MARCH 2011 NEWSLETTER

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2011

Giving fluids to ewes
Many of you will have seen us use the ‘Aggers Pump’ to give fluid to sick cows. Well now there is a similar product for sheep, its called the Progress Ewe Drencher. Ewes will easily get dehydrated when they have mastitis, twin lamb disease or hypocalcaemia. The Progress Ewe Drencher works in a similar way to the cattle pump. It has a flexible hose, with a bulbous end to encourage ewes to swallow it. The tube passes through a hard tubular gag which protects it from being bitten. With the hose in the rumen it can be attached to a jerry can fitted with a tap and air inlet and ewes can be given up to 5 litres of fluid with or without powders for rehydration or rumen stimulation or liquid to provide energy. The cost of the pump is £49.79 + vat.
Please contact the practice if you are interested or would like more information.

Anti-inflammatory/ painkiller use in ewes
Anti-inflammatories/ painkillers are not used widely in sheep. However there are certain indications where sheep seem to benefit from the use of them. One of the indications is vaginal prolapse where the use of Flunixin reduces the swelling. This in turn reduces straining in the ewe. Another indication of using Flunixin at lambing is when treating a ewe for twin lamb disease. Recent research has indicated that ewes that received Flunixin for three days when treated for twin lamb disease had a higher survival rate. Lambs born to these ewes also had a higher survival rate. It is also beneficial to use it when a ewe has a bad lambing as it will reduce the associated swelling and also make the ewe feel better. Similarly when a ewe has mastitis, Flunixin given for 1 to 3 days, will help reduce the pain and swelling and help to keep her feeling well.
Is a cost effective drug to use; the dose rate is 2 ml/ 45 kg once daily for 1 to 3 days. A 50ml bottle works out at £16.15 + vat.

Funding for BVD and Johne’s disease testing for beef herds
There is funding available from HCC (Hybu Cig Cymru) for beef herds for BVD and Johne’s disease testing.
BVD: BVD has a major impact on the health and profitability of herds. To raise awareness and to control the spread of BVD HCC are running a £40,000 project. Funding is available for Farms to take part in a testing and control project with the ultimate goal to eradicate Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) from the herd. One hundred farms can take part in this project and it will be on a first come first served basis. (The latest information is that 60 places have already been filled) If you are interested or need more information contact the WRVC at Gelli Aur on 01554 748597.
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Johne’s: There is still funding available from HCC for help with controlling Johne’s disease in beef herds. You need to be a member of a cattle health scheme that is licensed by the Cattle Health Certification Standards (UK), abbreviated CHeCS. (At the moment there are 10 approved schemes; check www.checs.co.uk). HCC offers funding to Welsh pedigree and commercial beef breeders to test their cattle for Johne's disease. Funding of £4 per animal tested for up to 100 animals is available to cover lab fees. This can easily be fitted in with your annual TB test. If you are interested in obtaining the support please contact HCC on 01970 625050 or give us a ring at the practice to discuss.

Lungworm vaccination reminder
As spring is approaching rapidly we would like to remind farmers about the Huskvac® vaccination against lungworm. Calves need to be ideally 8 weeks old and require need to have two doses, 4 weeks apart (with the second dose 2 weeks before turnout). If you want to vaccinate your calves this year and need to place an order or require more information about the vaccine please contact the surgery.

Dopram-V drops
Many of you will be used to using Dopram-V drops under/on the tongue of newborn calves or lambs to initiate or stimulate the breathing after birth. When you do this it is important to make sure that the airway is clear (no mucus) before you use the drops. Unfortunately this year Dopram-V drops (5ml/bottle) is unavailable. As an alternative you can use Dopram-V injection (20ml/bottle). Cost £37.66 + vat for 20mls. The dose for calves is 2 to 5 ml either by subcutaneous/intramuscular or sublingual (into the underside of the tongue) injection. The dose for lambs is 0.25 to 0.5ml again into the muscle/under the skin or into the tongue.

Abortions in sheep
As lambing time has started again, unfortunately, so have the sheep abortions. There are a number of causes of abortion in sheep and it is usually very difficult to diagnose which pathogen is causing the problem by just looking at a dead foetus. If you want to investigate a problem we need a freshly aborted lamb or lambs, plus placenta which can be sampled and the samples sent away. This will determine the cause of abortion in the majority of cases and will enable us to advise you about what to do. The cost for an investigation using the fetus(es) from 1 dam will be £80 + vat. For the fetus (es) from 2 dams the price is £100 + vat. These are set fees and include the taking of samples, packing and postage and interpretation. The charges do not include the disposal of the lambs
Alternatively at the end of the lambing season we can blood sample barren ewes and ewes that aborted to see if we can establish the cause of the infertility. Obviously these ewes have to be identified.
Generally speaking when a ewe aborts, keep her in isolation and away from ewes that are due to lamb.Also clean and disinfect the pen that the ewe was in(or if possible do not use it again as a lambing pen this season).


Bull Fertility.

It won’t be many months now until many of you will turning the bull in with your spring calving cows. Various studies have found that around 20 to 25% of breeding bulls are found to be infertile or subfertile at a routine Bull Breeding Soundness Evaluation(BBSE). Obviously a subfertile bull will contribute to reproductive inefficiencies in your suckler herd by considerably extending your mating period. This is especially important in single sire mating groups when only 1 bull runs with 30 or 40 cows. A BBSE can be carried out on farm relatively simply, costs £80 + vat for 1 bull and is a a reasonable way of detecting bulls with potentially high fertility and those which are clearly unsatisfactory. The ideal time to carry these out is about 2 mths prior to the breeding period so if you are interested please give Rob a ring at the surgery.

Farm First