Do you vaccinate for anything?
Abortions in sheep
- Thread starter Mc115reed
- Start date
Kernowkid
Member
No we don’t, but I will vaccinate for enzo if the vets come back with something conclusive from now on. was thinking to do them all next year then was hoping to get away with just doing our home need replacements from then on. It that the best practice?
- Location
- N.Lincs
So, our results are finally back. Everything negative except for one liver culture that was positive for Listeria.
Vet concludes that Listeria is our cause but can't understand why the ewes look so well. Although a bit of trawling round the internet throws up this....
They've been eating totally mould and soil free haylage.....
.............the only source of soil contact we can think of is with very wet, heavy land on a nature reserve they were grazing just before they came home. They get what water they want mainly from scrapes, ponds and lakes that are frequented by a lot of wildfowl..........
Could duck and goose sh!t carry Listeria??? Vet didn't know.
I'd have thought Salmonella would be the main danger there??
Looks like it's just another one of 'those things' you always seem to get with sheep
livestock 1
Member
Listeria is in the soil. It can be in the soil in the silage.So, our results are finally back. Everything negative except for one liver culture that was positive for Listeria.
Vet concludes that Listeria is our cause but can't understand why the ewes look so well. Although a bit of trawling round the internet throws up this....
.............which says aborting ewes show no other symptoms.
They've been eating totally mould and soil free haylage.....
View attachment 937996
.............the only source of soil contact we can think of is with very wet, heavy land on a nature reserve they were grazing just before they came home. They get what water they want mainly from scrapes, ponds and lakes that are frequented by a lot of wildfowl..........
Could duck and goose sh!t carry Listeria??? Vet didn't know.
I'd have thought Salmonella would be the main danger there??
Looks like it's just another one of 'those things' you always seem to get with sheep
What can happen is clarts around feeders get onto the silage and if av temp is below 4 degrees listeria flourishes. I think it lives happily from -40 degrees to +4 degrees.
It’s to do with the chromosomes in soil and silage mixing. One fella always fed bales in feeders on plastic to stop this.
Also mouldy silage moles or rabbits or clarts getting into bales at hay time and silage heating up in feed rings.
One of the worst things in my experience is feeding bales on the ground that then get wet and left for days then some sheep go back to it to eat it. Hoggs are worse as it gets in where they cut teeth. I’ve even seen sheep on keep in a plain field of grass get it.
Hope it warms up
livestock 1
Member
If you see any ewes slavering and spinning around or lying kicking that will be what it isSo, our results are finally back. Everything negative except for one liver culture that was positive for Listeria.
Vet concludes that Listeria is our cause but can't understand why the ewes look so well. Although a bit of trawling round the internet throws up this....
.............which says aborting ewes show no other symptoms.
They've been eating totally mould and soil free haylage.....
View attachment 937996
.............the only source of soil contact we can think of is with very wet, heavy land on a nature reserve they were grazing just before they came home. They get what water they want mainly from scrapes, ponds and lakes that are frequented by a lot of wildfowl..........
Could duck and goose sh!t carry Listeria??? Vet didn't know.
I'd have thought Salmonella would be the main danger there??
Looks like it's just another one of 'those things' you always seem to get with sheep
twizzel
Member
Just waiting on results for a ewe that aborted yesterday- looks like toxo, but vaccinated for toxo and enzo last summer 6 weeks before tupping. 1 mummified lamb, and 1 fresh lamb that died a couple days before ewe aborted, 2 weeks before due date. Vet was really thorough with samples so hopefully will show something
- Location
- N.Lincs
We've unrolled all our haylage, into ring feeders in the yards, this year (after two consecutive years of pinkeye caused by them forcing their heads into solid bales and irritating their eyes) so it's been easy for them to clean it right up before refilling.
As I said, there's no mould or molehills in the bales, so we've pretty much ruled the forage out as the source.
It's always the same with sheep - you sort one problem and up pops another one to bite you in the @rse
livestock 1
Member
I’ve studied this subject here and the temperature plays a big part in it.We've unrolled all our haylage, into ring feeders in the yards, this year (after two consecutive years of pinkeye caused by them forcing their heads into solid bales and irritating their eyes) so it's been easy for them to clean it right up before refilling.
As I said, there's no mould or molehills in the bales, so we've pretty much ruled the forage out as the source.
It's always the same with sheep - you sort one problem and up pops another one to bite you in the @rse
Vet recons the ingested material that caused it is usually around six weeks previous to any showing symptoms. I reckon it’s less than that
Even soil off beet in colder than -4 conditions can do it.
Blindness is another symptom of it so maybe it’s the same thing
I had a couple shearlings go with it couple years ago.... spinning, head tilt like a stroke, stood staring into the corner of a fence like they don’t know how too get out, blindness, only able too turn the way there head leans.. twitching.... sure I read it swells 1 half of the brain or something which is what give the spinning ect
livestock 1
Member
Exactly right everything you’ve said. I’ve had best success with 20 ml pen strep soon as possible day 2 10ml day 3 10ml then assess situation. Usually it’s self explanatory by then. Vet has given me a metecam type drug to reduce inflammation not metacam can’t remember the name. Haven’t had any success with it yet but will keep trying. I have managed to get half to full recovery with pen strep. Need massive doses to reach sheep’s brain tissue. No shock there
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Crikey, I’m going to be in trouble in a bit. Most of my sheep have spent the last 6 weeks ingesting lots of soil whilst grazing fodder beet in a wet winter!
I have grazed sheep on roots for 30 years and have never, ever seen a case of listeria, apart from where silage has been fed (which has been very rare in itself). Soil intake in itself is not an issue.
livestock 1
Member
You farm in Miami though my friend.
You need to be tough up here
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Plenty of mud though, here and previously.
Soil is not a listeria issue if it’s taken in fresh with roots, otherwise I’d have lost half the flock with it some years.livestock 1
Member
Joking aside my point is that it can happen without any silage anywhere near proving that it is in the soil.
As you say though the most likely cause is silage
As you say though the most likely cause is silage
livestock 1
Member
Yes same here pleased it passes straight throughPlenty of mud though, here and previously.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
How will working with the Vet pan out if you're Covid positive?Mod note: This thread has been moved from the Tracker thread.
I’v still got singles outside and none of them aborted as yet... the twins are a bit comfy on space and I think its because they’ve been scrapping at feed time... all enzo vacc’d but not toxo... 3 aborted now so Vet is gonna have to come for a look which is a pain because some twits given me covid
He rang me when he pulled up, I opened all the gates on the yard, sheep in a 6x6 hurdle pen in the centre passage way... lambs layed out on the floor in front of the pen, I went and bedded the sheep up and left them too it... he scrubbed up and had 2 students with him all scrubbed up and wore masks, put all there gloves and masks ect in a corn bag I left for them and then rang me once he was back in his car ready to leave
Skintagain
Member
- Location
- Perched on the Pennines
Sounds very sensible
BELOWAVERAGE
Member
I had some yearling ewes on some very wet pasture a few years ago, plenty of grass but they'd dirtied it, refused to eat the hay, lost about 6 to listeria, strange what one can get away with but another can't.Plenty of mud though, here and previously.