Heamonchus ! Advice & experience wanted.

[Poorbuthappy]

Fact is there might come a time when some permanent ground will have to have a break from stock and only a stocking ground that has had a year or 2 s break.
Don't shoot the messenger on that one ,times are going to change in more ways than one.

and if that meant less arable crop area arguably better to keep relatively more sheep or that they have more priority on land use anyway, especially if the sheep were the persons bigger interest.

Unless fluke is the issue it's a good case for cattle as well as sheep.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

what are the observed symptoms pre death?

Wasting away.
Anaemia.
Poor milking in ewes.
Scouring, though this is certainly not always the case.

 

[spin cycle]

Wasting away.
Anaemia.
Poor milking in ewes.
Scouring, though this is certainly not always the case.

i used to have lambs go off their legs and flail their legs almost fitting always fatal ...i blamed it on haemonchus but i think it's something else.....that said since i've got that worm under control the incidence has virtually stopped

 

[Poorbuthappy]

i used to have lambs go off their legs and flail their legs almost fitting always fatal ...i blamed it on haemonchus but i think it's something else.....that said since i've got that worm under control the incidence has virtually stopped

Not seen that relative to haemonchus.
They don't like being gathered, and can be very lethargic - due to the anaemia.

 

[neilo]

Unless fluke is the issue it's a good case for cattle as well as sheep.

Don’t heamonchus affect young cattle too though?

 

[neilo]

Not seen that relative to haemonchus.
They don't like being gathered, and can be very lethargic - due to the anaemia.

I had a couple dropping in each mob as I ran them back (only 2-3 fields) to the buildings for handling. I just put it down to being sulky pillocks. I left them behind to fetch with the trailer, and the got up and followed behind after a few minutes.

 

[JSmith]

what are the observed symptoms pre death?

My symptoms were desperate, depressed, and disbelief! There symptoms were as said above and death, plenty of it!!

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Don’t heamonchus affect young cattle too though?

Didn't know that, though now you say it it does sound vaguely familiar. Will get daughter on that one! (Final year vet student)

 

[Poorbuthappy]

I had a couple dropping in each mob as I ran them back (only 2-3 fields) to the buildings for handling. I just put it down to being sulky pillocks. I left them behind to fetch with the trailer, and the got up and followed behind after a few minutes.

Definitely the anaemia.
When I get 1 that won't gather I always check for anaemia - nearly always very pale, often nearly white☹
Can even cause death from pushing them when in such a state, though haven't seen that for a long time as I know to either load or leave them now.

 

[neilo]

Definitely the anaemia.
When I get 1 that won't gather I always check for anaemia - nearly always very pale, often nearly white☹
Can even cause death from pushing them when in such a state, though haven't seen that for a long time as I know to either load or leave them now.

I’ve been checking under plenty of eyelids but haven’t seen anything that looked particularly pale. Even those 3 ewe lambs that died looked ok, just gone very lean quickly. A job to tell though?

Within a couple of days of going through those with Zolvix, they were skipping round the field again. Within a week I was deafened by the sound of rattling clinkers when I gave them a new patch of turnips.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

I’ve been checking under plenty of eyelids but haven’t seen anything that looked particularly pale. Even those 3 ewe lambs that died looked ok, just gone very lean quickly. A job to tell though?

Within a couple of days of going through those with Zolvix, they were skipping round the field again. Within a week I was deafened by the sound of rattling clinkers when I gave them a new patch of turnips.

Have you checked any that wouldn't gather? I have a theory that the anaemia shows up (in the eyelids) especially when they are struggling to keep up. Not asked my vet, but thinking blood is diverted to muscle requirements?

 

[neilo]

Have you checked any that wouldn't gather? I have a theory that the anaemia shows up (in the eyelids) especially when they are struggling to keep up. Not asked my vet, but thinking blood is diverted to muscle requirements?

I haven’t. When they drop/sulk, i’m more concerned with keeping the rest in order with the dogs as I’m usually not far from getting them to the buildings by then.
if you go to those ‘droppers’ they usually sulk even more anyway ime, so best left to collect after ime. Less stress to sheep, dogs & shepherd.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Unless fluke is the issue it's a good case for cattle as well as sheep.

I was thinking the same, although it's of no help to neilo at the moment. I think a more mixed grazing approach reduces these problems.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Unless fluke is the issue it's a good case for cattle as well as sheep.

trouble is other problems like with Coccidiosis follow cattle as well as sheep.

 

[TibTib]

Odd timing for haemonchus. Could it be black winter scour worm?

 

[neilo]

Odd timing for haemonchus. Could it be black winter scour worm?

Wouldn’t adult ewes be more or less resistant to strongyles? No evidence of fluke or Johnnes to have reduced immunity and diet is good, as shown by the wobbly condition of the ewes that were tupped elsewhere, and grazing the same root crops since New Year.

 

[TibTib]

You're right, although immunity wanes in late pregnancy.... what ever is going on is outside the box. Maybe more than one thing going on?

 

[Bury the Trash]

It's a bugger , that's for sure ---give me a bell? I can commiserate & share depressing stories

We have the little sods on a block of land with triple anthelmintic resistance & the only thing i can use to sort them is a new generation wormer or a Cydectin drench
I haven't tried the flukicides yet but it's in the plan for this year @Frank-the-Wool

I do FEC on a 7 to 10 day interval in peak season and find the ewes can go from 100epg to 2500 epg in a few days ---one day they are bouncing and 3 days later are sluggish
It really messes the lambs up if they get hit as youngsters
Key things i have learnt so far are;

• Watch the flock closely---they deteriorate fast
• You can treat ewes on an individual basis by looking for signs of anaemia
• If the lambs get hit they will take ages to recover
• I think that once you have them they will be difficult to get rid of ---it's more a matter of managing the problem

Good luck!

here you are ..

 

[Bury the Trash]

Treating symptoms how about Iron in some form .?

 

[neilo]

I've just crunched some numbers from the scanning data.

2 groups of ewes were tupped on recently reseeded fields and unaffected, the other group hit hard on the old pasture. Scanning overall 165%, pulled down 10% by the number of empties. The breakdown however is pretty scary.

119 older Highlander X ewes scanned with 2 empties and 201% overall. 107 of them tupped in 17 days, one ram.
48 Pure Exlana ewes (shearlings and 2sh) scanned with 1 empty and 175% overall.
261 Highlander X ewes (shearling & older) scanned with 23 empty (8.8%) and 146% overall. Some of the difference would be down to some being younger and the 'best' 119 pulled out to go to a maternal ram, the rest down to condition loss!

Expensive problem!