Articles
Stay informed with our topical articles, all written by our farm vets.Mobility Scoring
Early identification and prompt treatment is one of the cornerstones of lameness control within the Healthy Feet Programme. Numerous studies have confirmed the benefits of early treatment and we would all accept that treating a lame cow sooner rather than later can only be a good thing. However, treatment of these early onset cases of lameness is often delayed as other cows get […]
Read MoreFREE TESTING for watery mouth
FREE TESTING for watery mouth Watery mouth is an ecoli infection of lambs that is often fatal. During March 2019 APHA are offering FREE TESTING for watery mouth. If you have lambs that have succumbed to this condition, please call the practice on 01772 861300 so we can arrange obtaining a sample for testing.
Read MoreSheep – The Big Five diseases
The Big Five Diseases in Sheep Maedi Visna Maedi Visna is a wasting disease causing chronic pneumonia. It is caused by a highly contagious virus. Most sheep are infected as lambs via colostrum or aerosol, however generally do not show signs until they are 4 years old. The main signs are: Blood tests are commonly used to […]
Read MoreNeonatal Lamb Care
Lambing time is the most crucial part of the year for making your sheep business profitable. Lamb deaths from birth to 3 days old should be less than 7% however many farms range between 10- 25%. A major factor influencing mortality in neonate (young) lambs is ewe body condition; as this directly relates to lamb body weight, colostrum quality […]
Read MoreMastitis in ewes
Mastitis in ewes can be fatal and usually results in the end of her productive life. The usual presentation is acute gangrenous mastitis (blue or black bag) usually caused by either Staphylococcus Aureus or Mannheimia Haemolytica. S. Aureus is normally present on the teat skin but damage to the teat ends allows it access into the teat […]
Read MoreExtended liver fluke season and climate change
Fascioliasis An important stage of the Liver fluke life cycle takes place in mud snails and requires wet and warm conditions (above 7 – 10°C) during the summer months. Over the last couple of years unseasonal weather has seen these conditions well into autumn and winter. This means that sheep and cattle are still being […]
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