ANIMAL HEALTH Farmers will be faced with different animal health challenges as we enter the autumn and winter period. Here, we look at what farmers can do to take control of their herd’s health.
Protecting cattle from parasites
T
o prevent costly production losses this autumn, farmers should protect their stock from parasites, says Mark Pass, a responsible animal medicines adviser at Beeston Animal Health. He says if stock are not protected from parasites picked up during the grazing season, they will see significant production losses. This will come from reduced weight gain, fertility issues, irreversible lung damage, increased susceptibility to disease and possible death.
The four main parasites to be aware of include gutworms, particularly ostertagia, lungworms, fluke and lice. Mr Pass says: “At housing, you are bringing together animals and placing them in close proximity with shared airspace, which aids disease transmission. It can also be a stressful time due to the change in housing, diet and mixing of groups. If you think about managing parasites now, it will ease the pressure on stock at housing and help ensure they are as productive as they can be.”
40 M. BOVIS
42 TIMING
44 DYSENTERY
46 CALF HEALTH
48 DISEASE
52 STARLINGS
Good results from vaccination trial Signs to look out for throughout winter Controlling infectious bovine rhinotracheitis
Avoiding gaps when it comes to vaccines Keeping a lid on pneumonia problems How to keep them out of buildings and feed
Attention to parasites needs to be paid before housing commences.
Parasites to look out for GUTWORMS JType two ostertagiosis tends to occur in yearlings. The worm larvae can lie dormant (arrest) inside the youngstock until spring, when they can emerge and lead to scouring, as well as pasture contamination. Mr Pass says it is key to use a product which will kill the inhibited larval stages. He says: “By using a moxidectin product you will cover for any arrested larvae as well as adult worms, and it is a persistent product, meaning it can be used up to five weeks before housing while the cattle are still out grazing and it will protect them.” LUNGWORM JFailure to treat lungworm can result in quite rapid death
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from when signs first appear, says Mr Pass. Even when it is picked up quickly it can still cause irreversible lung damage, increased susceptibility to pneumonia, decreased milk production and death. FLUKE JFluke can also significantly limit production and can predispose cattle to clostridial disease. Due to the incidence of fluke being farm-specific, Mr Pass recommends all farmers test their stock before treating. He says: “For cattle, you can conduct a coproantigen test, which will detect whether the animal has picked up fluke six weeks previously.
“What it will not tell you though is if that animal picked it up two days previously. “So if you know your farm is at risk of fluke, it is best to treat with the most appropriate product for the life stage of the fluke they are infected with. Mr Pass says: “It is important to use different actives to treat fluke to reduce the risk of anthelmintic resistance developing on-farm, so for example, if triclabendazole is used in autumn, then a fluke adulticide product can be used in spring before turnout.” LICE JLice are parasites that is often forgotten and only treated for when an infestation is severe. Mr Pass says: “Lice can cause
anaemia, reduced growth as they spend less time eating and lying, as well as being a welfare concern from the intense itching. It is important when you treat lice you treat all animals housed in that space at the same time.” Zoetis Vet Ally Anderson says animals which have had a grazing season may be at risk and if they are carrying worms, will require treatment at or before housing. She says a product containing moxidectin and triclabendazole, such as Cydectin TriclaMox PourOn is one option. She says: “The moxidectin will treat for stomach worms as well as controlling chewing and sucking lice. The triclabendazole gives a good spectrum of activity against late immature and adult fluke.”
NOVEMBER 2021 15/10/2021 13:35
