Basic HTML Version
LUNGWORM PREVENTION
SPRING 2012 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
18
C A S E S TUDY
Between August and December last year
a sudden outbreak in a group of 70
pre-calving heifers on one client's farm
ultimately led to the loss of five valued
animals, he recalls.
‘Around August, the farmer noticed some
coughing in autumn calving heifers on
rented grass and was a bit suspicious
something was wrong because weight gains
were generally down a bit. But it was only
when these animals calved down that we
were able to give him a definitive lungworm
diagnosis. He treated these earlier calving
animals with a wormer and he reported that
this seemed to help the situation.
‘However, by December some of the later
calving heifers were also not as big as he
would have liked and around calving they
also started coughing. Because of their
poor condition there were also more
problems post-calving, such as metritis and
pneumonia, due to a lowered immunity. And
he lost five of them,’ Steve Trickey says.
‘The farmer has told me that it was a
devastating loss and not something he wants
to go through again, so will definitely be
vaccinating against lungworm this year.
‘He now recognises that his worming policy
was a little haphazard previously. These
heifers obviously picked up the lungworms
on the marsh pasture they were grazing
over the summer on another farm. This unit
used to be a dairy unit, and the stock that
were on the farm previously were actually
vaccinated against lungworm, but the
farmer's heifers obviously weren't. The whole
experience shows just how costly lungworm
infections can be. And with the Bovilis
Huskvac vaccine being so cost effective, it
makes no sense at all compromising with
this disease threat. I'd urge all farmers to sit
down with their vet pre-turnout to discuss the
risks and plan the most effective worming
strategy for their unit. For most, this will
definitely include vaccination pre-turnout
against lungworm.
‘The disease does seem to be getting
more prevalent. Maybe the climatic
conditions are influencing lungworm
outbreaks, perhaps cattle have lower
immunity than they once did, but the
message is clear: vaccination remains
the most effective lungworm control
policy,’
Steve Trickey urges.
Steve Trickey of the Chapelfield Veterinary Partnership
based in East Anglia saw first hand recently just how
costly an outbreak of lungworm can be for a dairy unit
rearing its own replacement youngstock.
Veterinary Surgeon
Steve Trickey
XLVets Practice
Chapelfield Veterinary
Partnership
For further advice, contact
your XLVet practice to plan your
2012 gutworm and lungworm
control strategies.
XLVets would like to thank MSD for
their support with this article.