Farm October Newsletter 2025

Dedicated farm line – 01626 357776

This newsletter is sent by e-mail to each vet practice but if you would like a copy sent to your individual e-mail account please contact us at dsfarm@axiomvetlab.co.uk and we can add you to our circulation list.

Botulism cases

As you may be aware there have been a number of outbreaks of botulism in cattle herds recently reportedly resulting in the losses of many hundreds of cattle. At least some of these are believed to have a common feed source. Not all cases have presented with typical flaccid paralysis – some have been recumbent but have remained bright and able to eat. Small intestinal contents can be tested for Clostridium botulinum toxin.

Liver fluke alert

Although some areas of the country have been experiencing drought conditions, in other parts conditions appear to have been suitable for mud snails as we have been seeing evidence of fasciolosis in some of this year’s lambs for a few weeks now, which is quite early in the autumn for it. There have been cases in ewes and adult cattle too, but it is always possible that these could be due to infection last season.

Acorn poisoning

With some regions still suffering from a lack of grass the risk of acorn toxicity occurring is likely to be higher this year. Clinical signs can include dullness, anorexia, ruminal stasis, abdominal pain, tenesmus, constipation followed a few days later by dark diarrhoea, which can be mucoid and/or bloody. Subcutaneous oedema, which is often ventral, can also occur plus signs of renal failure, such as PUPD. Urea and creatinine levels are usually very high on blood testing due to severe renal tubular necrosis. Even if they survive the acute stage the prognosis is usually poor due to chronic renal failure. At PME there may be acorns or oak leaves in the rumen (if acute), haemorrhagic gastroenteritis, petechial haemorrhages, mucosal ulceration due to uraemia, ascites, hydrothorax and renal haemorrhages. Ocular fluid can be tested for urea and the histopathology findings in kidney can be pathognomonic for it. The area around oak trees should be fenced off, particularly if there is a shortage of grass.

New mastitis test

A new rapid, accurate and affordable molecular mastitis test is now available at Axiom. The test detects the presence of six key mastitis pathogens and the turnaround time is no longer than the following working day. This can allow a targeted course of treatment based upon the pathogens present, aiding responsible use of antibiotics and resulting in less discarded milk. As well as potentially saving money there are benefits for herd health in the long term. The agents detected are: E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus agalactiae and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The cost of the test is £45 & VAT (test code FAMAS).

New more sensitive test for lungworm in cattle

We are pleased to be able to offer a PCR test for lungworm in cattle. As with the Baermann’s it detects the presence of larvae in the faeces (i.e. patent infections, from about 25 days post challenge). However, the PCR test does not require the larvae in faeces to be alive in order to obtain a positive result, which therefore increases the sensitivity. PCR tests are also usually more sensitive as they are able to detect very small amounts of an agent. Faecal samples should still be collected freshly voided or per rectum and kept cool until submission. Another benefit is that the test has been validated for the pooling of up to five samples, which makes it more cost effective to sample multiple animals. Ideally target animals that are coughing or showing suspicious respiratory signs. The turnaround time is the next working day, the test cost is £53 (& VAT) and the test code is PDVIV. We had three positive submissions with it in July – one of which was from adult beef cows.

Average test values (ATVs) for dairy herds testing using blood serology

For herds that are testing using bloods rather than milks for Johne’s serology an average test value can still be calculated but it is not directly comparable to the target used for milks. The Johne’s Action Group has advised that the ATV for bloods should be provided on the declaration form for the herd but state that it has been derived from blood testing. Dairy farmers using Johne’s blood serology can monitor the trend of their herd’s ATVs over time. We will automatically provide an ATV for herds that are testing through the Axiom Johne’s Monitoring Programme (plus any historic values since they started testing through the programme). If one is required when doing a 60 cow screen please request this on the submission form.

Animal Health & Welfare Pathway – worm egg counts now available

Please note that we are now participating in the worm egg counting part of the AHWP for sheep. However, we are unable to post out sampling kits. Consumables can be ordered from us in the usual way. WHEN SUBMITTING POST TREATMENT SAMPLES, PLEASE ENTER THE ACCESS (REPORT) NUMBER FOR THE PRE-TREATMENT SAMPLE RESULTS AS A PREVIOUS REFERENCE ON THE SUBMISSION FORM. We can then provide you with a % change in the strongyle egg count after treatment.
We are a UKAS accredited lab and provide ISO17025 accredited tests so we can carry out any of the follow up endemic disease testing for both cattle and sheep. The diseases and conditions to be sampled for sheep include: Border disease (BD), caseous lymphadenitis (CLA), enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE), Johne’s disease, Maedi Visna (MV), toxoplasmosis, tick-borne fever, pulpy kidney, lamb dysentery, ewe nutrition status, lamb nutrition status & trace elements. For cattle, a biosecurity assessment relating to BVD virus needs to be done in discussion with the farmer. This needs to cover whether or not it is appropriate for the herd to join a BVD accreditation programme. Membership is not compulsory, as many commercial herds may not be able to meet the rule requirements, particularly the requirement for a minimum three-metre biosecure gap. Vaccination also needs to be discussed – again it is not compulsory for it to be put in place though it is a good insurance policy until the country is further down the route of eradicating BVD virus. From the BVD check test results coming through the lab the vast majority of herds appear to be free of infection so could be becoming more and more naïve with time if they are not vaccinating. The impact of a BVD incursion, without the protection from BVD vaccination, could have a serious financial impact on a herd. Although a herd may be closed and appear to be well isolated we have seen breakdowns occurring due to the suspected transfer of virus on equipment or clothing.

BVD Cymru accredited lab

We are an accredited lab for the Welsh BVD eradication programme. BVD antibody and antigen results will be uploaded if samples are submitted on a BVD Cymru form. As was the case with BVD Free England, there is a small charge for the uploading of the results of 50p per sample for BVD antibody testing and 25p for a BVD antigen test. Please note that all fields on the BVD Cymru submission form must be completed (including the keeper’s phone number and email address) otherwise there is a block on the results uploading.

Discounted test rates for Johne’s disease & Neospora herd screens or regular batch testing

Our Johne’s & Neospora Monitoring programmes give farmers access to discounted test rates for whole herd or regular batch testing. There is no membership fee and no set rules to follow. Johne’s serology is from £5 per sample and Neospora serology costs from £6.75 per sample. It works out cheaper than testing through a CHECS cattle health scheme so is ideal for herds that are testing for disease control and management purposes. Advice is provided in the lab report and farmers can be e-mailed a copy if required. Our turnaround times are very fast– often same day but within three working days for both tests. Batch testing herds also get their results in a cumulative spreadsheet. A reminder to test email is sent out for herds on annual testing. Contact us for more information at dsfarm@axiomvetlab.co.uk or on 01626 357776.
In order to avoid any unnecessary confusion, please can we ask that submission forms are only sent in with the samples and not in advance of the samples. Thank you for your cooperation.

We would like your feedback on our services

As part of our continuing effort to help improve our services to clients within the Laboratory Division we have put together a short survey which will be sitting live permanently for anyone to complete whenever they have a few minutes spare. This can be filled in by anyone who uses any of our services and we encourage feedback to help us understand what we are doing well and where we need to make improvements. The QR code and link to the survey will remain live as a continuous tool to enable us to always gather feedback. If anyone has any questions about this they are welcome to contact either of the Quality Managers at the Laboratories, Claire Richardson for Axiom Veterinary Laboratories and Susan Reeve for Finn Pathologists. Thank you in advance for helping us to improve our services.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Laboratory_Satisfaction_Survey

Interesting cases in August

Cattle
Abortions and mastitis

BVD antigen was detected on foetal fluids in five abortion cases this month.
Escherichia coli was isolated from the stomach contents of a calf which lived only for a short time after birth. The cow had been one week overdue and the calving was induced. E. coli is usually a sporadic cause of bovine abortion and can be caused by ascending infection of the uterus.
Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from foetal stomach contents in one bovine abortion case and was suspected to be a significant finding. In this case. the dam also tested positive for antibodies to Neospora caninum on serology.
Two abortions tested positive for Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) by PCR and one of these also tested positive for Neospora caninum by PCR.
Salmonella Dublin was isolated in eight cases of abortion this month.

Respiratory disease

IBR was detected by PCR in at least six cases of respiratory disease this month.
RSV was detected by PCR in at least three cases of respiratory disease this month, all in calves with signs of respiratory disease and pyrexia.
Coronavirus was detected by PCR in five submissions for investigation of respiratory disease this month. In one of the cases, the submitting veterinary surgeon reported that there were lesions suspicious of Mycoplasma bovis infection at PME. Six calves from the affected group were blood sampled for Mycoplasma serology and all had high titres to Mycoplasma bovis suggestive of recent exposure to this agent. M. bovis was also detected in the pooled sample of nasopharyngeal swabs. Although it is recognised that M. bovis can be carried in the upper airways of healthy animals, the finding was considered of possible significance in this case.
Acute bacterial pneumonia was thought to be the cause of death in a recently bought in Wagyu animal. Over 50% of the lungs were consolidated at PME. Histopathology identified a marked acute fibrinosuppurative (occasionally necrotising) bronchopneumonia with intralesional bacteria highly suggestive of a descending bacterial infection involving Pasteurellaceae.
A ten-month-old Aberdeen Angus cross bull died following two days of severe respiratory signs. PME revealed severe pneumonia and thick mucopurulent material was present in the trachea. Mycoplasma bovis, Histophilus somni, Pasteurella multocida and Mannheimia haemolytica were all detected by PCR of lung tissue.
Histophilus somni and Mannheimia haemolytica were detected in lung tissue from one of five bought in bullocks which had died suddenly with no apparent clinical signs. Histopathology identified a marked acute fibrinosuppurative and necrotising bronchopneumonia suggestive of descending bacterial infection and compatible with the organisms identified by PCR testing.
Histophilus somni, Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida were detected by PCR in a bronchoalveolar lavage sample from a two-month-old Limousin cross calf with a mild cough and raised respiratory rate.
Mannheimia haemolytica was detected by PCR in lung tissue from a calf of three to four weeks of age which was one of a number of young calves on the farm to be affected with pneumonia.
Fixed lung tissue was submitted following PME of a calf (age unknown) which had appeared weak and wobbly before death. There were adhesions of the lung tissue to the thoracic wall and excess pericardial fluid was present. Histopathology identified a chronic fibrinous and fibrous pneumonia reflecting a severe bacterial infection (typical of Mannheimia haemolytica) with subsequent healing and partial resolution. As the changes identified were chronic, other underlying primary causes could not be excluded.
A day-old Holstein calf was euthanased after developing signs of severe respiratory distress having appeared normal at birth. Both lungs were observed to be dark and congested on PME. The animal had been tube fed but no signs of aspiration were seen on gross examination and the abomasum was full of milk. The appearance of the lung on histopathology was consistent with a severe subacute interstitial pneumonia suggesting diffuse alveolar and terminal bronchiolar damage. This presentation in neonatal calves without significant damage to the epithelium of larger bronchioles has been linked to surfactant deficiency, which can be but is not always associated with prematurity.
Acute and severe respiratory signs were seen in an Aberdeen Angus cross yearling. PCR testing for Anaplasma phagoctophilum was positive confirming Tick Borne Fever. It was considered that the immunosuppression caused by TBF could have predisposes to secondary bacterial infection, such as bacterial pneumonia.
Dictyocaulus viviparus (lungworm) was detected by PCR in faeces from Limousin cross animals which had received a pour-on ivermectin treatment around three weeks previously. Antibodies to Dictyocaulus viviparus were detected in two of two samples submitted from heifers at grazing. Multiple animals in the group were affected with respiratory signs and some were pyrexic. In another case, two of four Jersey animals were positive for lungworm on serology. Weight loss and coughing were reported in that group.

Gastrointestinal disease

A total of 383 submissions for Johne’s disease serology and faecal PCR testing from cattle were received this month, with 124 submissions, including a total of 195 individual samples, testing positive.
There were three cases of neonatal calves which tested positive for E. coli F5 (K99) antigen on faeces.
Numerous cases of cryptosporidiosis were recorded, some as the sole pathogen but also in combination with rotavirus and in one case where both rotavirus and coronavirus were also detected in the same submission.
There were numerous cases of suspected coccidiosis in calves this month. One case was in three to four-week-old calves which were producing watery haemorrhagic diarrhoea and intestinal casts, and two of three calves examined were also pyrexic. Both individual faecal samples which were tested had coccidial oocyst counts <50,000opg.
High pepsinogen levels indicative of abomasal parasitism were seen in a group of freshly calved suckler cows which had been turned out for two weeks, were in poor body condition and developed profuse watery scour and metritis, and had high strongyle egg counts >1500epg on in-practice faecal egg counts. The animals had been kept outside late the previous year (until December) and the farmer had reported occasional cows with similar signs in past years.
Haemonchosis was suspected in a group of cattle with a faecal strongyle egg count of 8800epg. • Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin was detected by ELISA in a sample of small intestinal contents from a Limousin cross suckler calf suspected to have died suddenly of clostridial enterotoxaemia due to C. perfringens type D. In cattle neurological signs are not always observed but there may be characteristic histological changes in brain tissue (cerebral vasculopathy/focal symmetrical encephalomalacia) which can confirm the diagnosis. Brain was not available for histopathology in this case.
There were six submissions in which Salmonella Dublin was isolated on cultures of faecal samples in association with pyrexia, scour and respiratory signs in calves. Salmonella Montevideo and Salmonella Typhimurium were each isolated in one submission.

Skin and eye disease

Cutaneous actinobacillosis was the suspected cause of abscesses over the jawline of an Aberdeen Angus cow which progressed to involve the righthand side of the neck and right axilla. Actinobacillus succinogenes was isolated in cultures of fluid from the abscess. A. succinogenes is produced in the rumen and it was thought it could have gained entry into the skin via trauma or foreign body penetration. A further case of cutaneous actinobacillosis was identified by histopathology of skin biopsies in a five-year-old Aberdeen Angus bull with a large mass on the skin over the shoulder.
Moraxella bovoculi was isolated in cultures from two cases of infectious keratoconjunctivitis in cattle. On one farm, 30 of 150 calves were affected with conjunctivitis and the outbreak had been ongoing for around two months.

Systemic and miscellaneous disease

A total of 361 submissions were received for BVD antigen testing in cattle this month, with 36 submissions, including a total of 63 individual samples, testing positive.
A three-year-old Holstein-Friesian cow presented with acute ataxia and signs of abdominal pain followed by recumbency and death. there were few gross lesions on PME though the small intestine appeared congested/hyperaemic. Clostridium botulinum C/D toxin was detected in small intestinal contents, consistent with a diagnosis of botulism in this case. A further case of suspected botulism occurred on a large beef fattening unit where a number of bullocks of around 27 months in age presented in recumbency and with neurological signs similar to hypocalcaemia. Clostridium botulinum C/D toxin was detected in small intestinal content.
Babesiosis was confirmed in two cases by blood smear, one in a ten-year-old Aberdeen Angus cow in Cumbria and another in a Friesian cow in Devon which showed signs of pyrexia, anaemia and haemoglobinuria.
There were nine cases which tested positive for Ov-HV2 virus by PCR confirming diagnosis of Malignant Catarrhal Fever. With the exception of two cases in which no history was provided all had a history of classical MCF signs at the time of testing.
Fixed brain was received from a 23-month-old beef heifer which had shown neurological signs (tremor and saw-horse stance) and died a short time later. The pasture was examined and no signs of poisonous plants or other toxins were observed. There had been no change in diet and up to that time the animal had appeared healthy and well grown. On histopathology, there was evidence of a mild to moderate non-suppurative encephalitis. This is a non-specific term used to cover changes (in this case inflammatory cells surrounding blood vessels with an associated glial reaction) which can be caused by a variety of infectious agents. However, the cause remains unknown in a large proportion of these cases seen in cattle. In this animal there was no evidence of neuranophagia to specifically suggest a viral insult, but a viral cause was still considered a possibility. Possible differentials considered therefore included astrovirus, BVD, BHV-1, and potentially louping ill virus and PI3. No bacterial or fungal organisms were seen with special stains but their involvement in the lesions could not be completely ruled out.
Three cows (two milkers and one dry) on TMR in a zero grazed dairy herd developed acute onset swelling and heat in the distal fore limbs and within 36 hours the hooves had sloughed. Histopathology of the tissues of one sloughed inner hoof detected necrosis of laminae with accompanying bacterial infection and inflammation, typical of Fusobacterium necrophorum infection. A gram stain detected gram-negative filamentous bacteria consistent with Fusobacterium and also gram-positive bacteria suspected to be Trueperella pyogenes. No convincing spirochaete bacteria were identified on silver staining and none were detected on PCR testing.

Sheep and goats

Reproductive disease, mastitis

Eight two-tooth ewes were scanned in lamb but subsequently never lambed and early embryonic loss was suspected. All eight were seropositive for Toxoplasma gondii.
At least two cases of Mannheimia haemolytica mastitis were reported in ewes this month, this being one of the two most common causes of severe mastitis in sheep.

Respiratory disease

OPA was diagnosed on at least three occasions this month, caused by Jaagsiekte retrovirus infection. The virus is thought to be transmitted mainly by the respiratory route, probably via aerosol droplets. Infection usually enters a flock through the introduction of sub clinically affected animals. On first introduction to a naive flock between 30-80% of animals may succumb. However, once endemic, ongoing losses typically vary between 1 and 5% although these can reach as much as 20%. The virus does not survive for long in the environment and so depopulation of in contact animals and repopulation from a known disease-free flock is the most successful method of control.
Two cases of suppurative bronchopneumonia likely to be associated with Pasteurellacae infection were diagnosed this month on histopathology. In one case, a two-year-old sheep, lesions were chronic with abscess formation. In the other case, a thin adult ewe, Pasteurella multocida was also isolated from a lung swab and there were also lesions which could have suggested a mild Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae involvement as part of an atypical/enzootic pneumonia. In this animal, there was also a suppurative and histiocytic colitis with intralesional gram positive bacteria that was highly suggestive of enteric listeriosis.

Gastrointestinal disease

Loss of condition was seen in twin and triplet Anglo Nubian goat kids in one herd. An in house faceal sample had detected coccidial oocysts and a count of 37,500 opg was detected in a pooled faeces sample from the triplets. On speciation, 82% of oocysts identified were of a pathogenic Eimeria species (predominantly Eimeria arloingi), confirming coccidiosis. Coccidiosis was also confirmed in lambs in one flock, with a count of over 50,000 opg of which 19% were of the pathogenic Eimeria species, E. ovinoidalis.
Several cases of parasitic gastroenteritis were diagnosed in sheep and also in some goats, with ill thrift, scour and occasionally mortality reported. In one flock, there was increased mortality in weaned lambs out on moorland, with 30 deaths over a ten-day period. Signs of pneumonia were found in some of the four lambs PM’d, and nematodes were seen in the caecum. Further testing was carried out to look for potential causes of reduced immunity and a strongyle egg count of 1000 epg was found in a faeces sample from one of the lambs (Zolvix had been given three weeks previously). Two of six lambs blood sampled were also seropositive for Border disease.
Haemonchosis was confirmed on several occasions in sheep and in some goats with high strongyle egg counts and confirmatory peanut agglutinin testing. Reported signs included anaemia, bottle jaw, ill thrift, scour and mortalities in lambs and ewes. Several other cases were also suspected in animals with high strongyle egg counts and consistent clinical signs, but peanut agglutinin testing was not carried out.
Fasciolosis was confirmed in both sheep and goats primarily by coproantigen ELISA.
A total of 106 submissions for Johne’s disease serology and faecal PCR testing from sheep and goats were received this month, with 16 submissions, including a total of 21 individual samples, testing positive. Cases included a three-year-old working Romney ram, previously well grown but now with a body condition score of 1/5 and with scour despite anthelmintic treatment three weeks previously.

Skin and eye disease

Two cases of orf were confirmed in sheep exhibiting granulomatous lesions on the head and distal limbs. One was confirmed on PCR and one on histopathology, lesions in the latter including severe, chronic, hyperplastic dermatitis with ballooning degeneration and intralesional eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies.

Systemic and miscellaneous disease

Several flocks had animals seropositive to Maedi visna, including some high rates of seropositivity in flocks known to have MV infection. In one flock, a seropositive ewe had delayed proprioception of the right hind leg and swayed to the left when ambulating, suggesting this was a case of visna, the neurological form of MV. In a second flock with a high incidence of mastitis, three out of ten animals tested were seropositive for MV.
Tick borne fever was confirmed on PCR testing of liver from a four-month-old lamb found dead in north Wales, one of four deaths in recent weeks. PME had detected small abscesses in the liver suggestive of tick pyaemia and Staphylococus aureus was subsequently cultured, confirming the suspicion. The lambs were heavily infested with ticks and tick control and avoiding high risk pastures for young lambs was advised to allow immunity to build up while limiting major challenge.
Caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) was confirmed on culture of abscesses in a two-year-old goat and a two-year-old Suffolk tup. It was also confirmed on serology in two flocks, one reporting a history of recurrent mandibular abscesses.
Actinobacillosis was confirmed on culture as the cause of an abscess in the region of the left mandibular lymph node in an 11-year-old sheep with suspected CLA.
Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from an abscess on the lower jaw of a goat where again CLA was suspected. Infection was likely to have occurred following trauma.
Other isolates from abscesses screened for possible CLA involvement that were potentially significant opportunist pathogens included Trueperella pyogenes, Pantoea agglomerans and Fusobacterium pyogenes.
Struvite (triple phosphate) crystalluria was detected in urine from an adult ram with stranguria, supporting a diagnosis of struvite urolithiasis.

Deficiencies and toxicities

Cobalt deficiency was reported in several sheep flocks this month, with ill thrift reported in affected ewes and lambs. Concurrent parasitic gastroenteritis was reported in one flock and concurrent Johne’s disease in a second flock. Cobalt deficiency was also reported together with low copper, low plasma inorganic iodine and selenium deficiency in some flocks; ill thrift was again the most common presentation. Cobalt deficiency was reported in four alpacas with a range of clinical signs reported including ill thrift, inappetence, shifting lameness and abdominal discomfort reported although it was unlikely that cobalt deficiency was the sole cause of some of these signs. Cobalt and selenium deficiency were also reported in an adult pygmy goat that had lost weight.
Low copper levels were also reported in goats, sheep and cattle with ill thrift being the most common presenting sign, others including anaemia, scour and poor fertility.
Low plasma inorganic iodine levels were also reported particularly in sheep, including in one 100-ewe moorland flock with recurrent eye infections where the possibility of an underlying mineral deficiency was being investigated. Other reported clinical signs in affected sheep and cattle were ill thrift and poor fertility.
Further cases of selenium deficiency were reported particularly in cattle. In one herd, calves were known to be selenium deficient and had been bolused. The calves were in better condition than the previous year but the farmer wanted to check GSH-Px levels in calves and also in some of the cows to see if these were deficient. All three calves and all three cows tested had low GSH-Px levels consistent with selenium deficiency.
Among the cases of vitamin A deficiency seen this month was one of three cows to abort in one day in a high yielding dairy herd, with a similar run of abortions at the same time last year. Other signs seen in aborting animals included mastitis, retained foetal membranes, metritis, lethargy, bruxism, laminitis and pneumonia. Vitamin A deficiency was investigated as a possible cause of decreased immunity. Similarly, in a second herd in which there had been lots of problems with a batch of calves born to bought-in cows, two of the three sampled cows had low vitamin A levels.
Hypocalcaemia was reported in several freshly calved dairy cows, in some cases with along with hypophosphataemia. However, in one Devon heifer, hypocalcaemia occurred at four months’ pregnancy. Milk fever in an animal of this type and stage of gestation is unusual. Low calcium can also be seen with severe tissue damage which this animal had (CK was over 20,000 U/l and AST was 17,530 U/l), and also with diarrhoea, renal disease and other causes of low albumin, calcium being bound to albumin. Ingestion of oxalate containing plants (e.g. rhubarb, purslane, sorrel, dock, foxtail grass, kikuyu grass) and sepsis can also cause hypocalcaemia.
Two Holstein cows developed nonspecific signs of illness within seven to 20 days of calving, one cow going on to develop a displaced abomasum. Both had low gut sounds and significantly reduced milk yields. A high NEFA (1628 μmol/l) and BHB (5.03 mmol/l) level in one of the two cows was consistent with fatty liver.
A three-year-old Guernsey cow that calved in March suffered from progressive weight loss and had a body condition score of 1/5 and mild diarrhoea at the time of sampling. Biochemistry detected a low urea level (0.9 mmol/l; RI: 2.0-6.6 mmol/l) indicating a lack of rumen degradable protein, caused by either inadequate levels in the diet or insufficient intake. The cow was seronegative for Johne’s.
After copper toxicity was detected on PME of a Hereford cross cow, four liver samples were submitted from cull cows in the herd and two came back with liver copper levels in excess of 10,000 μmol/kg DM, also consistent with copper toxicity. Copper toxicity was also suspected in an inappetant two-year-old tup with dark red-brown urine and dark faeces coated in mucus; the plasma copper level was 31.7 μmol/l (RI: 9-19), liver enzymes were raised and there was a moderately severe azotaemia suggesting a haemolytic crisis.

Camelids

Parasitic gastroenteritis was reported in two alpacas this month. Both had condition loss and one was also scouring. In addition to moderate to high strongyle egg counts, Nematodirus battus eggs and, in one animal, Trichuris eggs were also seen, the latter being known to be pathogenic in camelids (unlike in domestic ruminants). It was also diagnosed in a Bactrian camel with a strongyle egg count of 15,450 epg and 17,700 epg Trichuris sp..

Other Species

Several piglets from a litter died at 24 to 48 hours of age, following a period of inappetence and lethargy. The dam was also unwell. There had been some response and some recoveries after administration of intramuscular oxytetracycline. PME of one piglet that died a few days after the others but with the same clinical signs detected splenic enlargement, jaundice and purple discolouration of the skin. Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was isolated in moderate pure growth from a liver swab. Erysipelas is rare in such young piglets but it has nonetheless been reported in this age group and was considered likely to have been significant.
Pericarditis and perihepatitis were seen on PME of five to six-week-old rare breed poultry chicks and the likely cause was E. coli infection after its isolation in moderate, pure growth from a thoracic swab.