Salmonella in dairy cows

Sylution · Jul 10, 2015

Had an outbrake 4 years ago. Started vaccinating cows then and had it under control in a month. Since then I vaccinate all cows at drying off. However this year I have had 3 abortions in 3 weeks in cows just due to dry off. Have since vaccinated all autumn calving batch. Any other suggestions to control an outbrake. I am quite consious of the need for cleanliness and do disinfect loose boxes and calving aids. Rather worried how many will abort. Especially as I have not dried off yet. Last time it was the dry cows that had it. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

bovine · Jul 10, 2015

If you look it will be everywhere.

vaccinate is pretty much all you can do.

Will Blackburn · Jul 10, 2015

It's a wretched thing to deal with, just a big loss all round. We vaccinated once and haven't seen it again, not much comfort. Have you had it confirmed as the cause?

Sylution · Jul 10, 2015

Not this time. However it is all to familiar. Just remember the smell during calving the dead calf. And cows being healthy and just aborting.

bovine · Jul 10, 2015

You do need to confirm the diagnosis. Many other things will cause abortion, and you really cannot diagnose just by looking.

Will Blackburn · Jul 10, 2015

Sylution said:
Not this time. However it is all to familiar. Just remember the smell during calving the dead calf. And cows being healthy and just aborting.

It really sickened my cows to the point they never gave any milk.

Sylution · Jul 14, 2015

2 more aborted during milking tonight. 1 dried off today, other due to be dried weekend. No temperature or sign of illness. Vet been to take bloods and calves going to carmarthen VI centre tomorrow. Just hope the vaccine will kick in soon if as suspected it is salmonella. Both cows had marbox an pessaries. Luckily only dried off with boviseal. Hope their milk picks up.

Col555 · Jul 14, 2015

We had a salmonella blip the other year, several aborted and milk yields dropped. At the same time we had a lot of bother with starlings and crows rooting about and shitting in the silage and water troughs. After advice on it, We made a effort to keep birds out and keeping feed and water troughs clean and it cleared itself up relatively quickly. But I can see how it could devastate a herd, and I hope it corrects itself soon!
We never vaccinated at the time or since.
On a side note, make sure you disinfect your hands etc regularly. in amongst our spell of it my 4 yr old son, went down with sickness and the squirts, after several days of it the doc took sample off him and it came back with mild type of salmonella / crypto sporidium type thing too!

Mr Jones · Jul 14, 2015

Sylution said:
2 more aborted during milking tonight. 1 dried off today, other due to be dried weekend. No temperature or sign of illness. Vet been to take bloods and calves going to carmarthen VI centre tomorrow. Just hope the vaccine will kick in soon if as suspected it is salmonella. Both cows had marbox an pessaries. Luckily only dried off with boviseal. Hope their milk picks up.

Touch wood never seen salmonella here, but the odd mini abortion storm. Wouldn't the cows be off colour if it was salmonella? The last mini abortion storm here was put down to the dairy cows being exposed to the Schmallenberg virus, bulk milk samples were showing zero signs of ibr/lepto, and very low levels of bvd.

glow worm · Jul 14, 2015

only seen salmonella once and dont want to see it again! I would agree with the comments re starlings. It seemed to be the starlings that passed through at the end of the season when the main winter flock had gone. Also agree that tests needed as unfortunately many other things can cause the symptons that sylution described. In our experience, common denomiator with salmonela is extremely high temperature, foul smelling squits with consistency of water and massive milk drop. We were lucky but we heard of other farms where they lost several cows because of it. Cleanliness, isolation and speed of administration of large amounts of antibiotics appears to be the answer .. but important to confirm exactly what you've got. Good luck Sylution in getting to the bottom of it.

Sylution · Jul 15, 2015

Thanks for all your replies. We have never had a starling problem. Cows are all out full time since April. And only fed silage and cake in parlour in winter. Also a closed herd and vaccinate and tag test bvd. Which was the culprit in the last outbrake.Cows only go ill after aborting. And some ar fine. All hold their clense and need washouts.

glow worm · Jul 15, 2015

sounds suspiciously like nyospora. Wondering why , with so many abortions, no testing done.

Mr Jones · Jul 16, 2015

glow worm said:
sounds suspiciously like nyospora. Wondering why , with so many abortions, no testing done.

Cattle don't go off colour/ill with neospora, in my experience with it.

jimmer · Jul 16, 2015

firstly @Sylution , i am really sorry to hear you are having these problems , enough other things kicking us dairy boys as it is

get a foetus to your local ahvla lab (if there is any left), our local one at langford will not spare any expense to themselves to find a cause
mr jones is correct about neospora cows not being off colour /ill ,but if they are not cleansing properly or had a dead calf inside for a couple of days they ought to have a temperature at least , so i wouldnt rule it out
years ago if a dry cow aborted you had to report it and a vet would come out to test it for brucellosis (just saying)

Sylution · Jul 16, 2015

2 aborted calves and bloods sent to the local lab in Carmarthen yesterday. Am awiting the result. 4 years ago when I had a similar outbreak salmonella was the cause. And I suspected it was what caused the first abortion 3 weeks ago. Which is why I vaccinated salmonella straight away. And that vaccine is very expensive. However a few aborted cows make it seem cheap. I think that it is here on the farm somehow and I have just not booster vaccinated the cows before they get susceptible.
Usually vaccinare at drying off. The cows are milking so well in late lactation this year they might be more vulnerable. Just a thought. Grass growth and digestibility been good this year.
Looked up neospora. And have to aadmit it also fits my problem. Will have to wait an see.
Thanks for all replies. I might be lucky that it has happened this year and not last with low milk price. Not feeling lucky now thow.

Mr Jones · Jul 16, 2015

Sylution said:
2 aborted calves and bloods sent to the local lab in Carmarthen yesterday. Am awiting the result. 4 years ago when I had a similar outbreak salmonella was the cause. And I suspected it was what caused the first abortion 3 weeks ago. Which is why I vaccinated salmonella straight away. And that vaccine is very expensive. However a few aborted cows make it seem cheap. I think that it is here on the farm somehow and I have just not booster vaccinated the cows before they get susceptible.
Usually vaccinare at drying off. The cows are milking so well in late lactation this year they might be more vulnerable. Just a thought. Grass growth and digestibility been good this year.
Looked up neospora. And have to aadmit it also fits my problem. Will have to wait an see.
Thanks for all replies. I might be lucky that it has happened this year and not last with low milk price. Not feeling lucky now thow.

Not the end of the world if it is confirmed as neospora, id the cows and serve them to beef in the future.

bovine · Jul 16, 2015

Some recent work from Spain suggests Neospora cows served to pure Limousin bulls have lowest risk of abortion.

Mr Jones · Jul 16, 2015

bovine said:
Some recent work from Spain suggests Neospora cows served to pure Limousin bulls have lowest risk of abortion.

Two sisters have it here, until I knew they were carriers all two would throw fr calves, but never beef. One sister would always hold to her first service, second sister holds to fourth or fifth service

Salmonella in dairy cows

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