1. 43% of flocks in the pastoral zone and 29% of flocks in the wheat/sheep and high rainfall zones are infected with lice
   This number was increasing due to resistance of lice to older chemicals and the ban on diazinon in 2009, however currently it is believed that the prevalence is stable due to effective chemicals being able to control and eradicate lice.
   
   
2. Sheep lice infestation can reduce clean wool cut by up to 1kg per head
   This results from lice reducing yield, causing the fleeces to become cotted and yellow and increasing the losses during processing. This results in fleece values being reduced in the range of $3 to $10/hd.
   
   
3. There is little economic impact in the first year of an infestation
   In studies where infected sheep have been introduced into flocks, there has been little effect in the first year, but reductions of up to 30 to 40% in the subsequent year’s fleece value occur as lice numbers build up in the flock.
   
   
4. The estimated annual cost of lice to the Australian sheep flock is $81 million
   This includes the treatment, prevention and production cost.
   
   
5. Lice have no effect on body weight, lambing percentage or growth rate
   However, sheep with low weight gains because of poor nutrition or other stress may be more susceptible to lice and develop heavier infestations.
   
   
6. Spread of lice between sheep occurs almost exclusively by sheep-to-sheep contact
   Therefore, if lice can be eradicated from a flock and other lousy sheep excluded, the flock will remain lice free.
   
   
7. The best way to monitor for lice is to look for rubbing sheep
   However, you must actually see lice to be sure they are not scratching for other reasons.

Remember, the best source of information is LiceBoss.

Greasy heel thrives in damp conditions, which is why it is also known as ‘mud fever’. Horses that lack pigment in their skin and hair on their pasterns, especially horses with white socks or stockings, are most at risk from this infection. Sunburn and sweat from extended exercise can also make this condition worse.

The problem
The pain that this infection causes in horses is also felt by owners. Greasy heel causes discomfort and lameness in horses, which is challenging for owners to treat and tends to persist, making it difficult to completely clear up.

This condition presents as painful crusty, swollen, yellow scabs around the back of the heels and the pastern. The infection causes the skin to ooze and can also cause cracking when the discharge dries. It is more commonly seen on the hind feet, but all four feet can be affected. The hair on infected areas can become matted or fall out. If left untreated, it may spread to the front of the feet and up the legs. When the condition spreads widely like this, the skin looks red and thickened, and the legs become swollen.

Bacterial infection of the skin is a common feature of greasy heel. If the condition is not resolving with conservative treatments, then testing for other causes, like fungal infection, skin mites or immune system dysfunction should be explored.

Treatment
Clipping hair makes it easier to wash the affected areas and legs, as well as removing all the mud. The horses’ legs and feet then need to be kept dry - indoor or solid floor yards will make this easier. The affected areas should be soaked and scrubbed with an antibacterial detergent to soften and remove the scabs. This will assist in killing the bacteria on the skin. Removing the scabs can be painful, so it needs to be done carefully and repeated to achieve an effective treatment. Drying the affected areas and applying a medicated cream (which a vet can prescribe in a consult) is the next step in this involved process. This is a repeated, painful treatment, so we strongly recommend discussing effective pain relief with our team.

Prevention
There are several strategies that will help to prevent this condition. As you’ve now read, the complexity and discomfort of the treatment regimes, the old adage of prevention over cure was never more apt. Keeping your horse’s legs and feet as dry as possible is key. Preventing other sources of irritation, such as sunburn (use sunscreen on white skin areas), getting soggy in dams (provide trough water for affected horses), wetness from morning dew in long pastures (keep affected horses in shorter pasture) and sweat (wash horses down and dry thoroughly after exercise), will also assist prevention.

Damp weather presents us with many challenges, and greasy heel is one that you can help to prevent with these few strategies.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) has been detected in countries close to Australia, including Indonesia. LSD is a serious disease of cattle and water buffalo. It has never occurred in Australia, but is an emerging threat as it continues to spread through Asia. It is mainly spread by biting insects, such as mosquitoes, biting flies and ticks. Additionally, the movement of infected animals can result in local or long distance spread of the disease.

Clinical signs

• Discharge from the eyes and nose - usually observed first.
  
  
• Decreased milk yield in lactating cattle.
  
  
• High fever that may exceed 41°C.
  
  
• The appearance of firm skin nodules (lumps) of 2-to-5 cm in diameter, particularly on the head, neck, limbs, udder, genitalia and perineum within 48 hours of onset of fever. The number of lesions varies from a few in mild cases to multiple lesions covering the entire body in severely-affected animals.
  
  
• Cattle may rapidly lose body condition, and some may need to be euthanised. Those that recover may remain in extremely poor condition for some time.
  
  
• The incubation period is usually between four and 14 days post-infection, but can be up to 28 days.
  
  
• Morbidity (sickness) rates vary greatly and typically range between 10-to-20%. Mortality (death) rates of 1-to-5% are usual.

It is critical that cattle producers be aware of what lumpy skin disease looks like and report any signs of the disease observed in their cattle immediately to the Emergency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 or their local veterinarian.

Resources:
Lumpy skin disease - Animal Health Australia
Lumpy skin disease - AHA factsheet
Lumpy skin disease - DAWE
Lumpy skin disease – Farm Biosecurity

There has been a significant increase in research and resources devoted to sleep, or the lack of, in humans. However, horses sleep very differently to humans. Most people believe that horses just stand around and sleep. Horses can take short nag naps while standing up, like we do in front of the TV, as a sort of short sleep needed to avoid predators, when they were around.
Horses sleep standing up using a method called reciprocal apparatus. When this is locked into place, the horse needs minimal muscle function to keep standing. Everything else can then relax.

For animals that sleep, and that’s just about all of them, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the key to good quality, restful sleep. Sleep research has pointed to the critical role REM sleep plays for all of these animals.

REM sleep allows our brain to process things we’ve learned during times of wakefulness and to declutter our brain. Horses need to have REM sleep every three days to keep physiologically and mentally healthy, which doesn’t happen when a horse naps standing up.

A lack of REM sleep has a similar effect on horses as it does on people. Horses lacking REM sleep become irritable, clumsy and generally not themselves. They may also fall asleep while standing up.

The problem
You may notice your horse falling asleep standing up when you’re grooming them or any other activity when they are still, but it can happen anywhere, even when you’re riding them. In less obvious cases, horses can lower their neck, buckle at the knees or lean against fences or other objects. Affected horses can hit that wall of sleepiness and hit the ground very suddenly. In humans, this is a medical condition called narcolepsy. In horses, this is also a real medical condition, which occurs when the brain inappropriately triggers sleep. This occurs when horses are sleep-deprived. There is also a rare genetic condition of some miniature horses, which has the same effect.
Narcolepsy can be challenging to diagnose and to treat, and there are currently no recognised criteria for definite diagnosis.

Cause and treatment
The primary issue to consider in horses with this condition is pain in the back, neck or hip. Pain can disrupt the action of laying down, especially in older horses, which means they can’t comfortably get to sleep.

Consulting our team about investigating the source of any pain may involve a trial of a pain relief drug to help determine the cause of this lack of sleep. If this works, the improvement can be dramatic. Your horse is back to its normal temperament and no more falling asleep on the job.

Another possible cause can be the group of horses that your horse spends time with. Horses need to feel safe to sleep. Changes to their social interactions can cause a horse to feel less safe and be therefore less likely to sleep effectively (reach REM sleep). This can happen for horses transported into a new social group.

Improving quality of life for these horses needs a lot of trial and error. Assessing your horse’s place in the social hierarchy may allow you to place your horse in a group where they can feel safer. This could be accompanied by medication to manage anxiety and make them sleep easier.

If you eliminate these two more common causes, it can sometimes lead to other physiological causes which are, sadly, more difficult to treat.

Contact our team if you have any concerns about your horse’s sleep.