SELLS Animal Health Update May 2020

May 2020

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LOCAL DISEASE WATCH

Alex Stephens District Veterinarian Yass.

This month the warmer and wetter conditions and resultant pasture growth have resulted in a variety of diseases, and a great range in pasture growth depending on stocking rates. The Monaro is still facing a tough season, but other regions have gone from one extreme to the other with some cattle and sheep now at risk of becoming too fat for calving and lambing.

• Kikuku poisoning has been seen in a cattle herd on the south coast. This is an uncommon plant toxicity and appears to coincide with warm wet weather. The resultant inflammation of the stomach wall, results in gut malfunction, secondary bloat and death. See the article below for the details of this outbreak.
• Paspalum staggers has been seen in a mob of cattle due to the warm wet weather with the early autumn break. It occurs when stock graze pastures containing paspalum which has become infested with a toxic fungus. Cattle developed muscle trembling and a staggery gait but improved quickly on being moved to a safe pasture.
• Bovine ephemeral fever (3 day sickness) continues to be a risk to cattle herds while we have active mosquitos and other biting insects. Reports are coming in from the Illawarra and the Shoalhaven regions. The cold weather and frosts will assist in bringing an end to this disease outbreak.
• The early autumn break has resulted in pastures predominated by clover and some very successful crops. This has resulted in a few individual cases of bloat causing death. Bloat risk can be managed by limiting intake of the potentially bloating pasture, watching stock for signs of bloat, destabilizing the foam by access to bloat blocks and licks, or by reducing the activity of bloat enhancing bacteria through the use of monensin. For more information on bloat and control measures see the primefact: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/111411/Bloat-in-cattle-and-sheep.pdf
• Lush pasture growth has also increased cases of Pulpy Kidney (Clostridial Enterotoxaemia). Those highest at risk are weaners. All stock must have had an initial shot and a booster administered 4 to 6 weeks later to be protected. Where stock are grazing very high risk pastures a booster is recommended every 3 months, whereas in normal circumstances a yearly booster is adequate.
• Lamb deaths and deaths in lambing ewes can occur every lambing season and it is something that all sheep owners work to minimize. A lot of information can be gained through autopsies of both recently deceased or downer ewes and lambs. This information helps to rule out diseases and make management decisions to maximize ewe and lamb survival. I encourage you to call your local District Vet to work through these problems or utilize this guide to assist you to conduct your own investigations.  www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/.../sheep/health/other/lamb-autopsy
• Pestivirus (BVDV) is a complex disease, and every year we diagnose persistently infected calves (PIs). The virus is circulating all the time and causes disease when pregnant cows experience the virus for the first time when in the first trimester of pregnancy. It causes either abortion, still born calves, or calves born that persistently shed the virus (PIs) until they die prematurely, usually before 2 years of age. It is a real profit thief. Preventing the virus from infecting naive pregnant cows is the key, through use of Pestigard® vaccination, biosecurity and identification of PI calves. Testing calves that you suspect are PIs is simple and inexpensive by sending plucked tail hairs in an envelope to the laboratory. Test kits are available from the LLS offices or call your local District Vet to discuss control options.

Due to COVID -19 we experienced an increase in enquiries related to owning and raising chickens, home butchery and owning your own milking cow. To assist with these enquires we have prepared articles on home butchery and owning your own milking cow. Our guide to backyard chicken health and welfare was published in last month’s edition of the Animal Health Update, you can find it here: Essentials for Backyard Layer Chicken Health and Welfare

BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVER COOK YOUR EWES

Matt Lieschke Senior Agriculture Advisor Livestock.

For large parts of NSW, Autumn 2020 is shaping up very nicely and it couldn’t have come at a better time. From a livestock perspective, the good start means that stock have been putting on valuable condition and graziers in many areas of the state are likely to have above average paddock feed this winter.

While it’s great to finally see a good autumn, good seasons bring their own set of challenges. Producers in the south east will recall 2014 where we had a similar start to the season and there were all sorts of issues such as prolapse, foot abscess, dystocia and heavy ewes going down in the lead up to lambing. All these issues stem back to overfat ewes.

Given the quantity and quality of feed in paddocks at present, ewes in early pregnancy could be putting on 0.8 – 1.0kg a week. If ewes are already in good condition (e.g. 3 score), there is a risk that they could be a 4 score in 6 to 8 weeks if action is not taken.

The critical thing right now is to check ewe condition (i.e. fat score/condition score) as this will determine if you need to apply a nutritional ‘hand brake’ and by how much. Based on experience from previous years, you want to avoid Merino ewes from exceeding Fat Score 3.5 at lambing (Fat Score 4.0 for X bred ewes).

So, what can you do? The only real option is to limit weight gain through managing pasture height. If the aim is to maintain ewe condition, this involves grazing pastures down and limiting ewes to around 500 – 600kg DM/ha (1.5 - 2cm high). If you are aiming for slight weight gain, these targets might be increased to 800 – 900kg (2.5 – 3.0cm). Therefore, your pasture target will depend on fat score. The higher the fat score, the more important it is to act early and to a greater extent.

Whatever nutritional hand brake you apply, at some point it needs to be released. For twin bearing ewes the pressure needs to be eased 4 weeks prior to lambing. For single ewes the pressure could be maintained until 10 days out from lambing. At this point the pasture target increases slightly to 800 – 900kg/ha.

Twin bearing ewes are of greatest risk at present due to foot abscess. Ewes that develop foot abscess in late pregnancy are at risk of developing pregnancy toxaemia and dying. The other group of major concern is single bearing merino ewes that have been joined to a terminal sire, with lambs getting too big. If you do not scan it would be best to treat your mobs as though they all have twins and keep feed under control until the last month of pregnancy.

The latest outlook from the bureau is indicating that the Indian Ocean Dipole could swing to a negative phase, which typically increases the likelihood of above average winter-spring rainfall. Soil moisture is starting to build and feet issues will be further exacerbated if a wet winter eventuates.

There are a couple of things you can do to reduce the risk of feet problems. The main thing is to keep stock away from sheds and yards at least 1 month prior to lambing. If ewes need to be brought in for a reason (e.g. drenching or shearing), consider bringing the pre-lambing drench and vaccination earlier and watch the weather to do it at the driest time. When leaving the yards put ewes through a footbath using a zinc sulphate solution. This helps stop the spread, but it will do nothing for existing abscesses. Spraying out stock camps in select paddocks can also help reduce feet issues by providing additional dry areas for stock to camp and dry their feet. This was done by some producers in 2014. Also avoid putting pregnant ewes onto cereal crops until after lambing.

With the price of stock at present, and the amount of expense and effort getting them through the drought, the last thing you want is to lose stock in the coming months.

Further information on foot abscess, see Primefact 987 “Foot abscess in sheep”.

Further information on condition scoring sheep see www.makingmorefromsheep.com.au/wean-more-lambs/tool_10.1.htm

KIKUYU POISONING ON THE SOUTH COAST

Evelyn Walker District Veterinarian Berry

A case of kikuyu poisoning has been seen in a cattle herd on the South Coast. There has been one other case of suspect kikuyu poisoning occurring around the same time in a sheep flock. The risk of kikuyu poisoning is greatest during periods of rapid plant growth. Peak kikuyu growth in the South Coast area tends to be in January/February and can extend into April. In both cases, there was a recent history of cutting the pasture followed by rain and subsequent grazing of livestock. In the Hunter region, kikuyu poisonings are seen following drought breaks.

Unfortunately, the actual agent of the kikuyu poisoning remains a mystery. There are a lot of different theories, but nothing proven. Kikuyu poisoning can occur with and without army worms being present. Other theories are fungal sources, or oxalate build up in the plant. Or leaf damage by various insects causing increased consumption of kikuyu stems or overgrazing resulting in increased stem consumption. Nitrates have also been implicated as potential trigger. There are no visible signs on the toxic pasture to indicate that it is affected, other than the fact that cattle will often leave it ungrazed if they have the choice of eating something else.

Signs observed in cattle affected with kikuyu poisoning include any of the following: sudden death, profuse thick drool and salivation, sham drinking (put their nose in water, but fail to drink), sunken eyes, not grazing, signs of abdominal pain such as kicking or looking at their abdomen, groaning, not passing faeces, diarrhoea, teeth grinding, unsteady gait, muscle tremors and bloat. The mortality rate in cattle is 80%. Treatment is unsuccessful.

Signs observed in sheep affected with suspect kikuyu poisoning seen include drooling, dehydration, teeth grinding, unsteady gait resembling a profound lameness, diarrhoea, increased morbidity but less moralities than seen with cattle.

Prevention is very similar as for introducing stock to risky type paddocks (e.g. lush pastures, clover-based pastures, pastures with excess weeds, etc.). If introducing livestock onto risky kikuyu, try filling them up with something else first (palatable hay, other feed stuffs, etc.) so that they can be more discerning when going into the kikuyu paddock. Do not force animals to graze risky pasture. Leave the gate open behind them when putting them into risky pasture. Include alternative sources of feed available in the risky paddock such as ad-lib hay or silage. Carefully monitor the cattle during the first few days and if they seem reluctant to eat what looks to be good, young kikuyu, remove them from the paddock and spell it for several weeks. The period of risk seems to be relatively brief (estimates of 2-3 weeks). The risk is presumably associated with stage of growth of the kikuyu.

HOME BUTCHERY TIPS

Mark Doyle District Veterinarian Bega 

Whilst common place only a generation or two ago, the art of home butchery has quickly faded in recent times of quick, easy and convenient access to meat.

Given that we had received a number of enquiries, we felt it a good time to visit the legalities and practicalities of home butchery.

Firstly, legally speaking there are lots of laws, standards and regulations for meat production in Australia including:

• Biosecurity Act 2015
• Australian Standard for the hygienic production and transportation of meat and meat products for human consumption
• Right to Farm Bill 2019
• Biosecurity regulation 2017
• Food Act 2003
• Food Regulation 2015.

And the list goes on

Essentially the gist is that regulation applies to ownership, welfare, production and sale of food. So, it’s fine to home kill so long as you own the animal, you do the best by that animal’s welfare and you are not selling the product.

Even though you are not selling meat, you should still aim to meet all the same standards to ensure you are eating a clean, safe product. So, it is worthwhile looking at some of the standards that registered facilities must comply with. A good place to start is here https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/industry/meat/meat-and-poultry-processing-plants

Before you kill the animal, you should also make sure it is adhering to requirements for slaughter as you would do an animal for sale. That is, make sure it is fit and healthy and in good condition for slaughter. Consult your treatment records and make sure the animal hasn’t been treated for any ailments in recent history and adheres to all with-hold periods (WHPs) for any drugs, drenches or treatments it has had.

To see what standards are required of meat establishments in Australia and a great reference for all components of what to do to get a good product from start to finish it is worthwhile referring to the Australian Standard for the hygienic production and transportation of meat and meat products for human consumption AS 4696:2007. This can be ordered as a hard copy or downloaded in pdf format here https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/5553

The main choice you will make is whether you perform the whole process yourself or you hire someone to come onto your property and do it for you. There are a number of licensed home/on-farm butchery services available and if you can’t find one yourself please feel free to call your local LLS office and we can point you in the right direction. The first step is ensuring that the beast is euthanised humanely by carefully following the guidelines.  https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/96796/Humane-destruction-of-stock.pdf

It is certainly advised to at least have someone with experience in the area help you out to start with until you are more confident. Or, you could start small and get bigger, like starting with chickens or poultry and working your way up through small livestock before you tried doing a whole beast on your own.

There are a plethora of comprehensive texts and field guides to guide you through the process. Too numerous to list here, maybe it’s time to get online shopping. I found it very easy to find books on the subject just by entering home butchery into google. Organisations such as Meat and Livestock Australia and NSW Farmers have plenty of resources to access for advice. There are also some very handy YouTube videos to help you through the process, so if your internet is still holding together with the extra COVID pressure get watching.

Before you start you will want to make sure you have the right materials at home to get the butchering job done. Again, consult your reference texts but a basic start suggested is a 5-inch stiff boning knife, 7-inch stiff boning knife and a 12-inch butcher knife. Start with a stiff knife and then go onto something more flexible as your skills increase. A handsaw will be very useful to cut through bones, and a dedicated table for preparation and work is ideal. Useful tips include using the weight of the cuts to help you break bits as less sawing increases meat life (heat and oxidising agents in bone marrow). As you get more excited about the situation you could move onto purchasing a bandsaw for further precision cuts, a mincer (which can be sourced from as little as $50) to help utilise offcuts, sausage cannons etc. The list is endless!

You should also invest in safety equipment – scabbards for knives, butchers’ gloves, metal chest plates to prevent self-injury and so on. And, critically you will want to perform the whole process to the utmost hygiene levels so the ability to have a cold room or similar to operate in will be a huge bonus. Don’t underestimate just how much meat you will end up with from the process, so knowing you have enough room in the freezer and enough packaging materials for the product will save embarrassment or wastage on the day.

Remember, lots of food poisoning occurs at point of cooking so don’t ruin all that clean preparation by forgetting the basics at food preparation time and properly cooking your meat. And when it comes to eating the product you should be prepared to eat everything – otherwise be prepared to waste a lot of meat or use it for dog food. It often comes as a surprise for people just how much meat there is and how much of a carcass isn’t T-bones or bacon.

So, is the process not just money saving but rewarding? The short answer is yes, it is! There is no comparison to home grown beef/sheep/pork but, you have to have the stomach for it. Even if you are not ‘going the whole hog’ and performing the butchery yourself keep in mind that it can be a different experience eating the lamb/calf/pig you’ve just raised. Some people find this part even more rewarding, some find it abhorrent, and it’s probably not something you can make the call on until you’ve been there. When I worked in Scotland, I remember the hardest oldest farmer I’ve ever done work for telling me ‘there isnae torture like sending your ain coos tae slaughter’.

So maybe it’s not worth the hassle and heartache after all?

If you get to and enjoy the process and wanted to expand your operation, the process to follow for getting registered to kill and process your own meat for sale can be found at https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/help/licensing

GETTING A HOUSE MILKING COW

Mark Doyle District Veterinarian Bega 

There are several choices to make about getting yourself a house milking cow.

Will you hand milk or get a machine for milking?

Will you get the cow as a calf or a full-grown animal?

Will you share the milk with the calf?

What breed will you get?

What will you do with all the excess milk?

From the District Veterinarians perspective we would like you to have done your paper work first and have a Property Identification Code (PIC), have assessed the biosecurity risk to your property (Bovine Johne’s Disease, Theileria and Neospora among others) and fulfil your NLIS requirements when moving the animal.

The most important factor for having a ‘house cow’ will be to choose an animal with the right temperament and the right milk supply for you. Having a cow as a house cow is really like taking on an employee. You must keep her happy and treat her right to get what you want from her. Bad temperament can and will be a deal breaker, and poor handling will drive the cow to resenting the process. A cow may be fine when she is milked as part of a herd but an entirely different proposition to be hand milked or machine milked by herself.

So, be very careful with your selection. Black and white Holsteins may seem like the pin-up of the dairy world and what comes to mind when we think about milking a cow, but they might not always be the best choice for a house cow. Holsteins are the Ferraris of the dairy world. They are consistently among the best performers, but that’s only when you keep them well-oiled with the best fuel and operate them on a specially designed surface. With the right feeding regime high producing dairy cows today have the genetic potential to produce an amazingly large amount of milk. There are cows in the Bega valley that reach 70+ Litres per day in peak lactation. But is that what you really need?

So, make a considerate decision when choosing your animal. You may find that a smaller Jersey is easier to manage. Or, though unconventional, a beef or beef cross animal may have a good enough temperament and still provide you with ample milk. I know of various cases where a Shorthorn proved a more than worthy house cow. Or, you may consider some of the lesser known dairy breeds like Brown Swiss or Guernseys which may better suit you and your situation.

If you have sourced an adult animal (from a dairy) there will be a period of change for the cow to get used to how you are doing things. This will not necessarily be easy, and it is important that you are persistent as it will be easy to give up at this point. If you are raising a calf to be your house cow just remember that it will be a good two years before she is producing milk for you. All cows have to have a calf to produce milk. First, she has to get in calf (at about 15 months old), carry the calf to term (another 9 months) and have the calf safely before she will be ready to produce milk for you. A general rule for cows’ post calving is not to consume the milk whilst it is discoloured (with colostrum and/or blood) directly after calving. At this stage dairies usually wait about 3 days before putting the milk in the vat.

If you are keeping the calf on the cow, locking the calf up for a period before milking will help a supply build up for you to access. Traditionally this is usually overnight to allow for an early morning milking. The milk you do not require is then utilized by the calf. The cow will adjust her milk supply to accommodate you and the calf, but remember that routine is everything, a milking cow will require regular milking. The milking process should be an established routine and the same every time, so the cow knows what to expect. When milking your cow safety is of the utmost priority. At a minimum you need to have a good quality head bail, a sturdy leg rope and a clean stainless-steel bucket. Though it may be romantic to think about approaching Daisy in the paddock to grab a few squirts for a cup of tea it is very rarely practicable. Feeding your cow (maybe some tasty grain or dairy pellets) in the head bail will provide reward for her service and, once a routine is established, aid in milk letdown. You should get plenty of milk for home purposes with minimal supplementation but please ask your District Vets for advice on nutrition.

Whether you are using a machine or hand milking it is important that the cow has a good experience. Gentle handling and a good technique will help her immensely. If teats are muddy or dirty, they should be cleaned and dried before starting and every effort should be made to keep the product from getting contaminated. It may also be beneficial to apply a post milking teat spray depending on the situation.

Milk sold in Australia must legally be pasteurised. This is to keep you safe from zoonotic diseases. This is a process where the milk is heated to 72 degrees for 15 seconds in order to destroy harmful bacteria and make milk safer for consumption. It is illegal to sell raw (unpasteurised) milk, so any milk or milk products you obtain from your cow must be put to personal use and remember that raw milk has a far higher risk of causing you illness. Whether you start making cheese, or yoghurt, or soap is all up to you but as with meat products lots of regulations and licensing apply if you want to take the next step and make a commercial enterprise of the situation.

Make sure you are familiar with what normal milk looks like. ‘Clinical mastitis’ occurs when there is heat, swelling or pain in the udder, or there are changes in the milk (wateriness or clots) that persist for more than three squirts of milk. Milk should not be consumed from this quarter and veterinary advice should be pursued for treatment. If you are unsure you may wish to use a ‘paddle test’ to check if each of the quarters are producing normal milk, and again any of your DV’s would happily advise on how to go about this.

Having a house cow (or goat) can be a very rewarding experience but is not for the faint hearted. For advice on this or anything else in your rural enterprise please get in touch with the team at your Local Land Services.

ZOONOSES- ANIMAL DISEASES THAT CAN INFECT YOU

Zoonotic diseases are animal diseases that can infect and cause disease in humans. Anyone working with or handling animals needs to know about zoonoses and the precautions they must take to minimise their risk of infection. Examples of zoonotic diseases are: Hydatids, Q fever, Hendra Virus, Campylobacter and Salmonella.

Hendra Virus can spread from flying foxes to horses and from infected horses to humans causing death. This winter is forecast to be a higher risk season for the north east of NSW. Horse owners are encouraged to vaccinate their horses if they compete or take their horses into Hendra risk areas. For more information see the primefact: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/310492/Hendra-Virus-Primefact-970-1.pdf

People who have close contact with large numbers of animals such as farmers, abattoir workers, shearers, knackery workers and veterinarians are at a higher risk of contracting a zoonotic disease. Members of the wider community are also at risk from those zoonoses that can be transmitted by family pets. People are exposed to the bacteria, protozoa, fungi, viruses and parasites that cause zoonoses in a number of ways. Some people are more susceptible to contracting a zoonotic disease due to their immune status, for example those people who are on immunosuppressive treatment, pregnant women, alcoholics and diabetics. It is important to realise that zoonoses may be contracted from both ill and apparently healthy animals. The highest risk is from faeces, urine, birth fluids, or eating raw eggs, milk and meat.

Contact with zoonotic disease agents is preventable by taking several basic precautions including:

• washing hands well with soapy water after handling animals and before you eat
• always prepare the meat you eat safely and cook it well
• do not drink unpasteurised milk.
• provide prompt and effective first aid treatment to cuts and scratches, and keep them covered
• use personal protective equipment to match the task e.g. overalls, gloves, boots, goggles, aprons, masks
• de-worm your farm dogs every 3 months against round worms and every 6 weeks against hydatids in high risk situations. Do not allow dogs to feed on offal
• control rodents, feral cats and pigs
• ensure you, at risk family members and staff are vaccinated against Q fever
• horse owners should consider vaccinating their horse against Hendra virus.
• vaccinate cattle against Leptospirosis

CONTACT US

South East Local Land Services
District Veterinarians

FAR SOUTH COAST

Mark Doyle

mark.doyle@lls.nsw.gov.au
02 6491 7800

M: 0417 296 739

GOULBURN

Henry Clutterbuck

henry.clutterbuck@lls.nsw.gov.au

02 4824 1900

M: 0428 484 668

MONARO

Petrea Wait

petrea.wait@lls.nsw.gov.au
02 6452 1455

M: 0427 006 343

PALERANG
Lou Baskind

lou.baskind@lls.nsw.gov.au
02 4842 2594

M:0427 422 530

SOUTH COAST
Evelyn Walker

evelyn.walker@lls.nsw.gov.au

02 4464 6000

M: 0429 100 345

YASS

Alex Stephens
alexandra.stephens@lls.nsw.gov.au

02 6118 7700

M: 0407 489 571