Download IBR Disease BEEF EXPO WASTING WEANERS BIOSECURITY

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viewpoint
ISSUE.3
ISSUE
3
IBR Disease
The diagnosis, treatment
and control
Pages 12-13
BIOSECURITY
WASTING
WEANERS
For smallholders and alpaca
owners
Pages 22-23
Page 20
BEEF EXPO
2015
Descending upon York
Auction Centre in May
Page 34
Science
•
Commitment
•
Results
Practice Locations
1
Westpoint Horsham, West Sussex
2
Westpoint Ashford, Kent
3
Westpoint Chelmsford, Essex
4
Westpoint Midhurst, West Sussex
5
Westpoint Winchester, Hampshire
6
Westpoint Launceston, Cornwall
7
Westpoint RVC Potters Bar, Hertfordshire
8
Westpoint Okehampton, Devon
9
Westpoint St Columb, Cornwall
10
Westpoint Sevenoaks, Kent
11
Westpoint Ashbourne, Derbyshire
12
Westpoint Penrith, Cumbria
13
Westpoint Dumfries, Dumfries & Galloway
14
Westpoint Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire
15
Westpoint Reading, Berkshire
16
Westpoint Lavenham, Suffolk
17
Westpoint Camborne, Cornwall
18
Westpoint Heathfield, East Sussex
19
Westpoint Cullompton, Devon
20
Westpoint Daventry, Northamptonshire
21
Westpoint Wigton, Cumbria
Lands
end
Contents
3
Foreword
17
Footrot in Sheep
27
The Future of Beef
4
Research is Key
Biobest Laboratories
18
Looking at Lambing
28-29
The Island
19
CHeCS Schemes
Watery Mouth
Sheep Scab
30
Winter Footbathing
5
Footbathing Benefits
6-9
20
31
What is Johne’s Disease?
Wasting Weaners
Farm Support Team
10
21
32-33
Neosporosis in Cattle
Vaccination Planning
11
22-23
34
BVD Free
Biosecurity
World Buiatrics Award
Beef Expo 2015
12-13
What is IBR?
24
Coccidiosis in Poultry
35
Farm Assurance
14-15
Calf Pneumonia
25
Bovine TB
16
Leptospirosis
26
Clostridial Disease
National Strengths
•
Local Service
Welcome to the latest edition of Viewpoint!
Now that 2014 has reached a close, our thoughts turn
to a New Year and the opportunities and challenges
that lie ahead for agriculture and animal health. The
impacts of new policies in the early months of 2015
certainly promise to leave a lasting legacy on livestock
farming in the UK!
Early in 2015, the first applications will be made under the new
Common Agricultural Policy. Under pillar 1, new payments to
young farmers, greening and the three
crop rule will have long term effects on
farming businesses. As the government
promotes an agenda of sustainable
intensification, it will be more important
than ever to ensure that preventative
health programmes are adopted, keeping
animals healthy no matter what size of
herd or flock they are in.
As part of this commitment to disease control, Westpoint is
subsidising membership of Herdcare, the nationally recognised
CHeCS accredited disease accreditation programme available
through Biobest – ask your vet for more details.
On the 7th May, the UK general election takes place. Whoever
subsequently occupies 10 Downing Street, further budgetary
cuts are inevitable and we are likely to see further pressure
on animal health spending. As the financial support for APHA
(Animal and Plant Health Agency) reduces, the Westpoint
On the 1st January, the new Rural
Development Programme for England
launched. Key to animal health will be
the support it offers for skills, training
and innovation - translating research into
practice. Westpoint have a long pedigree
of turning research into knowledge
and science into results. Our Research
& Development team are working on a
number of projects, such as research to
develop predictive methods for parasite
resistance - Westpoint vets believe in
the early adoption of new technology,
diagnostic techniques and medicines, as
these often bring significant health and
production benefits to the animals under
our care.
On 1st April, milk quota ends after 31
years of impact on the European milk
market. With milk price already under pressure, spurred on by
over production in New Zealand, the USA and Western Europe,
it is unlikely that early 2014 prices will return soon. Indeed,
following a great summer of forage production, we could see
higher milk production this spring and further price pressure.
With Irish farmers predicated to increase production by 50%
over the next 5 years, price volatility may be a factor of the UK
market for a number of years to come.
One way to offset fluctuating milk prices is to invest in health,
by eradicating/reducing the major infectious diseases, such
as BVD and Johne’s disease, thereby reducing the impact of
these diseases over the long term. A research programme in
Scotland (where BVD control is compulsory), has estimated
that an average BVD free dairy farm will be £15,800 better off
each year! Investing in BVD eradication will pay dividends in
pedigree and commercial suckler herds too!
Matt Dobbs, Managing Director
group of practices and lab are working hard to develop new
services to replace those lost through government cuts. From
field based post mortem services, efficient delivery of TB
testing and cost effective lab testing, we are planning ahead to
improve services, no matter what happens in Whitehall!
Through all these changes, we are privileged at Westpoint to
work with many of the most progressive farmers in the UK.
As the gates of the New Year draw near – we look forward to
caring for the health and welfare of all your animals through
2015 and beyond.
Matt Dobbs BVM&S Cert CHP GDLaw MRCVS
Managing Director
Through our 4life programmes, we are always keen to
communicate the benefits of health and lead the field in
animal science. Our latest Health4life programme is focusing
on controlling infectious diseases in cattle herds.
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
3
Research is a key part of what we do at Westpoint
Research plays a central role in our work at Westpoint, and
underpins our ethos of providing a science based, tested
service to our clients. Our research team has over 40 years
combined research experience, including the development of
veterinary medicines and vaccines, the understanding of disease
mechanisms and transmission, parasite control, reproductive
biology, and a variety of other areas. During 2014 we have
been involved in a variety of projects in cattle and pigs, and the
arrival of Biobest Laboratories and Minster Veterinary Group
to the Westpoint fold in the second half of the year opened
research collaborations in the laboratory, poultry and equine
sectors too.
During the year our clinical research spanned a variety of areas.
A key part of our research involves researching new and novel
medicinal products in partnership with the pharmaceutical
industry, projects which are conducted to the stringent “Good
Clinical Practice (Veterinary)” (or GCPv for short) quality
standard required by veterinary medicine regulatory agencies,
and we have been busy with cattle, pig and poultry projects
in this area. We are also heavily involved with collaborative
research with leading academics and centres of excellence,
looking to turn the information we harvest at farm level into
knowledge that can drive best practice, and help us do a better
job as an industry. In this area we have led a field project on
wormer efficacy and methods to detect the emergence of
resistance in collaboration with expert parasitologists, and
we are working with the University of Strathclyde statisticians
to analyse what will be one of the largest field parasitology
investigations in cattle that the country has yet seen.
We have also been active in mastitis diagnostic and economic
research in collaboration with academic institutions, focused
on a better understanding of disease impact, cost, and how to
alleviate this impact.
The research team has also partnered with our Westpoint
Clinical Working Groups (working groups of our vets, focused
on identifying and disseminating best practice approaches
across our practices) in a variety of areas.
Our research findings have been presented at national and
international conferences in 2014, and we were particularly
proud when an internal collaborative research project on bull
fertility was presented at the prestigious World Buiatrics (the
study of cattle and their diseases) Congress in Australia during
the summer. The work involved the systematic analysis of
858 bull fertility tests conducted by Westpoint vets across the
country, and revealed that bulls were more likely to become
unfit for use as they get older, and that much of this infertility
could only be detected by a semen analysis as part of a fertility
examination. This demonstrates the importance of pre-breeding
and pre-purchase bull fertility testing. We were particularly
proud as the congress organising committee awarded the lead
author Alex Walters the 2014 Young Research Scientist trophy
for this work - the only clinical research award on offer. This is
a testament to the way all involved worked together to turn
local bull tests into robust, internationally recognised research
findings which are directly relevant to the industry; truly a case
of being “greater than the sum of the parts”, or maybe that’s
“International Strengths, Local Service”.
Ian Nanjiani, Head of Clinical Research
Biobest Laboratories Join Westpoint Group
Biobest is a veterinary laboratory based just outside Edinburgh.
Unlike most private laboratories Biobest has always had a strong
interest in farm animal diagnostic work, and this has been its
biggest growth area in recent years as farmers work to improve
herd health through their local vets and cattle health schemes
such as HiHealth Herdcare. However we test samples from all
species great and small (fish, parrots, cats, dogs, pigs, cattle and
even the odd panda) and test samples from companion animals
from all over the world.
We have particular strength in cattle infectious disease testing,
and this expertise together with the high throughput of samples
from members of HiHealth Herdcare, allows us to offer certain
tests and exceptionally good prices to health scheme members;
while still providing full veterinary support and advice on how to
use tests and their results. Expert advice allows farms to perform
only the testing they actually need to do, for example we often
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Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
save farms money by advising them not to waste money on ear
tag testing every calf for BVD when they do not have the disease
in the first place.
We joined the Westpoint family in August 2014 and are looking
forward to providing a streamlined service to all Westpoint
clients. We are strong believers in preventative care to avoid
the losses caused by infectious disease in the UK herd and we
are looking forward to working within the Westpoint group
to provide this advice to all Westpoint clients. We are joining
the fight against BVD and our long term goal is to work with
every Westpoint Veterinary Group client to eradicate BVD from
their herd; and if possible accredit them as BVD free in HiHealth
Herdcare. We look forward to meeting Westpoint clients at the
Health4life roadshows and hope that as many farms as possible
will take advantage of the offer that Westpoint will provide a
year’s free membership of HiHealth Herdcare.
INDUSTRY
CHeCS Schemes
Cattle Health Certification Standards (UK), abbreviated
to CHeCS, is the regulatory body for Cattle Health
Schemes in the UK and Ireland. It is a non-trading
organisation established by the British cattle industry
for the control and eradication of non-statutory
diseases by a set of standards to which all licensed
Cattle Health Schemes must adhere.
These standards ensure that herd health status in one scheme is
equivalent to that in all other schemes in the UK and Ireland. Close
collaboration by CHeCS with other countries ensures that licensed
schemes in the UK and Ireland are as good as any in the world.
Cattle Health Schemes provide programmes for the monitoring,
control and ultimate eradication of disease. The schemes also
provide certification when a herd meets the agreed national
CHeCS cattle health standards. There are programmes for the
five most important non-statutory diseases that are prevalent in
both beef and dairy herds in the UK and Ireland:
Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR)
Leptospirosis
Johne’s disease
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD)
Neospora
CHeCS is owned by the British Cattle Veterinary Association, the
National Beef Association, Holstein UK and the National Cattle
Association (Dairy). It received start-up funding from the Milk
Development Council (DairyCo) and the Royal Association of
British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) provides administrative back-up.
CHeCS principal objectives are:-
To promote improvements in cattle health and welfare
To provide standards and certification for Cattle Health
Schemes
To develop and maintain links with cattle farmers,
breed societies, veterinary practitioners, laboratories,
Government agencies and animal welfare
organisations to promote the above objectives
To ensure that CHeCS is operating to best practice and takes into
account the latest available science, a technical group comprising
representatives from the CHeCS licensed cattle health schemes
plus a number of recognised international experts on the
diseases of interest meet annually to review the documentation.
Biobest is a member of CHeCS and their own HiHealth Herdcare
cattle health scheme enables you to eliminate disease from
your herd, whilst working within the CHeCS guidelines. This will
reduce animal loss, increase productivity and increase the sale
value of breeding animals, because they can be accredited as
‘disease free’. Westpoint fully
endorse HiHealth Herdcare and
to ensure clients benefit from
this, every Westpoint client
that attends an upcoming
Health4life roadshow will
receive a year’s free membership
subscription paid for by
Westpoint Veterinary Group.
Look out for details of the
roadshow soon!
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
5
What is Johne’s Disease?
Johne’s Disease is a slowly progressing, chronic
wasting disease affecting cattle (and other ruminants/
rabbits) which presents major economic and welfare
problems for UK farmers.
It is caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies
paratuberculosis (Map), a bacteria which is very resilient and
persists in the environment for a long time. It is most readily
spread via infected faeces from shedding animals.
Clinical signs?
Once animals become infected they take a long time to show
clinical signs (often years). The bacteria causes a thickening
to the lining of the gut which reduces the animals ability to
absorb nutrients and explains the range of clinical signs we see.
Susceptibility to disease decreases with age, i.e. the younger the
animal the more likely to become infected. 80% of infections
occur within the first month of life, with youngstock being
vulnerable up to 12 months old (where 10% of infections can
occur). There is the potential for cow to cow spread; although
this is much less common.
Initially infected animals are asymptomatic and typically show
no noticeable signs until at least ~2years post infection. No
diagnostic test can detect the earliest stages of infection.
Clinical signs may wax and wane but ultimately they persist
and worsen. There is no cure for Johne’s Disease, and once
animals enter the clinical phase of disease they usually
deteriorate rapidly.
As the disease progresses, more signs become apparent
such as:
Loss of production (10-20% drop in milk yield /poor
fertility)
Increased susceptibility to other disease
Weight loss
Scour
Bottle jaw
Ultimately emaciation and death
95% of cows that are infected show no obvious
clinical signs and are sources of infection.
It is for this reason that Johne’s Disease is often described using
the analogy of “the Iceberg Effect”. The clinical cases are just
“the tip of the iceberg”, and for every 1 animal showing clinical
signs there will be another 7-10 animals in the asymptomatic
phase of disease and shedding /spreading disease.
Cost of Disease
Johne’s Disease is of major economic importance and
due to the cows lacking obvious clinical symptoms, this
can go unnoticed. Examples of these costs are:
Reduced milk production/increased
susceptibility to other disease:
A study in the US showed that Johne’s
infected cows:
Gave 4000kg less milk in their lifetime
Were 5 x more likely to be lame
Were 2 x more likely to develop mastitis/SCC
problems
Were 1.8 x more likely to develop digestive
problems
Premature culling – the major cost
Reduced salvage value
Lost opportunity for sales/export of genetics
Beef cows target productive life of 9 years
(Johne’s positive rarely achieve half of this)
Beef bulls target productive life of 4 years
(Johne’s positive rarely reach this)
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Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
The early costs of this disease are difficult to spot
and may not be attributed to Johne’s, if ignored,
costs increase and worsen with time as levels of the
disease within the herd rise.
DAIRY
Early steps to assess whether disease is present in the herd
and plan to keep it out or reduce its spread are therefore
much better than waiting until clinical cases are seen.
3. TRANS PLACENTAL
There is a risk that Johne’s can cross the placenta. This
can occur in 20-40% of clinically affected cows and less
frequently in asymptomatic cows.
Transmission
Although susceptibility to infections decreases with age,
ability to shed and spread infection increases with age.
Infected cattle shedding the bacteria are the main source of
new infection. Infected animals may shed very little amounts
of bacteria to start with, but as the disease progresses the
amount of shedding (infectivity) increases. The actual onset
of clinical disease/signs can vary greatly. Cows that are moving
into the clinical phase of the disease are the animals that are
the biggest source of infection shedding enormously high
numbers of bacteria.
Diagnosis
The nearer the cow gets to clinical disease, the more reliable
the tests are at picking up disease. In general tests are not
reliable in animals under 2 years old. Animals may test
negative initially and become positive later in life. Test results
may fluctuate and even go negative again before finally
remaining positive.
There are 3 samples that can be used to test for Johne’s:
There are 3 main ways infected cattle can spread
disease:
Milk antibody (e.g. 30 cow screens or all milking
animals quarterly at recording for monitoring)
1. ADULT CATTLE FAECES:
Bloods (e.g. 30 cow screens on animals showing
signs, or with positive milk tests or as part of herd
screens for accreditation)
THE MAIN ROUTE OF TRANSMISSION!
Calves become infected by ingesting the bacteria that
is shed in the faeces of infected cattle. Anything that is
contaminated by adult cattle faeces is the highest risk
for Johne’s transmission such as environment, bedding,
feed, water, dirt on cow’s teats, staff clothing, farm
sheds, paddocks and slurry.
Faeces for Map (e.g. usually on animals near the
clinical phase and is costly and takes time)
2. COLOSTRUM FROM INFECTED ANIMALS
We can test for antigen (the bacteria) or antibody (the bodies
response to the bacteria). No tests are perfect, but used
correctly in combination with an assessment of herd history
they can be used effectively to monitor the presence of
disease in the herd and help in control and eradication.
Studies show 9% of clinically infected Johne’s cows
shed the bacteria in their milk. Faecal contamination of
colostrum may also be a problem.
Diagram showing Iceberg effect
Some infected cows are “super shedders” and release
billions of bacteria into the environment acting as a
huge source of infection.
at
or
ie
sA
ge
nc
y
Super shedders
(Milk & Faeces)
in
ar
yL
ab
or
Production loss
e:
Ve
t
er
“Normal” shedders
(Most in faeces + Some in milk)
nc
Infect FEW
animals
Proportion of MAP shedding
Infected
(Potential future shedders)
re
Identify to avoid
transmission
{
{
Diarrhoea
fe
Infect MANY
animals
Re
Identify and Cull
Non-infected
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
7
Prevention & Control
Although there is a vaccine against Johne’s, this is NOT usually
recommended. At best our experience is that vaccination only
reduces the number of clinical cases, without reducing herd
infection levels. Vaccination may also interfere with TB testing
and perhaps interfere with Johne’s diagnostic tests.
The first step in any Johne’s programme is to assess whether
infection is present in the herd. Your vet can advise on the best
way to do this. If disease is not present then control should
concentrate on keeping it out through strict attention to the
Johne’s status of the herd of origin of added animals.
Avoid spreading manure onto youngstock pasture
Regular testing and identifying at risk animals and
sampling clinical cases
Signing up and following an eradication scheme
programme
Although a hard disease to eradicate (taking years) for reasons
explained earlier, you can reduce levels over time. The most
effective way to work towards getting on top of Johne’s is
regular monitoring (e.g. whole herd annual bloods or quarterly
milk sampling), identifying positive animals and putting a
system in place to deal with these.
This could involve culling affected individuals or identifying
them to manage in separate groups. There is no “one strategy
fits all” scenario, but testing and culling alone is not the
answer, it must go hand in hand with management changes to
limit the spread that is relevant to the farm system and level of
infection.
Efforts should be focused on stopping spread to replacement
calves...... testing cows and killing cows alone will not be
enough to block transmission to calves.
Photo credit: NADIS
Examples of points used in Johne’s Control programmes
are basically focused on “keeping calving boxes clean
to prevent the calves being exposed to infected faeces”
and these include:
Regularly monitoring herd (via testing) and calving
any Johne’s positive cows in a separate calving box
Identifying calves born to Johne’s positive cows for
future management
Not feeding colostrum from a Johne’s positive dam
to any calf (use colostrum from “clean Johne’s
negative testing dams”)
Not pooling colostrum
Snatch calving and not leaving calves to suckle
Hygiene (e.g. cleaning teats prior to colostrum
collection), footbaths, clean boots/equipment etc
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Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
Photo credit: NADIS
Buying in animals?
Testing animals before purchase cannot
prove they are free of Johne’s but is better
than nothing. Both blood and dung tests are
performed
Buying from a herd that is accredited as a ’Level
1 or level 2’ in a CHeCS health scheme such as
HiHealth Herdcare is preferable to minimise the
risk of introducing infection
Westpoint recommend joining a CHeCS health scheme
such as HiHealth Herdcare. Member herds gain access to
discounted testing, additional expert advice and assistance
in working towards reducing levels of infection or a formal
CHeCS status for sale purposes.
Talk to your vet if you have any questions or want
further information on how to control Johne’s disease on
your farm!
Charlotte Pennington BVetMed MRCVS
Remaining as a closed herd to avoid introduction
of new infection is the best policy
Johne’s Disease is a slowly progressing,
chronic wasting disease affecting cattle
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
9
Neosporosis in cattle
Neospora is a parasite that is currently the most
frequently diagnosed cause of bovine abortion in
the UK (Eblex/Moredun).
Definitive Host
How is it transmitted?
Dogs are ‘definitive hosts’ acting as a factory for the
parasite to reproduce. Infected dogs then shed infective
‘oocysts’ in their faeces into the environment.
Infected meat
Cattle are ‘intermediate hosts’ and become infected
by consuming feed or water that is contaminated by
oocysts.
In the cattle there are two ways disease can be spread:
Horizontal
Transmission
Canine faeces
Intermediate Host
1. The cow can transmit infection to her foetus
during pregnancy. This is the main route of
spread.
2. The dogs can become re-infected if they
consume raw meat or placental tissue from
infected cattle.
Vertical
Transmission
Clinical Signs
Calves born from infected dams often display no obvious
symptoms; occasionally they may be weak or have
neurological deficits.
In adult cattle the most obvious sign is abortion
(3-8 months gestation). However there are
other economic impacts in lost time and
production.
Aborted Calf
It is worth noting that ‘persistently infected
breeding dams’ will either consistently or
intermittently pass the parasite across the placenta to their
calves. Hence infected dams are 3-7 times more likely to abort
in comparison to uninfected cattle.
95% of the calves born from positive dams are
infected. Infected calves are ‘persistently infected for
life’ and are also at risk of aborting.
Diagnosis
Submitting aborted foetus and placenta
Blood sample from the dam to test for antibody
Blood sampling the calf at less than 1 week old
Treatment
There is currently no vaccine or recognised licensed treatment
for cattle.
Placenta
Control
Congenitally
Infected Calf
Reducing contamination of feedstuffs/grazing area
etc by canine faeces and encouraging dog owners
to clean up after their dog if grazing land has public
walkways. Also the use of fences to prevent dogs
getting access to fodder producing or grazing land
Dead stock and post calving fluids /placenta should
be disposed of rapidly in a manner that prevents the
farm dogs potentially ingesting any of it
Herds with endemic neosporosis abortions may
consider not retaining heifer calves born to
seropositive cows, so reducing the number of
congenitally infected replacement heifers that enter
the breeding herd. In dairy cows seropositive dams
can be bred to beef semen
For seropositive cows with valuable genetics, the
use of embryo transfer to Neospora-seronegative
surrogates, a technique that blocks endogenous
transmission, can be considered
References: 1. Merck Veterinary Manual 2. Cuteri. V et al . Application of a new therapeutic protocol against Neospora caninum-induced abortion in cattle: a
field study.Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances 2005. 3. http://www.moredun.org.uk/research/research-@-moredun/reproductivediseases/neospora
4. Illustration from Dubey JP: Neosporosis in cattle. Vet Clin North Am Food Anim Pract 21:473-483, 2005
10 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
Dam infected with BVD in
first trimester of pregnancy
Cow and calf both infected
Cow becomes immune
Calf born persistantly infected (PI)
Figure 1. The transmission of BVD from dam to calf in the first trimester of pregnancy.
BVD Free
Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) is a disease caused
by a virus, and it is widespread within the
UK cattle population. The disease can cause
immunosuppression, poor reproductive performance,
abortions and the birth of deformed calves.
Therefore, it is essential that the disease status of the herd is
known and monitored to offset the economic impact of the
disease. Then subsequently appropriate biosecurity measures
to control and prevent the disease can be applied that are
specific to the farm and the herd’s BVD infection status.
What is the impact of the disease on the herd?
Infected herds often underperform in many aspects of the
dairy production cycle. Poor pregnancy rates can result from
early embryonic death and an increased number of abortions
that together extend the calving interval. It also leads to an
increased age at first calving for heifers that have had poor
growth rates due to cases of pneumonia and/or diarrhoea.
This is due to the immunosuppressive effects of the virus that
have made them more susceptible to these diseases.
How is the disease spread?
The disease process itself is complex and has differing
outcomes which depend upon infection timing and the
different groups of susceptible animals it affects. If the dam
becomes infected during the first trimester of pregnancy
a calf may be born persistently infected (PI) with the BVD
virus (figure 1 - above). This will result in the calf shedding
the BVD virus for its lifetime. These PI animals can live to
adulthood. They will remain a constant source of BVD virus
infection within a herd until they are identified and culled
to prevent the spread of disease in the herd.
The subsequent poor health status and reduction in growth
rates from an active infection as a result of a PI animal will
have a detrimental effect on the profitability of your herd.
If the dam becomes infected
during the first trimester of
pregnancy a PI calf may be born
Alarmingly, it is estimated to cost the UK livestock industry
£40 million each year. Unsurprisingly the introduction of this
disease to a naive herd, via bought-in, borrowed animals or
during visits to shows; can be catastrophic due to milk drop,
diarrhoea in adults, abortion, poor fertility and affected
youngstock. Therefore, it is vital that we know the disease
status of our herds and of purchased replacement cattle to
prevent buying in infectious animals.
Work with your vet to understand and control the
disease on your farm
Initial assessment of the herd’s BVD status can simply be
done by a so called “Check” test on separately managed
youngstock groups (5 animals per group of 9-18 months old)
and the testing of a bulk milk sample for both BVD antibody
and virus. After veterinary interpretation of the results
of these tests the BVD status of the herd can be defined.
The assessment is based on whether there is evidence of
exposure to BVD infection, BVD vaccination or whether a PI
animal has been found.
If a PI animal is identified the best option is to perform
further testing. Your veterinary surgeon will identify the
animal(s) and cull them from the herd to remove the source
of infection. Continuous PI monitoring of calves born can be
done using a ‘Tag and Test’ service. Farm staff can place the
tag and collect an ear notch sample of tissue. These samples
are then sent to the lab to check for the presence of BVD
virus. Testing will pinpoint the PI animals that will need to be
culled and allow us to trace their dam so that her PI status
maybe checked too as part of effective disease control.
As you can see, monitoring of the herd status is an
essential part of disease surveillance, control and ultimately
eradication. Discussing the assessment and control of BVD
in your herd with your veterinary surgeon is certainly a
worthwhile investment.
Lucy Bright BVM BVS MRCVS
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
11
What is IBR?
IBR is a highly contagious disease caused by a
bovine herpes virus – BHV-1. It is endemic in the
UK and in many parts of the world, but some
countries are free from the disease and there are
moves in other EU countries to eradicate it.
As well as causing clinical disease, IBR causes huge
economic losses to farmers. Infection with IBR creates
significant problems when exporting live cattle to other
regions or countries within Europe which have already
eradicated the disease. It can also prevent high genetic
value genomic breeding bulls from being used for semen.
How is IBR spread?
The disease is spread via respiratory secretions from
infected animals, both aerosol (i.e. droplets spreading in
the air) and contact (animals nose to nose), but can also be
spread in semen from infected bulls or via mating.
Clinical Signs
There are several “syndromes” of the disease caused
by BHV-1 which lead to a range of respiratory and
reproductive symptoms:
Some bulls lose their libido and find
erection and ejaculation painful
12 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
1. Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR – mainly
respiratory signs)
Clinical signs include high temperatures, loss of
appetite, nasal discharge (clear to start with but then
turning pus-like), ulcerative blisters on the nose/
mouth, conjunctivitis (red inflamed eyes), a drop in
milk production, poor fertility and abortion.
2. Infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV reproductive)
Swelling of the vagina/vulva, with lesions in the
reproductive tract (which usually heal in a couple
of weeks), in some animals a pus-like discharge may
persist.
3. Infectious pustular balanoposthitis (IPB reproductive)
The sheath (prepuce) may be swollen and pus-like
discharge may be seen. Often lesions are only
obvious on extrusion of the penis. Some bulls lose
their libido and find erection and ejaculation painful.
BEEF
The respiratory form is the most common
presentation in fattening units and young stock.
The virus infection alone is not life-threatening but
predisposes the animal to developing secondary
bacterial pneumonia, which may result in severe
illness and death.
In breeding, animals abortion or reproductive
problems e.g. the failure to conceive or genital
infections, may be the first signs of herd infections.
However, respiratory disease may also be noted.
Once an animal has become infected, it remains
infected for life. The virus survives as a “latent
infection” meaning it can be shed at any time
when the animal is stressed e.g. when calving or
when being transported, thus providing a source of
infection to susceptible animals.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis can be made from clinically suggestive
signs in combination with the following:
Blood sampling
Nasal swabs to detect the virus (in the early
stages of disease)
Submitting an aborted foetus and placenta
to the lab for virus isolation
Post mortem examination of any dead
animals
NB: It is worth remembering that semen from on
farm collection can be a route of transmission. It
is possible to test the semen for IBR via a PCR test
before it is used to ensure there is no introduction
of disease via this route.
Treatment
Once an animal is infected, it remains
infected for life and there is no specific
treatment
Antibiotics and anti-inflammatories can be
used to help with the secondary bacterial
infections e.g. pneumonia, that can
develop plus any other useful supportive
treatments that may help
Vaccination in the face of an outbreak can
help limit the severity of the outbreak.
However, the health status and future
plans of the herd need to be considered
before this is carried out e.g. the impact on
selling breeding bulls etc
References:
www.biobest.co.uk www.checks.co.uk www.nadis.org.uk
Control
Accreditation
There are many accreditation schemes around that
you can sign up to in order to achieve “IBR free
accreditation” e.g. BioBest HiHealth Herd Scheme
or CHeCS. Being an IBR free accredited beef herd
has many advantages. These include gaining higher
prices for any cattle sold for breeding and being
more flexible with any potential bulls that may have
semen collected or sold.
In the event of an infected animal being found in an
IBR accredited free herd, it is best to communicate
with your vet. You will need to follow the specific
guidelines for the scheme that you are involved
with for further testing and intervention in order to
maintain accreditation status.
Vaccination
There are several effective vaccines on the market;
discuss with your vet if vaccination is necessary
and which product to use. The main problem
with most vaccines is that they produce antibodies
which cannot be distinguished from those caused
by natural infection. Thus, vaccinated cattle
cannot be separated from latently infected cattle.
There are marker vaccines which get around this
problem which are helpful in control programmes.
Vaccination will reduce virus shedding and limit the
severity of disease. This will help to prevent disease
and losses but it will not eliminate the virus. It is
worth noting that no IBR positive bull (vaccinated
or wild virus) can be sold or have semen sold to AI
companies within the EU. So think carefully before
vaccinating any potential breeding bull that may be
used for such a purpose.
Biosecurity
There are several measures that can be taken to
increase the biosecurity of your farm:
Quarantine facilities should be provided
for any new animals or those returning
from shows
IBR status/vaccine status should be
considered prior to purchase
3m fencing should be erected between
neighbouring animals to prevent nose to
nose contact
Be aware that cattle are the main source
of the virus. The most common source
of infection is buying in or bringing in
infected cattle that have recovered from
disease, as these cattle still have the virus
in their body (they are ‘latently’ infected)
Charlotte Pennington BVet Med MRCVS
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
13
Every Cough Counts
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD or pneumonia) will be
no stranger to most beef producers. But have you ever
thought how much each case could be costing you?
Recent estimates suggest that BRD is costing the UK beef
industry in excess of £50 million a year. Assessing the cost of
each individual case is very difficult as a large proportion of
the costs of pneumonia are hidden. The direct cost of dead
animals, their disposal, medicines, extra labour and veterinary
input are easy to quantify. But producers often forget about
the impact on live weight gain, feed conversion efficiency
and the long term cost of irreversible lung damage. Within
Westpoint we use a tool called the Pneumonia Cost Calculator
which can help to estimate the individual costs on your farm.
However, broadly speaking, when all of these factors are put
into the equation we are looking at £30-£100 per case, rising
to over £500 if an animal dies. Prevention therefore makes
perfect economic sense. Unfortunately, the prevention of BRD
is no easy feat as there are multiple contributing factors.
Generally disease develops when there is an imbalance
between environmental factors, animal factors and a whole
host of infectious agents including viruses (PI3, RSV, BVD
and IBR), bacteria (Pasteurella and Haemophilus), and
Mycoplasmas. Figures suggest approximately 90% of UK herds
already carry at least one of the respiratory viruses. Thus we
must look at ways in which we can improve our management
of susceptible animals, particularly youngstock, and minimise
their exposure to risk factors.
A strong immune system is essential for protecting animals
from BRD. Ultimately, calf health relies on the provision
of adequate, good quality colostrum as soon after birth as
possible. This is much easier to control on dairy farms but
what can be done with suckler herds? It is important to
ensure cows are in good health and body condition prior
to calving and all calves should be monitored closely to
ensure they are suckling correctly and for long enough.
It is also quick and easy to check colostrum quality with a
colostrometer; this also helps identify any cows which may
have colostrum suitable for storage.
If you have concerns about colostrum provision, blood
sampling a small group of newborn calves at 24 hours to 7
days old can check immunity levels.
As the calves grow, attention to on-going nutrition and
parasite control is equally important to maximise immunity
levels and growth rates. Procedures such as weaning,
castration, disbudding, TB testing, housing and transport are
inevitably stressful and these will adversely affect an animal’s
immune system and increase its susceptibility to BRD. Care
must be taken to make these procedures as stress-free as
possible with quiet handling and consideration of timing.
Environmental conditions have a huge role to play in the
susceptibility to and transmission of BRD. The negative effects
of dust, excessive moisture, inadequate ventilation, crowding
and mixing of groups can all result in an animal which is
apparently healthy one day, being extremely ill or dead the
next. The first positive step must be to identify which aspects
of your system, be it housing or management, are at fault. In
combination with your vet, an environmental assessment can
be made to highlight areas requiring attention. Following this
we would advise a cost-benefit approach; to build a new shed
would be lovely but vast improvements can often be made
easily. For example, opening up an air outlet in the roof or
fixing a leaky water trough shouldn’t break the bank.
GOOD IMMUNITY
Fig 1. Factors that can contribute to poor
immunity and increase the risk of BRD
DEHORNING
CASTRATION
ABRUPT WEANING
VIRAL & BACTERIAL CHALLENGE
HOUSING & DIET CHANGE
POOR IMMUNITY - PNEUMONIA
Animal Health Ireland
14 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
If some of your animals do succumb to disease with
symptoms such as coughing, nasal discharge, depression
and being off their feed, it is vital to seek veterinary advice
early. A prompt examination and accurate diagnosis of the
causative infectious agents (not forgetting lungworm) is
essential. This will help to tailor medicinal treatment and
preventative vaccination programs if required. Additional
testing of blood samples, nasal swabs or dung may be
required especially throughout the winter. Subsidised
schemes are often available so be sure to discuss this with
your vet.
performance and your profitability. Depending on
circumstances we may also advise treatment of in contact
animals to minimise the risk of the group contracting
disease. This often results in reduced overall usage of
medicines and minimises the impact on the group’s
performance.
Early treatment is essential to minimise permanent lung
damage which will have disastrous effects on the animal’s
Julie Elkins BSc (Hons) BVM&S MRCVS
So with the current state of the UK beef price, can you
afford to have coughing calves this winter? There is no
better time to consider protecting the uninfected and
start preventing BRD in your herd by discussing your herd’s
health plan with your vet. Don’t stall, every cough counts.
Environmental conditions have a
huge role to play in the susceptibility
to and transmission of BRD
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
15
Leptospirosis:
Do you know your herd’s status?
Leptospirosis (Lepto) is an infectious disease of
economic importance in the beef industry due to its
detrimental effects on the health and productivity of
the herd.
Furthermore it is a zoonotic disease that has the potential
to cause disease in humans, as well as various other species
of animal. It is caused by bacteria of the Leptospira species,
of which there are several subtypes, Leptospira Hardjo being
the most common in the UK (and will therefore be the focus
of this article). In the face of an outbreak, it is important to
establish which serotype you’re dealing with, as cattle are the
maintenance host of L. Hardjo, so once infected will maintain
the disease in the herd. For other serotypes, cattle act as an
accidental host, and so disease can be eradicated once the
infecting hosts are removed and infected animals treated.
After contracting Lepto, bacteria colonise the kidneys
and reproductive tract of the host and are excreted in the
urine, semen, milk and afterbirth of infected individuals.
Transmission can occur across species, and as such the major
risk factors for introduction of Lepto into a naive herd are:
Purchase of infected cattle
Co-grazing with infected cattle or sheep
Purchase or loan of infected bulls
Access to contaminated watercourses
Grazing downstream from sheep or an infected
herd
Often the most severe impact from
an economic stand point is through
abortion and infertility
Whilst Lepto can cause clinical disease in both calves and adult
animals, often the most severe impact from an economic
stand point is through abortion and infertility. Depending on
the stage of pregnancy at the time of infection, Lepto may
result in early embryonic death and reabsorption (in early
pregnancy), abortion (mid-late pregnancy) or the production
of stillborn or weak calves (late pregnancy). Therefore it may
be that the presence of chronic Lepto in a herd only presents
as poor fertility and an increase in calving intervals, where it
can go undiagnosed despite its significant economical impact.
Diagnosis of Lepto in the face of an outbreak/abortion is
relatively easy. It is possible to isolate from the foetus or
abortion material. Diagnosis can also be made by testing
foetal blood for antibodies. Alternatively blood testing the
dam at the time of abortion, along with several others in the
same group will provide a diagnostic conclusion.
In order to establish the status of an unvaccinated herd,
youngstock bleeds should be carried out – 5 animals between
9 and 18 months of age in each individually managed group.
This should provide a good indicator of the presence or
absence of Lepto on the farm, and provide a starting point for
the move towards eradication and control.
Treatment of infected animals can be carried out using
antibiotic therapy in order to prevent the progression of
disease and to limit spread within the herd. Vaccination alone
will not treat established disease, but can be combined in the
face of an outbreak in order to prevent infection of healthy
animals.
Once infection has been treated, or in the case of naive
herds, preventative control measures should be observed
to try and restrict introduction of disease into a herd,
including:
Eliminating access of cattle to surface water or
streams used by other livestock
Vermin control, especially with regards to access to
water troughs and feed storage bins
Reducing contact between cattle and other
livestock and wildlife as much as possible
Cleaning, disinfecting, and drying barns, pens,
and other confinement areas after use by infected
cattle
Vaccinating susceptible animals
Prophylactic antibiotic treatment of bought
in animals of unknown Lepto history whilst in
quarantine
In summary, investigation into the Lepto status of your beef
herd is well worthwhile from an economic standpoint. Herds
that are accredited free should take all precautions in order
to avoid introduction of the disease into their herd, and
herds with endemic Lepto would be advised to vaccinate all
susceptible animals. For more information on investigating
and eradicating Lepto in your herd, speak to your vet.
Connor Sheedy BVSc MRCVS
16 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
SHEEP
Photo credit: NADIS
Footrot
Not all lame sheep have footrot
Footrot is a well documented disease of sheep but only recently we have been lucky enough to have further
research covering prevention as well as a tried and tested regime to stop the spread of this problem disease.
Unfortunately farmers sometimes excuse a
hobbling sheep and other “priority” jobs
prevent animals being quickly identified which
leads to further spread. Imagine a sheep with
footrot having red paint on her hoof, every
step she takes puts another blob of footrot
“paint” onto the pasture. A sheep will walk
around a field looking for food, water or her
lambs and left unchecked, she could spread the
bacteria very quickly over 24hr period. Daily
checks should include catching and turning
any lame ewe even if she is only a score 1 lame
(lameness is scored 0-5; 0 being sound, 5 being
on 3 legs or immobile). Lesion identification is
important as not all lame sheep have footrot.
Knowing what to look for and what treatment
will work is necessary (see table).
Although trimming was historically thought to
allow air to the footrot bugs, we now know
the bacteria are too deep in the foot tissue
for this to be successful. Trimming can delay
healing and increase lameness, spreading
the bacteria on knives and causing hoof
deformities.
If you do not have a footrot issue, it is
easy to bring it into a flock without proper
quarantine procedures. When buying in
sheep, a quarantine field or shed should be
used for at least 4 weeks monitoring and
treatment of lame animals. It must be left
empty for a minimum of 14 days following
use to allow the bacteria to die.
Disease
Treatment course
Scald/Strip/interdigital dermatitis –
red, swollen, inflamed in between
hooves
Lambs - spray lesion with
oxytetracycline spray and monitor
Ewes/rams – inject with long acting
oxytetracycline
Footrot – infection starts in between
hooves, smelly, grey and very painful
Inject animal with long acting
oxytetracycline and spray lesion
Contagious ovine digital dermatitis
(CODD) – starts at coronary band
Inject with amoxicillin and contact vet
for further advice
Strawberry footrot - caused by over
trimming
Spray with oxytetracycline and
bandage, give anti-inflammatory and
only use injectable antibiotic if infected
White line disease - split between hoof
wall at sole, not infectious cause
If lame, trim lose hoof and spray with
oxytetracycline
Those less fortunate with an on-going problem may use vaccination as an adjunct
to early treatment. A vaccine against the 19 strains of the bug that causes footrot
is currently available. This can be given 6 monthly or yearly depending on how
prevalent the disease is and when the high risk periods are.
As well as medicinal involvement, some sheep are more resilient and there is
documented evidence that they can have natural immunity to footrot. Ideally these
animals should be bred from to increase that population. Conversely sheep that
have footrot 3 times or more should be culled from the flock and their offspring
not kept for replacement.
Footrot can be eliminated and lameness reduced significantly with proactive work
and appropriate management. If you have further questions or would like to find
out about a preventative flock health plan please call your local practice to speak
to a vet.
Becky Adamczyk BVetMed MRCVS
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
17
Looking At Lambing
It’s come round quickly, but lambing 2015 is now
upon some of us. Those who have been unlucky
enough to experience it will know that once an
abortion outbreak is underway, salvage efforts
are sometimes a case of closing the door after the
horse has bolted.
Hopefully 2015 will be a smooth and successful season for
you, but if it goes wrong there are some things to consider
to ensure a better season for 2016. The economic loss
from abortions in a sheep flock can be hard to quantify,
but is often quoted as being double the abortion rate as a
percentage of the gross margin. For example, a flock with
an abortion rate of 10% would have a reduction in gross
margin of 20% (SRUC, 2011).
Abortion can occur due to a number of infectious and
non-infectious causes, and when abortions affect more
than 2% of the flock the cause should be investigated.
Vets will consider the following possibilities when helping
you investigate an outbreak:
Infectious causes
Enzootic Abortion g vaccination is possible,
potential for transmission to humans
Toxoplasmosis g vaccination is possible, potential
for transmission to humans
Campylobacter g potential for transmission to
humans
Border Disease
Q Fever g potential for transmission to humans
Salmonella g potential for transmission to humans
Other infections including Listeria, Leptospirosis,
E.coli, Tickborne Fever, Neospora and Brucellosis
Non-infectious causes
These usually result in abortion or weak, non-viable
lambs by causing metabolic stress in the ewe and poor
development of the foetus
Pregnancy Toxaemia (Twin Lamb)
Hypocalcaemia
Hypomagnesaemia (Staggers)
Copper deficiency
Selenium deficiency
In general, the best thing to do if you suspect an abortion
problem is starting, is bag some aborted foetuses and
placentas as fresh as possible and ring the vet to discuss
further action. Keep each foetus and placenta set separate
from the others. This means your vet can collect and send
the relevant samples for testing, or submit the entire bag
if required.
Preventative Measures
1. Isolate aborting ewes from those that haven’t
lambed yet, if possible, and clean out pens which
have held aborting ewes; disinfect them and remove
all of the products of abortion.
2. Treat sick ewes according to advice from your vet,
and mark all ewes affected.
3. Avoid fostering on lambs to the aborted ewes,
due to the risk of enzootic abortion.
4. Protect yourself from the zoonotic causes by
wearing gloves and washing hands regularly. Never
allow pregnant women to come into contact
with the sheep, even with clothing worn by people
around the animals.
Cecilia Corbett BVet Med MRCVS (Hons)
Isolate aborting ewes from those that
haven’t lambed yet
18 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
Watery Mouth
Watery Mouth is a common problem seen during the
lambing season. The incidence can vary greatly, but if
not kept under control an outbreak can result in high
lamb mortality.
What exactly is Watery Mouth?
E. coli is the main pathogen involved. These bacteria thrive in
a warm, moist environment in the presence of organic material
such as faeces or cleansing. Neonatal lambs can easily become
infected if they are born in a heavily contaminated pen.
Lambs may appear lethargic, continuously lie down, refuse to
suckle and may not pass their meconium (first faeces) due to
decreased motility of the intestines. Other symptoms may be
a wet muzzle because of excess salivation, a distended belly
giving the appearance of a well fed lamb and scours may be
present. Lambs may eventually go into a coma and may die if
left untreated.
How to avoid and control an outbreak of Watery Mouth?
Hygiene is the main factor in controlling Watery Mouth. Pens
should be dry, clean and disinfected at the start of lambing
and this should be maintained all through the season.
Remove faeces and cleansing where possible and clip areas
of wool stained with faeces before the ewes are moved into
the lambing pens. Due to the build up of bacteria in the
environment, Watery Mouth is most often seen later on during
the lambing season.
The quantity and quality of colostrum given to lambs shortly
after birth will drastically affect their chances of survival when
exposed to pathogens such as E. coli. Twins and triplets,
sharing colostrum from one ewe, are more likely to be
affected. Similarly, ewes with a low body condition score and/
or inadequate colostrum are more prone to losing their lambs
to Watery Mouth.
In the case of an outbreak, consult your veterinarian on how
best to tackle the problem. Lambs with severe symptoms may
require injectable antibiotics and should receive electrolytes
multiple times a day to avoid dehydration. Constipated lambs
with heavily distended bellies may require an enema to relieve
them of their discomfort.
Lisette Smeele MRCVS
Sheep scab – correct diagnosis and quarantine importance
Sheep scab has been a recognised problem in
the UK since the Tudor monarchy (Henry VIII). Its
prevalence since then increased so much that the UK’s
government had to implement different strategies in
order to try to stop it.
One of the most effective strategies appeared soon after
WWII, when organo-chlorines based products were introduced.
These miracle products had a tremendous effect on sheep scab
prevalence, turning the UK into a sheep scab free country for
more than 20 years. However, this idyllic scenery ended around
the mid 1970s when the first sheep scab case in 20 years was
recorded, due to infested imported sheep which possibly
weren’t quarantined correctly.
Unfortunately nowadays, sheep scab is a common condition
with major welfare and economic implications. This easily
made mistake emphasises the importance of quarantining
when bringing any new animal into your land/flock, even
those animals that you share with other farmers. Quarantine
will not only prevent sheep scab from entering your farm, but
will also help you to avoid all the devastating effects of sheep
scab spreading through your flock. Infestations can be very
serious and uncomfortable; causing uncontrollable itching
that can lead to secondary infections due to biting, scratching
or rubbing against fence posts. This itching is due to an
allergic dermatitis caused by the faeces of the sheep scab mite
(Psoroptes ovis).
The wool in the infested areas becomes loose and sheds quite
easily and the inflamed areas can be open, very red and may
bleed. Other undesirable effects of sheep scab will include
weight loss, reduced lamb’s growth rate and cause damage
to wool. This mite is only viable outside its host for 15 days,
although it can live up to 3 weeks under optimum conditions,
such as high humidity and cool temperature. Being a more
winter prevalent disease due to the optimum conditions for
mites’ development, sheep scab can spread quite easily through
your flock at housing and with the initial form of sheep scab
being so similar to a lice infestation, a correct diagnosis is
essential. Transmission usually happens from direct contact
with the mite: infested sheep, market, lorries, fence posts,
contaminated shearing cutters, or people carrying mites on
contaminated clothing. Correct diagnosis can be made through
looking at a flock’s history, clinical signs and more adequately,
skin scrapes taken by your vet and seen under the microscope
(Fig1). Other diseases that you might need to consider are
scrapie (animals above 2 years of age), keds or ringworm
(usually there is no itching).
Fig 1 – Psorotes ovis
under the microscope
(middle)
Marcocyclic lactones (clear dewormers), such as ivermectin,
doramectin or moxidectin are used most frequently for sheep
scab control and treatment. Plunge dipping can be a very
effective way to control and treat sheep scab (make sure that
sheep are immersed in the dipping fluid for at least 1 minute).
Treated sheep should not return to the same pasture or pen.
Please ask your vet to advise you what would be the best
option to use on your farm.
Andre Baptista MVetMed MRCVS
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
19
Wasting Weaners!
Some pig farms are still wasting weaner pigs... through
wasting disease! The loss of these growers becomes
accepted as a regrettable but unrectifiable norm on
some units. However more often than not, it is not
simply “one of those things” or just bad luck, and the
cause can be identified and strategies for prevention
put in place.
A number of different vaccines are now available including
both a piglet and a sow vaccine. Different circumstances
call for different tactics, and this should be discussed on an
individual basis.
Speak to your local Westpoint vet today.
Ian Roper BVetMed MRCVS
Even when a seemingly small number are affected, this should
be discussed with your vet. Visible wasting disease is likely to
be the tip of the iceberg, with the growth and performance of
many other pigs affected too.
True wasting syndrome is usually apparent with endemic
Porcine Circovirus (PCv), and additional infections such as
PRRS virus combining to give the notable effect. When
there are no further infections PCv still remains a problem
causing a reduction in weight gain and generalised
immunosuppression. This subclinical syndrome has become
more common than the classic wasting picture. So there
are often few outward signs of disease and often it is not
considered as a production issue. It can really be difficult to
notice that the pigs are not achieving full potential. Even
an experienced eye cannot substitute for regular weigh-ins,
cross-referenced with target values. PCv is an exceptionally
common virus, with around 80% of commercial herds in
the UK regularly vaccinating. It has also been implicated in
respiratory disease and the kidney and skin condition PDNS.
Because of the range of clinical and sub-clinical syndromes,
they are now known collectively as Porcine Circovirus Disease
(PCvD).
Overall, farms investing in Circovirus vaccine have seen
reductions in post-weaning mortality of approximately
50% and improvements in weaning-slaughter growth rates of
50g/d. Depending on time spent on unit and current prices,
that might be worth between £5-10 per pig in improved
weight gain alone, and would vastly outweigh the costs of
vaccination.
Diagnosis of wasting is best achieved by post-mortem, but
blood testing can be used to confirm exposure to PCv, and
discussion of other options may also be worthwhile.
20 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
PCv is an exceptionally
common virus, with
around 80% of
commercial herds in the
UK regularly vaccinating
PIGS
Vaccination Planning
In recent times, the porcine pharmaceutical industry
have proved their worth, making available a multitude
of effective vaccinations against a wide range of
diseases, including new and emerging threats. Though
there are challenges when considering implementing
effective vaccine regimes.
Each product has guidance as to which pigs should be
jabbed, usually advising that other products should not
be administered simultaneously. When we have a number
of different products, how do we know what is the best
protocol?
First, we need to understand the implications of going outside
the guidance. How is it that some products cover against
multiple pathogens (what we call multivalent vaccines), and
some are advised only in isolation? We must consider the
possibility that when the pig’s immune system is asked to
develop immunity to multiple agents, the response to each
may be sub-optimal. In some cases the adjuvants, included to
stimulate the immune system, need to be fairly aggressive,
and if combined could be a bit too much. However, this does
not mean that a pig in good health cannot handle more than
one vaccination, but when the combination is untested, we
should be wary of making assumptions about the protection
afforded.
It is sometimes a question of weighing up these risks, and
the risk of not getting the cover into them in time, or at all!
Not all vaccines work in the same way, so some combinations
may be more problematic than others, but this conversation
must be had with your vet. In fact some products exist where
combining with another product from the same manufacturer
has been tested and licensed. This means they have undergone
safety and efficacy testing, to prove they are effective
under this regime. The vet can also advise on where suitable
multivalent vaccines exist, which might enable one product to
aid in the control of more than one disease. Other ways round
it might include vaccinating the sows to protect the piglets
via colostrum (in some cases where advised), or conversely
vaccinating piglets directly. Sometimes products appear which
can be given as a single jab, rather than a two dose start up.
It is sensible to discuss with your vet creating a written
protocol, to include all vaccinations, as an aide memoir to
ensure the right vaccines are administered to the right pigs
at the right time. With this in place it also becomes easier to
amend, when products come off, or onto the market.
Vaccinations exist against a range of diseases including: PCv;
PRRS; Influenza; Enzootic pneumonia; Illeitis; Clostridia; E coli;
Erysipelas; Parvovirus; and Glasser’s disease. So if you don’t
know your herd to be clear of all these - vaccination may be
appropriate and discussion with your vet needed. Routine
diagnostic testing can be valuable in determining which
agents are currently involved. Creating a herd health plan
together may be a good place to start, as healthy animals are
likely to respond better to vaccinations too, so everything else
needs to be right.
Ian Roper BVetMed MRCVS
Not all vaccines work in the
same way, some combinations
may be more problematic than
others, but this conversation
must be had with your vet
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
21
Biosecurity for Smallholders and Alpaca Owners
When you’re thinking about biosecurity it’s best to
start on the right hoof, claw or trotter!
Purchasing Animals
If you are intending to purchase animals, ensure that you
buy from herds that are accredited free of disease. Selecting
animals that are in good condition, have no history of
disease and that will suit your needs is an excellent place to
start.
Table showing pre-purchase disease testing
Animal
Accredited Free/Low risk from
Sheep
and Goats
MV (Maedi Visna)
EAE (Enzootic Abortion of Ewes)
Scrapie
CLA (Caeseous Lymphadentitis)
Cattle
IBR (Infectious Bovine
Rhinotracheitis)
Leptospirosis
BVD (Bovine Viral Diarrhoea)
Johne’s
TB
Neospora
Alpaca
Johne’s
TB
Make sure that documentation can be provided.
Accreditation schemes or vets will be happy to provide
certificates to show that animals have been tested and are
free of disease. If you are purchasing young animals, ask
for health certificates from the dam (mother) +/- the sire
(father).
Quarantine - what’s the point?
The purpose of quarantine is to protect your current
stock from the potential importation of new disease,
and also to protect new animals from endemic disease
within your herds or flocks. It is advisable to:
Quarantine for 4 weeks
Isolate animals inside on a (straw) bedded
concrete floor in a separate air space
Look for any signs of skin disease, lameness
problems, respiratory disease, diarrhoea or other
abnormalities and discuss these issues with your
vet
Administer any vaccinations necessary for entry
into your flock or herd
22 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
Treat for worms, external parasites and if
necessary for fluke. You can ask your vet for advice
on which products to use
Turn out onto dirty grazing (pasture that has
recently been used by your own stock)
SMALLHOLDERS
If you are intending to purchase
animals, ensure that you buy from herds
that are accredited free of disease
Health Planning
There are some basic guidelines that should be followed
when making a health plan for your farm:
It is good practice to ask your vet to compose a
health plan that is tailored to your stock. This
should include details about routine vaccinations,
worming and FEC (Faecal egg counting),
protocols to reduce worm resistance on your land
and a cleaning and disinfection plan
During lambing, calving, kidding and unpacking ensure that pens are disinfected with
an approved product between periods of use
and that all cleansing materials or afterbirth are
disposed of promptly
Do not allow cats and dogs to eat products of
abortion or parturition (birth) as this can spread
diseases such as Toxoplasmosis in sheep and
goats or Neospora in cattle
Notify your vet if any abortions take place within
your stock. It is a legal requirement to notify
DEFRA of cattle abortions (defined as <270 days)
as stated by the Zoonoses Order 1989
Dispose of fallen stock promptly, through the
legal routes i.e. a knackerman. If there is a
delay in collection, store the carcass in a sealed
container or bag
Ensure that fencing is well maintained. There
is nothing worse than maintaining an excellent
group of animals that is free from disease when
the neighbour’s bull manages to invite himself
round for tea!
Ensure that vermin and birds are kept away from
feed stores and housed areas. They are a source
of disease and contamination
If your stock is handled by guests, visitors or
the public, they should be made aware of the
risk of zoonotic disease such as Orf, Ringworm,
Salmonella, E.coli, Campylobacter. They should
also wear appropriate clothing followed by full
disinfection. Disinfection of boots and hands
beforehand is also recommended, to protect your
stock from any diseases they might be carrying
Ask your vet to sit down with you to write a comprehensive
health plan which incorporates these points. This can be
a useful document to refer to in future and an excellent
opportunity to raise any queries that you might have.
Jessica Swiestowska MA VetMB MRCVS
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
23
Coccidiosis in Poultry
Where birds are present, be it backyard poultry, game
birds or wild birds, coccidia are almost universally
present and therefore something that we should be
aware of. This widespread distribution makes them
difficult to eradicate and so monitoring and rapid
treatment is vital to prevent widespread losses.
Coccidia are host specific and the main species that affect
chickens are Eimeria necatrix and Eimeria tenella. Birds are
infected by ingestion of relatively large numbers of oocysts.
Oocysts are shed in the faeces from clinically infected and
recovered birds and contaminate the environment. However,
they may also be transmitted by other routes for such as on
equipment, clothing and other animals. Oocysts take 1-2 days
with a warm temperature, adequate moisture and oxygen to
become infective and then may survive for long periods. They
are resistant to some disinfectants but are usually killed by
freezing or high environmental temperatures.
Clinical signs
The signs range from decreased growth rate and poor
productivity to an outbreak of sick birds with severe (and
sometimes bloody) diarrhoea, dehydration and high mortality.
Subclinical infections may also predispose the birds to
secondary infections, particularly Clostridia.
Where birds are present, be it backyard poultry,
game birds or wild birds, coccidia are almost
universally present
Diagnosis
The lesions are limited to the intestinal tract and have a
distinctive location and appearance, meaning that it can often
be diagnosed by post mortem examination. Infection can
be confirmed using a microscope by taking faecal samples or
from intestinal scrapings (during post mortem) to look for
oocysts. However, determining severity is based upon clinical
signs as there is usually no correlation between number of
oocysts present and severity of disease.
Suspected coccidiosis should always be investigated in case
of clinical outbreaks. Subclinical levels may be the cause of
poor performance but other flock disorders may be implicated
and so these should also be investigated. Coccidiosis is often
linked to concurrent disease and as such, further investigation
may be necessary.
Treatment
There are 3 main aspects to treatment to protect affected
birds, although not all may be needed depending on the
severity of the outbreak:
Anticoccidial drugs, for example Baycox given in
the drinking water
Antibiotics, for secondary infections
TLC
The anticoccidial drugs are needed to prevent further spread
and reduce the load in the affected birds. However, due
to the fact that the clinical signs in the birds are due to
damage in the gut then they may need antibiotics and lots of
supportive care to aid their recovery.
24 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
Supportive care includes lots of fluids and food as well as
keeping the birds in a warm and dry environment.
If you have any further questions or would like to discuss
coccidiosis further then please speak to your vet.
Emily Craven VetMB BA MRCVS
Bovine Tuberculosis
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is considered, by many farmers and vets alike, to be
the disease currently present in the UK with the biggest potential impact on the
sustainability of farming businesses.
Ensure fences are adequate to keep your
stock in and others out
This is as true for smallholders as it is for professional
farmers, as the effect of losing significant numbers of your
herd can be devastating. But what can you do about it?
Many cattle owners think they are powerless to influence
whether they are affected by bTB but that is not the case.
As a disease bTB can be quite complex in its spread – if
it wasn’t I’m sure we would have a much better control
over the disease – but you can increase your protection by
following a few simple rules:
Try to minimise the need to bring stock in from
other farms. Where you do need to buy stock
in, make sure you ask the right questions. This
is true for many diseases but if stock can be
sourced from low risk herds, such as those in bTB
free areas, the risk of buying in disease will be
much reduced
If stock is brought in, insist on a pre-movement
TB test even if they come from a low risk area.
Isolate them on arrival and ensure they are kept
isolated until they pass a post movement test at
least 60 days after the pre-movement test
If you are in an endemic area, or an edge area,
try to limit the interactions between your stock
and wildlife or neighbouring cows. Ensure
fences are adequate to keep your stock in and
others out! Ensure feed is kept tidied away, in
sealed feed stores as otherwise it will attract
wildlife, and often the less healthy wildlife –
those more likely to be excreting bTB. You are
legally allowed to fence your cattle away from
badger latrines and setts but are not allowed to
restrict normal badger movements
On a different tack, it is important to ensure handling
facilities are up to scratch for TB testing. Often a small
amount of investment and some planning can dramatically
improve not only the speed of TB testing but also the
safety of it.
Remember, your cows are used to being handled by you,
but not used to having their necks clipped, measured and
injected and this can make them more fractious than usual.
Phil Elkins BVM&S MRCVS
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
25
Strategic Control of Clostridial Disease
Clostridial disease is caused by several different species of bacteria which can cause numerous forms of disease.
These different types of disease can infect livestock animals, including those that are commonly found on our
Great British small holdings such as sheep, cattle, goats, pigs and camelids.
The bacteria that cause clostridial disease are ubiquitous in
the environment and often live in the soil. This environmental
source of bacteria is impossible to eradicate and therefore
vaccination to prevent the different types of disease is
recommended. The most common presentation of animals
affected with clostridial disease is sudden death. Therefore
the diagnosis of the disease is usually made through
examination of the carcass and collection of samples for
further diagnostic testing during post-mortem.
Therefore it is important to take these risk factors into
consideration and to make sure that high risk pastures are
avoided and that all feed and forage is correctly stored. In
contrast, tetanus presents with muscle rigidity, extended
or locked joints and dysphoria. Infection can occur via a
contaminated wound and carries a very poor prognosis and
the outcome of these cases is often euthanasia on welfare
grounds. This highlights the importance of vaccination prior
to routine surgical procedures as part of your health plan.
“Black’s Disease” also known as infectious necrotic hepatitis
is an important clostridial disease caused by the bacterium
Clostridium novyi. The disease is synergistic and occurs during
the migratory phase of liver fluke infection. In the presence of
immature flukes invading the liver and causing liver damage
and anaerobic conditions the organism, Clostridium novyi
releases toxins in the liver that result in an acute and highly
fatal disease that can affect both sheep and cattle. A strategic
fluke control plan and vaccination programme for clostridial
disease will help to prevent the occurrence of Black’s disease.
Due to the nature of disease transmission, it is important that
livestock are provided with immunity through vaccination
throughout their lifetime. There are several different types
of vaccine that are licensed for the common livestock species.
Your vet may recommend the use of these vaccines under
the cascade where there is no licensed product available for
a particular species. Timing is crucial to ensure the passive
transfer of immunity in colostrum, so it is important to booster
breeding females prior to parturition.
A further, two forms of this disease are tetanus and botulism.
They are caused by the bacteria Clostridium tetani and
Clostridium botulinum respectively.
Botulism presents as a progressive paralysis of skeletal muscles
and there are no treatment options available. Risk factors
include contamination of the environment from poultry litter
and contamination of foodstuffs.
It is important to take a proactive approach and contact your
veterinary surgeon to discuss a vaccination programme as
part of your annual health review.
Lucy Bright BVM BVS MRCVS
Piglet with tetanus
Photo credit: NADIS
26 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
The Future of Beef from the Dairy Herd –
is integration a system that will work?
Westpoint Director Rob Drysdale is in the middle
of his Nuffield Farming Scholarship year. Rob is
one of 20 UK scholars awarded in 2014. Viewpoint
asked him why he was undertaking this farming
based scholarship and what he hoped to learn
from his global travels?
We all know world population is set to reach 9 billion and
demand for food will rise. What we maybe fail to realise
is the growth at the same time in the middle class (from
1.4 to 4.2 billion by 2050) and what this will mean for
meat and dairy demand.
I have been lucky to be sponsored by The Trehane Trust,
with funding from the dairy industry, yet my project is
based on efficient beef production. To understand why
this trust is sponsoring me, you need to understand
where much of our UK beef comes from.
PEOPLE
British beef is changing. Traditional, single suckled cow
numbers have declined as a combination of reduced
returns and the CAP yet demand remains high. The dairy
industry contributes over 50% of beef now eaten in
the UK, rising year on year, whilst mince makes up the
majority of these sales.
Over the last 20 years of farming, market demand and
expectations have changed. Looking at pig and poultry
integration has helped link farming to the quality and
consistency consumers expect, whilst processor and
retailer have a steady supply. Dairy beef is still dominated
by black and whites but in recent years beef cross calves
such as Angus and Hereford have increased in value and
number. Genetics have allowed farmers to utilise high
value beef bulls that fit within retailer driven schemes –
easy calving, consistent finishing, quality carcasses and
meat at best value to the end consumer.
Dairy beef is said to be:
1. Sustainable: where there are dairy cows there
are calves, so a low carbon footprint, compared
to single suckle beef as a by-product from
another industry.
2. Healthy: can be low fat and an excellent
source of protein.
3. Welfare friendly: using the calves from the
dairy industry and seeing a production system
that can be managed from calving to processing.
However, calf rearing and beef production that
is both efficient and profitable has been a real
challenge to British farmers, but what about the
rest of the world? In my travels I have already
visited the USA (dairy beef can be up to 40%
in some areas) and Canada (suckled beef is still
the norm) meeting dairy farmers, beef finishers,
processors and end users. My next trip in spring
2015 is to New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia and
Japan followed by South America (Argentina,
Uruguay, Chile) in early summer. I also plan to
investigate other models of integration such as
the pig and poultry Industry.
Who knows where all this will take us for the
future – but one thing I know is that my Nuffield
should benefit the farmers, both dairy and beef,
that work with Westpoint.
Rob Drysdale BVM&S MRCVS
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
27
Few reality television shows seem to have caught
the imagination last year like Bear Grylls’ The
Island. 13 men aged 21 to 70 were marooned upon
a desert island for four weeks with nothing but a
few hours of survival training and a day’s supply of
water. The idea was to find out how ‘modern man’
could cope with a back to basics existence.
Derbyshire farmer Joe Birch was one of the youngest men
chosen for the show and his duties included lighting the
first fire on the island, and dispatching the majority of the
animals caught for food, including a Caiman crocodile.
Westpoint’s Sally Dixon caught up with her client to discuss
the experience.
How did you hear about the show?
It was advertised on the Young Farmers Facebook page
and website. They obviously needed someone that knew
a little bit about doing the sort of things we were going
to have to do. After I applied I heard back straight away,
then went through various interview stages narrowing
20,000 people down to 13 of us.
How much preparation were you given before you
went out?
We were given 90 minutes training from Bear. But we
weren’t actually able to do anything, or even talk to
each other.
28 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
What was the island really like?
Before I went, I had in my head a picture of what a
tropical island would look like: White sandy beaches, fruit
trees, and you’d just be able to go and pick some fruit to
quench your thirst and hunger. But we were dropped in
the middle of a mangrove swamp. The mangrove swamp
was unforgiving and an extreme eye opener into what
the next 28 days were going to be like.....And it was hell,
absolute hell!
What made it hell?!
There was no single thing, it was an amalgamation of a
lot of bad dreams that turned into your worst nightmare.
I underestimated the effect of heat, I’ve been on holiday
in 35 degrees before and it’s a breeze, but you are just
sitting on a sunbed with whatever you want to eat and
drink available all day long. We were in 35 degrees for 6
hours a day and 99% humidity in the jungle for 28 days
back to back; and we were burning thousands of calories
every day but only taking in about 400. I didn’t find the
food a problem, we didn’t eat much but what we did eat
was interesting. The water was fine really, a lot of people
found it undrinkable, but it was ok. The social aspect
was the other really hard bit, not having contact with my
family for 28 days and instead spending the time with 12
strangers.
Joe Birch
How do you think your farming background helped
you with being on the island, especially with food?
I wasn’t picky about food! A lot of people screwed their
nose up about things that didn’t taste very nice. The way
we were foraging for food on the floor and the fact that
it might not be what you’d pick up in a supermarket,
people weren’t willing to eat it. When it came down to
the animals and things like that, people were unsure
about killing an animal, but taking that one animal’s life
kept 13 men alive. When it came down to the Caiman it
was done well, properly, quickly and cleanly and it was no
trauma. We didn’t hurt the animal which was a big thing,
as some of the lads on the island found it difficult to
watch, but I was pleased with how it was done and that’s
my background; that’s something that I’ve been brought
up with, and I was pleased that we did it right.
So what did you eat?
Apart from the Caiman, mainly Pelicans and Cormorants,
they’re disgusting! They eat fish in salt water and they
have livers bigger than their stomachs to get rid of all the
salt. The meat tasted really salty! But the best thing was
when Ryan & I sourced some honey. Still to this day I’ve
never had anything that tastes like that; the bees must
have farmed it from the lemon and lime trees so it was
citrus honey. I know we hadn’t had anything like it in such
a long time but still, it was an amazing flavour. That was
the best moment on the island, that taste of honey, it was
really mind blowing.
What did you learn?
I learned a lot of life skills, social skills as much as anything
and I did find out how mollycoddled and nurtured I’ve
been brought up living in the countryside. Living in a
little village in the countryside you don’t get to see much
and I learned a lot from those guys who lived in towns
and urban areas. There was some good, but some bad as
well. I came out feeling lucky, knowing that I am quite
glad about where we live. We can be cut off from time
to time, but it’s definitely better being brought up in the
countryside.
How has it changed your ideas for the future and
what you want out of life?
It’s a dream to go travelling now. It’d be good to do
something else in the future along a similar line and a
similar programme and bring farming into it a bit more.
Perhaps a spin-off following the production line from
lambing; from a year on the farm to how they’re finished.
You’ve already done a good bit of PR for the
farming community, showing that we don’t all talk
the same and wear tweed jackets.
Yes, though channel 4 wanted me to. I said “No!”
Sally Dixon MRCVS, Ashbourne Practice Manager
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
29
Keep up with winter footbathing
Tips to prevent digital dermatitis getting the upper hand this winter
Whilst digital dermatitis (DD) is a perennial problem on
most dairy farms, it can often become worse over the
winter, when cows are housed 24/7; especially in situations
where cows are densely stocked or where the yards and
passageways are small or difficult to scrape. The tendency
towards warmer, wetter winters is also not helping!
This quick guide raises a few points regarding
footbathing, but it is crucial that DD control is part of
a complete approach to both treating and preventing
disease and your local Westpoint vet will be happy to
work with you to put a plan together for this.
A high incidence of DD will not only lead to more lame
cows but also to more of the severe, often incurable
lesions, which involve DD infecting deeper tissue, such
as toe necrosis. These cases cause chronic, debilitating
lameness resulting in reduced yield, poor fertility and a
higher risk of culling.
The Bath
The footbath must be correctly designed and positioned
in order to be effective and there a few golden rules that
will help in this regard:
Do – Make the bath easy to fill and clean out as easy jobs
get done.
Do – Ensure the dimensions are correct for the number
of cows and quantity of solution required. You require 1
Litre per cow passage, so I always advise people to build
a bath which holds at least 1.25L for every cow milking to
allow for fluctuations and herd expansion.
Don’t – Use baths with big ridges in the bottom. There
is no need to “splay the claws”, they do not help grip
and cows absolutely hate them meaning more faeces is
dropped in the bath.
Don’t – Estimate the size of the bath. A survey carried
out in the practice last year found that 42% of farmers
questioned were under-dosing their chemical and the key
reason for this was that they didn’t know the true volume
of liquid in their footbaths.
Do – Seek advice before building a new bath. We have a
helpful guide on design and siting of footbaths which we
can share with you.
The Protocol
Do – Footbath all susceptible stock, including heifers
and dry cows. This is a key point as heifers that have
DD before calving will be much more severely affected
when they enter the herd and dry cows act as a reservoir
for infection, and can undo all the good work done by
footbathing the milkers.
The protocol used for footbathing will vary from farm
to farm depending on a variety of factors, but the
simple rule of thumb is – the dirtier the cows, the more
frequently they need doing. Please consult with us on this
and allow us to help you choose the best chemical and
bathing protocol based on the conditions on your farm.
Do - Place the bath in the normal flow of the cows,
regardless of whether it is in use or not.
James Dixon BVetMed Cert CHP MRCVS
Footbathing requires
planning and management
to get the best results
30 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
PARAPROFESSIONAL
Footbathing & The Benefits
Although footbathing as a preventative measure
has long been used by farmers, it is only relatively
recently that it has started to be seen as a valued
and effective tool in both the prevention and control
of infectious foot diseases. Problems such as digital
dermatitis can pose particular problems to the
welfare and productivity of cattle today.
Despite most experts and farmers recognising the benefits of
regular bathing, it does require a degree of both planning
and management to get the very best out of whichever
product is used; both in terms of effective treatment and
value for money.
If a farm is looking to build a new footbath there has to be
some thought put into it by the farmer, alongside constructive
input from their vet, as to its best position. It would ideally
need to be incorporated into the cows’ daily routine, thus
meaning they soon get used to walking through it regardless
as to it being empty or full. However it does need to be a
sufficient distance away from the milking parlour in order to
avoid impeding cow flow, or potentially overcoming whoever
is milking with any fumes.
Top Tips
1. Know it’s exact size and depth so the right
amount of chemical is then used! All too often
farmers underestimate this and end up not
putting enough in.
It is important to try to position it so both dry cows and
heifers can easily be put through regularly, as these tend to
be the animals most forgotten. Just because they might not
be working doesn’t mean they don’t need footbathing! Poor
routines including the wrong treatments, incorrect dilution
rates and baths not being regularly cleaned out between
sessions can actually be instrumental in the spreading of
infectious diseases and in some cases increase the amount of
lameness in the herd!
The introduction of automatic baths into the market place
have, in some cases, revolutionised footbathing. Although the
initial financial outlay may seem costly, the savings that can
be made in terms of the daily labour requirement needed to
both empty and re-fill a standard bath and the chemical saved
by a machine automatically dispensing the right amount of
product, means that over time all this helps to pay for it.
There are a wide and varied range of chemicals and products
readily available that can be used, but it always best to consult
your vet to help gauge the potential effectiveness of the
product you may be thinking of using. Each one has both
advantages and disadvantages and what suits one farm may
well not suit another; a lot may depend on the specific foot
problems your farm may have.
To conclude, a correctly positioned and well maintained
footbath using the right product as per it`s instructions,
accompanied with a structured foot trimming routine, should
have nothing but beneficial effects on the foot health of
your herd.
Chris Hulbert, Paraprofessional Services Manager
2. Making a bath easy to change will make it far
less of a chore for whoever has to do it.
3. Find the best and most effective product to use
and not just the cheapest one on the market.
Photo credit: NADIS
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
31
Introduction to the farm support team at
Westpoint Veterinary Group
At Westpoint we take pride in the range
and level of services offered to our clients
and the farming community as a whole.
Since 2008 our foot trimming and mobility services
have grown from one, to a team of five full time
trimmers supported by a further three members
of staff, both in the office and on farm. All our
trimmers have access to specialised hydraulic foot
crushes and are National Association of Cattle Foot
Trimmers Category 1 qualified, offering a full service
on farms from Cornwall to Kent and Scotland. The
trimmers are all checked on an annual basis by an
independent NACFT assessor and are overseen by a
team of vets with further qualifications in lameness
and mobility management.
Our mobility management services are available to
any dairy or beef farmer. Working closely alongside
the farm`s own vet, we see a team approach as
vital to getting the best from the investment made
in mobility and foot health on farm. We can make
the service tailor made for the farm with trimming
available on an ad-hoc (per head) rate, through to
an annual contract where herd mobility through
mobility scoring and foot trimming, can be overseen.
A team of five paraprofessionals provide a wide
range of other on-farm services: from udder flaming,
calf management and freeze branding, through to
a range designed to help smallholders and other
farms. These trained farm staff work to support
both Westpoint and external vets in the provision
of added healthcare services, which include foot
trimming, worming, vaccinating and general
management for the small farmer or camelid keeper.
We also operate a full cleansing and disinfection
service using our own tailor made kit for milking
parlours and farm buildings to help maintain the
best facilities for the farm.
To support the best level of service for our farmers,
we provide a range of products designed to improve
animal health and farm performance. These include
milking liners and rubberware from Milk-Rite,
Ecolab teat dips and dairy chemicals, Healthy Hooves
foot bathing solutions and various other cow and
foot products.
The benefits of good foot health and
mobility management
What are the benefits of regular foot trimming?
Lame cows cost time and more importantly money.
The average case of lameness costs farmers £180+
from lost milk sales, treatment costs and fertility
impacts. Looking beyond simple lameness to solar
32 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
ulcer and white line damage, the losses can be
considerably more, often resulting in premature
culling. Research from DairyCo, comparing the best
and worst herds for mobility, shows several pence
per litre of production can be both saved or lost due
to the causes of lameness.
Regular foot trimming, in conjunction with mobility
scoring, has been shown to considerably reduce the
incidence of lameness in a dairy herd. Sound cows
are mobile cows – meaning they are more likely to
walk to eat and drink, show better fertility signs and
should produce more milk more efficiently. Sound
cows should mean a sound herd, with the target of
less than 10% of any herd showing lameness. This
can be a positive step for staff and a happier team
on farm.
What are the benefits of mobility scoring?
Mobility scoring is an essential part of lameness
control and herd health planning and it provides
an important means of recognising lameness and
catching it early on.
Daily observation by competent farm staff,
particularly between routine scoring sessions, is
still vital in maintaining a sound and healthy herd.
Looking for early signs of lameness though can
prove important for prompt selection of trimming
before true lameness and problems can occur.
Whether lameness is noticed by the farm staff or by
an experienced mobility scorer, it is essential that
prompt attention is given to any lame cow. Early
detection, recognition and treatment of a problem
should mean a healthier herd overall – with fewer
culls for lameness also a measure of welfare used
by many of the retailers to show a higher level of
cow care.
Having an independent mobility score undertaken
on a herd on a quarterly basis can show dividends in
managing losses due to lameness. Many researchers
now recommend scoring at least once each month
and the best herds look to undertake this process
at least every 14 days. The impact of buildings,
environment and foot health management can be
evaluated by regular mobility scoring.
For more information please call our head office on
01306 628086.
Chris Hulbert,
Paraprofessional Services Manager
To support the best level of service for our farmers, we
provide a range of products designed to improve animal
health and farm performance. These include milking
liners and rubberware from Milk-Rite, Ecolab teat dips
and dairy chemicals, Healthy Hooves foot bathing
solutions and various other cow and foot products.
The Paraprofessional team
Mobility scoring is an essential
part of lameness control and
herd health planning
Lame cows cost time and more
importantly money
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
33
Westpoint Award Winning
Research Finishes ‘On Top’
whilst ‘Down Under’!
Westpoint Veterinary Group (WVG) was proud to
be represented by Alex Walters, Michael Reynolds
and Ian Nanjiani at the recent 28th World Buiatrics
Congress, biennial conference, hosted in Cairns,
Queensland, Australia.
Recognised as the “Olympic Games of conferences” this
international event was held between 27th July and 1st
August 2014, predominantly attracting research scientists and
veterinarians amongst other leading global cattle professionals.
A highly informative presentation delivered by Cumbria based
Regional Director Michael Reynolds, was well received. Michael
summarised the latest clinical findings from UK based research
into pathogens and risk factors associated with neonatal
enteritis in calves, and the motivations driving their treatment
and control.
Head of WVG clinical research, Ian Nanjiani, seamlessly
provided a snapshot for delegates of a 3 year grazing study
on the early detection of anthelmintic resistance in cattle
in England. The presentation emphasized the important
limitations of diagnostic tools in practice.
Finally, Kent based Practice Principle Alex Walters displayed
data gathered by the Westpoint Bull Fertility Testing team from
over 850 pre breeding and pre purchase examinations. The
results demonstrated a significant reduction in pass rate with
increasing age of breeding bulls.
Alex was further honoured to receive the World Buiatrics
Congress Innovation and Research Award for Young Scientists
sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. The research was judged
for evidence of innovation, scientific rigour and relevance
to industry.
Westpoint Veterinary Group remains committed to “Taking
Research into Practice” with the delivery of cutting edge
veterinary services as a key influence on the future of livestock
farming. This has become a reality through the work of the
clinical teams represented by Alex, Michael and Ian. Well done
to all involved and see you in Dublin for WBC 2016!
Alex Walters BVSc MBIAC Cert AVP (CHP) MRCVS
Beef Expo 2015 – A York Affair!
The National Beef Association’s annual showcase
event ‘Beef Expo’ returns in 2015, descending upon
York Auction Centre, North Yorkshire on Thursday
21st May 2015.
Beef Expo offers a unique opportunity to identify and
explore the latest innovations, developments and technology
specifically within the British beef sector. The 2015 event is set
to boast some of the finest British commercial and pedigree
cattle as part of its Spring Spectacular Show. The array of
scheduled industry seminars will also provide the opportunity
for knowledge transfer, typically embracing hot topics or
current affairs in beef cattle health and production.
So, if you only attend one agricultural event in 2015, make Beef
Expo the priority - furthermore let us escort you!
Westpoint is pleased to announce that we will be playing
‘tour operators’ once again offering a one night package
encompassing transport to and from the event, admission to
34 Westpoint I Viewpoint Magazine Issue 3
both Beef Expo and NBA Pre-Expo Farm Tours, complete with a
traditional Westpoint Beef Club Dinner – as ever, it promises to
be a trip to remember!
If you would like any further information regarding Beef Expo
2015 please contact Layla Rae, Knowledge Transfer Team on
(01306) 628086 or email [email protected].
See you there!
Alex Walters BVSc MBIAC Cert AVP MRCVS
Farm Health Plans as Part of Farm Assurance
WESTPOINT
On 1st October 2014, new guidelines were published by Red Tractor Farm Assurance with
regard to exactly what is required to satisfy the ‘Animal Health’ part of farm assurance.
The requirements are different for beef/sheep and dairy.
Beef and Sheep
That livestock plans are written in
conjunction with a vet.
Recommended
That an annual livestock health and
performance review is undertaken
by a vet, allowing them to make
recommendations regarding any issues
that are raised.
Dairy
Recommended
That a vet is involved in all aspects of
health planning.
Required
An annual review of health and
performance is undertaken by a vet.
Incidence of the following problems is
recorded and reviewed:
Lameness
Required
Records should be kept regarding the
following, and should be reviewed on
an annual basis:
Culling and mortality, including reasons
for both
Abattoir feedback (where relevant)
Medicine records
The idea of health planning is moving away from a tick
box exercise to prove that records have been kept. This is
a much more proactive ‘look-forward’ approach, requiring
farmers to include outlines of the procedures and protocols
that they plan to implement as a strategy to improve health
and welfare.
Westpoint has always been very keen on health planning.
We feel that it is an excellent opportunity to properly
assess the performance of a farm, to identify areas for
improvement and to implement changes that will assist
with increasing profit margins and animal welfare.
Mastitis
Culling rate
Reasons for culling
Involuntary culling and death
Calf mortality
(0-24hrs and 24hrs-42days)
Westpoint is pleased to offer flock/herd health planning at
a flat rate of £300+VAT. Please contact us well in advance
of the time when your health plan is required, as we’ll need
to collate relevant records and spend time putting together
a useful set of recommendations for your farm.
Please use this opportunity to really get to grips with
what is happening on your farm and how it might be
improved. With the new Red Tractor guidelines, this is now
a requirement - so we look forward to really engaging with
you on this subject, rather than just signing in the box at
the end of the year!
Jessica Swiestowska VetMB BA MRCVS
www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk I Westpoint
35
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