Julie Nuttall, Author at Oakhill Vets

LIVER FLUKE IN CATTLE

Liver fluke or ‘fasciolosis’ is common in cattle, and according to NADIS costs the cattle industry £23 million each year. The lifecycle involves a snail host which thrives in wet, ambient temperatures and releases cercaria (swimming larvae) between August and October that infect cattle and cause disease that is seen from mid-winter onwards.

SIGNS OF LIVER FLUKE

Clinical signs include scouring, weight loss and reduced growth rates. Fasciolosis can cause anaemia which presents as pale colour of gums and vulva. Cattle affected by liver fluke can also present with submandibular oedema also known as ‘bottle jaw’. Sub-clinical signs such as a decrease in milk yield and quality are common. It has been shown that even a low-grade infection can reduce milk yield by 400 litres per cow per lactation and untreated animals can produce 10% less milk solids. Decreased appetite and reduced feed conversion also lead to poor growth rates and depressed fertility.

Abattoirs can provide reports on liver condemnation due to fluke migration. This can be a useful tool to monitor disease and plan targeted treatment.

It is worth noting that liver fluke can still be a risk in herds that are housed all year round.

TESTING FOR FLUKE

If you are worried about fluke in your herd, tests can be performed on bulk milk samples, coproantigen tests on pooled or individual faeces samples, as well as individual blood samples. Using bulk milk to monitor for the presence of liver fluke within your herd can help to determine if further diagnostic tests are required before discussing and planning treatment with your vet.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

The main flukicides available are listed, along with the life stages they target. It is important to use the most appropriate flukicide for the life stage responsible for disease in your animals to prevent resistance, resolve clinical disease, and kill all the fluke present in your animals
at the time of treatment.

This list is not exhaustive, if the product you have is not present on the list please discuss with your vet.

It is worth noting that in high-risk years, when the weather is best suited to the snail host’s lifecycle, extra treatments may be required.

There is no immunity to liver fluke, meaning cattle can become reinfected at any age if returned to high-risk pasture. Therefore, pasture management such as drainage or fencing off high-risk snail habitats, quarantine of incoming stock, and an annual treatment programme is extremely important for ongoing prevention.

Active ingredient	Stage	Meat withdrawal	Milk withhold
Albendazole	Adult only	14 days	60 hours
Oxyclozanide	Adult only	13 days	108 hours
Closantel	Adult and immature >7 wks	63 days	Not allowed
Triclabendazole	All stages	56 days	*41-50 days

* Not permitted for use in cattle producing milk for human consumption

DIGITIAL DERMATITIS AKA “DIGI”

Wet and muddy conditions provide the perfect environment for Treponemes and other anaerobic bacteria to invade the soft tissues of the feet and cause lameness. Digital dermatitis is also infectious and can spread rapidly through housed herds.

THE COST OF LAMENESS

Animal health and welfare: Digi is a painful condition which ultimately causes discomfort to your cows. This often means a reduced expression of normal behaviour. Poor oestrus expression has a knock-on effect on submission and conception rates which increase calving to conception intervals, numbers of barren cows, and calving index.
Reduced production: Lameness can lead to a reduced milk yield, a shorter productive lifespan, and a reduced reproductive performance.
Conservative estimates of costs range from £50-£100 per case of digi .

RISK FACTORS FOR DIGITIAL DERMATITIS:

Poor underfoot conditions

Wet/ muddy conditions
Poaching (gateways and troughs)
Inadequate/ incomplete scraping
Badly maintained concrete
Inappropriate/ insufficient cubicles

Inadequate footbathing

Too infrequent
No prewash/ hosing
Wrong concentration or volume
Solution not changed frequently enough
Delayed detection and treatment

STRATEGIES TO PREVENT DIGITIAL DERMATITIS

Early detection and treatment are key to preventing digi from spreading rapidly, especially at housing. Many animals do not appear lame so taking a few extra seconds at milking to look for the classic digi lesion above and between the heel bulbs of the hind feet is well worthwhile.
Strict biosecurity is vital for prevention, as digi is spread between farms from cattle movements and from shared holding or handling facilities.
Good hygiene and slurry management is also important – whilst infected animals are the main reservoir of infection, the bacteria that cause digi survive in slurry, wet bedding, muddy gateways and water-only foot baths.

Case study: Mr T’s melanoma

CASE STUDY: MR T’S MELANOMA

Meet Mr T, who earlier this year developed a slight swelling on the left hand side of his back, under the saddle region. He didn’t seem overly bothered about this swelling, but his owner asked Sarah to check it out as they were concerned that it was steadily growing bigger.

Sarah was a bit perplexed – the swelling felt to be a solid lump under the skin attached to one of Mr T’s ribs. The lump was therefore ultrasound scanned, which showed it was a soft tissue mass and was spreading between the ribs and expanding down towards his chest cavity. Given its location and the fact that it was growing bigger and likely to be causing Mr T some discomfort, it was decided that it was best off being removed. A biopsy was taken to determine what the mass was and the degree of malignancy as this would determine the ‘margin’ required at surgery.

SURGERY

For his surgery, the team were assembled with Guy operating and Charlotte performing Mr T’s anaesthetic. Due to how close the mass was to his lungs, Mr T was fully anaesthetised, as any sudden movements on his part could have resulted in his thoracic cavity being inadvertently entered. With Mr T nicely asleep, Guy carefully dissected the mass away from the normal tissues surrounding it. A drain was placed to help reduce fluid build up where the mass had been removed, and once he was up and awake, Mr T had a belly bandage placed to help keep his surgery site clean. Thankfully, the mass was a melanoma, which is a relatively common tumour in older grey horses, albeit in Mr T it was in a very unusual spot!

MELANOMAS

Melanomas are typically found in the perianal region, under the tail, inside the sheath, around the vagina or inside the mouth, although some horses will develop them under the skin elsewhere or internally.

Melanomas themselves are not generally too much of an issue if located externally, unless they become very large and ulcerated and therefore sore, but removal is most straightforward whilst they are small. Also, there is some evidence that the fewer melanomas a horse has present, the less they will go on to develop, so early removal is now generally recommended.

Sycamore poisoning

SYCAMORE POISONING: THE FACTS

Many of you may have noticed the characteristic helicopter seeds present in sycamore trees as of late, so we thought it would be a good time to remind you about sycamore poisoning, also known as atypical myopathy.

WHAT IS IT? A highly fatal muscle disorder that occurs following the ingestion of sycamore seeds or leaves in autumn, or seedlings in spring, that contain the hypoglycin A toxin.

SEVERITY: There is sadly a 75% fatality rate with most non-survivors succumbing within 72 hours of the development of clinical signs.

PREVELANCE: The toxin is not present in all sycamores and toxin levels may differ at different times of year and under different climatic conditions. Cases often follow an adverse change in weather conditions such as frost or rain.

CLINICAL SIGNS: Weakness, stiffness, muscle tremors, a fast (sometimes irregular) heartbeat, difficulties in breathing and dark red/brown coloured urine. Other clinical signs include depression and signs of colic. Severely affected horses become recumbent and others may be found already deceased.

DIAGNOSIS

The presence of compatible clinical signs.
A history of grazing pasture containing sycamore trees.
Physical examination.
Blood work findings.

Blood work includes evidence of dehydration and an exponential increase in muscle enzyme values, with or without increased kidney enzyme values. We run this bloodwork in-house with a rapid turn-around time on results.

For the definitive diagnosis, sample(s) are submitted to the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) for analysis. Results take a number of days to return; therefore if atypical myopathy is suspected, then the affected patient will be treated as such.

TREATMENT

Time is of the essence and rapid initiation of treatment is essential to improve prognosis. Suspected cases are generally hospitalised to facilitate intensive medical management.

Treatment is predominantly based on supportive care including administration of large volumes of intravenous fluid therapy. The provision of adequate pain relief is vitally important and the administration of vitamins can be advantageous.

PREVENTION

Prevention is based on preventing exposure to sycamore seedlings in spring, and seeds and leaves in autumn. Fence off the sycamore trees and surrounding area.

Collect the seeds and leaves regularly.
Fields containing sycamore debris should not be used to make hay/haylage.
To discourage your horse from seeking out undesirable plants, additional forage should be provided if pasture is poor.

Important: helicopter seeds may travel up to 200 yards!

Remember, not all sycamores contain the hypoglycin A toxin. To determine if your trees do, you can get them tested at the RVC Comparative Neuromuscular Diseases Lab.

Keeping ticks and mites at bay

Together with fleas, ticks and mites are some of the most common parasites affecting our pets in the UK. Some of these external parasites also carry human health implications, so it’s important to do everything you can to prevent, spot and treat them!

TICKS

Ticks are particularly prevalent in woods and moorland. Different types of tick have evolved to feed from different animals, for example sheep, other livestock and wild animals such as deer and hedgehogs. The likelihood of your pet being exposed to ticks will depend on the type of environment it visits and also the other animals that live there. Ticks are unlikely to pass from pet to pet.

Ticks feed by latching onto the animal, piercing the skin and sucking blood. Ticks can live and feed from several different animals in their lifetime, so can sometimes spread diseases from one animal to another.

How to spot ticks on your pets:

You may often notice a single engorged tick as a grey nodule attached to your pet.
There may be many ticks attached at one time, especially around the face, ears and front legs.
As the tick feeds, it increases in size (the female Ixodes ricinus can reach up to 10mm when fully engorged).

Ticks and the travelling pet
In many EU countries, travelling dogs are at risk from tick-transmitted diseases such as borreliosis, babesiosis and ehrlichiosis, all of which are serious. It is essential to discuss control with your vet before travelling abroad.

Borreliosis, or ‘Lyme Disease’, is also a risk to dogs here in the UK and can affect humans.

Treatment
Tick control should be considered for all pets, but especially those travelling abroad or visiting high risk areas of the UK (such as woods and moorland). It is important to use a veterinary product that has been tested to ensure safety and efficancy. Please discuss with your vet which product would be most suitable for your pet’s lifestyle.

If a tick is found on your dog, it should be removed as soon as possible using a specially designed ‘tick-hook’. It is important to remove the mouth parts intact, as they can cause an infection if left inside your pet.

MITES AND WHEN TO SUSPECT THEM

Mites are very small parasites that will often only be seen with magnification or a microscope. They live within or on the skin and often cause intense irritation, such that the signs an affected pet will show are usually the result of self-damage through scratching and biting.

Five types of mites are common in pets:

Sarcoptes – This is the mange mite (‘fox mange’, ‘scabies’), which is relatively common in dogs, but rare in cats. It causes severe irritation, is highly contagious and may also pass to humans!
Ear Mites – The ear mite, otodectes, lives on the skin that lines the long ear canal of dogs and cats. It is very common in puppies and kittens and causes very itchy ears that will produce a lot of thick brown waxy discharge.
Cheyletiella – Often referred to as ‘walking dandruff’ this mite, which can also affect humans, produces an itchy, scurfy skin mainly on the body of dogs.
Harvest Mites – As its name suggests, is common in late summer and often found on the head and legs of dogs and cats after walking through long grass. It is distinctly recognisable as clusters of bright orange mites.
Demodex – these unusual mites are found within the hair follicles and sebaceous (skin) glands. They are not contagious and tend to cause disease when the immune system of the animal is suppressed.

Treatment

The diagnosis of mite infestations can sometimes be difficult and treatment protocols will vary according to the type of mite. It is very important that if your pet shows any increase in scratching or itchiness is brought to the attention of your vet, especially if there are also signs of skin or hair damage.

Animal Health and Welfare Pathway

ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE PATHWAY

The Animal Health & Welfare Pathway is a government initiative aimed at supporting the continual improvement of farm animal health and welfare. You can book a 2-3 hour vet visit to discuss any key herd or flock health issues on your farm – fully funded by Defra. This scheme is an opportunity to boost your profitability through reducing the impact of endemic diseases and improving animal welfare and production.

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE REVIEW?

This veterinary review is tailored to your farm and will concentrate on identifying your farm’s specific health and welfare priorities, including screening tests for endemic diseases.

The structure is completely open, allowing the time to be used to focus on the area that would benefit you most. For example, for cattle it may focus on lameness, mastitis, housing or cow tracks, and in flocks it may focus on parasites, ‘iceberg diseases’, lameness and abortion agents At no cost to you the visit involves testing cattle for BVD, and pre and post worming egg counts for sheep.

DURING THE VISIT WE COULD:

Create a bespoke worm/parasite control plan to help improve performance and reduce wormer usage.
Investigate calf scour and pneumonia.
Help with lameness control, incl. footbathing regimes.
Develop a mastitis control plan.
Review lamb health and mortality.
Discuss antimicrobial use.

GRANTS AVAILABLE

The review can also be used to support the application for small and large capital grants, aimed at improving farm animal welfare and production. Grants will be available towards the cost of equipment and technology items and also for new housing, building upgrades and pasture improvements.

All cattle and sheep farmers are eligible, as long as you are enrolled in the Basic Payment Scheme and have more than 11 cattle or 21 sheep. Funding has been calculated to cover around two hours of vet time and testing for priority diseases.

HOW TO APPLY

STEP 1 – REGISTER
Register your interest at Gov.uk

STEP 2 – GET YOUR REFERENCE
You will receive an email inviting you to apply with a unique reference number.

STEP 3 – COMPLETE REVIEW
Must be within 6 months. You will be given a written report outlining your test results and any recommendations.

STEP 4 – RECEIVE FUNDING
This report is then shared with DEFRA and you will receive the funding.

Grass staggers

GRASS STAGGERS

Stormy weather and lush pastures increase the risk of grass staggers, particularly in older lactating beef cows. Magnesium cannot be stored so a constant dietary supply is essential.

Magnesium levels vary considerably in soil and grass. High levels of potassium and ammonia from the application of fertilisers disrupt the ability of cattle to absorb magnesium from their diet. Lush pastures are low in fibre and increase the rate of passage of food through the rumen, reducing the time for absorption. Reduced intakes during periods of bad weather also reduce the overall intake of magnesium.

Affected cattle may show excitability, muscle twitching and aggression, progressing to recumbency, seizures and death. Due to the rapid progression of clinical signs most often cattle are found dead.

If found in the early stages, treatment consists of intravenous calcium spiked with 50ml magnesium. The remainder of the bottle of magnesium is given subcutaneously. Sedation may be required to control seizure activity. Treatment will maintain blood magnesium levels for 6-12 hours. Concentrates and palatable forage should be offered following treatment to avoid relapse.

Prevention options include supplementing all water supplies with magnesium chloride (250g/100 litres of water), feeding high mag rolls or magnesium boluses.

Cobalt deficiency in growing lambs

COBALT DEFICIENCY IN GROWING LAMBS

Last year we found multiple farms having poor growth rates in their lambs over the late summer months. Through investigation with forage analysis and blood sampling, we found many were deficient in cobalt; an essential trace element required for the formation of vitamin B12 by ruminal microorganisms. Vitamin B12 is important for the formation of energy from ruminal fermentation.

Cobalt deficiency (“pine”) may be seen in growing lambs put onto cobalt-deficient pastures after weaning.

Clinical signs include:

Lethargy
Pica
Weakness
Poor appetite and body condition, despite adequate diet
Poor feed conversion efficiency and growth rate
Pale mucous membranes
Reduced wool quality

Diagnosis is based on clinical signs supported by low blood or liver B12 concentrations. Cobalt deficiency should be considered alongside parasitic gastroenteritis and coccidiosis in groups of lambs which are not thriving as expected as heavy parasite burdens interfere with the absorption of vitamin B12.

Cobalt can be supplemented via an oral drench, injection or slow-release bolus. Oral drenches are the cheapest and easiest way to supplement, however as cobalt is not stored in the liver, the benefits of oral drenches are questioned. The supplementation will last for 2-3 days which may not be sufficient enough, therefore will require many repeats throughout the season. SMARTSHOT®B12 is a long-acting injection which maintains adequate levels for 6 months, so avoids the need for repeated handling and drenching. 0.5ml for fattening lambs and 1ml for replacements may be given by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection in the neck from 3 weeks of age. Although slightly more expensive, boluses provide a much longer period of cover. They provide the nutrients on a slow-release basis at a consistent rate. One bolus could provide cover for the whole season!

Be aware though as many drenches & boluses come as a mixed mineral formulation, there is a risk for over-supplementation of some trace elements. With most, this won’t cause an issue as the excess minerals will pass through the gut and out the back end, however, be cautious with copper as too much can be toxic!!

Environmental mastitis

ENVIRONMENTAL MASTITIS

Whilst the risk of environmental mastitis is present year-round, some farms see an increased incidence during periods of hot, humid weather. Warm, humid environments promote the survival and replication of mastitis-causing pathogens, particularly in bedding. Grazing herds may also experience an increase in environmental mastitis cases if grazing areas become poached or fly control is inadequate.

Environmental mastitis pathogens may be splashed onto udders in slurry or water, or transferred from contaminated bedding, hands, shared udder cloths and other equipment. Bedding, particularly if it is allowed to become damp whilst in storage or contaminated with slurry whilst in use, is a significant source of environmental pathogens.

Some pathogens have a particular affinity for certain bedding products, for example, Klebsiella lives happily in damp wood-based products, whilst Strep. uberis thrives in straw. Pseudomonas likes to live in water tanks, which is why only water direct from the mains should be used for parlour cleaning.

Rough or damaged teats can increase the likelihood of mastitis, as damaged skin is more likely to harbour bacteria and is difficult to clean and disinfect.

The severity of environmental mastitis varies from a mild elevation in SCC to full blown toxic “E. coli” mastitis with a down cow in toxic shock, and everything in between. Summer mastitis is caused by a group of bacteria found in the environment and transferred by flies. Therefore fly control is an important prevention strategy.

CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MASTITIS

Cow housing:

Good cow comfort – comfortable, adequately sized cubicles with suitable, clean, dry bedding. Lime can be used to reduce bacterial numbers in cubicle bedding.
Ensure bedding stays dry in storage.
Ensure good ventilation and drainage to help remove as much moisture as possible
Clean floors and good cow flow – prevent slurry pooling, particularly on entry and exit to the parlour/robots and other bottleneck areas. This will help to reduce slurry splashing and contamination of the legs, udder and teats with faeces.

Parlour routine

Wear gloves.
Foremilking – for prompt detection of clinical cases.
Good milking machine function – to minimise teat-end damage, chapped teats and blackspot (when damaged teat skin becomes infected). Check ACR’s, liners, vacuum and pulsate.
Pre-milking teat disinfection, which removes environmental contaminants and post-milking teat disinfection for the control of contagious mastitis.
Loafing time post-milking – promote some standing time on a clean surface for teat-dip products to dry and teat canals to start to close. Providing fresh feed at the feed barrier is one approach to this.

Dry cow management:

Clean dry, comfortable housing (or unpoached field if grazed).
Appropriate stocking density and diet.
Appropriate dry cow therapy depending on previous SCC recordings, clinical mastitis history and teat condition. Careful application of intramammary products – practise a good aseptic technique (as sterile as possible!).

Nutrition:

Optimal energy balance to promote healthy immune function.
Avoid loose faeces (SARA).
Prevent metabolic disease. Subclinical milk fever reduces the ability of the cows immune response to fight infections, including mastitis.

The incidence and cause of clinical and subclinical mastitis cases should be regularly monitored. We use the industry initiative QuarterPRO to promote and improve udder health on an individual farm basis. This includes data analysis, an on-farm assessment of potential risk factors and implementing a control plan tailored to your farm.

Speak to one of our vets on 01772 861300 for more info.

Canker

CANKER

Max presented after his owner noticed the frogs of his feet had become soft and irregular. Upon examination it was clear that he was suffering from Canker in three out of four feet.

WHAT IS CANKER AND HOW DOES IT OCCUR?

Canker is an overgrowth of abnormal frog tissue, caused by bacterial infection, resulting in an over proliferation of soft, white sensitive frog and infectious material.

It is often described as being cauliflower-like with a cottage cheese discharge. It initially affects the back of the foot but can spread to affect the solar surface of the foot as well as deeper structures.

Fortunately, this condition is rare but when cases do occur it is usually in draught breeds like Max. The overgrowth of soft and sensitive material means the affected horses often become lame and treatment needs to be performed as soon as the condition is noticed for the best prognosis.

HOW IS CANKER TREATED?

Historically, corrosive agents have been applied to the lesions to burn away the abnormal tissue. However, this is unreliable and can cause a great degree of discomfort to the horse. Debridement (surgical removal) of the tissue back to normal appearing healthy frog is the best treatment method. For mild cases this can be done under standing sedation. However, in severe cases or if multiple feet are affected, debridement is performed under general anaesthetic, as in Max’s case.

Tourniquets were used on three of his legs to reduce the blood supply to the feet, thus reducing blood loss during surgery. Rosie and Stuart cut away all abnormal frog material until normal appearing healthy frog was reached, then his feet were bandaged to keep them clean.

Post surgery, Max’s feet were maintained in antibiotic dressings whilst normal frog tissue regrew and he was kept on pain relief to ensure he was comfortable throughout. After a couple of months, a few mini tidy ups of his feet under standing sedation, and tonnes of TLC he was finally given the go ahead to return to turn out and work.