banjo
Member
- Location
- Back of beyond
It's not toxoplasmosis is it?
Start of an abortion storm or just a passing squall?
- Thread starter yellowbelly
- Start date
- Location
- N.Lincs
Test results not back yet. Wouldn't toxo lambs be brown/black? Ours just look about 2 weeks early.
- Location
- Mendips Somerset
could be schmallenberg , lot about this year ,
banjo
Member
- Location
- Back of beyond
I had a field with toxoplasmosis two years ago and two weeks before lambing the same thing happened. The lambs were fully formed and looked normal ( dead though ) I feel sorry for you if it is, as you will have to ride it out and report it.
The ewes get immune to it the year after, I think, not sure ?
No cats in the field, but the only thing there were badger sets. Pregnant cat sh!t or the kittens are a big cause in a building and if sheep eat contaminated fodder, look out.
Hope you ain't got it, all the best banjo.
- Location
- N.Lincs
*Update*
Vet rang with test results tonight....
Enzo......................negative
Toxo......................negative
Campylobacter......negative
Salmonella............negative
So it looks like 4 ewes aborting 8 lambs in as many days just before we were about to start lambing was something or nothing. At least we haven't got to set about jabbing everything with A/B's or start thinking about expensive vaccination programmes next year.
Vet rang with test results tonight....
Enzo......................negative
Toxo......................negative
Campylobacter......negative
Salmonella............negative
So it looks like 4 ewes aborting 8 lambs in as many days just before we were about to start lambing was something or nothing. At least we haven't got to set about jabbing everything with A/B's or start thinking about expensive vaccination programmes next year.
Listeria can cause late abortion.
and how fresh was the stuff that was tested.........
and how fresh was the stuff that was tested.........
- Location
- N.Lincs
Foetus was an hour old and the cleansing was still warm. Took it to the vets and asked for it to be tested for abortion.
Results given over the phone. Written lab report to follow in the post.
All lambs now being born appear to be full term. Nothing else aborted in last 8 days.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
All negative is a lot better than the usual 'inconclusive' anyway.
No need to think about it until next year's pre-lambing flurry of dead 'uns now.
No need to think about it until next year's pre-lambing flurry of dead 'uns now.
- Location
- Ceredigion, wales
?erm, if we did no further testing we'd close this as 'inconclusive' as no diagnosis.
We would classify an abortion investigation as either:
1. diagnosis reached
2. inconclusive.
Likely something caused those abortions, it's just the testing didn't find it. I'd be wanting culture for listeria, Q fever and spleen for BDV as a minimum.
Inconclusive either because the tests didn't find the cause, or farmer unwilling to do further testing.
1. diagnosis reached
2. inconclusive.
Likely something caused those abortions, it's just the testing didn't find it. I'd be wanting culture for listeria, Q fever and spleen for BDV as a minimum.
Inconclusive either because the tests didn't find the cause, or farmer unwilling to do further testing.
- Location
- Ceredigion, wales
I've found that the vets / lab will gladly spend a farmer's money on tests for this, that and everything but rarely do they come up with a conclusive result. With respect I think we have to draw a line somewhere or the cost becomes ridiculous.
Anactdotally there's a lot of schmallenberg around here as well.
, With some flocks very badly hit.
What's it like Nationally?
We used to get a diagnosis rate around 2/3 when we used the VLA. We now use a private lab and pick and chose the testing ourselves, our diagnosis rate has gone up to something like 85% (2016 data). It leaves me disappointed when we don't find a result.
Quite surprised how much Border disease we found, it really wasn't something we ever used to even look for very much.
There is no point throwing good money after crap samples. There is no point spending more when you find something like enzo/toxo/campy. If you have good samples and common things negative then I find that further testing is generally a good thing. I'd rather know and deal with it, than stop looking and ignore it.
- Location
- N.Lincs
Yeah, so would I but as we've not had any more abort since the samples went to the lab and we've only just got the results, we are a bit in limb
ur vet seemed happy to leave it at that.Will blood testing the aborted ewes show anything up?
- Location
- East Sussex
Had the same with cattle a few times: you get concerned at the start of calving and get PMs, bloods, vet visits etc etc and generally learn absolutely nothing.
Makes you wonder doesn't it?
Makes you wonder doesn't it?
- Location
- Mendips Somerset
Theres bound to be some issues in the last few weeks of pregnancy , nearly everyone has to handle them for vaxing , then the stress of housing , feeding , or being worked with the dogs etc . trouble with the early ones is no chance of fostering , though i did get a few on schmallenberg affected ones this year as they held on full term .
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I understand that there have been very few SBV cases actually confirmed officially, but have also heard of lots of people that say they've had a few. We've always had a few crappy, deformed lambs each year, as I suspect everyone has, and wonder how many of those lambs are now being blamed on 'Probably Schmallenberg'?
I've not seen any...... yet.