We visited some farms in the last number of years to examine calves that were near weaning or weaned but were scouring and losing weight. These calves were suffering from ‘’Summer Scour syndrome’’ or ‘’calf to grass syndrome’’. These calves had to be taken off grass and put back on milk and a fibre source.

Summer scour in calves is a relatively new phenomenon, where calves start to scour profusely, become dehydrated and lose weight rapidly a few weeks after turnout to grass. Calves are selective grazers which means they only eat the tip of the grass plant, this tip is full of
sugar and nitrogen while being low in fibre.

It is more commonly seen in calves turned out to have excellent quality nitrogen (N)-rich grass. It is believed that an excessive intake of N (calves tend to browse from the top of the leaf, where non-protein N is concentrated) leads to ammonia toxicity and the resulting scouring and wasting in the calves. Those fed on older, more fibrous grass rarely suffer from the condition.

• NOW is the time to prevent this from happening this year, feeding a product like Rumenito or Equaliser 365 pellet with your calf ration daily, can aid in the prevention of summer scour syndrome.
• Feeding a source of fibre at grass can also help in preventing acidosis and summer scour syndrome.
• This can also be complicated by Coccidiosis which can be easily diagnosed by taking a Faecal sample.

Scour is one of the main contributors to calf mortality in Ireland. It results from a badly damaged gut, leading to a loss of function of the intestines, which leads to watery faeces. Damage to the intestines results in nutrients not being absorbed properly.

There are a number of infectious agents that cause scour:

• Parasites:
  • Cryptosporidium
  • Coccidia
• Viruses:
  • Rotavirus
  • Coronavirus
• Bacteria:
  • Salmonella
  • Coli

The most common causes of scour are rotavirus, cryptosporidium and coccidia. Coronavirus and salmonella are fewer common causes and E. coli is rare.  Coccidia generally causes scour in calves older than 3 weeks.   E.coli can cause scour in calves less than 5 days old.  It is important to note that cryptosporidium is a zoonotic disease, which means that it can be readily transferred from animals to humans.

Treating a calf with scour

 The most important principles of treating calf scour are:

• Oral rehydration
• Isolation of the calf from the others
• Continue to feed milk

Oral rehydration

This is the single most important aspect of treating a scouring calf. A large volume of salts and fluids are lost due to the scouring, so these need to be replaced regularly. An extra 1 to 2 feeds of electrolytes a day is necessary while the calf is scouring e.g. milk in morning, electrolytes at lunchtime, milk in the evening and electrolytes at night. If the calf is not drinking then electrolytes can be stomach tubed effectively. Effervescent electrolyte tablets containing bicarbonate are especially good for the calves that are not drinking. These will help correct the acidosis/depression of the calf that occurs. Sachet or dietetic electrolytes are sufficient to be used for calves that are drinking some volume of milk and are not overly depressed.

Removal of the calf from the group of calves

Scour is contagious so by isolating the sick calf it helps prevent the spread of infection to the other animals in the group. It also helps the sick calf to recover better.

Continue to feed milk

Despite some common myths, continuing to feed milk/good quality milk replacer does not worsen or prolong scour. In contrast, it will continue to provide some nutrition to the calf and will help with the healing of the intestines. It is not recommended to tube milk to calves with scour if they are not drinking as it will cause a build-up of acids in the stomach and damage the wall of the rumen. It will cause the calf to become more acidotic and depressed. By withholding milk from the calf it will only cause starvation and will prevent a quicker recovery.

It is also important to find out the pathogen causing the scour. By bringing a sample to the clinic, we can determine in the lab what the cause of the scour is and therefore target treatments more accurately. Knowing the exact cause allows proper decisions to be made regarding treatment and prevention.

Probiotics are a dietary supplement that are useful to help with the repair of the intestines as well as revitalisation of the good bacteria in the gut. Long term use of these will help stabilise the calf’s gut.

Prevention of calf scour

A good start to a calf’s life is essential.

• Good quality colostrum fed to the calf is key. The quality of colostrum can be assessed with a refractometer.
• If poor quality colostrum is fed, it leads to a failure of passive transfer of antibodies which in turn increases the risk of the calf getting sick with scour or pneumonia etc.
• Use the 1,2,3 rule: ‘Cow’s first milk, fed within the first two hours of birth, minimum volume of 3 litres’.

The calf’s environment is also key to prevention.

• They need to be kept in a clean, warm and dry bed at all times.
• Wet bedding and poor drainage aid with the spreading of disease. You should be able to kneel down in the calf’s bed and it should not be wet, cold or hard. If you find it uncomfortable, then it is not suitable for the calf.
• Cleaning & disinfection of the feeding equipment used is also. This is especially important if there is an outbreak of scour to prevent transfer of the disease from one pen to another.
• Avoid overcrowding of pens as well as mixing of ages of calves.
• Placing footbaths with disinfectant outside every calf house and making sure that everyone’s boots are dipped both going in and out of the house to prevent spread.
• Isolation pens for sick calves to help spread from calf to calf. It is important to identify the problem quickly and isolate the affected animal as soon as possible.

Vaccination of the cows 3-12 weeks prior to calving will provide increased protection against calf scour.

• The vaccine is effective against rotavirus, coronavirus and E.coli.
• Note that it is important to have good colostrum management here as well because the antibodies are passed to the calves via the colostrum. The antibodies in the colostrum reduce the incidence & severity of the scour.

Risk factors for calf scour

• Dirty, wet environment
• Poor drainage in the calf house
• Stressed calves
• Poor colostrum management leading to poor passive transfer of antibodies
• Calves of different ages being mixed
• Lack of isolation of sick calves

Economic significance

If calves get scour in their early life it can set them back significantly and therefore there is delayed growth of the animals. Looking after and caring for a sick calf or calves takes a lot of time, which is of the utmost importance especially during the springtime. Costs of medication to treat the animals, as well as losses due to mortality, can be high.

Antibiotics & their use in scour treatment

The most common causes of scour are parasites and viruses. Antibiotics do not work against these. They only work against bacteria. Therefore, it doesn’t make any sense to treat a calf with antibiotics just because they are scouring. This is why testing the scour sample is essential to the overall management of scouring calves. By using antibiotics ‘because that was what was left over in the yard at home’, is only contributing to antibiotic resistance and isn’t a wise use of funds either.

Only scouring calves that are very sick or have a high temperature should be given antibiotics. Calves that are very sick have a weakened immune system and therefore can get a secondary bacterial infection so this is when antibiotics should be used correctly. It is important to get advice from your vet regarding the use of antibiotics with scouring calves.

In summary

• Plenty of electrolytes & fluids are essential in the treatment of scour
• Prevention & hygiene are of utmost importance & of key significance reducing costs due to treatments and losses
• Antibiotics are not essential in treating scour in most cases
• Continue to feed milk to help speed up the recovery process– do not starve the calves!

For additional information contact our large animal team on 023 8847404.

As of the 1^st of June 2022, worming products and other anti-parasitic drugs will no longer be readily available for farmers to purchase over the counter without a prescription.

Why are these implications coming in?

These measures have been introduced as a result of the overuse of worming products throughout the year. Antiparasitic resistance is an increasing concern in livestock farming. Resistance is present when a medicine does not kill the target parasites as expected. Although it may kill some of the parasites it may not kill all of them. Resistance is when less than 95% of susceptible worms are killed therefore allowing the leftover worms to modify their genetics to build resistance.

Every time animals are treated with an antiparasitic product there is a risk of resistance forming. Therefore alternative methods (herd or flock health plans, grazing management) of controlling worms in livestock that do not rely on dosing should be considered. Multiple factors contribute to the increased risk of resistance and parasite control planning should try to address these where possible.

How can we help our farmers combat worm burdens in livestock for the year ahead?

Animal Health Ireland have put in place a consultancy service between veterinary practitioners and their clients as part of the Targeted Advisory Service on Animal Health (TASAH). This is a free and voluntary programme supported as part of the Rural Development Plan 2014-2020, co-funded by the Irish government and the EU. The purpose of the parasite control TASAH is to facilitate discussions and planning between farmers and their veterinarians on the best practices around parasite control with the long term view of minimising the further development of antiparasitic resistance.

The TASAH will fund a veterinary farm visit and two faecal egg counts. The Parasitic Control TASAH Consult is open to all cattle and sheep farmers in Ireland. Herd or flock owners must nominate a trained, participating veterinary practitioner to undertake the farm visit.

If you are a herd or flock owner and would like to register for a Parasite Control TASAH, please click here.  For additional information contact our Large Animal team on 023 8847404.

Canine cough is a highly infectious and transmissible upper respiratory infection of dogs. It was previously known as kennel cough with the misconception that it can only be caught by dogs boarding in kennels. However, canine cough can affect any dogs mixing with others i.e. in the local park, at the groomers, puppy classes etc.

Typically, dogs infected with canine cough present with a dry hacking cough that can last from 5 – 10 days and usually require veterinary attention. Other symptoms include reduced appetite, lethargy and a high temperature. Puppies, older dogs and dogs with underlying illnesses can be more seriously affected and can run the risk of developing bronchopneumonia or chronic bronchitis.

Dogs usually require a course of antibiotics and steroids to help with tracheal inflammation. Sometimes the vet will discuss chest x-rays to rule out any other causes of coughing. If you suspect your dog has canine cough and you are bringing them to the vet clinic, we ask that the patient remains in the car until the vet is ready for him/her. This is due to its highly infectious nature and to reduce the risk of spread to any other dogs in the clinic.

There are typically two infectious agents that cause canine cough:

• Parainfluenza
• Bordetella Bronchiseptica

It is important that we keep up to date yearly with vaccines. If your dog is going into kennels or you plan to do training classes or puppy classes, your pet will require the canine cough vaccine at least 3 weeks beforehand.

The vaccine can be given in 3 different ways:

• Up the nose
• Into the mouth
• In injectable form

Each method is as effective as the other. For more information on canine cough please contact our companion veterinary team on 023 8841404 or 021 4772277.

Looking after the dental health of your pet is very important.  By the young age of three most dogs and cats have some degree of dental disease. Unfortunately, this is not noticed by many pet owners until later in their lives as pets tend to hide signs of discomfort a little bit better than we do. It is usually not until owners notice that their furry friend has smelly breath which is a common sign of dental disease.

What are the other signs of dental disease?

Some signs of dental disease can be more subtle than others, but they are still important to identify.

• Plaque and Tartar build-up

Plaque is a film on the teeth that is composed of bacteria; when this accumulates, it can harden into tartar.

• Red, swollen or bleeding gums
• Difficulty eating or chewing
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Pain

If your pet is reluctant to let you touch their mouth, outside or inside, they may be experiencing pain. Pain occurs when tartar and food are trapped below the gum line.

Importance of regular examinations

We recommend regular examinations by a veterinary surgeon or nurse to determine if your pet needs teeth cleaning or something more invasive like a dental extraction. A routine dental cleaning involves scaling and polishing of the teeth but if an extraction is needed the vet will discuss this procedure with owners prior to doing so. We also offer dental x-ray which is important to determine the health of the roots of the teeth and surrounding bone.

Although this may prove to be difficult, we would highly recommend regular teeth brushing for your pet. We offer a variety of toothbrushes, toothpaste and water additives specifically designed for pets (not human toothpaste!). Pets who have 100% wet food diets are particularly vulnerable, so we recommended appropriate dry food and dental chews which helps to crack off some plaque buildup.

Thanks to Laura Creedon, Veterinary Nurse, for her insights into this area.

If you are going to start AI on May 1 then April is the month for preparation.

In simple terms Pregnancy rate is Submission rate x Conception rate.

In Irish terms submission rate is the amount of cows that are available for service (calved >42 days) that have been bulled in the first 3weeks of breeding. The target is 90% in a seasonal herd.  The target for conception to 1^st and 2^nd service is about 65%. So if you have 100 cows and you have a submission rate of 90% then 90 cows should be bulled in first 3 weeks. If 65% of them hold then this leaves about 41 cows left to breed (that were eligible to breed in first 3 weeks.)

Second service will get another 27 cows (65%). This gives you in total 86cows in calf in 6 weeks.

So in short you can make up for a poorer conception rate with a good submission rate. While conception rate is affected by disease/health and energy (energy levels, dry matter intake; buffer feeding) submission rate is really just seeing them in heat.

Submission rate can be improved by:

• One month before breeding you need to check cows for heat or not – pre breeding. Tail paint/apply scratch cards to all cows 3 weeks before start of breeding and note any cows not bulling.
• Any cow calved 42 days and was not seen bulling within these 3 weeks should be scanned and treated if necessary. This avoids the loss of time further in breeding season and a cow that was once a February calver becoming an April calver.
• Any cow that was treated for retained cleaning should be re-examined before breeding. They may show heat even with a chronic womb infection.
• A vasectomised bull will aid in heat detection during the breeding season.

Conception Rate

• Ensure all vaccinations are up to date and that maiden heifers have received their primary course ahead of breeding. Lepto/ BVD/ IBR can all interfere with conception rate.
• Implementing regular BCS (body condition score) on your farm leading up to breeding will highlight the high-risk cows that require attention. Ideally at breeding cows should have BCS of 2.75 -3.25.                                                                                                                         The high-risk group would include under conditioned cows, high yielders, lame cows and difficult calvers. Some of these would benefit from once a day milking or extra feeding.
• Consider keeping lame cows or under conditioned cows close to the parlour to optimise dry matter intake and reduce energy used to and from parlour.
• Ensure adequate mineral and trace element intake. Copper and Manganese deficiency can lead to silent heats. Selenium deficiency will affect conception rates.

Don’t forget the Bull

Bull should be given a once over before breeding starts. Fertility can be assessed by one of the vets. Mobility is vital and if showing signs of lameness, his feet should be tended too ahead of breeding to allow recovery time.

Most definitely! If your dog or cat gets injured or sick, pet insurance will protect you from unexpected bills that you had not budgeted for. It can make diagnostic and treatment decisions easier for you and your veterinary surgeon, and it will ensure the best possible outcome for your pet.

In general, most policies will cover veterinary fees up to around €2,000 for an injury only plan and between €3,000 – €4,000 for an injury and illness plan. The other benefits included will depend on the level of cover you choose.  Injury and illness treatments will usually include surgery, prescription drugs and tests.

Policies may also cover some of the costs associated with the search for a missing or stolen pet, such as the cost of putting up posters or offering a reward.  Third party liability for dogs usually comes as standard and means that any damage or injury caused by your dog is covered up to €250,000.

Preventative and routine treatments such as vaccinations, worming and de-fleaing, neutering and dental procedures won’t be covered with pet insurance, but these can be subsidised by Glasslyn Vets Health Plan. In addition, if your pet is over 7 years old, you also need to cover 35% of each condition.

You will also need to bear in mind that you pay the vet directly first and claim the fee back from your insurance afterwards.

While there may be some procedures that are not covered by pet insurance, you should look at pet insurance as a peace of mind.  Most claims are either for long term conditions, such as skin conditions or diabetes, and the drugs used are covered – unlike with human insurance. Geriatric animals can often present with several conditions – so even though you might still have to pay 35% plus the excess towards a bill, it is worth having pet insurance.  When pets get older, multiple conditions can add up quickly.

Every pet owner will be hoping their four-legged friend will never need major surgery or treatment – but nobody knows what is around the corner.  Contact us today to learn more about pet insurance.

Thanks to Denise Philpott, Veterinary Surgeon, for explaining the benefits of pet insurance.

Successful transition from the dry period into lactation is one of the most important moments in a dairy cow’s lactation. It will have a direct impact on milk production, cow health and reproductive performance during the subsequent lactation.  Therefore, it is important to get mineral nutrition correct in the dry period.  

 

Dry cows should be fed a dry cow mineral for the duration of the dry period ideally for 6 -8 weeks. This is to ensure there is a good reserve of minerals built up to allow the cow to calve down without any issues and continue into the lactation to follow.

 

• Testing Silage

Most Irish silages don’t supply the required amount of minerals to get the cow through the dry period. Therefore these minerals need to be supplemented.  If you haven’t already done so, test your silage for minerals. 

 

It is important to note that the mineral status of our soils and forages varies hugely from farm to farm and year to year. The simplest and most accurate way of knowing the mineral status is testing the forages being fed to cows whether it be grass, grass silage, maize or whole crop silage. Once known informed decisions can be made on the most effective way of supplementation.

 

• Managing Milk Fever

When it comes to major mineral nutrition, the most important issue is establishing a good basis for the control of milk fever and subclinical milk fever. Milk fever is known as the ‘gateway disease’ because it leads to many other complications such as retained cleanings and displaced abomasum. 

 

The risk of milk fever is reduced if cow BCS is monitored and controlled in late lactation and throughout the dry period. Cows should be dried off between BCS 3-3.25 and this BCS maintained throughout the dry period.  Cows with both too high and too low BCS are shown to have an increased risk of milk fever.

 

Clinical milk fever is usually easy to detect. Sub-clinical milk fever is often difficult to detect and can go un-noticed. This in-turn can increase costs because it affects more cows and lead to varying metabolic disorders such as retained cleanings, metritis, mastitis and ketosis.

 

The increase in demand for Calcium at the onset of lactation presents a major challenge to a cow’s system. Around calving and the transition period into lactation the demand for Ca increases by several fold. 

 

It is not so much the sudden demand for Ca that causes milk fever but more so the fact that the cow’s system can take 24-48 hours post calving to become fully functional. It is this time-lag that causes the cow to drain Ca from her plasma pool and as this reserve decreases so too does the cow’s blood Ca status, possibly bringing about a case of sub-clinical or clinical milk fever.

 

In order to avoid this issue it is critical that mineral supplementation is continued up until the point of calving and an adequate post-calving mineral is supplied also.

 

• Major Mineral Requirements

Magnesium is a key major mineral in relation to the control of milk fever. Magnesium is needed for the metabolism and the absorbtion of calcium within the cow around calving. Throughout the dry period a cow needs between 25-30g Magnesium/day. If a silage mineral analysis is 0.15% magnesium a cow eating 11kg dry matter intake during the dry period will take in 1.65g/mg from silage. As a result the mineral supplement will need to supply at least 24g of magnesium. If the feed rate of the mineral is 120g/head/day it needs to be a minimum of 20% mg to make up the deficit.

 

Potassium in Irish silages is typically between 1.8-2.4%. Potassium locks up magnesium in the rumen which can slow down the absorption and mobilisation of calcium leading to milk fever. With sufficient magnesium supplementation the typical levels of potassium can be managed. If potassium is greater than 1.8% in silage alternative measures need to be taken such as introducing Cal-Mag or sweetened Cal-Mag.

 

Grass silage supplies the necessary calcium requirements during the dry period. Unless following a DCAD diet program calcium is not required during the dry period. Grass silage supplies what is required. 

 

•  Trace Minerals During the Dry Period

Trace minerals, or micro minerals, play a huge role in the overall immunity, fertility and production of dairy cows. Throughout the dairy cows’ cycle calving is the most stressful period on the immune system. It is important that throughout the dry period the cow is allowed to build up the necessary amount of trace minerals to allow the cow draw from it’s reserves when it calves down. Irish grass silages have been shown to below in copper, selenium and zinc.  As a result, supplementation is essential.

 

Important Trace Minerals

• Selenium

Selenium works with Vit E and acts as an antioxidant. It helps boost cow and calf immunity. 

• Copper 

Copper is needed for successful immune function and plays  a key role in reproduction  and hoof health.

• Zinc

Zinc is the trace mineral that influences udder and hoof health in dairy cows. Zinc supplementation is important at all times of the year as it helps to keep somatic cell counts under control, reduce incidences of mastitis and helps to maintain the hardness of the hoof. 

• Iodine

Low dietary iodine (I) intake during pregnancy has been associated with an increased incidence of small and weak calves, increased incidence of goitre, decreased resistance to hypothermia, decreased survival and low immunity. In the following lactation cows recycle poorly, which means that is not stored in the body and so must be supplied in the diet. 

 

Inorganic minerals cannot be stored by the animal and, therefore, do not allow mineral reserves to be built up for times of stress, such as calving or disease.

 

To discuss options on implementing a successful dry cow or monitoring mineral status of your herd, contact the office on 023 8841404.