Clinical

Feeding the pregnant beef cow

As detailed in Tables 2 and 3, example rations can be constructed for suckler beef cows depending on stage of production and estimated requirements. AHDB Beef has an excellent ration calculator that...

The National Johne's Management Plan: using risk and data analysis to optimise Johne's control in dairy herds

Since the advent of the NJMP programme in 2009, Johne's knowledge has increased. There is now a greater emphasis placed on dam associative risks (Whittington and Windsor, 2009; Patterson, 2020;...

On-farm culture and pathogen identification: risks and benefits

When using OFC it is important that mastitis caused by Gram-positive pathogens is not missed, as these infections are likely to benefit from treatment. Table 1 shows reported sensitivity, specificity...

Abomasal ulcers in cattle

Many possible causes of abomasal ulcers have been suggested and investigated but the aetiology of them is still not definitively known. It is commonly accepted that a disruption in the balance between...

Ectoparasites in sheep

Among all the listed diseases that are related to ectoparasites, some are particularly relevant in the UK. To find out which diseases are common in a particular area, the surveillance tool developed...

A brief overview of acute poisoning in sheep

Grayanotoxins are found in Pieris spp. (Figure 1a) and Rhododendron spp. (Figure 1b, which includes azaleas). These plants contain several grayanotoxins in the nectar, flowers, leaves and stems but...

Some skin conditions in pigs: types, control and prevention

Pigs are prone to abscesses (Figure 2). Subcutaneous abscesses can be very large and may contain up to 6 litres of purulent material. The presence of an abscess can be confirmed by inserting a long...

Youngstock health: a focus on Mycoplasma bovis, nematode control and the use of NSAIDS in scour

The importance of Mycoplasma bovis in causing and contributing to respiratory disease in cattle has been highlighted over recent years, however, it still remains a significant challenge to UK farmers....

Is the end in sight for bovine viral diarrhoea virus, or is it just a mirage?

The global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that is the cause of the serious life-threatening disease known as COVID-19, has focused attention on the control of infectious diseases in people and in...

Ovarian abscessation and oophoritis in a first lactation dairy cow: a case report

A first lactation, 28-month-old Holstein dairy cow was presented at a routine fertility visit at 47 days in milk for ‘oestrus not observed’. The cow had been examined at a previous routine fertility...

Treating clinical mastitis in dairy herds: a role for on farm culture?

Making decisions ‘cow-side’ to select those clinical mastitis cases that are unlikely to benefit from treatment with antibiotic has become an area of considerable interest in the research literature...

Transfer of passive immunity in dairy calves

The definition of FTPI has often been stated to be a serum IgG concentration of less than 10 mg/ml. While calves with serum IgG concentration below this cutpoint are consistently found to be at...