accredited – What does that mean?

What is the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ Practice Standards Scheme?

The Practice Standards Scheme (PSS) is a voluntary accreditation scheme for veterinary practices. It was set up by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in 2005 to promote and maintain high standards in veterinary care. The Scheme does this by setting standards and inspecting the practices that choose to take part.

All RCVS-accredited practices have to meet Core standards, including hygiene, health and safety, clinical governance and the facilities provided. On top of this ‘Core’ accreditation, General Practices can gain species – or discipline-specific accreditations, for example, small animals, farm animals, equine patients.

Oakhill Veterinary Centre is RCVS accredited for all 3 divisions (small animal, farm animal and equine).

To maintain the accreditation, practices are inspected by RCVS Assessors every four years and there are random spot checks.

[youtube id=”fPmkfznoX88″ width=”600″ height=”350″ autoplay=”no” api_params=””]

It can be hard for owners to know what happens behind the scenes at the vets so the scheme can reassure people about hygiene and facilities available at an individual practice.

If you have any questions about the RCVS Practice Standards Scheme you can visit their website: https://animalowners.rcvs.org.uk/accredited-practices/about-the-practice-standards-scheme/

Sam’s trip to a bovine transfer unit in Canada

This month Oakhill Farm Vet Sam travelled across the Atlantic to Alberta, Canada to visit a bovine embryo transfer unit.

Sam had an interesting insight into the bovine industry there…

[checklist icon=”fa-arrow-circle-right” iconcolor=”#39aa87″ circle=”yes”]

The main industries in Alberta are oil and beef.
Alberta has the second largest total farm area in Canada.
Alberta’s feeder cattle (steers and heifers for feeding or slaughter) account for 59.6% of the national total and the beef breeding stock accounts for 42.3%.
The predominant breeds that were dealt with at the embryo transfer unit were Angus, Charolais, Hereford and Simmental.
Typical herd size was 200-300 cows.
Artificial insemination is common practice in the beef industry.

[/checklist]

The climate is very challenging in the winter. Temperatures can plummet to -20°C to -30°C in January when pedigree herds are calving! Keeping water troughs thawed out and keeping on top of frost bite damage to calves’ ears were particular challenges. The region consists of very marginal grazing land with some barley grown. In mid-may the grass had only just started to think about growing, whilst back home many 1^st cut silages were over and done with!

Cattle handling facilities were excellent; hydraulic squeeze crushes were the norm in the region allowing for safe and efficient handling. The cows were of a moderate size with excellent maternal characteristics. Calving ease was a very important trait selected for by farmers. Calves with a birthweight over 100lbs (45kgs) were not retained for breeding irrespective of pedigree. Meat quality is important to the Canadians; marbling is a very desirable feature.

Due to geographical constraints, the majority of cattle travelled to the ET unit for flushing or implanting. The methods and materials used to perform embryo transfer were very similar to here in the UK.

Frozen embryos were shipped all over the world: UK, USA, Argentina, Australia, Thailand to name just a few countries. Introducing genetics into a country through use of embryo transfer is very useful in terms of infectious disease control.

For further information on embryo transfer, please contact the Oakhill Farm Team.

Mike’s trip to Barcelona dairy farms

“I was lucky enough to be invited on a HIPRA trip to Spain recently to look at their vaccine manufacturing facility near Barcelona. As part of the trip, we also visited one of the local dairy farms and had an interesting insight into dairying in this part of Spain.”

Catalonia is situated in the north-west of Spain and is a region associated more with vineyards than dairy farms!

By Spanish standards the region is warm with moderate rainfall but it felt like our summer when I was there at the beginning of April.

The farm we visited is a member of a local cooperative supplying milk to both liquid and cheese producing markets. The current milk price was 32 cents per litre (28 ppl) but the farm is in the process of organic conversion – the organic price is currently 60 cents per litre (52 ppl)!

There were 210 cows on the unit, being milked twice daily and averaging 34 L / cow / day. The cows are housed all year round and fed a mixture of zero grazed grass, maize, grass silage and lucerne – bought in feed was minimal but did include a soya blend. The move to organic is going to mean the cows will be grazed at least 2 hours every day.

The milkers were cubicle housed on straw bedding and fed a TMR once daily – there were no OOP feeders or in parlour feeding. There were 2 cow groups based on days in milk and a separate milking heifer group. Dry cows and in calf heifers were on loose bedding and fed a dry cow TMR.

Mastitis rates were low although the farm has started to vaccinate against mastitis as environmental e-coli type mastitis has been an issue in the past. The farmer now performs on-farm milk culturing of mastitis cases and no longer treats certain types of mastitis with antibiotics.

The aim is to calve heifers at 24 months and the farm is now using a mix of sexed Holstein semen and Aberdeen Angus semen across the herd. The market for Holstein bull calves continues to shrink.

Heat stress is a major issue in this region and the farm has recently installed a sprinkler system alongside fans to try and combat this. Fertility is a huge challenge during the summer and the annual number of services per conception is 2.7; worse in summer. The farm was on weekly vet visits and synch programs are used to drive submission rates.

The farm is now using automated body condition scoring technology to monitor individual cow performance – this helps identify individual problem cows but also helps to highlight trends across groups of cows.

On the vet side of things there were some interesting differences between Spain and the UK. The farmer’s vet is not allowed to sell prescription meds – instead they issue prescriptions to the farmer who buys them through a local pharmacy. The veterinary services are paid on a set monthly contract, this includes fertility work, herd health planning and call outs. The farm also uses a vet for herd nutrition and an external veterinary consultant for milk quality.

There is a strong focus on profitability, including annual costings and benchmarking all farms within the co-op.

Alongside this, the farm tries to engage with the local community and consumers by encouraging school visits and having regular open days on weekends.

Mike

Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month!

Outside of the consulting room, most of the attention and medical care your pet receives is at the hands of a veterinary nurse. It is this we celebrate each May, as Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM) gives us an opportunity to talk about our role in caring for your pets.

In any given day a veterinary nurse may find themselves taking x-rays, medicating patients, doing consults, maintaining equipment, monitoring anaesthetics, dressing wounds, answering phones, and the list goes on!

The title “Veterinary Nurse” is not yet protected in law (meaning anyone can use it), but it is advised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons that it should be taken to mean only Registered Veterinary Nurses (RVNs). Our RVNs have undertaken a rigorous training programme, sat examinations, and are subject to a Code of Conduct, which includes a disciplinary process if a grievance should arise. We continue to study, and log professional development hours to maintain our Registration throughout our careers. Some RVNs undertake specialist training in a range of topics, especially the care of exotic pets, canine behaviour, advanced nursing and more. There are several different routes to becoming a veterinary nurse, and BVNA can provide you advice on the career and studying, if you are interested in pursuing this career.

The British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) represents RVNs and promotes responsible pet care to the general public through Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month (VNAM). During VNAM you may see a display in your local practice, or an event in your town or village. This is a chance for us to interact with our clients and the public, so don’t be shy – ask about what your RVNs do, and their special interests. You may find they can help you with a pet problem you have been having. Also, RVNs usually have pets themselves, and love to talk about them just as you do!