September 2024
Pneumonia Vaccination
Pneumonia in calves is a multifactorial disease. Multiple viruses such as parainfluenza, IBR and bovine respiratory syncital virus are implicated with secondary infections caused by bacteria normally present in the calf’s body. Management practices including ventilation, temperature, nutrition and moisture create a significant impact on the development of pneumonia. Stress caused by mixing groups, disbudding, castration, weaning, housing and transport, disturbs the calf’s immune system making it less able to fend off infection. Mixing of groups from different sources and age groups introduces new infections to naive animals. BVD is an important immunosuppressant virus contributing to calf pneumonia and a BVD free status should be achieved to reduce pneumonia incidence. Vaccination can be used as one point of control to help reduce the impact of calf pneumonia, however the above factors should also be considered, as the vaccination is unfortunately not a ‘cure-all’ solution! Multiple different vaccines are available with different spectrums of cover and courses, please discuss with one of our vets to find the most suitable vaccine for your farm. Primary vaccination courses should be completed before stressful events occur, such as weaning and housing for suckler calves, therefore this is the time of year to consider pneumonia vaccination.
Pasteurella Vaccine Boosters
In the autumn, we see peaks in sudden deaths in lambs, caused by Pasteurella. We would therefore recommend that all lambs being kept should receive a single booster of a Pasteurella vaccine at this time of year to increase the immune protection and reduce losses
Scab in Sheep
Sheep scab is a form of allergic dermatitis caused by an infestation of the skin surface with scab mites. It is one of the most contagious endemic ectoparasite disease affecting sheep in the UK. Why is a test best? The Mites faeces contains proteins which break through the skin, in response this causes the sheep to produce an antibody. We advise you to get a blood test to identify scab within your flock before treating, the test can detect the antibodies in the blood 2 weeks after an infestation and before any clinic signs appear.
Clinical signs:
Yellow scab on the skin surface
Restlessness
Scratching
Loss of wool
Loss of condition
Bleeding wounds
How is the flock tested? It is a flock level test so the vet will only need to sample 12 sheep per management group, this gives us the best chance of finding scab if its there. Testing 12 animals works with any size of group. For more information or question please call the office or message our WhatsApp number