Pulpy kidney - protect your best lambs

01 Jan 1970

Are you running last year’s lambs on green crop at the moment?

Have you given them a booster vaccination for pulpy kidney in the previous three months?

We have seen several cases of pulpy kidney over the previous few weeks. All have been in last year’s lambs on winter crop, and losses have been significant, especially considering current stock values.

Causation

Pulpy kidney is caused by an overgrowth of a specific clostridial bacteria, Clostridium perfringens Type D. This bacteria is naturally present in a healthy sheep’s gut as part of normal gut flora. It produces a toxin which doesn’t cause a problem at low levels.

However, when the animal is on energy-rich feed these bacteria can multiply really quickly, resulting in very large amounts of toxin being produced. The toxin is absorbed into the animal’s blood stream which causes significant damage affecting multiple body organs. This results in death – very, very sudden death in unvaccinated animals, often following terminal convulsions. In lambs with some immunity from previous vaccination, illness may be slightly more drawn out, but there is no treatment and affected animals will die.

Prevention

Pulpy kidney is easily and cheaply prevented by effective clostridial vaccination. An initial two vaccinations are required 4-6 weeks apart for effective protection, but timely boosters are crucial, and may be necessary up to every three months while on high risk feed. The lush crops in the district at the moment are certainly considered high risk. The better your lambs are doing the more imperative it is to give a booster – pulpy kidney strikes the best lambs.

If you have any questions about pulpy kidney you can get in contact with us by calling 1300 795 299.