Welcome to our June 2021 newsletter!

June has seen a lovely snow dump earlier in the month making the hospital and whole district into a wonderful winter wonderland.

Ryan has been away exploring Equine Dentistry lately- and he is back to share his wisdom. Watch this space for more information next month!

With the recent NSW COVID-19 restrictions, we are again limiting numbers of clients in the waiting room. You will need to wear a face mask while in the building, as will our staff. Please bear with us. You will also need to scan the QR code at the front of the building upon entry. If you are coming to collect medications, give us a buzz from the car park and we will be happy to run medications to the car for you. 

With the large prices being paid for trade cattle at present, it’s important to induct them well onto your property to both prevent them from developing disease and to minimise the chance of them spreading a new disease into your herd. Here is our recommendation:

PRIOR | ARRIVAL/PURCHASE

• Obtain Cattle Health Statement from vendor, check treatment history and assess risk of key infectious diseases
  
  
• Check yards and new paddocks and remove or limit access to toxic plants and check water quality

FIRST 24 HOURS | UNLOADING

• Provide ad lib access to good quality water and good quality hay
  
  
• Count animals onto farm and check for transport injuries

24-48 HOURS | ANIMAL HEALTH TREATMENTS

• Vaccinate with Ultravac 7-in-1. Don’t forget to re-vaccinate in four weeks if the vaccination history is nil or unknown
  
  
• Vaccinate with Bovi-Shield MH-One and an IBR vaccination to protect against respiratory disease - speak with us about options
  
  
• Quarantine drench with a combination drench: Dectomax injection and a Levamisole oral
  
  
• Check liver fluke status of farm of origin and decide if a flukicide treatment is necessary

*See next article for vaccine selection recommendations for steers/terminals, breeders and bulls.

DAY 2-28 | ISOLATION/QUARANTINE PERIOD

• Keep cattle in isolation (either in containment yards or accessible paddocks)
  
  
• Observe cattle for key health conditions: Pneumonia, pink eye, lameness, scours

DAY >28 | TURNING OUT

• Ensure cattle are full and watered before walking to destination paddock to minimise pulpy kidney risk and ingestion of toxic plants
  
  
• If boxing mobs, beware this is a stressful event for cattle and a time that new diseases transfer
  
  
• Consider pestivirus status. Boxing and mixing pregnant mobs of cattle can lead to a pestivirus outbreak

Vaccination of breeding animals is critical to reduce the risk of pestivirus outbreaks.

Photo credit: The 17th Photographer

Depending on the class of stock you are purchasing, your vaccination schedule may change. Here is a guide for the vaccines that help prevent disease incidents when purchasing different classes of stock.

The above table is a guide only. In some regions, other vaccines should be considered depending on the geographical region, the type of animal and the season. Such vaccines include:

• Longrange or Ultravac Botulium - Prevents deaths associated with botulism.
• Piliguard – Are particularly prevalent in young stock during the fly season.
• Bovine Ephemeral Fever - In most years, BEF cases start at the beginning of the wet season in Northern Australia and then spread south and east, down the east coast, into southern Queensland and central and coastal New South Wales. Occasionally, outbreaks will occur in northern Victoria. Larger, heavier stock are typically worst affected.
• Tick fever vaccine - All cattle in cattle tick-infested areas are at risk of developing tick fever- consider where your stock have come from

Further explanation on individual vaccines:

Bovi-Shield MH-One - A single shot vaccine for the prevention of Bovine Respiratory Disease caused by Mannheimia Haemolytica (MH). MH causes aggressive bacterial pneumonia. Trade cattle are particularly susceptible to pneumonia.

IBR Vaccines - IBR is a common viral precursor to MH and should be vaccinated against in trade animals.

Ultravac 7-in-1 - Protects against leptospirosis and the key clostridial diseases. There are multiple strains of leptospirosis.

Pestigard - Pestivirus is one of the largest risks you have when trading cattle. In particular, breeding stock should be vaccinated at induction.

Vibrovax - All bulls should be fully vaccinated against Vibriosis. When purchasing bulls, always ensure they have been vaccinated for vibriosis. If not vaccinated, give 2 doses of Vibrovax prior to them joining the farm. Consider vaccinating purchased females with Vibrovax prior to joining if disease has been diagnosed or suspected on your farm.

Periods of excessively wet weather can cause headaches for horse owners, as rain scald is one of the most common skin conditions in horses. Rain scald can occur at any time of year, but is much more common during and after periods of very wet weather.

Causes of rain scald

Rain scald is caused by a bacteria Dermatophilus congolensis, which finds moist skin to be a perfect environment to thrive in. This bacteria can be spread between horses by insects, rugs and contact, but a damp environment must be present for the disease to develop. Some horses are more prone to the disease than others, and often only one horse in a group will show signs.

Symptoms of rain scald

The neck, back, loins and around the tail are the most common areas to be affected. Affected areas will show hair loss and skin flaking off. In severe cases, the skin can become very painful and ooze pus.

Prevention and treatment of rain scald

The condition will often resolve once the weather changes, but washing your horse in a dilute antiseptic solution or with a medicated shampoo, such as Malaseb, will help. This is available in reception. A short course of systemic antibiotics can be prescribed by a vet in severe cases if required. Keeping your horse rugged with a clean, dry, waterproof rug on susceptible horses during periods of wet weather will help prevent the condition. Be sure to remove sodden rugs, and have the horse clean and dry before rugging in the first place. 

Keep an eye out for rain scald over the wet winter months, and if you're worried about your horse, please give us a call.

Weaning is one of the most stressful events in a lamb’s life. There is a strong association between the bodyweight of a lamb and its probability of surviving and thriving. Small increases in weaning weight make a profound difference to weaner survival. A 22kg weaner has a 22% lower mortality risk than an 18kg weaner. Increases in monthly growth also reduce the mortality rate. Given this, supplementary feeding weaners is often a cost-effective option, especially if lambs are weaned below 45% of their mature weight.

Worms and weaners

Weaners are the most vulnerable group of animals to worms as they have not yet developed immunity to parasites. The transition from their mothers’ milk to pasture also creates nutritional stress, and if they have been weaned light, they often struggle to mobilise enough energy to fight off worm infestations. Once weaners are infected with worms, the worms suppress their appetite. Use effective drenches in combination like Zolvix plus or Startect.

Common diseases around weaning

Managing common diseases by vaccination is important at weaning. Lambs should have already had one vaccine at marking, ideally Glanvac 6 and Eryvac, and be getting their booster dose at weaning. The vaccines do not provide protection until after their second dose. Weaning is one of the highest risk periods for pulpy kidney.

To find out more about good weaning practices, visit making more from sheep.

Wet ground means soft hooves - and the bacteria and fungi that thrive in moist environments. White line disease, commonly called seedy toe, is a condition where infection becomes established in the soft white line between the hoof wall and the sole, similar to footrot in sheep.

If untreated, seedy toe can lead to abscess formation and extensive infection, which can damage the structure of the hoof, leading to lameness, pain and chronic foot problems. Careful removal of the infected areas of hoof are required. Regularly picking out your horses' feet as well as regular hoof maintenence with your farrier will help prevent this condition until the wet weather moves on. If possible, make sure your horse has access to dry ground without sand. Wood chips tend to drain well and prevent worsening of the condition. 

Mud fever or greasy heel is another wet weather disease in horses, especially those with white socks or sensitive skin. This localised skin infection commonly occurs around the heel, pastern and fetlock. It can be managed by trimming long hair and bathing the area in antiseptic solution or medicated shampoos, like Malaseb. Topical ointments containing antifungal, antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medications can be prescribed by a veterinarian in severe cases.

Keeping on top of your hoof management in time of wet weather will help prevent most problems.

Contact us if you would like to arrange a consultation for managing horses with seedy toe or greasy heel.

Worm egg counts are used to guide the optimal time to drench. The threshold to when drenching is economical has a few considerations that are good to know:

1. Age of the animal

• Focus on young animals <12 months of age.
• Age-related immunity will produce lower WECs as animals age.
• Depending on the worm species, significant immunity develops to worms between 12-24 months of age assuming exposure from birth
• Older cattle will be susceptible if relocated from low rainfall to high rainfall zones until they have had an equivalent period to develop immunity.

2. Faecal consistency

• Liquid faeces are likely to yield fewer eggs, even when expressed on a per-gram basis. This is particularly true for Ostertagia spp, where animals can be dying from the infection with few eggs detected.

3. WECs vary from day-to-day

• Correlation of WECs with worm burdens is less accurate as the animal ages and is an indirect measure of parasite load. A WEC does not assess the immature, non-egg laying stages.

4. Life cycle of internal parasites

• It’s best to sample at least six-to-eight weeks after rain to allow worms to get to the egg laying stages of their lifecycle
• Cattle may be at significant risk of developing Type 2 Ostertagiasis with a high load of inhibited larvae in the abomasum lining but zero or very low WEC. When the risk of this is high, a blood test assessing ‘pepsinogen’ detects abomasum inflammation.

5. Available feed

• Pasture length and quality are important.
• Feed restrictions increase the impact of relatively low burdens.
• Larvae have limited ability to climb grasses, so the longer the feed cattle are grazing, the lower the reinfection rate.

6. Seasonal rises in larval contamination

• Summer vs. winter rainfall will vary larval contamination.