wellingtonfarmer
Member
- Location
- Herefordshire
Had 4 cows abort with neospora- any quick fixes to this?
Neospora
- Thread starter wellingtonfarmer
- Start date
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Over what time period? How many cows in herd? Were the foetuses tested and found to be positive?
You can get a point outbreak when cattle come into contact with contaminated dog poo. This is actually quite rare as dog has to have eaten aborted calf or placenta recently from a neospora abortion.
Most common issue is endemic infection in a herd. If that’s the case then don’t breed replacements from a cow that aborted as her next calf will probably be neospora positive. You can do annual bloods on cows but results are not that reliable, you can miss positives quite easily.
AGN76
Member
- Location
- north Wales
Limousin foetuses less likely to be aborted.
Immune to neospora then?
Farmersdaughter
Member
- Location
- Gloucestershire
We have had neospora in the herd for a while. First found it about 5 years ago when testing cows that had aborted, then tested all the cows at drying off over a couple of years. Found about 40% if herd was +ve, could see it in family lines and in cows in 6 lactation and above who never had a know abortion, but had daughters in herd +ve. We have been breeding any +ve cows to beef ( and these calves only going to fat), and have not found any new cows with infections. It is slowly being breed out of the herd hopefully. We find that cows will tend to abort once around 7 months normally, then then to have not too many problems in later pregnancies if they are kept. I don't think there is any quick fix, but it is not contagious between cows so as long as you are careful not to let dogs access to cleanings or aborted material you should hopefully not get any new infections. I would try and test all your cows to find out how much you have. We find it limits out choices in breeding replacements and would like to get rid of it but I worry less about it than bvd or johnes.
- Location
- North Norfolk
Very similar to our experience. We have been doing bloods at drying off, and by breeding to beef and culling are now down to the last two positive on blood sample; they are in calf to beef and will be gone at the end of next lactation, which should see us clear. Cleared Johnes in a similar way a couple of years ago.
- Location
- South Devon
Don't forget Foxes will eat afterbirths and you often see a fox turd , on top of a row , of cut grass.
wellingtonfarmer
Member
- Location
- Herefordshire
- Location
- Derbyshire
Because there is no evidence..... yet
- Location
- South Devon
From NADIS
Neosporosis is caused by infection with the protozoa Neospora caninum. Neosporahas been found world-wide and in many species other than cattle. Currently abortion due to Neospora has been shown in cattle, sheep and horses. The dog and other canids (such as foxes) are the definitive host. That is they are the animals in which the parasite becomes sexually mature and reproduces.
Neosporosis is caused by infection with the protozoa Neospora caninum. Neosporahas been found world-wide and in many species other than cattle. Currently abortion due to Neospora has been shown in cattle, sheep and horses. The dog and other canids (such as foxes) are the definitive host. That is they are the animals in which the parasite becomes sexually mature and reproduces.
No.
Not qiuck ones, just keep chipping away 'til it's all gone.
Test your high risk heifer calves at under 2 weeks for least likelihood of false negatives.
Devil's advocate
Member
- Location
- Posh side of Barnsley
- Location
- South Devon
Again no quick fixes unfortunately.
I had a few abort last spring and tested positive for neospora. Spoke to a lovely vet at Nottingham university who had done lots of research into it. Can't remember all the facts and figures but she said not to be too alarmed as I think around 80% of cattle abortions are due to it. She thought trying to eradicate it was difficult as stray dogs/hounds etc can easily reinfect your herd. She said there is evidence that foxes and badgers carry it but wasn't convinced they pass it on.
Main message was to manage it by making sure all aborted material was collected and disposed of, test all abortions and dry cows. In well managed suckler herds around 50% of positive cows pass it on to their heifer calves, rising to about 80% in dairy. Bull calves are fine to be kept for breeding if needed.
Was told not to rush out and cull the positives, but to isolate and monitor them. All straight back in calf and due to calf next week or so, but they are high up my cull list
- Location
- somerset
we had outbreak 5 yrs ago, in a bunch of milkers, they came from a farm asc with a large country house, walkers!
however any walkers coming through our farm, with dogs on/off leads, get asked whether they worm dogs, do they pick up dog sh#t. and then I explain about neospra, most are horrified
however any walkers coming through our farm, with dogs on/off leads, get asked whether they worm dogs, do they pick up dog sh#t. and then I explain about neospra, most are horrified
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Your right to have a go. Hate irresponsible dog walker. However most town dogs won’t have neospora as the dogs don’t normally come into contact with placenta, dead calf, raw meat (although the current trend for raw meat feeding may change this) hence will be neospora neg. If they do get exposed I think they are normally infectious for up to a month after this iirc. Also standard wormer won’t touch it. Yes for tapeworms.
Most dog source is farmers own or the local hunt. In your case was the local hunt a regular visitor to the stately home.
Princess Pooper
Member
- Location
- East Mids
Dog womers will not control neospora (nor will cattle wormers). As others have said, the only place dogs can get it from is eating infected placena or aborted material, they only shed for about a month after that.
- Tags
- protozoa