Summer has finally arrived. It doesn't seem like too long ago when we were wishing for some fine weather.
ow, in many parts of the country, farmers are crying out for rain. We are already seeing tentative signs of excellent conception rates in spring calving dairy herds, calves are for the most part thriving well and the general outlook is a little more positive than in recent months.
The 'silly season' for vets is drawing to a close and we are busy with more routine work such as giving breeding bulls their MOT and scanning cows that haven't displayed heats, but there are still some interesting cases cropping up.
Sickly calves and summer scour syndrome
"I've thrown the kitchen sink at them and they're just getting worse." A very disgruntled client called me out to look at a group of February-born calves last week.
They had been the picture of health at turnout but after a few weeks began to lose condition. Their coats were scruffy and they were quite scoured.
The farmer was not new to the calf rearing game so, four weeks after turnout, he treated them with a white wormer and a product to combat coccidosis. The calves did not improve and continued to get worse.
On examination, I found some of the calves to have ulcers in their mouths as well as being in quite poor condition. I took some faecal samples, the results of which were negative for all common parasites.
These calves were suffering from a condition called Summer Scour Syndrome.
This is a condition that is poorly understood but it is thought to occur as a result of poor rumen development due to calves weaned too abruptly or too early. This is combined with very high-quality grass at turnout - high in fats and sugars and low in fibre, which is particularly hard on young calves' rumens.
Supplementation of fibre or a buffer product usually yields good results. In this case, hay and straw was offered in the paddock. Two calves in the bunch were very sick and a decision was made to bring them back in and put them back on milk.
The process of weaning had to begin again but, thankfully, they all recovered.
Prevention is better than cure so it is vital to have calves properly weaned before turnout. Also, if grass is lush, supplementation with fibre or a buffer from the get-go can offset this debilitating condition.
The curious case of the dog recruited to induce a cow’s mothering instinct
IT IS at this time of year that we see a spike in the ‘fostering’ of calves.
Late-calving dairy cows or cows with high cell count are often used to suckle three or maybe even four calves.
The price available for ‘late’ calves is a deterrent for sale, so it is often seen as a good idea to put them under a cow to fast-track thrive.
This can lead to problems, however. If the cow has a very high cell count, the calves can develop scour.
The cow can lose body condition quickly, especially if three or four calves are sucking her unrestricted.
Grass tetany is common in cows that have multiple calves sucking them. Magnesium supplementation is very important.
Cows also need to be supplemented with a few kgs of dairy ration.
Fostering calves onto a dairy cow is usually an incident-free process. This is sadly not the case when it comes to the suckler herd.
Adequate restraint is essential — a good head gate with a side gate that can be locked is the only safe way to begin the fostering process.
Safety
Safety is paramount as one kick from a suckler cow could result in a trip to A&E, or worse. Lots of meal for the cow and even more patience from the farmer is required.
There are lots of old remedies and methods when it comes to fostering a calf, the latest of which I came upon this spring.
On a call to an excellent suckler farmer, I was perplexed to see a dog on a lead tied in the pen next to a cow and calf.
I was told that the idea was that the dog would bark and induce the mothering instinct in the cow to protect her fostered calf.
All I was worried about was that the dog would spook the cow and that she could injure herself, the calf or even the farmer.
In this case, I need not have worried, as the farmer told me that the dog refused to bark and his only talent seemed to be to roll over to have his belly scratched — a very happy dog, completely oblivious to the task at hand, much to my amusement.
It couldn't be lungworm this early in the year? Or could it?
We have seen a few cases of herds of dairy cows beginning to show signs of coughing.
My first instinct when I was presented with one such herd of cows was: it's only May, we normally don't see lungworm in cows for at least another month. I took some swabs and bloods to test for viral and bacterial causes.
A bulk milk sample was sent to be analysed for antibody levels to worms. However, what yielded a diagnosis was a test that is becoming commonplace in dairy veterinary practice: a bronchio-alveolar lavage. BAL for short.
A long flexible tube is inserted via the nose of the cow, down into the lungs. A cuff on the end of the tube is inflated to stop the tube being coughed up. Saline is flushed down the tube. It is sucked back up again and examined.
In severe cases, lungworm can be seen swimming around in the fluid. In this case, the lungworms were in the early stages of development and could only be seen under a microscope.
Treatment with a zero milk withdrawal wormer was required in this instance.
It is a worrying trend to see signs of lungworm this early in the year. Short rotations (often 17 days), tight grazing and lack of immunity all contribute to this scenario.
Proper worming protocols for replacement heifer calves and maiden heifers can allow immunity to develop.
Farmers and vets must work together on parasite treatment protocols tailored to each individual farm to avoid this becoming an unsolvable problem in a few years' time.
When silence is not so golden
Fertility scanning is well underway for many dairy herds. Usually, any cows that are over 35 days calved and have not shown signs of heat are drafted after milking to be scanned. Cows that had a difficult calving or are displaying a vaginal discharge are also worth scanning.
The aim is to detect any problems and treat them accordingly in order to get the cow bulling and hopefully back in calf sooner.
A common finding when scanning a group of cows is that some of them are 'cycling' normally.
That is to say that their ovaries are active and their uterus and cervix are normal. These cows would have been in heat in the past three weeks but were not detected. This can be down to a number of things.
If a cow is producing a lot of milk and her diet does not have adequate energy to meet requirements, display of heat may be very short or not apparent at all. The farmer's method of heat detection may not be adequate.
Issues can include not enough time spent observing cows for signs of heat, tail paint not topped up, too many cows to a vasectomised bull or paint in the bull's chin ball not topped up.
The economic benefit of getting a cow bulling and in calf earlier is substantial - €70 extra in your pocket if a cow calves a week earlier. Hormones are used to treat the varying conditions that are found at scanning.
Fixed-time AI is becoming more common, especially for silent cows and late calvers. A Prid/Cidr is inserted into the cow's vagina and removed after a certain number of days. AI can be performed without heat detection.
Always talk to your vet about FTAI as there are a number of protocols and it is important to use the correct one for the type of animal presented.
Young bull hadn’t a hope of keeping up with 100-cow herd
Animal healthare drafted after milking to be scanned. Cows that had a difficult calving or are displaying a vaginal discharge are also worth scanning.
The aim is to detect any problems and treat them accordingly in order to get the cow bulling and hopefully back in calf sooner.
A common finding when scanning a group of cows is that some of them are ‘cycling’ normally.
That is to say that their ovaries are active and their uterus and cervix are normal.
The economic benefit of getting a cow bulling and in calf earlier is substantial — €70 extra in your pocket if the cow calves a week earlierpresented with one such herd of cows was: it’s only May, we normally don’t see lungworm in cows for at least another month. I took some swabs and bloods to test for viral and bacterial causes.
A bulk milk sample was sent to be analysed for antibody levels to worms. However, what yielded a diagnosis was a test that is becoming commonplace in dairy veterinary practice: a bronchio-alveolar lavage. BAL for short.
A long flexible tube is inserted via the nose of the cow, down into the lungs. A cuff on the end of the tube is inflated to stop the tube being coughed up. Saline is flushed down the tube. It is sucked back up again and examined.
In severe cases, lungworm can be seen swimming around in the fluid. In this case, the lungworms were in the early stages of development and could only be seen under a microscope.
Treatment with a zero milk withdrawal wormer was required in this instance.
It is a worrying trend to see signs of lungworm this early in the year. Short rotations (often 17 days), tight grazing and lack of immunity all contribute to this scenario.
Proper worming protocols for replacement heifer calves bite leads to infections in joints that resemble joint-ill. Lameness is a common symptom that can progress to paralysis. Lack of thrive and sometimes death leads to huge economic loss.
Prevention is achieved by using a pour-on treatment to kill ticks. Infections can be treated with antibiotics and pain relief. It can be difficult to diagnose the condition in the early stages, especially if it occurs early in the year when ticks aren’t common.
Tick borne fever is a condition that we have seen in dairy herds already this spring.
It can often be confused with IBR as the symptoms are quite similar: a high temperature and a nasal discharge are quite common. Prevention is achieved by using a pour on with specific action against ticks.
We have seen a number of cases of Redwater too this year. Sign include redness in the urine, diarrhoea and general ill-thrift.
Ticks don’t just affect cattle — the farm dog and even the cat can equally get bitten by ticks.
Luckily, there are products available from your vet to prevent ticks on cats and dogs for up to four months. It is important to be aware of the risk that is posed by ticks to us too.
Lyme disease can be transmitted by ticks. It is well worth checking ourselves for ticks after a day’s work as they can have bitten and attached themselves without us even realising it.and maiden heifers can allow immunity to develop.
Farmers and vets must work together on parasite treatment protocols tailored to each individual farm to avoid this becoming an unsolvable problem in a few years’ time.
WHEN SILENCE IS
NOT SO GOLDEN
Fertility scanning is well underway for many dairy herds. Usually, any cows that are over 35 days calved and have not shown signs of heat
Eamon
O’ConnellThese cows would have been in heat in the past three weeks but were not detected. This can be down to a number of things.
If a cow is producing a lot of milk and her diet does not have adequate energy to meet requirements, display of heat may be very short or not apparent at all. The farmer’s method of heat detection may not be adequate.
Issues can include not enough time spent observing cows for signs of heat, tail paint not topped up, too many cows to a vasectomised bull or paint in the bull’s chin ball not topped up.
The economic benefit of getting a cow bulling and in calf earlier is substantial — €70 extra in your pocket if a cow calves a week earlier. Hormones are used to treat the varying conditions that are found at scanning.
Fixed-time AI is becoming more common, especially for silent cows and late calvers. A Prid/Cidr is inserted into the cow’s vagina and removed after a certain number of days. AI can be performed without heat detection.
Always talk to your vet about FTAI as there are a number of protocols and it is important to use the correct one for the type of animal presented.
TICKED OFF
The warm and humid weather of recent weeks has led to an early increase in the incidence of tick-borne diseases.
We have seen a few cases of tick pyaemia in sheep. This is a disease whereby a tick
I WAS called recently to a farm because the farmer was concerned about the number of cows that were repeating after being served by a new bull.
A Bull Breeding Soundness Exam had been carried out by the seller’s vet two days before he was sold and he was deemed to be well fit for purpose.
However, the bull was 14 months old and was still well off full mature size. This would not normally be a major problem, except that the farmer had let him out with his 100-cow dairy herd for a week during a break from AI and the repeat rate corresponding to the bull’s time with the cows was far greater than the repeat rate to the farmer’s AI. The reason was simple. In a 100-cow herd, all cows should come bulling in a three-week period — an average of nearly five cows per day.
The poor bull hadn’t a hope of keeping up with what was being offered to him. The recommended bull:cow ratio for a yearling bull is 1:20. This means he will have on average one cow to bull per day. The ratio is higher for older bulls as they spend less time following cows in heat and have less mounts per bulling cow.
This bull had been dropped in the deep end and it was lucky he hadn’t injured himself. If a bull isn’t managed correctly, the economic impact it can have on a herd can be huge.
TICKED OFF
The warm and humid weather of recent weeks has led to an early increase in the incidence of tick-borne diseases.
We have seen a few cases of tick pyaemia in sheep. This is a disease whereby a tick bite leads to infections in joints that resemble joint-ill. Lameness is a common symptom that can progress to paralysis. Lack of thrive and sometimes death leads to huge economic loss.
Prevention is achieved by using a pour-on treatment to kill ticks. Infections can be treated with antibiotics and pain relief. It can be difficult to diagnose the condition in the early stages, especially if it occurs early in the year when ticks aren't common.
Tick borne fever is a condition that we have seen in dairy herds already this spring.
It can often be confused with IBR as the symptoms are quite similar: a high temperature and a nasal discharge are quite common. Prevention is achieved by using a pour on with specific action against ticks.
We have seen a number of cases of Redwater too this year. Sign include redness in the urine, diarrhoea and general ill-thrift.
Ticks don't just affect cattle - the farm dog and even the cat can equally get bitten by ticks.
Luckily, there are products available from your vet to prevent ticks on cats and dogs for up to four months. It is important to be aware of the risk that is posed by ticks to us too.
Lyme disease can be transmitted by ticks. It is well worth checking ourselves for ticks after a day's work as they can have bitten and attached themselves without us even realising it.
