As an increase in rain comes, so does an increase in the insects which rely on water to breed. Not only does the increased number of mosquitoes raise the level of annoyance for horses, it also brings the risk of mosquito-borne diseases. The disease risks will vary depending on the area you live in.

Causes

The main two mosquito-borne infections are Murray Valley Encephalitis Virus (MVEV) and Kunjin/West Nile Virus (WNV). Most recently, Japanese Encephalitis has been a topic of concern in the media. Although these infections are not common, they are sometimes quite serious. They also affect the nervous system and therefore can also be confused with other significant diseases such as Hendra.

In some areas, health or agriculture departments have set up surveillance programs involving sentinel chickens. These chickens have their blood regularly sampled to detect when the prevalence of these diseases are high. Alerts may be issued to warn people and horse owners of the increased risks.

MVEV is endemic to Australia and also affects humans. It tends to cause outbreaks following flooding, so you need to be on alert in the coming months. The natural hosts of this virus are water birds, which will also be increasing in numbers after the rains. Surveys carried out in South Australia recently have estimated that around 8% of horses have been exposed and have antibodies to this virus, but do not necessarily show any symptoms.

Kunjin is a strain of WNV, which is also endemic to parts of Australia. The virus has been detected in four foals in two different parts of NSW, which all showed neurological signs. In 2011, after unusually wet conditions, there was an outbreak involving about 300 horses in NSW. This virus also occasionally infects humans.

Japanese Encephalitis is a virus normally spread by mosquitoes and is new in southern Australia. Investigations are continuing and this is a developing situation. Pigs are the primary animals of concern. Humans and horses are considered 'dead-end hosts'. Transmission of Japanese Encephalitis is not known to occur between horses and humans.  Please see the link at the bottom of this article for more information.

Symptoms

The symptoms of these diseases are mostly neurological and are quite similar. MVEV can cause general symptoms ranging from depression or weakness. Other more specific symptoms such as facial paralysis, exaggerated movements, incoordination and muscle twitching can also indicate this infection as a possibility. In addition to these symptoms, Kunjin can cause hypersensitivity to stimulation, blindness and walking in circles. JEV can also cause jaundice and anorexia in horses.

The diagnosis of any of these conditions requires at least one blood test, and occasionally the fluid around the spine may need to be sampled and tested for evidence of exposure to these viruses.

Treatment

These diseases can only really be treated by supporting the horse, based on symptoms possibly including anti-inflammatory drugs, so prevention is key to avoiding them. Affected horses usually recover in days to weeks. However, in the 2011 outbreak, 10% of clinically-affected horses died.

Prevention

Avoiding mosquito bites is the key to prevention. For horses: 

• Protecting horses with covers or insecticides, particularly at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are more active.
• Use a light cotton rug and hood with permethrin during hotter months
• Have your horse wearing fly veils or fly masks
• Use a safe insect repellent
• Stabling at night through summer, when practical

Used in both stud and commercial herds, artificial insemination (AI) is a means of breeding heifers by dispensing semen directly into the uterus. AI is one of the most effective tools available to cattle producers to improve the productivity and profitability of their herd. 

We recommend utilising AI for the following reasons:

• Calving ease: With a wide range of bulls to choose from, you can select bulls that produce lighter calves, have shorter gestation lengths and grow out heifers that subsequently calve easier.
  
  
• Simplify your joining: In three or four yardings, and with minimal handling, you can have 100% of your heifers joined to the bull of your preference. When using fixed time programs, there is also a good opportunity to synchronise the returns, so that another round of AI can be performed. Following this, either a third round of re-synchrony is used or bulls are run as a ‘mop up’.
  
  
• Compact calvings: The compact calvings achieved with fixed time AI programs have a two-fold effect. Firstly, it allows the heifers the most time to recover and return to a rising plane of nutrition before the subsequent joining, which maximises their pregnancy rates. Secondly, it produces homogenous lines of steers and heifers. The steers are heavier at weaning compared to their peers using natural mating, and the replacement heifers have longer on the ground to grow out and meet their own critical mating weights. As a bonus, a shorter calving period will be less labour intensive for you. 

Talk to us if you would like to know more about AI for your herd.

Bloat in cattle is categorised by an increase of pressure, caused by gas that develops in the rumen when feed is fermented. This can result in a form of stable foam which becomes trapped in the rumen and results in distension in the left upper flank, discomfort and sudden death.

Here are our top tips to reduce the chance of bloat occurring in your cattle:

• Introduce cattle to pasture later in the day (e.g. after 11am) rather than first thing in the morning. 
  
  
• On high-risk pastures, hay should make up at least one-third of the herd’s diet. It is an effective bloat control measure and should be fed daily.
  
  
• Strip graze, or restrict time, on clover dense pastures.
  
  
• Establish mixed swards - by mixing higher rates of ryegrass or cereals through clover, the risk of bloat is reduced.
  
  
• If possible, feed an ionophone such as monensin sodium (Rumensin). This can be done in loose licks or molasses mixes, in partial mixed rations or mixed with cereal grain as a carrier in self-feeder bins.

Cattle will learn to adapt and will sense bloat coming on, the issue often occurs when cattle are introduced to new paddocks, especially when they are hungry. If feed has been limited (or their intake has been limited- like being in  yards for a while, or on transport), it’s important to fill them up with hay before turning out to pasture.

Get in touch if you have any questions about preventing bloat in your herd.

Many horse owners have been, or are dealing with, the challenges of getting a year’s rainfall in a very short time. Like all aspects of the responsibility of horse companionship, caring for horses can tend to take over many of your waking hours.

One health problem which is common after periods of high rainfall is an increased risk of foot abscesses due to soft hooves and difficulty in carrying out routine foot health maintenance.

The Problem

A foot abscess is caused by bacteria entering the space within the hoof, getting trapped and forming a pocket of infection. Wet weather can soften the hoof and increase the chances that bacteria can enter through gaps in the white line.

There are other ways that bacteria can get in, but a hoof softened by wet and muddy conditions can increase the risk of bacteria entering, where an infection can cause some serious consequences. One of the reasons why this is so serious is that, like fingernails, hooves have very little space for expansion, so even a small abscess can cause very significant pain. Lameness can be severe and is probably the first symptom that you will see.

Prevention

The first obvious step you can take is to keep your horse’s feet as dry and healthy as possible. If conditions make this impossible, you may just need to be vigilant for signs of lameness and get this treated as soon as possible. There will sometimes be an associated swelling of the pastern coronary band or bulb of the heel.

Keeping your horse’s environment clean and free from sharp objects is also important. You can also apply hoof hardeners to decrease the risk of bacteria entering through the white line.

Treatment

Once an abscess has formed, it will likely require veterinary treatment. The goal of this treatment is to drain the abscess. We can do a lameness examination of your horse and, if no other cause is present, will use hoof testers to determine the source of the pain and determine the location of the abscess. A hole will need to be made in the hoof to drain the pus.

It is likely that your horse’s hoof will be bandaged and some poultice applied to help drain the pus. Bandage management will be a very important process for owners to manage.

Goats are considered hardy species, but their guts are susceptible to many things that can lead to diarrhoea. Diet, infection, and stress are some of the big contributors to goat diarrhoea.

There are preventive measures that you can take to avoid diarrhea in goats:

• New animals should be quarantined until they are declared healthy.
• Create a good worming routine. Check their eyelids for anemia and involve a vet sooner rather than later if something is amiss.
• Drop in faecal samples to to have your goats’ faeces checked.
• Give your goats a chance to acclimatise to new pastures 
• Slowly introduce new diets and gradually change grain rations. Remember, if you’re switching feed brands, slowly introduce your goat into the grain you’re currently feeding.
• To minimise parasites and sickness, keep your goats’ bedding clean

The key to maintaining your goats’ rumen healthy lies in consistency. Be alert of changes in your herd, notice what causes scours, and react accordingly.

While we often think that issues with diarrhoea are resolved once a goat has normal stools, there are long-term impacts of diarrhoea disease and potential for re-infection without appropriate steps taken in the first place. Therefore, the prevention of diarrhoea disease in goats through the use of management changes is a key conversation we all need to be having.

Some things should be stopped before they start, and pinkeye is definitely one of them. It’s nasty for your cattle, painful for your wallet and can be difficult to treat. In serious outbreaks, 80% of the herd can be affected and it can severely reduce growth rates, especially of weaner cattle - with some losing up to 10% of their body weight when infected.

The risk, severity and spread of pinkeye in a herd can be significantly mitigated through a combination of management practices and vaccination:

• Reduce the spread of the bacteria by controlling fly numbers, this is best done using pour-ons
  
  
• Promptly segregate affected animals for treatment and isolation
  
  
• Avoid unnecessary yardings during the dusty months
  
  
• Vaccinate cattle with a preventative treatment such as Piligard

Piligard is an effective way of reducing the risk of pinkeye seriously taking hold in your herd. It protects against the most common causes of pinkeye, but not all causes. 

Some cattle producers strategically only vaccinate calves and weaners, as they are the most susceptible to pinkeye. Calves can be vaccinated from week one onward.

Get in touch if you would like to know more about preventing pinkeye in your herd.