Viral lung complaint called O.P.A

[Hummin-Cummins]

A close friend of mine who has recently started up sheep farming bought some in lamb ewes from market a month ago, and today the auctioneers have sent him a full refund and advise him to take the ewes direct to slaughter due the the previous owner having discovered some of the flock have a ‘viral lung complaint called O.P.A’

Has any one found themselves in a similar situation to this before??

Any advice for him i will gladly pass on.

TIA

H-C

 

[cheviot53]

DO not mix with any other sheep as it spreads easily in aerosol from coughs , I would say lamb them and sell all lambs finished and then sell all the ewes as culls and start again

 

[CornishRanger]

@bovine @Vicki_Ann

How many ewes, and how far off lambing? Good thing that the previous owner has been responsible and passed on the diagnosis

 

[Hummin-Cummins]

@bovine @Vicki_Ann

How many ewes, and how far off lambing? Good thing that the previous owner has been responsible and passed on the diagnosis

My words exactly, about 90% of folk would have kept it quiet and said nowt, so credit where its due!

They’re due to lamb middle of march all triplets I’m led to believe but not sure on total number he’s bought about 10 or so i think!!

 

[Hummin-Cummins]

DO not mix with any other sheep as it spreads easily in aerosol from coughs , I would say lamb them and sell all lambs finished and then sell all the ewes as culls and start again

He’s already got them on some isolated land away from the rest of his current flock

 

[cheviot53]

Are they looking fit and no coughing or sneezing ? then they should lamb fine and rear the lambs to finish . Can they stay on the isolated land all summer ? . Be aware that colostrum and milk can spread opa .If you take away any of their lambs at birth before licked then you could rear them on another ewe or powdered milk safely

 

[Hummin-Cummins]

Not seen the sheep my self but sounds like they’re in good condition.

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

It is possible to use ultra sound scanning to check them out although this is very new technology. If a full refund is being offered then I would suggest doing as stated and get rid of them, especially if they are on the older side.
Carrying triplets will more likely trigger the OPA as it appears stress can make it more likely to occur.

It is incurable and you do not want it.
The Moredun Foundation have a very good information sheet on it.

 

[GreenerGrass]

Are you allowed to send v heavily pregnant sheep to the abbatoir?

I only know of disease from what I’ve read but sounds dire. Your friend really doesn’t want it spreading

 

[cheviot53]

Personally I could not send off heavily pregnant ewes for killing ,it reminds me of F&M ! I would have thought a knackerman to just kill them rather than an abbatoir . It is a very slow virus and sheep go down hill very slowly ,it also tends to affect younger age sheep , the youngest I ever saw was 18mths . Outside sheep have less chance for spread compared to housed sheep

 

[Vicki_Ann]

Sorry I am a bit late to this.

OPA is a pain and not something you want to knowingly introduce to any flock. If these ewes are heavily in lamb and can be kept isolated from the rest of the flock throughout lambing and rearing their lambs then I would be tempted to lamb them and cull them when you wean their lambs and finish their lambs apart from them and send every one to slaughter. The key points if this is done is to make sure equipment (particularly buckets/leggings/mobile handling systems) are disinfected before being used with the rest of the flock to minimise the risk of spreading it anyway.

Even sheep showing no clinical signs at all of OPA can shed the virus and be a risk for infecting other sheep so despite the fact these ewes look well, they could still be a risk for the rest of the flock.

OPA can have a severe impact on the productivity not to mention welfare of a flock though, so if they cannot be kept isolated the best option may be to cull them, sadly :-(
The only method to tell whether there are OPA lesions in a sheep is ultrasound scanning of the lungs but you would need a vet who is experienced and able to spot the lesions, and it is not 100% by any means. There are no blood tests to pick this up.

I do suspect OPA may be present in more flocks than we realise, and wonder how many ewes passed off as dying with pneumonia actually have OPA but without performing post mortem examinations on every one, it's impossible to know ...

 

[Alicecow]

Would they infect the pasture they are on? Couldn't that then infect stock grazing it in the future?

 

[Vicki_Ann]

Would they infect the pasture they are on? Couldn't that then infect stock grazing it in the future?

The virus can survive for several weeks in the environment. Sadly, there does not seem to be research which has given a definitive answer on how long it can survive in the environment which obviously will depend on climatic conditons, but it is not thought to be years. It would be a good idea to wait a month or so before stocking with other sheep or use to make hay for the rest of the year.

 

[Onwards and Upwards]

I’m in a similar position. We have confirmed cases within the flock I have just started shepherding. Sadly you quickly become quite adept at spotting a OPA’r but not until it’s going downhill enough to make it near worthless in the culls. I seem to lose about 1 a month but I’m expecting a tricky lambing. I’ve got 30 possibles penned up separately but I’m seriously worried about the rest. The sensible option seems to wean and kill everything on farm and start again but it’s a massive call. I suppose the real question is. Can the business really afford not to.

 

[Alicecow]

The virus can survive for several weeks in the environment. Sadly, there does not seem to be research which has given a definitive answer on how long it can survive in the environment which obviously will depend on climatic conditons, but it is not thought to be years. It would be a good idea to wait a month or so before stocking with other sheep or use to make hay for the rest of the year.

Would grazing that area with a different species be enough to mop up and neutralise the infection? Or does it infect/affect other species too? Not sure I'd be too comfortable feeding hay made from potentially infected pasture.

 

[MJT]

Not heard much about OPA before , is it something that flairs up all of a sudden or just ticks along ? What sort of % of flock usually gets affected . Sounds like a s**t problem to have !

 

[Hummin-Cummins]

Would grazing that area with a different species be enough to mop up and neutralise the infection? Or does it infect/affect other species too? Not sure I'd be too comfortable feeding hay made from potentially infected pasture.

I’d be interested to know how long/ if it’s contagious in the sward ??

 

[cheviot53]

For the best information I would speak to the MORDUN they are the experts . Not read any information about virus survival , most on soft surfaces exposed to rain don't last long .

 

[texelburger]

I think its more prevalent than people think.Our vet was doing our flock health plan ,last year,and asked if we ever had any ewes that began to waste away and subsequently die.I asked why and he told me all about OPA and ,in his opinion,there is far more about than people imagine.He said the practice had five pedigree flocks with it and they continued to sell breeding stock very much against his advice.I was quite shocked.Problem is if you cull and start again there may well be be a small risk of buying it back in !

 

[Downton_shep]

Almost sounds like we have the same vet @texelburger
Was told one flock has it that bad they’re losing lambs at 9 months with it. They’re scanning lungs regularly to try and pick it up but it isn’t that effective. No doubt being pedigree some are still being sold for breeding