Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV) has had a lot of recent media coverage. Originally limited to Africa, since 2019 the disease has spread through China and Southeast Asia. In 2021, the disease was confirmed in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. In March 2022, it was officially reported by Indonesia, and in Singapore.

LSDV is commonly spread by biting insects such as mosquitoes, biting flies and ticks. Additionally, the movement of infected animals can result in the local or long-distance spread of the disease.

Australia has strict rules for the import of animal products to prevent the introduction of exotic diseases. However, LSDV could enter Australia through the illegal importation of cattle products, or via an infected insect travelling to Australia by wind, or in a plane or boat from an affected country.

Another theory, published in the journal of viruses, surmises that the recent emergence of LSDV in Asia is most likely the result of a spillover from animals vaccinated with a live attenuated vaccine called Lumpivax.

It’s important to note here that there are no vaccines available here in Australia for LSDV. Vaccinating animals prior to an LSDV incursion is not recommended because doing so compromises access to export markets.
The cautionary tale unfolding here highlights the necessity of strict regulation of vaccines by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), which takes safety and efficacy testing very seriously.

Many of the vaccines available in Australia are inactivated vaccines, with a small number of modified-live vaccines. The APVMA, quite rightly, applies very strong scrutiny to vaccines prior to allowing their use here in Australia.
Occasionally we are asked by clients if it’s possible to bring vaccines into Australia to meet certain disease challenges, for example mastitis. The answer is ‘not without significant hurdles!’

Many vaccines available in Australia were developed locally and imported vaccines must go through strict testing to prove that they don’t pose a risk to the Australian livestock market prior to entry into Australia.

Please feel free to contact our team if you have any questions about LSDV.

Like us, our horses can easily become overwhelmed by the heat during the warmer months. However, unlike us, they cannot jump in the nearest swimming pool, so it’s important to know how to keep your horse cool and protected from heat stress.

Water consumption

On average, horses require 20-25 litres of water per day to maintain a neutral hydration status and to not become dehydrated. Horses that have been exercised will obviously need much more water, depending on the extent of the exercise. Water requirements will also vary depending on pasture, supplements and feed intake.

It may also be useful to find out if your horse will easily drink unfamiliar-tasting water if you are traveling or exercising in an unfamiliar environment. Adding electrolytes can also encourage water consumption, as well as replacing salts lost through sweating. After strenuous exercise offer water in smaller amounts (e.g. five litres) every 10 to 15 minutes. Some horses may prefer 'tasty' water when travelling, when molasses or other sweeteners are added. 

Exercise management

When horses compete in events involving exercise, particularly endurance events, there are recognised safeguards that should be considered to avoid the life-threatening effects of heat stress. These safeguards should include the appropriate protocols and resources for cooling horses after exercise, the monitoring of environmental conditions, the routine and vigorous assessment of equine athletes, guidelines for when to reduce exercise, as well advice on when events should be cancelled due to heat conditions.

Experienced veterinarians should be available to assess horses at events, particularly after exercise, to monitor, prevent and treat any cases of heat stress.

The risk of heat stress depends on the amount of exertion, duration of exercise and the environmental conditions of recovery. A minute of exercise can increase a horse’s body temperature by about one degree Celsius. Signs of heat stress can include raised rectal temperature, depression, dehydration, rapid respiratory rate, a slow return to pink after pressure on gums, weaker pulse, slow gut sounds, colicky signs, muscle spasms and cramps. This can progress to muscle breakdown and resultant kidney failure, liver dysfunction and laminitis if not given immediate and appropriate treatment, including cooling, muscle relaxants, and oral or IV fluid therapy.

If you find your horse with signs of heat stress, call your veterinarian for further advice. In the mean time, position your horse in shade, ideally with a breeze or industrial fan to have air moving by. Use tap water (not ice water) to apply LOTS of water and it is CRITICAL to use a water scraper to move water off the horse. Leaving warm water on your heat fatigued horse is counter productive and will cause more problems down the track- it becomes like wearing a wet suit in the ocean and will keep warmth in. 

With hotter days in Orange this week, it is NOT the time to embark on a new exercise program for your equine friends. Continue regular exercise plans, and reschedule exercise times to the cool of the morning or evening. 

Sun protection

Horses should be provided with appropriate shade, particularly during summer months. Shade will improve the comfort of your horse as well as protect them from the damaging effects of intense summer sunlight. Being shaded allows horses to regulate their body temperature, breathing rate and skin temperature more easily.

Horses with unpigmented or pink skin can be more susceptible to sunburn. The skin on these horses should be protected with an appropriate sunscreen like FiltaBac, or a physical barrier such as face masks that exclude UV light. This unpigmented skin is also prone to skin cancer if exposed to UV sunlight over long periods.

Ask our team for more information on preventing heat stress in your horse.

We all love animals- and sometimes you might come across someone that is not as wholesome in their provision of care. Talking to the individual involved is usually the best thing to do. If that is not possible for safety or logistical reasons, you can report concerns about animal welfare through the following organisations:

  RSPCA NSW has local inspectors. They can investigate neglect or abandonment. They can be called on 1300 278 3589. https://www.rspcansw.org.au/report-a-cruelty-case/
 

  Animal Welfare Leagure NSW is not for profit and has an inspector servicing our local area. Call 02 8777 4444 https://www.awlnsw.com.au/report-cruelty/

  In an emergency, contact the Police on 000

You can make an anonymous complaint to the above organisationas, and your complaint will be taken seriously.
Although Orange Vet Hospital cares deeply about animals, we are not in a position to be able to investigate nor prosecute animal cruelty problems. The people above are your best bet.

Disbudding and dehorning are some of the jobs that farmers enjoy least. These procedures also present risks to the industry from a welfare standpoint. For a long time, the obvious solution has been polled genetics.

Polled cattle originate from beef breeds, which presents its own dilemma: the genetic merit of the polled carriers would result in many dairy producers decreasing their genetic gain, for the sake of introducing polled genetics.

So, what could be a solution? In 2015, two calves named Spotigy and Buri, were created from horned parents using IVF technology at a genetics lab in Minnesota, USA. As a single fibroblast (the very first cell created when sperm and egg are mixed), genetic editing was performed to remove the horn gene and replace it with the polled gene.

These fibroblasts were then cloned multiple times, and placed into recipient animals. As a result, Spotigy and Buri are both phenotypically polled (they have no visible horn) and genotypically polled (they do not carry the horn gene at all).

The lack of horns will not only result in the genetically-edited calves, but all offspring and descendants of them. While not without its issues in its current state, as this technology develops it promises to have an enormous impact on the welfare of production animals.

Barber’s pole worm is typically a disease found throughout the summer rainfall zones of Australia (Northern NSW and Queensland). However, isolated pockets occur all over Australia, and it is particularly problematic during summer rainfall periods.

Production loss, anemia and mortality are the unfortunate subsequent results of the increased need for frequent drenching to prevent significant burdens throughout this time. Unfortunately, this has also led to significant drench resistance to all classes of drench and combinations, excluding those introduced in recent years.

Strategies to reduce the impact of barber’s pole worm have been sought for many years, but have had limited impact. These include:

• Strategic drenching.
• Rotational grazing and other strategies to minimise worm burden on pasture at critical times. The uptake of this has been very limited.
• Worm egg counts: while this works to maximise the impact of each drench, they have only partially reduced the frequency of anthelmintic use.
• Genetic selection: again, this works but must be maintained well for many years to achieve a decrease in anthelmintic use.

For many years a vaccine against barber’s pole worm had been investigated, and in 2014 the vaccine ‘Barbervax’ was produced and released in Australia. The vaccine effectively starves the worms by targeting the enzymes which the worms use to break down the blood meal they have just consumed from the sheep. This is most useful for farms with known prior barber's pole disease. 

The main benefits of the vaccine are:

• Significantly reduces barber’s pole disease.
• Suppresses worm egg production thereby cleaning up your pasture.
• Long-term solution with no vaccine resistance.
• Less drenching is needed, so the onset of drench resistance is delayed.
• Easy to use. Just one product type, and the same dose per shot for all sheep.
• No withholding period or export slaughter interval.