Coughing lambs

[Devil's advocate]

What can be the causes of coughing in lambs?

This particular batch of lambs were bred from the hoggs. Due to being overun by potato customers just before lock down the hoggs did not receive heptav P vaccine. The lambs have been treated twice though. Grazing pretty much sheep sick, but lambs wormed through the season.

We did blood test 10 years ago when we had a nasty bout of mastitis & a few coughing ewes, everything negative. This is a closed flock no contact with any other sheep.

I've decided to tighten up on heptav P vaccinations in future.

Ploughing all grazing out & will graze flock on our hay land until the reseeds are ready for grazing. Treating all ewes with orange wormer at housing (or turnout)

I think lung worm maybe pasteural?

 

[Devil's advocate]

NADIS Animal Health Skills - Lungworm and other Respiratory Disease in Adult and Yearling Sheep

NADIS is a unique online based animal health resource for farmers, vets and SQPs. The information is written by veterinary experts, peer-reviewed and presented in a practical format with a high visual clinical content to improve disease awareness and highlight disease prevention.

nadis.org.uk

According to that pasterrela

Odd that another illness causes mastitis. As said above cursed with it 10 years ago & coughing slowly getting worse for last 10 years.

Vaccines, wormers, good housing & ploughing the grazing out should sort it.. I'd like to blanket treat with oxytet too (the coughing ones) that will need signing off by vet though.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Likely pasturella (I've no experience of it, but there's alot on here about it) or maybe lungworm. How close are they grazing?

 

[Devil's advocate]

Likely pasturella (I've no experience of it, but there's alot on here about it) or maybe lungworm. How close are they grazing?

Not over stocked, I've put the lambs on stubbles at the moment.

 

[Devil's advocate]

So pasturella , I presume once infected heptav P would be best used to prevent spread but would not cure affected animals.

I think the coughing ones need oxytet?

Like to sort this out ASAP,

 

[yellowbelly]

Vaccines, wormers, good housing & ploughing the grazing out should sort it..

I'd agree it could be pasteurella or lungworm but I'm intrigued to know how ploughing up your grass is going to help.

 

[gatepost]

I would have thought lungworm, but as you are a closed flock, are you still getting more mastitis or ewes loosing condition as well as lung problems, don't rule out MV it can slowly infect a complete flock. probably and hopefully not though.

 

[Devil's advocate]

I would have thought lungworm, but as you are a closed flock, are you still getting more mastitis or ewes loosing condition as well as lung problems, don't rule out MV it can slowly infect a complete flock. probably and hopefully not though.

not getting mastitis now, thankfully. 10 yearsago had a terrible year.

 

[Devil's advocate]

I'd agree it could be pasteurella or lungworm but I'm intrigued to know how ploughing up your grass is going to help.

Diluting any worm problems

 

[ajcc]

Pasturella is pretty obvious ...main symptom dead bodies each day.
Cut a couple fresh ones open pneumonia is red areas prevalent on what should be light pink lungs.
They been wormed or footbathed in the last week?

 

[Devil's advocate]

Pasturella is pretty obvious ...main symptom dead bodies each day.
Cut a couple fresh ones open pneumonia is red areas prevalent on what should be light pink lungs.
They been wormed or footbathed in the last week?

Yes used ivomec two days ago.

We've lost lambs this summer maybe 4, usually one, blood coming down nose & frothy mouths. Lost two ewes just before xmas too.

But the coughing is much worse in the lambs of last years hoggs. The normal lambs are fine. Odd ewes cough but are looking well.

As said on first post we lost staff who were at risk & farm shop totally over run with people, trying to riddle potatoes & could not vaccinate the hoggs at correct time. But lambs vaccinated twice.