Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic Blog
Our top tips and useful information regarding pet and animal health…
Lameness - A lame topic? Or crucial to Animal Health?
Worldwide the incidence of lameness in cattle, with numerous studies, has indicated that as many as 60% of cows in a given herd will become lame once a year. Most cases of lameness are due to claw lesions (up to 90%) with the minority being associated with upper limb problems. Even though the cows carry half the weight on the front and the other half on the back, most of the foot disease (80%) occur in the back legs.
Blackleg
Today we look at the importance of vaccinating our cattle against potentially fatal diseases. Blackleg is an infectious disease most commonly caused by the bacteria Clostridium chauvoei.
These bacteria survive in the environment and pasture as durable spores for many years. The bacteria are ingested by grazing cattle, enter the blood stream and lodge in the muscle. The bacteria cause inflammation of the muscle, the muscle then becomes toxic and usually at this point leads to rapid death.
Drenching
Internal parasites or ‘worms’ impact significantly on the production efficiency of cattle herds, causing disease, reducing growth rates and sometimes causing death. Internal parasites include tapeworms (cestodes), roundworms (nematodes) and flukes (trematodes). Liver fluke and roundworms cause the biggest problems for producers.
The Value of a Veterinarian
Many of you that follow us understand the goal of a veterinary clinic is to provide a service to better the health of your beloved companion. This is achieved daily though a variety of services and protocols that have been put in place to enable the best triage and care we can provide. Services from consults, to prescriptions and medications to many diagnostic tests and even in more advanced cases hospitalisation and surgery.
Flystrike
Does the idea of maggots feeding on living flesh give you the heebie-jeebies? Us too!
Fly strike can be confirmed by visualising maggots crawling across the skin. There is usually a foul odour associated with the strike which becomes familiar to those with sheep – or veterinary professionals! It’s the same rotten smell that attracts the flies in the first place.
Bovine Kerato-Conjunctivitis
A common ailment seen in large animals is Pink Eye. Pink eye in cattle is a contagious bacterial infection of the eye caused by the bacteria Moraxella bovis, which infects the eye and releases a toxin that causes severe inflammation.
The disease is most prevalent in warmer months when vectors that spread the bacteria are more common. These vectors include flies, dusty conditions, bright sunlight, radiation and physical irritation from plants particularly thistles.
Woody Tounge
Woody tongue – sounds funny but it describes the condition perfectly!
This disease syndrome found in cattle is one where the tongue becomes swollen, hard and immobile. For cows, the tongue is their main way of gripping feed and grass before chewing and if the tongue cant work, the cow cant eat!
Parasite Management in Cattle and Sheep
Parasites are considered to be one of the most economically important constraints in raising livestock. They can impact animal productivity by causing: severe scouring, Ill-thrift, reduced growth rates, loss of weight, rough coat, poor milk production and swelling of fluid under the jaw (“bottlejaw”) as a result of liver fluke.
Both internal and external parasites are developing resistance to all dewormers. Therefore we need to be using an integrated management approach encompassing nutrition, pasture management and strategic deworming use.
Our staff are wildly passionate about animals and making sure your pet is living its healthiest and happiest life
Back that passion with expert qualifications and a love of learning, and it’s safe to say your fur family is in very safe hands.