In this Issue
Letter from the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Letter from the Incoming President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Management Report and Minutes of Board Meetings . . . . . . . . . . 4
Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Books, Bulletins, and Computer Websites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Drugs and Biologics – Veterinary Feed Directive . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
G6S Testing of Blood and Semen for Nubians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Report from the Velveting Seminar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Student Externship Reports – USSES and Lambing Rotation . . . . . 6
Veterinary Feed Directive and Need to Comment - Editorial . . . . . . . 9
Preventing Coccidiosis in Lambs and Kids – AASRP Q&A . . . . . . . 9
CIDRs for Out of Season Breeding – AASRP Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Wool&
Wattles
The AASRP Newsletter
April-June 2015
Volume 43, Issue 2
Mission Statement of AASRP
“To improve the health and
welfare of sheep, goats,
camelids and cervids,
to further the professional
Spread of Staph aureus – AASRP Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
development of the members,
Information on Hair Sheep – AASRP Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
provide resources to elevate
Convincing a Llama to Accept Its Cria – LAMA_MED Q&A . . . . . . 12
the standards of small ruminant
Catheters and Blood Draws in Camelids – AASRP Q&A . . . . . . . . 12
practice and to be the voice
Persistence of the Scrapie Agent in the Environment . . . . . . . . . . 13
for small ruminant issues.”
Bulk Tank Milk Surveillance for CAE and CLA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Diagnosis of P. tenuis by PCR of Fixed Nervous Tissue . . . . . . . . . 14
Outbreak of EEE in White-tailed Deer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Pigweeds Cause Kidney Failure in Lambs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Defining Hyperketonemia in Pregnant Goats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Heat Stress in Camelids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Overwintering of Worm Larvae on Canadian Pastures . . . . . . . . . 16
Border Disease Causes Abortion and Neonatal Deaths in Goats . . . 16
Targeted Selective Treatment Effective on a UK Farm . . . . . . . . . 16
A Review of Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
AASRP Board of Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
AASRP Veterinary College Liaisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Letter from the President
Letter from the Incoming President
Greetings from South Carolina!
Dear AASRP members,
This issue marks the completion of my term
as AASRP President. As I reflect on this
term, some of the issues facing small ruminant veterinarians are new, but some have a
surprisingly familiar ring - several years ago
the then-proposed ban on extralabel use of
cephalosporins threatened to impact small ruminant practice. You spoke up, your voices
were heard and the final rule excluded minor species. Today, proposed
legislation regarding Veterinary Feed Directives (VFD) threatens to remove important extralabel strategies used in small ruminant practice,
for example the feeding of top-dressed tetracycline to control infectious
abortion. More information is available in committee reports in this issue and on AASPR-L, but your public comment is needed and AASRP
is actively engaged in advocating for the small ruminant practitioner’s
need for therapies falling under the proposed rule.
Dr. Paul Jones will be stepping down as AASRP delegate to the AVMA
House of Delegates. Dr. Jones, a previous recipient of the prestigious
McConnell Award for service to AASRP, is a key leader in AASRP in all
areas relating to governance and in building relationships with our partner organizations. Thank you, Dr. Jones, for your distinguished service
to AASRP. Current HOD alternate Dr. Joan Bowen has been selected
to complete his term. Special thanks also to Dr. Joan Bowen for the
many ways she has assisted me during my term as AASRP president.
Dr. Bowen’s dedication to AASRP is exemplified in her direct service
to members through her leadership at meetings, communications on
the AASRP-L and as a champion for small ruminant issues in AVMA,
related professional organizations, continuing education forums and
regulatory areas. In fact, she has been a strong advocate not just for
small ruminant issues but for all aspects of rural mixed practice and
livestock veterinary medicine.
Those of you who are also members of the American Association of
Bovine Practitioners will know that Dr. Gatz Riddell will be retiring in
the coming year after a long career as Executive Vice President of AABP.
The partnership and professional collaboration between our associations have been of great benefit to members of both associations. Many
thanks to Drs. Riddell, Jones, Bowen and others who have fostered this
collaboration. I am confident that this relationship will continue to
prosper in future years. We are fortunate that incoming AASRP President Patty Scharko has a rich history of involvement with AABP as a
past AABP president and more recently as parliamentarian. Thank you,
Patty, for the leadership experience that you bring to AASRP. I look
forward to continuing to work together with you during your term as
AASRP president.
I look forward to continuing to serve AASRP and am excited about our
new leadership. Please contact me if there is any way that I can help
AASRP better serve you.
Best regards,
Joan Dean Rowe
It will be difficult following Dr. Joan
Rowe’s and Dr. Joan Bowen’s excellent
leadership over the past 4 plus years. Drs.
Bowen and Rowe each have been involved
with dairy goats for more than 45 years;
this experience with small ruminants and
leadership provides wisdom for the industry and profession. The good news is that
they will continue to be on the Executive
Board and share their knowledge during the next 2 years. Drs. Paul
Jones and Joan Bowen represent AASRP at the AVMA House of Delegates. They represent us well and always ask for our/member input.
Let me introduce myself - I am a field/extension veterinarian with
Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health. South Carolina has a
unique situation - the SC state veterinarian is employed by Clemson
University. There are several veterinarians in our office, and each covers
different species. I answer small ruminant and cattle questions (please
no poultry questions!) I began working with small ruminants during
my internship with Tufts Ambulatory, about 30 plus years ago. I have
attended numerous AASRP programs at AVMA and enjoy learning how
to better care and answer questions. I am involved with AABP - president in 2003 and recently completed a term as parliamentarian, with
ACVPM (American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine)- president in 2005, AAEV (American Association of Extension Veterinarians)
- president in 2010, and Christian Veterinary Mission as past board
member. With these positions, you would think that I would be very
qualified in leadership! Actually no, but I have enjoyed working with
great boards, wonderful colleagues and knowledgeable EVP’s/Executive
Directors.
With Dr. Brad Fields as AASRP Executive Director, the Board has
worked hard to have a very tight budget. During the past 4 years, I
have reviewed the AASRP monthly finances from Franz Management.
Each board member puts in many hours to prepare for our monthly
conference calls. The board meets during the AVMA conference for our
annual board and membership meetings.
I look forward to working with Dr. Dale Duerr as your incoming President-Elect. The President-Elect is the CE program chair, responsible
for AVMA, AABP and NAVC small ruminant programs. We appreciate
your input to selecting future speakers and programs. Let us know if
you hear a good speaker- your input and feedback are valued. Thanks
for attending these programs!
Thanks to Dr. Susan Myers and Dr. Liz Hardy for agreeing to second
terms as Region 2 and Region 4 Directors. With Dr. Dale Duerr moving to President-Elect, we welcome Dr. Sarah Lowry as our new Region
1 Director; Sarah attended the AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference as an AASRP emerging leader in 2014. PLEASE let us know about
a new graduate who works with small ruminants and may be interested
in becoming involved. Dr. Paul Jones has worked with many veterinary
students in the past years at his practice and has been able to get a number of people involved, including Susan, Liz and Sarah!
Thank you for your AASRP membership. It is truly a tremendous value!
Best wishes,
Patty Scharko
2
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
2nd Quarter
Active Members
Yoav Alony-Gilboa
Laela Arnold
Paul Bailey
James Bennett
Danielle Broaders
Fred Brown II
David A. Byerly
Christina Dayton-Wall
Julia Dietz
Phillip J. Gill
Jose A. Gomez
Kelli Gaughan Hanno
Amy Heinze
Christina Hill
Laura R. Jacobson
Bogdam Klinkosz
Kathleen Rhoads
Greg Smith
Tania Woerner
Students
Bryen Ballard
Oberlin McDaniel Brinker
Katherine Diller
Jess Eisenbarth
Sarah C. Genzer
Cathy M. Johnson
Katharine Kierski
Katherine Lee
Hannah MacDonald
Evelyn Mackay
Kendra Magelitz
Candace Matthews
Debra Maxwell
Samantha Megrey
Jessica Simons
Vanessa L. Wolf
Samuel B. Guss Memorial Fund
Contributions as of June 10, 2015
Susan Hirsch
Robert Alan Huddleston
Michelle Kopcha
Dr. Samuel B. Guss
(1916-1984)
In order to assist veterinary students interested in small ruminant medicine, AASRP provides grants each year to help student members
of AASRP undertake extern opportunities. It is not required that the experience be with small ruminants exclusively, but it should
provide at least some chance to observe a modern veterinary practice working with one or more of the small ruminant species.
Over one hundred AASRP member practitioners throughout the United States – as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Israel
and Puerto Rico – offer externships to students seeking experience in small ruminant medicine. To learn more about the AASRP
Student Externship Program, call the AASRP Management Office at 334-517-1233, or log on at aasrp.org
*Donations for the Sam Guss fund can now be made online without having to go thru the membership renewal. Here is the link:
https://aasrp.site-ym.com/donations/donate.asp?id=10954
2015 Student Grant Recipient 2nd Quarter
Due to the continued contributions to the Samuel B. Guss Memorial Fund, the following veterinary students have been selected and
are able to receive grants to help assist with the cost of the externship. Thank you to all of the donors. Your contribution truly makes a
difference!
STUDENT
SCHOOL
EXTERNSHIP DATES
LOCATION
AMOUNT
Rachael Kearns
Elizabeth Racine
Candace N. Matthews
Sarah Copeland
Catherine Stollen
NCSU
UPEI
NCSU
Guelph St. George’s
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
June 1, 2015
June 1-13, 2015
Aug 10-12, 2015
Sept 8-18, 2015
June 14-26, 2015
North American Camelid Studies
North American Camelid Studies
Dr. Charlotte Farin
ORS, Camelid Medicine & surgery rotation
Granville Vet Service
$350.00
$750.00
$400.00
$750.00
$400.00
3
Management Report
Greetings Colleagues!
It is an exciting time here at the AASRP! For
the first time in our organization’s history,
we delivered a train-the-trainer lecture and
hands on lab last month! Thanks to Drs.
Glen Zebarth, Cliff Shipley, Cindy Wolf, and Joan Bowen for
their tireless efforts and support that ultimately resulted in an
amazing learning opportunity for the participants, and a template
for future educational offerings.
At our July membership meeting, we welcome some new faces
to the AASRP leadership team, and say farewell to others. (See
article in this issue for details)
We are continuing to improve our Sam Guss Fund, and have
partnered with Amazon.com to allow a percentage of your
eligible purchases to be deposited into the fund. For full details,
visit our website as www.aasrp.org.
Coming soon, members will be able to upload and maintain
their continuing education certificates on the AASRP website.
We hope that this will be a benefit to you by streamlining the
certificate repository that you can access for years to come.
If you participate in social media, be sure to please LIKE us on
Facebook and follow us on Twitter! Our postings are often and
cover a broad topic range of hopefully interesting topics. If you
would like to see different content, or suggest a topic, simply send
your suggestion our way!
From your Board of Directors and the management team
in Montgomery, Alabama, we sincerely thank you for your
continued support and membership in AASRP, and hope that we
bring a solid value and benefit from your membership. If we can
ever be of assistance, please let us know!
Warm Regards,
Dr. Brad Fields & the Franz Management Team
STUDENT EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES
We receive many requests from veterinary students for information
about externship opportunities. We are asking AASRP Veterinary
members if they are interested in hosting primarily 4th year students
for 2-4 weeks. Information that the students desire includes: - Small
ruminant species seen in your practice, - Busiest months of the year
relevant to small ruminant work, - Practice location, - Availability of
housing, and - Preferred contact information for externship requests.
Based on student feedback, we see a need to update externship
opportunity information from the membership. Thus we are asking for
those of you who wish to host Student externs to contact me directly
via email using the following Subject line: AASRP Externships. Thanks
and I look forward to hearing from you. Cindy Wolf, DVM wolfx006@
umn.edu
4
Summary of AASRP Meetings:
March – June 2015
March 25, 2015 Executive Board Meeting Conference Call
The Board:
- Received reports from Regional Directors.
- Received & approved financial reports from Dr.
Scharko
- Received Management Report from Dr. Fields.
- Approved externship funding requests for the following
students:
o Rachael Kearns for $350
o Elizabeth Racine for $750
- Approved Ohio State AASRP Student Chapter funding
support of $100.00 to support a dehorning wet lab.
- Received update on Elk Velveting Workshop being
held June 20, 2015
- Received report on current status of AASRP historical
archives and processing.
- Approved Dr. Fields’ request to apply for scholarship
funding to attend a membership engagement and social media seminar in Minneapolis, MN
April 29, 2015 Executive Board Meeting Conference Call
The Board:
- Approved minutes from previous meeting
- Received reports from Regional Directors
- Received Management Report from Dr. Fields
- Received & approved financial reports from Dr.
Scharko
- Received report that Dr. Fields had received the scholarship funding to attend the membership engagement
and social media seminar in MN
- Received report that 15 ballots have been received for
regional director and president-elect positions.
- Approved externship funding requests for the following
student:
o Candace Matthews for $400
- Received report on proposed bylaws and resolutions
changes with AVMA
- Heard discussions and planning details for the Proper
Velveting Train-the-Trainer technical seminar to be
held on June 19-20, 2015 in Alexandria, MN
May 27, 2015 Executive Board Meeting Conference Call
The Board:
- Approved minutes from previous meeting
- Received reports from Regional Directors.
- Received & approved financial reports from Dr.
Scharko
- Received Management Report from Dr. Fields.
- Approved externship funding requests for the following
student:
o Sarah Copeland for $750
- Received update on Elk Velveting Workshop being
held June 20, 2015
o $1000.00 Donation received from North American Elk Association
o $500.00 Donation received from the North
American Deer Farmers Association
o Seven veterinarians are registered for the workshop
- Received proposed Anti-Discrimination Policy for
policy manual.
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
June 24, 2015 Executive Board Meeting Conference Call
The Board:
- Approved minutes from previous meeting
- Received reports from Regional Directors
- Received Management Report from Dr. Fields
- Received & approved financial reports from Dr.
Scharko
- Received summary report of velveting workshop held
on June 20, 2015
- Received report of upcoming board and membership
meetings at AVMA convention in Boston on July 11,
2015
- Discussed the upcoming changes to the Veterinary
Feed Directive (VFD) and provided input to Dr.
Bowen for inclusion in the debate
- Approved election of Dr. Joan Bowen as the new
AVMA Delegate upon resignation of Dr. Paul Jones in
July.
- Approved nomination of Dr. Paula Menzies for the
Donald E. Bailey Practitioner of the Year Award.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The 2015 AVMA Convention will have been held in Boston on July 1014 before you receive this newsletter. See Wool and Wattles 43.1 for the
program.
The 2015 Annual Theriogenology Conference will be held August 5 to 9
in San Antonio, Texas. The programming is mainly aimed at dogs, horses,
and cattle but the Production Animal Wet Lab Symposium on Sunday
August 9th includes a session on the breeding soundness examination in the
ram and buck. For more information visits <http://www.therio.org/?page=
2015TherioConference>.
The 2015 AABP Convention will be held in September 17 to 19 in New
Orleans, Louisiana. AABP- AASRP Joint Sessions begin on Thursday
September 17th (8 to 10 am) with presentations by David VanMetre on
Small Ruminant Tips - Field Anesthesia Techniques and Management of
Common Small Ruminant Medical Problems. Cervid seesion are scheduled
for Friday September 18th (8 am to 12:15 pm) and will be presented by
Shane Donley: Herd Health of Whitetail Deer, Anesthesiology of Whitetail
Deer, and Clinical Case Studies of the Whitetail Deer. The joint program
concludes Friday afternoon (1:45 to 3:45 pm) with Robert Van Saun
discussing Basic Small Ruminant Nutrition and Feed Analysis for Small
Ruminants For more information visit <http://www.aabp.org/meeting/>.
The 2015 Pacific Northwest Veterinary Conference will be held in Tacoma,
Washington on September 25-27, 2015. Dr. Mary Smith will present seven
sessions on small ruminants: Routine veterinary care of small ruminants and
targeted examination of the animal and herd; Parasite control tailored to fit
the herd; Common nutrition-based problems Part 1 - copper poisoning,
polioencephalomalacia, grain overload, starvation; Common nutritionbased problems Part 2 - hypocalcemia, pregnancy toxemia, urolithiasis;
Dystocia and neonatal care; Routine surgical procedures - disbudding,
docking, and castration; Necropsies for diagnosis and herd monitoring. For
more information visit <http://wsvma.org/pnwvc-2015/>.
AASRP/ADGA Veterinary CE Program in Boise, ID on October 17 &
18, 2015. The American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners and
American Dairy Goat Association will offer a 16-hour veterinary continuing
education program at the American Dairy Goat Association Annual
Meeting in Boise, Idaho on Saturday October 17 and Sunday October 18,
2015 at The Riverside Hotel, Boise, Idaho. Schedule is pending; topics
to include infectious disease control, regulatory updates and other health
management topics emphasizing dairy goat health. See the AASRP website
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
or www.adgaconvention.com for schedule and registration information.
This is a new compressed schedule format for the ADGA meeting, with
the AASRP program moved to the closing weekend of the convention.
AASRP program attendees and their families will be able to take advantage
of concurrent activities under the new format, including youth program,
ADGA Spotlight Sale, judges training and event banquets (registration with
or without these meals will be available). For more information, see web
sites above or contact Joan Dean Rowe jdrowe@ucdavis.edu or Joan Bowen
joan.s.bown@gmail.com.
The North American Veterinary Community Conference (NAVC) will
be held January 16-20, 2016, in Orlando, FL. See <http://navc.com/
conference/> for registration and other information. Early Registration
Pricing is available until October 15, 2015. The small ruminant and
camelid programming is extensive:
Monday 1/18/16:
Weight Loss Rule-outs in Small Ruminants - (camelids, sheep and
goats), Drs. Videla and Cindy Wolf
Working with Camelid Neonates, Dr. Ricardo Videla
The Blocked Goat, Dr. Ann Goplen
Small Ruminant Neurology, Dr. Ricardo Videla
“Mortui Vivos Docent”: Lamb Necropsy, Dr. Cindy Wolf
Epidurals in Small Ruminants- Techniques, Dr. Ann Goplen
Prolapse Repair Techniques, Dr. Cindy Wolf
Copper Deficiency in Boer Goats (case), Dr. Cindy Wolf
Tuesday 1/19/16:
Small Ruminant Emergency Vets! Drs. Cindy Wolf and Ann Goplen
Tips and Hints for Better Anesthesia Outcomes, Dr. Ann Goplen
Update on OPP (Ovine Progressive Pneumonia), Dr. Cindy Wolf
CLA: On Farm Control Problems, Dr. Goplen
C-Sections in Small Ruminant Practice - How to Make the Best Out
of a Bad Situation- Anderson
Meloxicam Use in Small Ruminants - Young to Old, Dr. Wolf
Geriatric Teeth Care in Small Ruminants, Dr. Goplen
Acute and Chronic Anemia - What to Do and When, Dr. Anderson
Small Animal Program (Tues pm): Small Ruminant and Camelid
Practice for Small Animal Veterinarians, Dr. David Anderson
Wednesday 1/20/16:
Anesthesia and Pain Management in Small Ruminants. Camelids are
not big goats! Drs. Ann Goplen and David Anderson
Lameness in Camelids - Things You Should Be Aware of,
Dr. David Anderson
General Concepts in Livestock Disaster Planning,
Dr. Kelly Still-Brooks
Expecting the Unthinkable - Emergency Planning for Small Ruminant
Clients, Dr. Still-Brooks
Disaster Response and the Small Ruminant Practitioner,
Dr. Still-Brooks
BOOKS, BULLETINS, AND
COMPUTER WEBSITES
The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks goes into extensive detail on
breeding and managing a flock in the Lake District of England. This is
a good quick read; well-reviewed by the NY Times and a best-seller in
Britain. It is available in Kindle and hard cover at <www.amazon.com>.
Recommended by Dr. Pete White, professor emeritus at Cornell.
Calf Scours in Deer and Elk <http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/
specialstock/deer/scours.html>, a website produced by Dr. Murray
Woodbury, describes the risk factors for fawn scours, etiologic agents, and
the somewhat unique tendency to severe hypernatremia in these animals.
Bovine calf electrolytes should not be given to scouring fawns, as these
products are typically high in sodium. Dilute these solutions 1:2 to 1:4
with additional water or use human Pedialyte, which is lower in sodium.
5
DRUGS AND BIOLOGICS
FDA Regulation to Help Ensure Judicious Use of Antibiotics in FoodProducing Animals
Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) final rule was issued on June 2, 2015
with the following message:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today the Veterinary
Feed Directive (VFD) final rule, an important piece of the agency’s overall
strategy to promote the judicious use of antimicrobials in food-producing
animals. This strategy will bring the use of these drugs under veterinary
supervision so that they are used only when necessary for assuring animal
health. The VFD final rule outlines the process for authorizing use of VFD
drugs (animal drugs intended for use in or on animal feed that require
the supervision of a licensed veterinarian) and provides veterinarians in
all states with a framework for authorizing the use of medically important
antimicrobials in feed when needed for specific animal health purposes.
The VFD final rule continues to require veterinarians to issue all VFDs
within the context of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) and
specifies the key elements that define a VCPR. These key elements include
that the veterinarian engage the client (i.e., animal producer or caretaker)
to assume responsibility for making clinical judgments about patient (i.e.,
animal) health, have sufficient knowledge of the animal by conducting
examinations and/or visits to the facility where the animal is managed, and
provide for any necessary follow-up evaluation or care. The final rule will
require veterinarians to follow state-defined VCPR requirements; in states
where the FDA determines that no applicable or appropriate state VCPR
requirements exist, veterinarians will need to issue VFDs in compliance
with federally defined VCPR requirements. All veterinarians will need to
adhere to a VCPR that includes the key elements in the final rule.
“The actions the FDA has taken to date represent important steps toward
a fundamental change in how antimicrobials can be legally used in foodproducing animals,” said Michael R. Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner
for foods. “The VFD final rule takes another important step by facilitating
veterinary oversight in a way that allows for the flexibility needed to
accommodate the diversity of circumstances that veterinarians encounter,
while ensuring such oversight is conducted in accordance with nationally
consistent principles.”
In December 2013, the agency published a guidance document, which
calls on animal drug manufacturers of approved medically important
antimicrobials that are put into water or feed of food-producing animals
to voluntarily stop labeling them as drugs that can be used to promote
animal growth and change the labeling of their products for the remaining
uses to require veterinary oversight of these drugs when they are used
for therapeutic purposes. All of the affected makers of these drugs have
committed in writing to participate in the strategy.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/pmy37jh
G6S TESTING OF BLOOD AND
SEMEN
The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) was
founded with the mission to service the livestock and food animal industries
in Texas. As with all technology, our testing services have evolved, requiring
us to re-validate some tests and/or specimen types. One such test is our G6S
PCR test for semen. Caprine Mucopolysaccharidosis-IIID is a lysosomal
storage disorder caused by a debilitating genetic mutation resulting in a
deficiency of N-acetylglucosamine-6-sulfatase (G6S). Goats, especially the
Nubian breed, can be screened for the mutated G6S gene prior to breeding.
For more information on G6S, read the TVMDL FAQ.
TVMDL currently offers a PCR test on blood samples. We need your
assistance to re-validate our PCR test for semen specimens.
How can you help us?
6
Send in paired semen and blood samples from the same buck for FREE
testing. We are especially interested in paired samples from known carriers
of the G6S mutation. The College Station laboratory is accepting paired
samples for testing AT NO CHARGE to you. It is a win-win situation:
you receive accurate, official G6S results and assist TVMDL in re-validating
our semen assay. Offering testing of semen and blood allows Nubian and
mini-Nubian goat owners options when submitting samples. We appreciate
your assistance and patience while we re-validate our test. When enough
paired samples are obtained, TVMDL will return to our regularly priced
test practices. If you have questions, please contact the agency headquarters
at 1.888.646.5623.
REPORT FROM THE VELVETING
SEMINAR
On June 20th, 2015 a seminar on Velvet Antler Production and Harvesting
was held at Dr. Glen Zebarth’ s elk farm in Brandon, Minnesota. Dr.
Zebarth, Dr. Cindy Wolf and Dr. Cliff Shipley hosted participants from
California, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Topics of discussion
included Antler Growth and Anatomy, Physiology of Antler Growth, Uses
of Velvet Antler, Proper Harvesting and Antler Handling Techniques,
Handling and Restraint including Remote Injection and Anesthesia, Local
Anesthesia and Welfare. At the wet lab, each participant was able to apply
local anesthesia and a tourniquet and harvest velvet antler as well as score
antlers. A demonstration of general anesthesia was done on one bull so the
group could observe general vs. local anesthesia plus restraint. A meal of elk
roast plus other goodies was served by Mrs. Zebarth. Velveting has been a
topic of concern for the AVMA Welfare Committee and this lecture and wet
lab seminar addressed many of the concerns over velvet harvest.
STUDENT EXTERNSHIP REPORTS
United States Sheep Experiment
Station #1
The clinical rotation that I
attended was at the United States
Sheep Experiment Station in
Dubois, ID from March 28th
thru April 11th 2015. I was there
during the lambing season, which
lasts roughly one month. During
this time, they lamb out 1700
ewes. The breeds represented
at the station include Suffolk,
Rambouillet, Targhee, Polypay,
and some composite breeds that
are currently being developed. The
Targhee and Polypay breeds were
originally developed at the USSES
in the early 1900s.
This externship included a diverse mixture of husbandry and clinical
medicine. The veterinary students are in charge of the care of the orphaned
and surplus lambs, which included feeding and any medical care that was
required. The USSES is in existence to study range sheep production and
ecosystem management. Due to the fact that the sheep are on range land
for the majority of the year, ewes are only allowed to raise a maximum of
two lambs per year. This ensures that the lambs will be of a good weaning
weight in the fall and maximizes the lamb production per ewe. Part of
our duties included repairing any fractures in lambs and managing their
bandage and cast care. We had numerous fractures that were managed with
a supportive cast and were able to return to full function after 12 days, often
never leaving the ewe’s side.
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
The veterinary student team was on call 24/7 for any dystocias that required
assistance. We were exposed to many different dystocia presentations,
which will greatly benefit me once in practice. Ewe-lamb size mismatch
was a common occurrence, because many yearlings were lambing in the
second half of the season. I also corrected breech births, complications
from numerous legs being presented at once from multiple lambs, and some
deformed lambs. One case that I particularly enjoyed the challenge of was a
yearling ewe who appeared to have a true breech lamb. On examination the
hind legs were actually arthrogryposed and the lamb had a water belly that
was roughly the size of a basketball. Through manipulation and the use of
scissors, I was able to alleviate the water belly and then pull the lamb. The
lamb ended up having numerous other birth defects in addition to the ones
first diagnosed.
Each morning, the veterinary students checked each ewe and lambs in the
jugs. This included an exam of each lamb and making sure the ewe had
enough milk and was eating well herself. Any sick lambs or ewes that we
found, were then treated with a treatment of our choosing. We commonly
found entropions and chewed tails on lambs; we corrected these with the
appropriate technique based on the severity of each case. When a lamb was
found with any sort of lameness or contracted tendons, we would work up
the lameness and apply splints as needed. In addition to the jugs, we also
walked the smaller mixing pens and larger group lots twice a day, looking
for any animals that needed medical attention. The close contact with the
ewes and lambs during pen checks was something I really enjoyed; after
only a few days I was able to easily spot a sick lamb out of a pen of 500. The
varying degrees of morbidity that I was exposed to will greatly help when I
am presented with a client’s sheep in practice.
Afternoons were for continuing with any treatments, checking pens
again, and performing necropsies on any deceased animal. I enjoyed the
necropsies because it allowed me to track some sheep right from diagnosis,
to treatment, and ultimately necropsy. The pathology seen was very
informative because I could connect the clinical signs to the lesion seen.
I saw cases of ruptured uteri, peritonitis, hepatic abscesses, twisted bowel,
atresia coli, lamb starvation, CL abscesses, OPP lungs, and the internal
effects from a traumatic dystocia. The knowledge that I gained from
the necropsies was almost as informative as what I gained from the live
animals. I was also able to perform mock c-sections, enucleations, and an
abomasopexy on the deceased ewes. These are surgical procedures not often
done in small ruminants, however the experience of having done one is
extremely valuable.
This externship benefitted me the most in that I was able to be the primary
doctor on cases and solely dictate what treatments were carried out. The
veterinarian in charge oversaw all cases, however the individual freedom
given greatly built my confidence in developing a plan and carrying it out. I
was able to practice diagnostics, medical and surgical treatments, and large
flock management all at the same time, and this integration was the key to
making this a great rotation. The number of animals and the diverse variety
of cases that I saw was something that I would not have acquired anywhere
else during veterinary school.
To all future veterinary students, I would very highly recommend this
externship to all of you who have an interest in sheep or think that you
may work with them during your career. The confidence and experience
that you will gain is incomparable at any university hospital setting. Many
veterinarians are not comfortable treating sheep and believe that a sick
sheep is a dead sheep, however that is by far not the truth. The staff and
researchers are extremely knowledgeable and love to share that knowledge
with students. The other veterinary students that you meet and work closely
with for two very intense weeks will become good friends and colleagues. It’s
a long day of travel from most veterinary schools, however it’s worth a trip
to the USSES! Thank you very much for the grant that made this externship
possible.
Benjamin Kenney, Atlantic Veterinary College
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
United States Sheep Experiment
Station #2
I first became aware of the United States Sheep Experiment Station’s lambing
externship when a fellow Ohio State student advised me to investigate the
opportunity due to my interest in small ruminants. While Ohio State’s
Hospital for Farm Animals treats a decent number of sheep, lambing
opportunities can be very difficult to come by depending upon our rotation
schedule so I jumped at the chance to participate in a two-week intensive,
hands-on experience. The U.S. Sheep Experiment Station (USSES), located
in Dubois, Idaho, will celebrate its 100 year anniversary this October. In
that time, this collaborative effort between the United States Department of
Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and the University of Idaho has
focused on increasing the production efficiency of sheep on rangelands while
maintaining the health of the rangeland habitat. Three breeds of sheep, the
Columbia, Polypay and Targhee, were also developed at the USSES and
during my externship, there were 14 different ongoing experiments being
conducted at the USSES! The station currently has 1,600 head of sheep on
48,000 acres of land in Montana and Idaho.
Each spring, for two months, the pregnant ewes are herded to the USSES
headquarters located outside Dubois, Idaho to lamb under the supervision
of highly trained staff, including a veterinarian and veterinary student
interns. Until the ewes lamb, they are housed in outdoor pens which are
patrolled 24/7 by three Peruvian shepherds on rotating shifts. If a ewe lambs
or appears to be in labor, she (and any lambs with her) will be brought to
the barns and placed in a jug. Here the ewe is monitored closely until she is
finished giving birth. The lambs have their umbilical cords dipped in iodine
and are encouraged to nurse the ewe. The ewe and her lambs remain in the
jug for the next two days so they have a chance to bond and so that they
can easily be monitored for any health issues. After two days, the ewe and
her lambs are placed into small outdoor pens with other ewes and lambs.
As lambing season progresses, the ewes and their lambs are moved to larger
pens until all of them are turned out onto grazing land at the end of the
season. Turn out involves a last health check of all the ewes and their lambs
before they are herded to their summer range by the Peruvian shepherds.
My externship began the first official day of the season so lambing was
initially slow but began to ramp up during my second week. This year, the
USSES had approximately 1,200 ewes due to give birth during lambing
season. Each morning, the veterinarian and I would do physical exams on
every ewe and lamb in the jug barns. If any animals required treatments,
they would be done at that time. We would then walk the outdoor pens
and identify any ewes or lambs that may require further examination or
treatment. These animals would move to close-up sick pens for observation
until their treatments were complete. During my two weeks, I treated
a variety of conditions in ewes and lambs including bloat, retained fetal
membranes, metritis, limb fractures, flexural deformities, entropion,
pregnancy toxemia, vaginal prolapses and rectal prolapses. Throughout the
day, the shepherds would bring lambing ewes to the jug barns. They would
alert us if there was a ewe that required assistance and I was able to work
through many different kinds of dystocia (breech, two lambs in the birth
canal at one time, retained limbs or head, etc.), even performing a salvage
c-section that resulted in a live lamb. If a ewe had more than two lambs or
if she or her lambs had a condition that may inhibit their survival, the lambs
would be “orphaned.” As part of my externship, orphaned lambs were my
responsibility. I bottle-fed them several times a day and treated any ailments
they had until they were large enough to be sold to the public.
Overall, my two weeks at the USSES was one of the best, if not the best
rotation of my senior clinical year! I was able to take away important
lessons that I have used during the rest of my clinical rotations and feel very
comfortable treating periparturient conditions of sheep and lambs. The
employees, veterinarian and fellow veterinary students that I met during
my externship at the USSES were absolutely fantastic! Over the past year,
it has been highly publicized that the USSES is in danger of federal closure.
7
Closure of the station would not only be a great disservice to future veterinary
students who desire valuable hands-on lambing experience but it would be a
significant loss to US agriculture as the station has been a leader in research
on rangeland and livestock for the past 100 years. Currently, the federal
government has eliminated funding for FY2016 but Idaho legislature and
the American Sheep Industry Association are actively looking for solutions
to rescue the station. Any support would be greatly appreciated!
Johana Cenera, Ohio State University
United States Sheep Experiment
Station #3
involved in managing a large range sheep operation. I also learned more
about the ongoing research at the station including studies looking at
genetic susceptibility to OPP and entropion as well as research into grazing
management and the effect of fire on the sagebrush steppe ecosystem. The
researchers and barn crew were patient and always willing to explain their
work. I am grateful to have had this chance to spend two weeks working
and learning about sheep in the field. Awaiting the upcoming decision
in Congress about the future of the USSES, I can say that I learned a lot
from my stay and hope that this valuable resource will remain available to
students, researchers, and the public in the future.
Cynthia Wise, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Windswept Farms Lambing Rotation
I cannot begin to write this report without thanking the AASRP Board
of Directors for providing me with a grant to cover the cost of travel to
Windswept Farms in Hopkins, Michigan. Without your gracious assistance
I would not have been able to spend March 16 - 28, 2015 living at a
registered Shetland sheep breeder’s farm and helping with the lambing
season. Thank you so much for making this opportunity possible for me.
Cynthia Wise (UW-Madison 2015), Brock Christenson (UW-Madison 2015)
and Kelsey Paras (Ohio State U 2015)
With the generous support of the AASRP and the Samuel B. Guss Memorial
fund, I spent two weeks in early April at the United States Sheep Experiment
Station in Dubois, Idaho. The sheep station has a long history of welcoming
4th year veterinary students to learn and work alongside their experienced
crew and veterinarian during lambing season, and I am grateful to have had
this opportunity.
Welcomed to the station by Operations Supervisor Annette Eddins and
Veterinarian Dr. Jenni Dike, I was quickly immersed in the daily routines
of caring for the ewes and lambs at all stages from the lambing jugs to the
large mixing pens to the regular care of orphan lambs. Most of the days were
sunny and mild with a rare day of freezing snow flurries and blowing dust.
Being able to pause in the day to appreciate the Centennial Mountains and
the Tetons on clear days was also a rare treat. Our regular routines focused
on working with the barn crew to assist with dystocias and performing exams
on ewes and lambs in the lambing jugs every day. We would then move out
into the mixing pens with the older lambs and ewes where we focused on
visually assessing all animals and catching and treating sick animals. I grew
to appreciate the task of quietly and systematically assessing all animals,
differentiating healthy sheep from a sick or lame animal. Coming out
towards the end of lambing season, we had fewer dystocias and focused
our efforts on the mixing pens handling a range of health issues including
entropions, lameness, fractures, pneumonia, abscesses, mastitis, hernias,
and spotting lambs that were not thriving. We also performed necropsies
on all animals that died or were humanely euthanized, which was a great
opportunity to improve my skills in performing field necropsies while also
providing more information about the course of disease for each animal.
My stay at the station helped me to appreciate the scale and complexities
8
When I first arrived at Dr. Heather Ludlam’s farm I was thrown right into
chores. Dr. Ludlam owns approximately 35 purebred, registered Shetland
ewes, as well as about 50 commercial white-faced ewes (Dorsets, Polypays
and Targhees). As I do not come from a sheep background, and do not
have much experience with the flock maintenance required for this number
of sheep I had no idea where to even start. Dr. Ludlam was an excellent
teacher and showed me the different barns where rams, show lambs and
the commercial flock lived. She described the importance of keeping these
groups separated and explained the logic behind all their different feed
rations. From there, she taught me what to look for when an ewe is close
to lambing and I was told that ewes get checked at 6pm, 9pm, 12pm, 5am
and 7am throughout the night and morning. We made a plan to split up
the night checks and I was left to settle in. That first night I was so excited
to stay up until midnight to check sheep!
No lambs came in the first few nights, which was probably a good thing
because I was still getting used to living on a sheep farm. There was feed
to mix, “jugs” (claiming pens) to build, fences to check, bottle babies to
feed (from the previous lambing group), groups to deworm, and an endless
amount of things to do. By the time the lambing wave hit, I was comfortable
with the daily happenings of the farm and ready for a new challenge.
Over the next week and a half approximately 25 ewes lambed and I was
responsible for them. When new lambs hit the ground I had to get them and
the ewe into a claiming pen, ensure the ewe had colostrum, ensure the lambs
were nursing, and do the first bit of lamb processing. Of course, record
keeping was paramount! When the lambs were approximately two days old
they were tagged, castrated and tail docked; another group of jobs that I had
never done before. Dr. Ludlam was a great teacher throughout everything;
she was available for any questions I had, but stepped back and allowed me
to do a lot of the work myself.
One of the exciting moments of the two weeks was my first dystocia. We
learn about dystocias, and how to fix them, in school; but nothing really
compares to putting your arm in there and feeling the mess of legs, tails and
heads that can accompany a sheep dystocia. Again, Dr. Ludlam guided me
through figuring out what limbs belonged to which lamb and the techniques
used to deliver the lambs successfully.
Another satisfying moment occurred when I was checking the ewes one
afternoon and realized that one of the ewes had recently lambed, but was
ignoring her triplets. Earlier in the week, Dr. Ludlam had showed me what
to do if I came across a chilled newborn and I immediately realized that one
of the newborn lambs required attention. Soon, I had the chilled lamb inside
and had started the warming process. The most amazing thing that I learned
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
while at Windswept Farms is that you should never quit on a newborn
lamb. I was sure that this little frozen lamb was a goner, but, miraculously,
I brought it back (and then had a bottle lamb to feed for the next week).
The two weeks spent at Windswept Farms has definitely made me a better
veterinarian. It allowed me to experience something that we do not learn
about in school and forced me to become comfortable with ovine herd
management. I would recommend this experience to anyone who wants
to know more about taking care of sheep, and especially, lambing. This
experience will let me better relate to my sheep clients in the future and
provided me with many transferable skills. I greatly enjoyed the time that
I spent with Dr. Ludlam and her sheep and am looking forward to putting
what I learned into practice in the future.
Kellie Haggett, University of Guelph Class of 2015
EDITORIAL - FDA Publishes
New Veterinary Feed Directive
Regulations
AASRP members are encouraged to visit the website listing the new
regulations for writing Veterinary Feed Directives. The final rule published
in the Federal Register on June 3, 2015 is available at:
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/06/03/2015-13393/
veterinary-feed-directive.
In April, 2012, FDA published two Guidance for Industry documents
#209 and #213 whose purpose is to decrease use of antimicrobials in feed
for production purposes in order to prevent antimicrobial resistance and
preserve efficacy for use in human medicine. At that time, it was announced
that all over-the-counter antibiotics in feed would convert to Veterinary
Feed Directive status by December 2016.
Of major concern to small ruminant veterinarians is the VFD does not
allow for extra label use of antibiotics in feed for minor species. Comment
23 states: “Several comments supported ELU being allowed by veterinarians
for VFD drugs.” Response 23 is: “ELU of a new animal drug in or on
animal feed is illegal and results in the drug and feed being deemed unsafe
under section 512(a) of the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act and adulterated
under section 501(a)(5) and (6) of the FD&C Act.”
The most common use of antibiotics in feed for small ruminants is probably
the use of oral tetracyclines to decrease loss in abortion storms for either
sheep or goats. Antibiotics are also used in artificial rearing situations for
whitetail deer fawns to prevent salmonellosis. It is currently unclear whether
the VFD will prevent use of sulfadimethoxine drinking water solution for
coccidiosis treatment, prevention and control.
Now that the VFD regulations have been published in the Federal Register,
we have until October 1, 2015 to comment and ask for changes in the rules.
While AASRP supports judicious use of antimicrobials and preservation
of efficacy, the VFD as written leaves veterinarians and producers without
alternatives for ending an abortion storm in minor species.
To comment on the VFD, go to:
www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=FDA-2010-N-0155-023.
As your AASRP representative on the AVMA Food Safety Advisory
Committee, I will do my best to retain access to antibiotics in feed for
small ruminants. If you have questions or comments, please email me at
Joan.S.Bowen@gmail.com.
Joan Bowen, Colorado
AASRP-L QUESTION AND
ANSWER - Preventing
Coccidiosis in Lambs and Kids
Question: Monday I examined a newly purchased pair of pet 2 week old
Nubian x doelings, in good body condition and health. The owners plan to
milk them, but they are essentially pets, and owners seem eager to follow
any recommendations. The farmer who sold the kids sent directions to add
sulfadimethoxine to their milk replacer daily from 3 weeks until weaning.
What are your thoughts on this recommendation? I have found several
references to treating one week of the month with sulfadimethoxine to
prevent coccidiosis, but I wonder if that is called for here, as the kids are not
crowded, there are no other ruminants on the premises (and haven’t been
for years), and the sanitation appears excellent. Or perhaps milk replacer
with a coccidiostat is the best choice. (They came with a couple days worth
of Mom’s milk, so owners hadn’t purchased milk replacer yet.) The owners
seem impressed with the seller’s goat knowledge, but will follow my advice
(I think). So, I really don’t want to change the recommendation and have
them break with coccidiosis!
Answer 1: Good responses, but have I missed any response
to the underlying and perhaps most important questions
which is: Do these animals need to be treated at all? My
answer, albeit from a distance, is no. We have two kids on a
large expanse of ground with no evidence of heavy coccidial
contamination and an environment that, from what I read,
appears not to encourage oral exposure to feces. Why would
we throw a medically useful antimicrobial at them under those
circumstances? When trying to explain coccidiosis to clients I
try to make the following points, if this is helpful to you:
1. Every goat/sheep has coccidia. It is not some foreign agent
lurking outside for an opportunity to attack, and its presence
does not equate with disease.
a. Human beings create clinical coccidiosis in kids/lambs
by the way we manage them, putting lots of them in small
areas, feeding from the ground or from feeders that are easily
contaminated, failing to control mud, inadequate cleaning and
sanitation, poor biosecurity, etc.
2. The ONLY way an animal gets coccidia is by putting feces in
its mouth, oocysts are non motile (unlike nematode parasites,
which climb up nice clean blades of grass).
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
9
a. If the management and environment control oral exposure to feces, no
clinical coccidiosis (see 1. a.)
3. Mammalian immune systems are pretty good at controlling coccidia all
by themselves, although goats may be a little more challenged in this area.
Kids/lambs/calves develop disease when exposed to high numbers at a time
when the immune system is naíve. Under “normal” conditions they will be
exposed gradually to small numbers, mount an immune response, become
immune all without any clinical or even subclinical disease. Allowing some
exposure to coccidia is important so that the immune system be exposed
and do its job.
And I think we now have to add
4. We need to be very careful about how we use antimicrobial agents and
analyze carefully the benefit to be gained (if any, in this case) versus possible
unintended negative consequences.
This message can be delivered with humor and a few metaphors and is
usually well received, in my experience.
Joe Snyder, Portland, OR
Answer 2: We don’t know exactly where the sellers got their information
about using coccidiostats and they may have cobbled together their
recommendation from different sources as several of the comments make
sense when taken separately.
I have been recommending use of 12.5% sulfadimethoxine drinking water
solution added to milk or milk replacer for one week starting at 3-4 weeks
of age and then repeating this treatment for one week each month until
weaning, and preferably the last treatment would be around 12 weeks
of age. This recommendation is made at label dose which works out to
1cc/10lbs body weight once daily for 7 days. In addition to being a very
useful coccidiostat, sulfa is also a good gut acting antibiotic and many herd
owners do not have the cleanest environment or feeding equipment. I like
sulfa because it is easy to measure, easy to administer, gets the job done and
is inexpensive.
Monensin can be commercially mixed in a creep ration and decoquinate can
be mixed in milk, milk replacer or creep. Monensin has a narrow margin
of safety and its disadvantage is that many young goats do not consume
sufficient creep until after they will have become infected with coccidia.
Deccox M can be added to milk or milk replacer, and I do not know the
cost comparison with sulfadimethoxine. Both monensin and decoquinate
are labeled to be fed continuously and their labels say that they should be
fed for a minimum of 21 days (I think this is where the 21 days comes in).
Just like sulfadimethoxine, amprolium is not licensed or labeled for use
in goats but could be used ELDU since it is approved for use in cattle.
Amprolium is usually provided in water or milk and like monensin and
decoquinate, must be administered for at least 21 days. The reason that I
don’t put either amprolium or sulfa in the drinking water is that goats are
really fussy about drinking water and I do not want to discourage kids from
learning to drink water. Also, adding either drug to water gets back to the
question of whether or not the kids received an appropriate dose. If I had
my druthers, I would rather put something in the milk so that I know the
kids received it than to put it in creep.
There is no scientific evidence to indicate that coccidia are developing
resistance to any of the above coccidiostats. The main reasons people run
into coccidiosis when using coccidiostats are: not keeping the kidding area
clean and not starting prevention before the kids pick up coccidia from the
adults, not weighing the kids so not administering the appropriate dose,
failure to keep coccidiostats available until all kids are weaned and housing
kids with adults. If one is going to house kids with adults, then they have to
keep the feeding, watering and sleeping areas very clean and dry, and there
must be a continuously fed coccidiostat in the creep feed.
10
When I first graduated, I did not do anything about coccidiosis because I
erroneously thought that our dry climate was enough to protect my kids.
My kids grew well and were bigger than other people’s goats, but I was at
least removing the kids from the adult population at birth and raising the
young stock separately. Fast forward to a lecture that I heard where the
speaker talked about animals being thin with rough hair coats and a pot
belly - which is exactly what I occasionally saw in young animals around
here. The light finally dawned, we upped our cleanliness, reinforced taking
kids away and the kids grew bigger, were uniform and there was never any
diarrhea. Maybe Joe can get his clients to keep the kid housing clean, but
when people are dam rearing lambs and kids, I think they have to use a
coccidiostat in order to maximize growth and health.
Joan Bowen, Colorado
AASRP-L QUESTION AND
ANSWER - CIDR Use in Goats
Out of Season
Question: I was curious if anyone has any advice or recommendations on
bringing does into heat outside of their traditional breeding season. I have
a milking goat dairy that needs to start breeding goats now. I was curious if
the goat CIDRs (Controlled Internal Drug Releaser supplying intravaginal
progesterone) work well and what kind of time frame anyone has used them
for in the past.
Answer 1: CIDR use in goats should be 14 days minimum. Stay away from
pgf2alpha to clear CLs.
Works better without. “In season” for Boers in the northern hemisphere is
mid to late August til reliably mid March. This is all dependent upon your
latitude and daylight intensity and temperature patterns AND if there are
cycling females and “decorated” bucks on the property. You can use teaser
males and some cull nannies to constantly cycle and create the sights and
smells of a saloon and its activities. This helps. Finding clean hermaphrodites
to use is helpful in big ranches for heat detection etc. because they don’t
ejaculate and get quiescent. Energizer bunny approach.
If the dairy string can experience 16 hrs of day length for 5 weeks and then
12 hours of day length for several weeks thereafter they can be nudged to
play the game. In season with natural matings after CIDR use ---no ECG
(PMSG) or HCG is needed. Out of season you may want to cycle a group
twice with ECG and breed them on the second heat. Just ‘cause you force
them to cycle doesn’t mean they will settle. Routine pulsatile small secretions
of LH are needed as well as the forced Big Spike of the follicle release to get
pregnancy. If using live covers the bucks must be in semen production at
least 47 days (best case) and “cleaned out” before use.
Changing CIDRs in midstream sells CIDRs but doesn’t improve efficiency.
Before CIDRs were routinely available in many markets some ranches
were forced to clean and dry them to reuse and there was plenty of residual
progestin to prevent cycling and cycle goats. I’ve seen this a bunch in my
travels.
Putting CIDRs (a new one) in after breeding in MOET (multiple ovulation
and embryo transfer) programs does not prevent luteal regression. Neither
does shots of progesterone. AND it may compromise your rebreed of the
donors. I DO NOT recommend the reuse of old CIDRs or exogenous
progestin use after breeding in MOET.
Most university papers have a sample size of 39 or slightly higher to get
published. So when you read these “published reports” ...bear that in mind.
There are folks still breathing and working that have cycled 70,000-150,000
goats/sheep/deer with CIDRs. A slightly larger sample size. Easier to make
definitive statements with larger sample sizes.
R. Greg Stewart DVM MS Ph.D, Southern Veterinary Services,Inc.
Farmington GA
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
Answer 2: Some comments from far North America (seasonality is huge
north of the 50th where Dec 21 = 9 hours of daylight and June 21 is 18.5
hours daylight). In season for us in most goats is late August-late January
consistently and I would agree that 14-18 days with a single CIDR only for
natural breeding is a very effective method of synching does. Transitional
periods of July/Aug and Feb/March we would use CIDRs followed by
PMSG injection at removal to help insure ovulation. Bucks in these periods
still have acceptable natural fertility but it is not as good as “in season”.
We have determined from many years running a semen center that semen
freezability and then overall quality starts to decline rapidly for us in early
February and becomes non freezable by March. Buck to doe ratio needs to
be higher due to this. The use of PMSG results in the does being a tighter
in heat group.
Out of season (March - June) would use a program of CIDRs for 7-9
days followed by PMSG at CIDR pull. Without PMSG it is likely to see
breeding behavior but the does do not ovulate and therefore conception rate
is very poor. If they are not cycling then only a short period of progesterone
is required to initiate follicle production. Buck fertility can be very reduced
at this time so hand breeding/AI/small doe groups should be considered.
Even with this program reduced numbers of pregnancies as well as decreased
numbers of feti/doe are common. They generally only cycle the once and
not exhibiting any recycling activity should not be used as an indicator of
pregnancy.
CIDRs have plenty of progesterone for this type of use and do not need to be
changed. Changing CIDRs at day 7 in embryo donors is used to keep high
progesterone levels during the superovulation program and is not because
the CIDR runs low but that absorption decreases as vaginal secretion etc
collect on the CIDR. As mentioned, replacing CIDRs does not prevent CL
regression or maintain pregnancy that is otherwise compromised. CIDRs
are often placed in embryo donor females after Lap AI breeding as a method
of potentially salvaging the embryos in the face of CL regression. There are
many things done in an ET program that are unnecessary in a regular sync
program but producers may not differentiate in what they have heard.
I am also not a fan of prostaglandins in goats but Dr Hernan Baldesarre
has used the short length CIDR (7 days) and PG program for many years
in an intensive Saanen breeding program for Pharmathene and prefers it
over longer progesterone times. I would also suggest that for those wanting
to read more research on year round breeding and assisted reproduction
in goats that they look for papers authored by Dr Hernan Baldassarre. As
a result of his many years managing the transgenic goat herd at Nexia/
Pharmathene, he has vast practical experience in this area and his ‘n’ is
significantly higher than in most studies. The link is to the home page on
his website and there is a tab button to a list of publications.
<http://www.baldassarre-rssr.com/#!accomplishments/c1vw1>
He has been a pioneer in the field of assisted reproduction in small ruminants
and our protocols are based on his advice.
I would also support the concept of teasers. They are a very valuable asset to
any breeding program, regardless of what type of teaser you choose.
Lynn Tait, Bentley, Alberta
AASRP-L QUESTION AND
ANSWER - Spread of Staph
aureus in Sheep Flock
Question: I work with a flock of Corriedale sheep, about 20 ewes. Last year
they had two cases of what appeared to be toxic mastitis, treated aggressively
(metacam, special formula, and an injectable antibiotic, forget which) and
saved both. One cultured positive for Staph aureus and we decided to ‘cull’
her (ie she is now a pet, not bred, and separated from other breeding ewes).
This year we have just had another case, treated the same (with tilmicosin),
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
also cultured heavy growth of Staph aureus. For a flock of 20, this seems
excessive, and I am wondering if there is something we can do to minimize
this in the future, such as dry-cow intramammary treatment or antibiotic
injections at weaning time. Also, should we cull this current case as well?
Owners would prefer to keep her around if safe to do so.
Answer: Staph can be spread in a flock of sheep by milking machines just
like in dairies. These milking machines are called lambs. These milking
machines can very often be identified by their yellow heads and may be
smaller or thinner than their compatriots. Their yellow heads come from
sneaking up behind ewes other than their moms to steal milk while the
ewes are distracted by eating. So, they often get peed and pooped on. I tell
producers to get these little yellow heads out of the flock for two reasons.
Both of them are important. 1. To prevent the spread of mastitis as that is
often the reason the lamb is hungry and staying alive by stealing milk. 2.
The lamb needs to be supplemented with either milk or a good creep feed if
it is going to grow up to be a profitable animal.
For every clinical case of Staph aureus in a flock, there are probably 2 or
3 subclinical cases so I am not surprised that you have had several cases.
We have had excellent luck with Lysigen, the Staph vaccine for cattle, for
controlling clinical cases in our flock after losing several ewes some years
ago over a two year period from Staph. We hadn’t had a case of mastitis for
5 years until this year when we had one case; however, it turned out to be
Mannheimia haemolytica.
Marie Bulgin, University of Idaho
AASRP QUESTION AND
ANSWER - Hair Sheep Specific
Information
Question: Can anyone point me to good resources on hair sheep? I have had
little to do with them and want to do some reading to look a little smarter
around a few clients that have them. Particularly differences with regard to
nutrition, growth, reproduction.
Answer 1: Hair sheep, in particular Katahdins, are for the most part still
just a sheep from a veterinary standpoint. In general they are more maternal
and prolific than many of the traditional wool breeds, as well as generally
having a longer breeding season. They are highly adaptable and growth and
nutrition vary quite a bit depending on climate and management system. I
have raised them for 20+ years and your best source of general information
would be KHSI <http://www.katahdins.org/>. This is the registry and the
website has good general information. Dr Dave Notter at Virginia Tech has
a research flock there and helped establish the breed’s NSIP program which
is now managed by Lambplan in Australia.
Lynn Tait, Bentley, Alberta, Canada
Answer 2: Some places to start, from <http://www.sheepandgoat.com> :
http://www.sheepandgoat.com/HairSheepWorkshop/index.html
http://www.sheep101.info/hair.html
http://www.sheep101.info/201/hairsheep.html
http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/hairsheepprodmktg.html
http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/hairsheepupdate.html
Susan Schoenian (UMD Extension) owns and manages the sheepandgoat.
com site and raises hair sheep. I bet she’d be happy to answer any questions
you have. Her e-mail is <sschoen@umd.edu>
Susan Kerr, Washington State University
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Answer 3: I have had success getting a dam to bond by removing it from its
friends/mother if they are tightly bonded and confining with the cria which
does seem counterintuitive. One of the very successful farms nearby moves
every newborn pair to a separate location with others in sight as a routine
practice. I think that most often is not necessary. Stress of being in the
hospital and an immature dam may be contributing factors here. Maybe a
return to the home farm would help at this point. I have also used physical
restraint (not Jean’s method which I will try next time) which worked very
slowly but within 1 day the dam had accepted the cria. Always a good idea
to check the cria for defects as some rejected crias I have seen have hidden
problems such as ventricular septal defect; not sure how the dam knows?
Stephen R. Purdy, Amherst, MA
AASRP-L QUESTION AND
ANSWER - Catheters and Blood
Draws in Camelids
LAMA MED QUESTION AND
ANSWER - Convincing Llama to
Accept Cria
Question: We have a hospitalized 9 yr old maiden llama that the owners
did not think could get pregnant, so they were housing her with a breeding
male and suddenly found themselves with a newborn cria earlier this week.
She is very attentive to the cria otherwise, but refuses to let him nurse and
kicks whenever anything comes near her udder. The cria had complete FPT
but is otherwise healthy, so we have given plasma and the cria is doing very
well nursing a bottle, however, the obvious goal would be to get the dam to
accept the cria nursing so the owners don’t have to deal with a bottle baby.
We have tried butorphanol at 5mg IV, 10mg IM, and 15mg IM with no
affect, along with attempting to milk her out in the stocks to relieve pressure
and ensure that the milk is normal, but she continues to kick enough that
safety for humans and the cria is a big concern. What other tricks have been
tried to get aggressive maidens to allow crias to nurse?
Answer1: Put on a rope like you would to drop a cow. Start with a loop at
the neck that passes through one axilla, followed by a half hitch behind the
front legs and another half hitch at the fold of the flank. Tighten the rope
enough that she no longer lifts her leg (like the anti-kicking apparatus used
to stop cows from kicking when they are milked) and tie it off. Leave the
rope on until the mother accepts the cria.
Jean Feldman, Hamburg NY
Answer 2: My suggestions:
1) Bring the maiden female’s friend around to stay - this may reduce her
anxiety... Camelids usually have aunties hanging around pregnant dams,
especially the maidens. This reduces anxiety of being in the hospital and
also maybe they help the female know what to do? (A bit wiffley, but it’s the
stress that can be the problem sometimes). The owner should know who to
bring along...
2) Possibly try acepromazine at 0.02-0.05mg/kg IV, IM or SQ as an
anxiolytic - sometimes helps...
I presume there is no mastitis?
You can certainly try the physical approaches that Jean suggests although
I prefer less restraint for bonding issues because I worry about making it
worse because of the association?
Finally, I’ve heard owners say that Dr. Pollard’s lactation herbs makes some
females “mellow”....!
Question: Attending a camelid CE course (hands on preferably) is high on
my list. Until I can take the time to do this however I am in need of helpful
suggestions for how to reliably draw blood and place IV catheters in the
field. I recently had a frustrating experience with an adult intact male llama
and catheter placement. It is incredible how such a long necked animal can
have such thick skin!
Answer: Do a cut down through the skin with a scalpel blade over the
jugular vein first. Otherwise, that thick skin will peel the catheter right off
the stylet. It took me some practice to master venipuncture, but using a
needle and syringe instead of Vacutainer tube and needle is easier.
Allen Fournier, Middleport, NY
Answer 2: There are many techniques out there. When teaching students
and interns/residents to place catheters there are a few key points that I
stress. I always place them in the right vein. I personally am not too
concerned about placing them high or low in the neck to avoid the carotid.
It is important to stand directly in front of the animal to ensure the correct
direction of the catheter, as the vein is in the narrow space between the
trachea and the transverse processes. We are used to standing to the side to
place catheters in other species. You might get spat on, but that’s the job of
the person holding the animal! I do a local lidocaine bleb and then use a
14G needle for my guide hole. Pinch the skin and introduce the needle in
the direction the catheter will go. I find that this results in better passage of
the catheter than a stab that goes perpendicular to the skin. The key is not
to hit the vein and cause a hematoma. In dehydrated patients or those with
poor venous return an over the wire catheter placement can be helpful. I also
do not suture the catheters in, just use elasticon (not too tight) to wrap them
in, this means they don’t jump around when trying to suture it in and pull
it out again. Hope that helps!
Pippa (Philippa) Gibbons, Texas A&M University, TX
Answer 3: You might check out our Veterinary Techniques for Camelids text
available from Wiley Blackwell. Lots of photos and step by step instructions
and tips.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9781118695111
David Anderson, University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN
Claire E Whitehead, England
12
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
ABSTRACTS
PERSISTENCE OF OVINE
SCRAPIE INFECTIVITY IN
A FARM ENVIRONMENT
FOLLOWING CLEANING AND
DECONTAMINATION
Recommended decontamination protocols do little to reduce the titer of
infectious scrapie material.
Animals with scrapie or chronic wasting disease shed infectious prions
during both preclinical and clinical stages of the disease. Sheep excrete
the very resistant prions in feces, saliva, urine, skin, placenta, and
vaginal discharges. This leads to persistent environmental infectivity. The
recommended method of decontaminating farm buildings in the UK is to
use a sodium hypochlorite solution that contains 20,000 ppm free chlorine
for 1 hour, after removing organic matter. This is based on methods used
to decontaminate surgical equipment in hospital settings. The current trial
was carried out in a barn that had housed scrapie infected and lambing
sheep since 2001. Four pens (4 x 6.4 m) were set up inside and at the four
corners of the barn, separated from each other by at least 4 meters. One
pen was left untreated except for brushing out gross debris (pen A). The
other pens and their hay racks and water troughs were pressure washed, and
this was the only treatment done on pen B. The remaining two pens were
soaked for 1 hour in a 20,0000 ppm free chlorine solution before washing
with water (pen C) and the last of these pens (pen D) was also painted with
a hard wearing floor paint while the metal in the pen was regalvanized. A
sheep bioassay was performed by placing groups of 5 genetically susceptible
(VRQ) lambs from a scrapie free flock into each pen when they were three
days old. Strict biosecurity measures were taken while caring for these sheep.
The ventilation was equivalent in all pens and could have allowed dust from
other parts of the barn to enter the pens. Beginning at 6 months of age,
recto-anal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue was sampled for the prion
agent by immunohistochemistry every 3 months. Positive animals were
removed from the pen and put out to pasture where they could be observed
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
for onset of clinical signs. There was very little difference in the time to
infection in sheep from the untreated, power washed only, or power washed
and chlorine treated pens. All were lymphoid tissue positive by 12 months
and the mean to onset of clinical signs was similar (756, 766, and 744
days). Even the sheep in pen D were rapidly infected, with one positive at 9
months and all 5 positive by 18 months of age. The mean incubation period
was 931 days for these sheep. The persistence of the scrapie agent in the
environment will be a special challenge when restocking a farm with goats,
as genetic markers for scrapie resistance in goats have not been identified.
Hawkins SAC et al.
Vet Record 176:99, 2015
CAPRINE ARTHRITIS
ENCEPHALITIS AND CASEOUS
LYMPHADENITIS IN GOATS:
USE OF BULK TANK MILK
ELISAS FOR HERD-LEVEL
SURVEILLANCE
The goal of bulk tank milk testing was to identify herds requiring follow-up
serological testing of individual goats.
The Healthy Goat program was begun in Norway in 2001 to eradicate three
chronic infectious diseases (caprine arthritis encephalitis CAE, caseous
lymphadenitis CLA and paratuberculosis Johne’s disease) from the dairy goat
population. The program for CAE and CLA was based on testing individual
serum sample from the goats but now that the disease prevalence is very low,
a less expensive method is needed to monitor the herds for reinfection. Bulk
tank ELISAs were evaluated for this purpose. The relative sensitivity and
specificity of the ELISA ELITEST - MVV/CAEV on individual samples
of milk diluted 1:50 as compared with serum samples were 92.2% and
97.4%. For the ELITEST CLA and a milk sample dilution of 1:20, the
sensitivity and specificity were 97.4 and 100%. To evaluate the diagnostic
performance of the two ELISA bulk tank milk tests, herds were studied
that from 2010 to 2013 had been tested by individual serum samples at
the same time that a bulk tank milk ELISA was performed. Records were
13
obtained on samples from 3156 goats in 60 herds tested for CAE and 3157
goats in 79 herds tested for CLA. A herd was defined as seropositive if 2% or
more of the serum samples were positive, to account for the expected 98%.
specificity for the serum tests. Using the test cut-off thresholds suggested
by the manufacturer, 98.5% of the goats were seronegative for CAE and
97.6% for CLA. The sensitivity and specificity of the CAE bulk tank milk
ELISA for identifying herds with 2% or more infected goats were 72.7%
and 86.6%. Similarly, for detection of herds infected at 2% or higher with
CLA the sensitivity and specificity were 41.4% and 81.7%. Various cut-offs
were compared to select a bulk tank milk test with high specificity, to avoid
the expenses associated with second stage testing by serology of herds that
were expected to be generally uninfected. This improved the predictive value
of a positive test. The sensitivity of the scheme will be increased by testing
the bulk tank milk quarterly.
Nagel-Alne GE et al.
Vet Record 176:173, 2015
RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
LESIONS AND ASSOCIATION
WITH PARELAPHOSTRONGYLUS
SPECIES BY HISTOLOGY
AND SPECIFIC NESTED
POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION
IN DOMESTIC CAMELIDS AND
WILD UNGULATES
It is possible to confirm the diagnosis of P. tenuis by PCR in some cases, but
duration of formalin fixation should be limited to avoid cross linkages that
interfere with this test.
The meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis) of the whitetail deer causes
various neurologic signs when third stage larvae in infected mollusks are
ingested by aberrant ruminant hosts. The diagnosis in these hosts is often
based on clinical signs, eosinophilia in the cerebrospinal fluid, or response
to therapy, but the chances of observing a parasite in a histological cross
section are remote. This report from the University of Tennessee began by
searching the pathology archives from 2003 to 2013 for cases with suspected
P. tenuis or unexplained neurologic lesions in elk, llamas, alpacas, and goats.
Tissue samples were cut from the paraffin blocks with characteristic P.
tenuis lesions for DNA extraction and nested PCR testing to definitively
identify P. tenuis. Then another section was cut and examined histologically
to determine if a parasite had been uncovered during the sampling process.
Separate microtome blades were used for each block. Although 43 animals
were identified as possible P. tenuis cases and 38 of these had characteristic
histologic lesions, only 22 tissue sections were PCR positive and/or had
worms present. Of the 19 out of 22 samples that were PCR positive and
came from 17 animals (7 elk, 4 llamas, 5 alpacas, 1 goat), 8 were further
sequenced as being P. tenuis. Three animals were worm positive but PCR
negative. It is postulated that extended formalin fixation, which can
crosslink the DNA, may have inhibited amplification in these cases. Six
of the 8 cases confirmed as P. tenuis by sequencing did not have a parasite
present in the sections before or after the tissue used for extraction. This
suggests that the PCR test can be useful even when visible parasites are not
present in the sample. The single PCR positive goat sample was interesting
in that it failed to sequence as P. tenuis but instead had 97% identity with
P. odocoilei, a muscle parasite that is not known to have a CNS migration
phase. It is not known if the parasite was a novel species or a P. odocoilei
in a novel location. Histologic lesions seen in these cases were nematodes
(6/22), mineralization (3/22), axonal degeneration (11/22), perivascular
14
cuffs (16/22), hemorrhage (4/22), hemosiderin-laden macrophages (8/22),
mulitinucleated giant cells (1/22), eosinophils (7/22), meningitis (5/22)
and glial scars (3/22). The number of histologic changes seen ranged from
0 to 4 in elk, 2-5 in alpacas, and1-4 in llamas, while 4 were present in the
single goat.
Dobey CL et al.
J Vet Diagn Invest 26:748-754, 2014
AN OUTBREAK OF EASTERN
EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS
IN FREE-RANGING WHITETAILED DEER IN MICHIGAN
Surveillance programs for CWD have resulted in recognition of the
importance of EEE to wild deer.
Since 2002, Michigan has carried out a surveillance program for chronic
wasting disease, CWD, in free ranging cervids, Deer observed to display
abnormal behavior or other neurologic signs are euthanized and submitted
for necropsy and CWD testing. If an obvious gross lesion to explain their
clinical neurologic signs is not found, further diagnostic tests are performed.
In August of 2005, 5 deer with various combinations of confusion, ataxia,
head tilt, circling, blindness, loss of fear of people, dyspnea, ptyalism, and
emaciation were reported to law enforcement officers and euthanized, then
disposed of in landfills. The deer had all been near a park, and when a
newspaper article suggested CWD only one of the carcasses could be
recovered for testing. Over the next 15 weeks, 29 additional deer from 7
counties with similar clinical signs were reported by citizens, euthanized
and necropsied. Retropharyngeal lymphnodes collected from all 30 deer
were negative for CWD. Obvious gross lesions to explain the clinical signs
were found in 8 deer, and the remaining 22 animals were deemed to be
EEE (eastern equine encephalitis) suspects. Seven of these deer tested
positive for EEE by PCR and/or viral isolation and had consistent histology.
Additionally, 4 horses with EEE were identified in the area where the deer
were affected, but several weeks earlier. One of these horses and one of the
deer were coinfected with West Nile virus. Wild birds are the maintenance
hosts for EEE and mosquitoes transmit the virus between passerine birds and
bridge the infection from bird over to mammals. Human infections occur
sporadically and have a case fatality rate of 35 to 75%, with longer-tem
neurologic sequelae common in surviving patients. The Michigan outbreak
demonstrated that EEE should be considered as a seasonal differential for
CWD and that deer may be useful as sentinel animals to alert public health
officials to an increased risk of human infection with EEE. Furthermore,
wildlife professionals or hunters sawing through the skull to remove antlers
or harvest the brain are at risk for exposure to the EEE virus. Protective
eyewear and gloves are now recommended for hunters removing antlers.
[The paper does not mention rabies as a differential for these clinical cases,
but protective measures should also be taken against that virus - editor]
Schmitt SM et al.
J Wildlife Dis 43(4):635-644, 2007
ACUTE RENAL FAILURE
ASSOCIATED WITH
AMARANTHUS SPECIES
INGESTION BY LAMBS
Pigweed can cause kidney failure and death in sheep with little else to eat.
A farmer in New South Wales, Australia, observed recumbency and death in
his flock of 194 Merino x White Suffolk ewe lambs one week after moving
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
them onto a wheat stubble pasture. Gross necropsies of two of the lambs
initially found dead revealed no cause, but additional lambs examined
the next day had bilaterally swollen and turgid kidneys with pale cortices.
The farmer was advised to move the flock to a different pasture because
a toxin was suspected. Two affected lambs sampled before euthanasia
showed marked elevations in blood urea and creatinine, further supporting
a diagnosis of acute renal failure. The lambs were also dehydrated and
hyperglycemic. Urine samples were isosthenuric with increased protein
and large numbers of casts. Histology revealed necrosis of the renal tubular
epithelium but intact basement membranes and no oxalate crystals. The
animals were hypercalcemic rather than hypocalcemic, ruling out oxalate
poisoning. Examination of the pasture revealed a variety of weeds, mostly
eaten down to the roots. Some of these roots were red, and pigweed species
(Amaranthus) with red roots were found in a small fenced off part of the
pasture to which the sheep had not had access. Both Amaranthus retroflexus
and A hybridus have been introduced into Australia from North America
and have naturalized on disturbed sites. These species are potentially toxic in
three ways: nitrate poisoning, oxalate poisoning, and an unidentified toxin
that causes acute nephrosis is ruminants, swine, and occasionally horses.
Deaths in the group of lambs continued for 15 days after exposure to the
field with pigweed ceased and totaled 28 out of the original mob of 194.
Only 20% of the ewe lambs that survived were pregnant by ultrasound. In
a previously reported outbreak of renal necrosis in New Zealand caused by
Amaranthus, 400 of 3000 lambs died and the growth rate of the survivors
was reduced. Poisoning is likely to only occur when animals are placed on
pasture with a limited choice of feed, but pigweeds may be more toxic in late
summer or early autumn, when flowering.
Kessell AE et al.
Australian Vet J 93:208-213, 2015
DEFINITION OF PREPARTUM
HYERKETONEMIA IN DAIRY
GOATS
Does four weeks before their due date with BHBA >0.4 and litters of 3 or
more kids had 2.1 and 40.5 times the odds of developing pregnancy toxemia
compared with other goats.
The Precision Xtra meter allows for accurate, on-farm determination of
beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) concentrations in the blood of goats, but
thresholds for predicting the development of pregnancy toxemia in goats
have not been previously defined. This prospective study was carried out
over 2 years and involved performing weekly BHBA tests on pregnant goats
beginning 5 weeks before anticipated kidding date. Body condition score
based on lumbar and sternal examination was also recorded. Initially 1242
dairy goats on 10 commercial farms in Quebec were enrolled, and 1081
goats were actually used; the others were not pregnant or did not kid during
the sampling period. Owners were provided with a standardized chart
summarizing the clinical signs of pregnancy toxemia and scored each goat at
the end of the data collection period as having a high or low risk of having
experienced pregnancy toxemia based on the signs observed. These signs
included prolonged recumbency, weakness, partial to complete anorexia,
teeth grinding, depression, ataxia, limb swelling, lateral recumbency,
blindness, tremors, convulsions, coma, and death. Owners were blinded
to the results of the BHB tests and treatments given to sick goats were
not standardized across the study. Mortality during the last month of
pregnancy or the first week after parturition was also recorded. Blood
BHBA thresholds for predicting subsequent development of pregnancy
toxemia were determined, selecting the value that yielded the highest sum of
sensitivity and specificity at each week. The optimum threshold was greater
than or equal to 0.4 mmol/L at weeks 5 and 4 prepartum, >0.5 mmol/L at
3 weeks, >0.6 mmol/L at 2 weeks, and >0.9 mmol/L at 1 week prepartum.
Specificity could be increased by serial testing, requiring 2 or more weekly
tests to be high to predict pregnancy toxemia. The overall prevalence of
goats at high risk of pregnancy toxemia was 10% (herd-level prevalence
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
varied from 0 to 18%). The mortality rate in the group at high risk of having
pregnancy toxemia was 38.9%, lower than the mortality rate of 80 to 100%
reported by other authors. It is possible that owners were more observant of
their animals because of being enrolled in the study and initiated treatment
sooner. Mortality was 1.6% in the group at low risk for pregnancy toxemia,
and the overall mortality rate was 5.5%. Hyperketonemia definitions before
kidding based on mortality varied between >0.6 and >1.4 mmol/L and was
>1.7 mmol/L during the first week postpartum. Litter size was associated
with development of pregnancy toxemia but only when comparing goat
with litters of three or more kids with goats with singletons. Ultrasound
determination of litter size might allow closer monitoring and earlier
detection of pregnancy toxemia. Although fat goats were more likely to
develop pregnancy toxemia than thin or normal goats, this term fell out of
the multivariate model.
Doré V et al.
J. Dairy Sci. 98:4535–4543, 2015
CAMELID HEAT STRESS: 15
CASES (2003-2011)
Increased muscle enzymes and decreased blood sodium were components of
the case definition.
South American camelids are adapted by their fleece to retain heat in a cool
environment. Under hot conditions they dissipate heat through thermal
windows with thinner fiber and many epitrichial sweat glands in the ventral
abdomen, axillary, and inguinal regions. High environmental temperature and
humidity compromise the ability of unshorn animals to cool themselves and can
lead to heat stress. The published literature on heat stress in camelids indicates
that the forelimbs are often weaker than the hindlimbs and normothermia
is often observed by the time of hospital admission. This retrospective study
describes the clinical findings and outcome of 15 previously health camelids
presented to the Texas A&M University teaching hospital from January 2003
to June of 2011 after exposure to a warm environment. Seven llamas and 8
alpacas were identified using a case definition of an animal over 6 months of
age with initial body temperature greater than 39.4 C at onset of weakness or
recumbency and two or more of the following criteria: creatine kinase (CK)
> 476 U/L, sodium (Na) < 148 mmol/L and a diagnosis of heat stress. The
CK value used was greater than double the upper end of the reference interval
while the Na was less than the reference interval. The affected animals were
presented in May to October, with 8 of the 15 presenting in August. The
median duration of illness, weakness, or recumbency without other obvious
musculoskeletal or neurologic abnormalities was one day. The median body
temperature reported was 41.8° C (107.2° F) with a range of 37.2 to 42.7° C
(99.0 to 108.9° F). Based on environmental temperature and humidity on the
day of initial illness, the heat stress index, which is the sum of temperature in
degrees F and the percent relative humidity, was calculated to be 151 (range
132 to 169) but was 182 (162 to 199) if the maximum values recorded by
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for that day were
used. Only one of the 15 affected animals had been shorn, and that one
had substantial regrowth of fiber since shearing 4 months previously. Scrotal
edema was noted in 3 of 8 males; these animals had a median serum albumin
concentration of 20 g/L, compared to the others having a median albumin of
27 g/L. In addition to low albumin, increased body water is another possible
explanation for scrotal edema in male camelids with heat stress and may be an
adaptive mechanism to dissipate heat. Increased body water also can explain
the hyponatremia commonly observed in camelids with heat stress. Of the 8
camelids recumbent on admission, the median CK was 7,070 (range 652 to
44,497) and the median aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was 7,500 U/L
(range 1,654 to 15,375 U/L). The median CK of the 7 standing camelids was
3,459 U/L while the median AST was 750 U/L. Hemoconcentration was
not observed in these patients and many had a packed cell volume below the
reference interval of 27 to 45 %. Common treatments administered in the
hospital included intravenous fluids, vitamin E, DMSO, flunixin meglumine,
thiamine and selenium. Antibiotics were administered to 6 animals with
suspected infections. Five of the animals showed clinical signs of pneumonia
15
during hospitalization. Physical rehabilitation included assistance in standing,
passive range of motion exercises and use of a mobile sling device. Six animals
were euthanized, 2 died, and 7 were discharged from the hospital although
one of these required 40 days to regain thermoregulation ability. The 8
dead animals were necropsied and the 7 for which muscle was examined
histologically all showed skeletal muscle necrosis. Spinal cord was examined
histologically in 5 animals and they all had evidence of axonal degeneration.
Two animals had neutrophilic bronchiolitis or bronchopneumonia and one
animal had marked renal tubular necrosis with myoglobin casts.
Norton PL et al.
Canadian Vet J 55(10):992–996, 2014
PILOT PROJECT TO
INVESTIGATE OVERWINTERING OF FREELIVING GASTROINTESTINAL
NEMATODE LARVAE OF SHEEP
IN ONTARIO, CANADA
Teladorsagia Trichostrongylus, and Nematodirus overwintered and were
infective the following spring, but Haemonchus hardly at all under these
environmental conditions.
The survival of the free-living larvae of the gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN)
of sheep on pasture is influenced by air and soil temperature, soil moisture,
and relative humidity. Thus parasite control strategies must be adapted
to local conditions on sheep farms. This report evaluated the survival of
GIN larvae over winter on three commercial farms in Ontario, Canada,
selected to be representative of the industry and to have varied geographical
distribution. Haemonchus contortus was known to be a problem on each
farm, based on previous lamb deaths or fecal larval cultures. On each farm
a one acre plot that had been grazed the previous year was fenced off and
a data logger installed to record air temperature and relative humidity at
1.5 m above ground surface and soil temperature and moisture at 5 cm
below ground surface. Data were collected hourly from December to May.
Herbage and soil samples were collected monthly from January to April
and subjected to Baerman testing to detect larvae. In April or May, 5 or 6
weaned Rideau-Arcott x Dorset lambs were placed on the one acre plot (two
farms) or rotationally grazed with the main flock (one farm). The lambs
were from a flock that was known to be free of all GIN, had negative fecals
when placed on pasture, and were treated with a single dose of fenbendazole
anyway, just to be sure they were naive. After 28 days of grazing, the lambs
were slaughtered. The contents of the abomasum, small intestine, and cecum
were then harvested and worms were counted to determine acquisition of
GIN from the pasture. Air temperatures remained below freezing on all
farms for most of January and February, then increased above the freezing
point in March. The soil temperature was fairly constant December through
February on farms A and B but exhibited many freeze-thaw cycles on farm
C, where there was less snow cover. No L3 larvae were isolated from any
herbage samples on farm B and C from January to April. Trichostrongylus
and Nematodirus were isolated from herbage from farm A in March. The
tracer lambs grazing for 4 weeks are a more sensitive test for overwintering
larvae. Teladorsagia was the predominant species on all 3 farms, but small
numbers of Ostertagia, Trichostrongylus, Nematodirus and Oesophagostomum
were also found. Lambs that grazed on farm C, with the many free-thaw
cycles, had 1/6 the number of worms as the lambs from the other two farms.
Haemonchus were found in one lamb only, and that lamb was from farm
C. Thus the major source of Haemonchus to these flocks will be hypobiotic
larvae overwintering within the host and then eggs being shed on pasture
the next spring by periparturient ewes. The possibility of eradicating
Haemonchus from Ontario flocks is complicated by the common presence
of resistance to both ivermectin and fenbendazole in the sheep there. The
16
researchers suggest that for future studies, herbage should be collected close
to fecal pellets on pasture rather than randomly across the study area, as this
increased the yield of larvae in a later study.
Falzon LC et al.
Canadian Vet J. 55(8):749-756, 2014
DETECTION OF BORDER
DISEASE VIRUS (BDV)
GENOTYPE 3 IN ITALIAN GOAT
HERDS
This virus is difficult to diagnose, requiring the testing of multiple samples
from multiple kids.
Border disease virus (BDV) is a member of the genus Pestivirus, which also
includes bovine viral diarrhea virus-1 and -2 (BVDV) and classical swine
fever virus. BDV is distinct from BVDV. BDV causes abortion, stillbirth,
and infertility in small ruminants. Field cases of clinical disease in goats
caused by pestiviruses are rarely reported. BVDV has caused abortion in
goats exposed to persistently infected cattle. Spontaneous Border disease in
a goat herd in Norway presented as abortion, stillbirth and weak neonates as
well as body tremors and difficulty walking in one kid, similar to the signs
of Border disease in lambs. This paper describes two outbreaks of BDV in
goats in Italy. The two herds, with 67 and 169 adult goats, experienced
abortions, stillbirths, and weak live-born kids. Neither herd had experienced
pervious cases of abortion and no epidemiologic link could be found
between the herds. Multiple weak kids that died at 2-3 weeks of age were
submitted for laboratory diagnosis from the first herd, and similar weak
newborns plus aborted fetuses and stillborn kids were submitted from the
second herd. Spleens of all the fetuses and kids were analyzed for pestivirus
using a commercial ELISA kit, followed by a BDV-specific RT-PCR for
Border disease virus. Positive results were obtained from 6 kids and one
fetus (out of 32 kids and fetuses), but the PCR identified more infected
animals than did the ELISA and not all tissues was positive in infected
animals; in 3 of the animals, only 1 in 4 tissues was positive. The virus was
isolated and identified as a noncytopathogenic biotype of Border disease
virus genotype 3. Additional tests were negative for Brucella, Campylobacter,
Listeria, Salmonella, Leptospira, Mycoplasma, Yersinia, caprine herpesvirus,
Chlamydophila and Coxiella. Pestivirus antibodies were detected in the sera
of 61/67 goats in herd A and 38/169 animals in herd B. All sera were RTPCR negative except for an antibody-negative 1 year old doe from herd
A, which was positive for virus twice, 3 weeks apart, thereby confirming
persistent infection. This adult had virus in all tissues examined and explains
the high seroprevalence in its herd of origin. BDV was detected in the skin
of the ear of two kids as well as the persistently infected adult. This is the first
study to identify a goat persistently infected with BDV.
Rosamilia A et al.
Veterinary J 199(3):446-450, 2014
PRODUCTION IMPACT OF
A TARGETED SELECTIVE
TREATMENT SYSTEM BASED
ON LIVEWEIGHT GAIN IN A
COMMERCIAL FLOCK
Anthelmintic use was decreased by half without compromising the growth
of the lambs.
Anthelmintic resistance is a serious problem in small ruminants around the
world. Whole flock treatments for strongyles are now strongly discouraged
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
and it is recommended to leave some animals in the flock untreated, as a
source of unselected worms (refugia). Targeted selective treatments (TST)
of only those animals most likely to benefit from treatment have been
advocated to delay the development of resistance. Most UK farms still
depend on whole flock treatments, because drugs are cheap or owners prefer
simple solutions or veterinary advice is lacking. One TST marker that is
noninvasive, available penside, and of economic importance is liveweight
gain. This study was conducted on a commercial upland farm in Scotland
over two years. Lambs were provided with electronic ear tags, dewormed
once with fenbendazole for overwintering Nematodirus and assigned at 6
weeks of age to a routine treatment (RT) group (treated every 6 weeks) or
a TST group. The groups were balanced with respect to liveweight, sex,
and siblings and grazed together. The farmer was blinded to the treatment
group and had sole discretion as to marketing the lambs. Every two weeks
the lambs were weighed and breech soiling was scored. Using a ‘Happy
Factor’ decision support model that predicted liveweight gain, lambs in
the TST group were treated if they did not reach their predicted weight
at that weighing whereas all of the RT lambs were treated every 6 weeks.
Ivermectin at 0.2 mg/kg was the anthelmintic used at each of the 8 flock
evaluations during the grazing season. Fecal samples were collected from a
random selection of animals. A total of 195 lambs in the RT group and 190
in the TST group were studied. The first year, mean daily gains were 303 g
for RT and 298 g for TST lambs. The second year, the mean daily gain was
252 g for RT and 259 g for TST lambs. The mean time to reach the targeted
slaughter weight of 42 kg was 12 weeks, with no difference between the
groups. Untreated TST lambs grew better than the RT lambs. There was no
association between treatment group and degree of breech soiling and thus
the risk of blowfly strike was not increased. Over the entire study, RT lambs
received 361 treatments and TST lambs received 180 treatments. The mean
percentage of TST lambs treated at each sampling period was 19%. Female
lambs received more treatments than males. Anthelmintic treatment was
decreased by half by the use of TST. Worm egg counts were similar in the
two groups. The worm species present were Teladorsagia, Trichostrongylus,
and Bunostomum. [Thus this system may not be applicable on a farm
where Haemonchus is the major problem - editor] The time to implement
the system averaged two minutes per lamb once they were gathered to
the handling facility, The added cost for an electronic tag rather than the
visual tag required to send a lamb to slaughter can be justified by the added
information obtained about the individual animals, which could be applied
to a genetic selection system.
CONTAGIOUS OVINE DIGITAL
DERMATITIS: AN EMERGING
DISEASE
The etiology is still unclear but biosecurity relative to both sheep and cattle
is important for prevention.
In 1997, a new disease causing lameness in sheep was identified in the
UK and termed contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD). Typically
a single foot was involved, and the distinctive clinical features were
inflammation at the coronary band followed by avulsion of the hoof
capsule. Outbreaks often appeared in flocks with contemporaneous footrot,
including vaccinated flocks, and sheep with footrot were 3.8 times more
likely to develop CODD. The footrot organism Dichelobacter nodosus
was commonly isolated from affected feet, but so were Treponema species
similar or identical to those associated with bovine digital dermatitis. The
footrot strains isolated from sheep with CODD were of similar virulence
and serotype to those causing classical footrot. The spirochetes isolated have
included the Treponema phagedenis -like, T. denticola -like, and T. vincentii
-like species, all organisms that are found in bovine digital dermatitis. It is
not clear which organisms are primary and which secondary, but it has been
theorized that D. nodosus has a primary role in the development of CODD.
The disease is now widespread in the UK, with a farmer reported flock
prevalence of 53% in England and 35% in Wales. As of the time of writing
of this review, the disease had not been reported outside the UK. Farmers
report that the presence of cattle with digital dermatitis and increasing flock
size are associated with CODD. Movement of infected sheep (or cattle) is
likely to be important in the spread of the disease. Anecdotal reports suggest
that the disease does not respond to footbathing in formalin or zinc sulfate
but that parenteral oxytetracycline and tilmicosin (which is licensed for the
treatment of footrot in sheep in the UK) are widely used. A randomized
controlled trial has shown that a long-acting amoxicillin injection results
in a 71% cure rate. Susceptibility data for the treponemes associated with
CODD suggest that penicillin, amoxicillin, erythromycin, gamithromycin
and azithromycin have low minimum inhibitory concentrations. More
research is needed to develop a responsible antibiotic usage strategy.
Duncan JS et al.
Veterinary J 201:265-268, 2014
Busin V et al.
Veterinary J 200:248-252, 2014
AASRP Election results
Congratulations to AASRP’s President-Elect and Region 2 & 4 Directors
Your new officers:
Dr. Dale L. Duerr has been elected to serve as president-elect.
Dr. Susan Myers has been reelected to represent AASRP members in Region 2.
Dr. Myers’ term will expire July of 2017.
Dr. Elizabeth Hardy has been reelected to represent AASRP members in Region 4.
Dr. Hardy’s term will expire July of 2017
Dr. Sarah Lowry has been appointed to finish Dr. Duerr’s regional director term for Region 1.
Thank you to these veterinarians for their service to AASRP.
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
17
2015-2016 AASRP Board of Directors
President
Director, Region 1
Dr. Patty B. Scharko
Dr. Sarah Lowry
PO Box 102406
9080 Chestnut Ridge Road
Columbia, SC 29224-2406
Middleport, NY 14105
Office: 803-726-7803
Phone: 716-735-3204
Cell: 803-422-6998
slowry95@gmail.com
pschark@clemson.edu
Term: 7/15 – 7/16 (renewable)
Term: 7/15– 7/17
Director, Region 2
President Elect
Dr. Susan Myers
Dr. Dale L. Duerr
100 N. 68th Ave
Town & Country Veterinary
Coopersville, MI 49404
Clinic, Inc.
Phone: 616-837-8151
1396 E. High Ave
susanmyers78@hotmail.com
New Philadelphia, OH 44663
Term 7/15- 7/17
Phone: 330-339-2363
wilkshireduerr@frontier.net
Director, Region 3
Term: 7/15– 7/17
Dr. Ann Goplen
University of Minnesota
Immediate Past President
College of Vet Medicine
Dr. Joan Dean Rowe
Veterinary Population Medicine
24580 Cache Street
Gople003@umn.edu
Capay, CA 95607
Term: 7/14 – 7/16 (renewable)
Phone: 530-752-0292
jdrowe@ucdavis.edu
Term: 7/15– 7/17
2015-2016 AASRP Committees:
Nominations
Dr. Paul Jones
Woodburn Vet Clinic
225 South Pacific Highway
Woodburn, OR 80634
pljvet@gmail.com
Committee Members:
No Additional
Continuing Education
Dr. Patty B. Scharko
PO Box 102406
Columbia, SC 29224-2406
Phone: 803-788-2269 x290
pschark@clemson.edu
Committee Members:
No Additional
Student Education
Dr. Cindy Wolf
University of Minnesota
wolfx006@umn.edu
Committee Members:
No Additional
College Liaison
VACANT CHAIR
Governance
Dr. Paul Jones
Woodburn Vet Clinic
225 South Pacific Highway
Woodburn, OR 80634
pljvet@gmail.com
Committee Members:
No Additional
Director, Region 4
Dr. Elizabeth Hardy
17646 140th Ave NE
Woodinville, WA 98072
Phone: 425-481-1184
ehardy@westernu.edu
Term July 2015-2017
AVMA Delegate
Dr. Paul Jones
(2013-2017 renewable)
Alternate
Dr. Joan S. Bowen
(2013 – 2017 renewable)
Legislative Advisory Committee
Dr. Seyedmehdi Mobini
(2014 – 2017)
Alternate
Dr. Kelly Still Brooks
(2014 – 2017)
18
Committee on
Environmental Issues
Dr. Grant Seaman
(2015 – 2018 renewable)
Clinical Practitioners
Advisory Committee
Dr. Chris Duemler
(2013-2017 renewable)
Alternate
Dr. Sarah Lowry
(2014 – 2017 renewable)
Management Headquarters
Franz Management
P. O. Box 3614
Montgomery, AL 36109
Phone: 334-517-1233
Fax: 334-270-3399
Email: aasrp@aasrp.org
Service began in January 2010
Secretary
Dr. Susan Myers
(See Director, Region 2)
Treasurer
Currently Awaiting
Appointment
Executive Director
Dr. Brad Fields
Cell: 334-521-2502
Email: bradfields@aasrp.org
Service began in September 2012
AVMA Delegate
Dr. Joan Bowen
5036 E County Rd. 60
Wellington, CO 80549
Phone: 970-568-3613
joan.s.bowen@gmail.com
Membership
VACANT CHAIR
Public Relations &
Communication
Dr. Michelle Anne Kutzler
Associate Professor of Companion
Animal Industries
Oregon State University
Michelle.Kutzler@oregonstate.edu
Committee Members:
Dr. Kraig Stemme
Dr. Holly Neaton
Dr. Sylvia Miller
AASRP Representation for AVMA Offices & Committees
Executive Board
Dr. Michael Whitehair
(2014-2015)
AVMA Alternate Delegate
Vacant Currently
Budget/Finance
Dr. Patty B. Scharko
PO Box 102406
Columbia, SC 29224-2406
pschark@clemson.edu
Committee Members:
Dr. Chris Camann
Dr. Liz Hardy
Animal Agriculture
Liaison Committee
Dr. Amy Robinson
(2014 – 2017)
Alternate
Vacant
(2008-2014)
Food Safety Advisory
Committee
Dr. Joan Bowen
(2015-2018)
Alternate
Dr. Jason Johnson
(2014-2017 renewable)
Animal Welfare Committee
Dr. Cindy Wolf
(2013-2019)
Alternate
Vacant
Committee on Disaster and
Emergency Issues
Dr. Jeannie Rankin
(2014-2017)
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
AASRP VETERINARY COLLEGE LIAISONS
Auburn University
Misty Edmonson, DVM
1500 Wire Road
Auburn, AL 36849
Ph: 334-844-4490
Fax: 334-844-4368
abramms@auburn.edu
Colorado State University
David Van Metre, DVM, DACVIM
Associate Professor
Animal Population Health Inst.
CVM and Biomedical Sciences
Ft. Collins, CO 80523-1678
Ph: 970-297-1299
Fax: 970-297-1275
David.Van_Metre@ColoState.edu
Cornell University
Mary C. Smith, DVM
Ambulatory/Prod Med
Box 29 - NYS College of Vet Med
Ithaca, NY 14853
Ph: 607-253-3140
mcs8@cornell.edu
Iowa State University
Paul J. Plummer, DVM PhD DACVIM
College of Veterinary Medicine
2426 Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center
Ames, IA 50011
Ph: 515-294-8522
Pplummer@iastate.edu
Kansas State University
Patricia A. Payne, DVM, PhD
Department of Diagnostic Medicine/
Pathobiology
College of Vet Medicine
1600 Denison Ave.
Manhattan KS 66506 - 5600
Ph: 785-532-4604
Payne@vet.k-state.edu
Louisiana State University
Marjorie S. Gill, DVM
Vet Teaching Hospital & Clinics
Skip Bertman Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Ph: 225-578-9574
mgill@vetmed.lsu.edu
Michigan State University
Judy Marteniuk, DVM, MS
736 Wilson Road
East Lansing, MI 48824-1314
Ph: 517-353-9710 - Cell: 517-712-0506
marteniu@cvm.msu.edu
Ohio State University
Katharine Simpson, DVM, MS, DACVIM
601 Vernon Tharp Drive
Columbus, OH 43210
Ph: 614-292-6661
simpson.570@osu.edu
Oklahoma State University
Lionel Dawson, DVM
Oklahoma State University
Boren Vet Med Teaching Hosp
Farm Road
Stillwater, OK 74078
Ph: 405-744-8584
Lionel.dawson@okstate.edu
Oregon State University
Michelle Kutzler, DVM, PhD, DACT
Dept. of Animal Sciences
312 Withycombe Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331-6702
Ph: 541-737-1401
Fax: 541-737-4174
Michelle.kutzler@oregonstate.edu
Purdue University
A.N. (Nickie) Baird, DVM, MS
Diplomate ACVS
Associate Professor
Large Animal Surgery
Dept. of Vet. Clinical Science
625 Harrison St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2026
Ph: 765-494-8548
Fax: 765-496-2641
abaird@purdue.edu
University of Georgia
Lisa Williamson, DVM
UGA College of Vet Medicine
Large Animal Department
1810 Clotfelter Rd.
Athens, GA 30622
Ph: 706-542-9323
lisa1@uga.edu
University of Illinois
Clifford F. Shipley, DVM, DACT
Assistant Director, AACUP
College of Veterinary Medicine
1008 W. Hazelwood Dr.
Urbana, IL 61802
Ph: 217-333-2479 - Cell: 217-493-2958
Fax: 217-333-7126
cshipley@illinois.edu
University of Minnesota
Cindy Wolf, DVM
225 VMC, 1365 Gortner Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
Ph: 612-625-1780 - Cell: 507-450-5453
Fax: 612-625-6241
Wolfx006@umn.edu
University of Missouri
Dusty W. Nagy, DVM
Assistant Teaching Professor
Food Animal Medicine & Surgery
900 E. Campus Drive
Columbia, MO 65211
Ph: 573-882-6857
nagyd@missouri.edu
University of Pennsylvania
Marie-Eve Fecteau, DVM
Texas A & M University
Diplomate ACVIM-LA
Asst. Professor for Food Animal
Virginia Fajt, DVM, PhD, DACVCP
Medicine and Surgery
Clinical Assistant Professor
New Bolton Center
326-C VMA
Dept. of Vet. Physiology & Pharmacology 382 W. Street Rd.
Kennett Square, PA 19348
Hwy. 60, VMA Bldg., MS 4466
Ph: 610-925-6208
College Station, TX 77843
Fax: 610-925-8100
Ph: 979-845-7299
mfecteau@vet.upenn.edu
Fax: 979-845-6544
vfajt@cvm.tamu.edu
University of Tennessee
VACANT
Tufts University
Sandra L. Ayres, DVM
University of Wisconsin-Madison
200 West Borough Rd.
Sheila McGuirk, DVM, PhD, MS, DACVIM
North Grafton, MA 01536
School of Veterinary Medicine
Ph: 508-839-7956 x 84605
2015 Linden Drive West
sandra.ayres@tufts.edu
Madison, WI 53706
Ph: 608-263-4437
Tuskegee University
mcguirk@svm.vetmed.wisc.edu
VACANT
Mississippi State University
Sherrill Fleming, DVM
Associate Professor
Food Animal Medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine
Box 6100 - Mississippi State, MS 39762
Ph: 662-325-2198
sfleming@cvm.msstate.edu
University of California
Joan Dean Rowe, DVM
Vet Medical Teaching Hospital
24580 Cache St.
Capay, CA 95607
Ph: 530-752-0292
jdrowe@ucdavis.edu
North Carolina State University
Kevin L. Anderson, DVM, PhD
Dept of Food Animal Health and
Resource Management CVM
4700 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27606
Ph: 919-513-6245
Fax: 919-513-6464
Kevin_Anderson@ncsu.edu
klander4@ncsu.edu
University of Florida
Fiona Maunsell, PhD, MS, BVSc,
DACVIM
Large Animal Clinical Sciences-FARMS
University of Florida-CVM
2015 SW 16th Avenue
Gainesville, FL 32610
Ph: 352-294-4077
Fax: 352-392-7551
maunsellf@ufl.edu
Wool&Wattles April-June 2015
Virginia/Maryland Regional CVM
D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD
Professor, Pathology & Genetics
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences
100 Duckpond Drive
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Ph: 540-231-4805
Fax: 540-231-6033
dpsponen@vt.edu
Western University
of Health Sciences
Spring K. Halland, DVM, CVA, DACVIM
Assistant Professor, Large Animal
Internal Medicine
Western Univ of Health Sciences
College of Vet Medicine
309 E. 2nd Street
Room 248 BVCC
Pomona, CA 91766-1854
Ph: 909-469-5626
shalland@westernu.edu
FOREIGN COLLEGE LIAISONS
Ross University
Jerry Roberson, DVM
Ross University School of Veterinary
Medicine
P.O. Box 334
Basseterre, St Kitts
Ph: 732-898-0065
Ph: 869-4645-4161 ext 1436
jroberson@rossvet.edu.kn
University of Guelph
Paula Menzies, MPVM
Associate Professor
Ruminant Health Management Group
Ontario Veterinary College
Guelph, Ontario CANADA
N1G 2W1
pmenzies@ovc.uoguelph.ca
University of Montreal
Pascal Dubreuil
Faculté de médecine vétérinaire
3200 Sicotte St-Hyacinthe PQ
J2S 7C6
Ph: 450-773-8521 x8266
Fax: 450-778-8101
Email: pascal.dubreuil@uomontreal.ca
University of Prince Edward Island
Jeffrey Wichtel, BVSC PhD DipACT
Associate Professor
Chairman, Dept of Health Mgt
Atlantic Veterinary College
550 University Avenue
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
CANADA C1A 4P3
jwichtel@Upei.CA
University of Saskatchewan
Lyall Petrie, BVMS, MRCVS
Dept of Lg Animal Clinical Sciences
Western College of Vet Medicine
52 Campus Drive
Saskatoon, SK, Canada
S7N 5B4
Ph: 306-966-7087
Fax: 306-966-7174
petrie@skyway.usask.ca
NOTE TO STUDENT: If you cannot
reach your liaison contact please contact
aasrp@aasrp.org
Washington State University
Steven M. Parish, DVM
Professor Large Animal Med/Surgery
Diplomat ACVIM
New Vet Teaching Hospital
College of Veterinary Medicine
Pullman, WA 99164
Ph: 509-335-0711
smp@vetmed.wsu.edu
19
 Mailed
 Mailed
Would you accept externships?  Yes  No
 Laparoscopic AI  Transcervical AI
Signature: ______________________________________________
$ __________
TOTAL ENCLOSED
*Please mail this form with payment to AASRP, P. O. Box 3614, Montgomery, AL 36109-0614 or fax (334) 270-3399. Please contact the AASRP office at
334-517-1233 with any questions.
* *A tax deductible contribution to the Samuel B. Guss Memorial Fund helps provide small grants to student members of AASRP to undertake extern
opportunities in veterinary practices, working with one or more of the small ruminant species
Exp Date: _______________________ Security Code: __________
________________________________________________
$ __________
Card #:
PAYMENT METHOD:
 MasterCard  Check
(payable to AASRP and drawn on US bank in US funds)
 Visa
Contribution to Samuel B. Guss Memorial Fund
$ __________
$ __________
$52.50
Retired
$65
$ __________
$52.50
$65
$20
$15
Veterinary Student
1st Year Graduates
Non-Veterinarian Associate
$ __________
US Funds
$130
Foreign
$105
$105
$ __________
U.S./Canada
Veterinarian
$130
DUES STRUCTURE:
 Laparoscopic AI  Transcervical AI
AASRP Membership Dues Payment*
 Ultrasonography for pregnancy diagnosis
 Embryo transfer  Semen collection & evaluation
If you marked yes, do you provide: (you may select as many as apply)
Do you provide reproductive services for goats?  Yes  No
 Ultrasonography for pregnancy diagnosis
 Embryo transfer  Semen collection & evaluation
If you marked yes, do you provide: (you may select as many as apply)
Do you provide reproductive services for sheep?  Yes  No
Non-Veterinarian:  Associate  Student
 Other
Veterinarian:  Owner/Partner  Associate  Academician/Researcher  Industry  Government
Please check the category that best describes you:
How would you like to receive your copy of the Wool & Wattles?  Electronic
How would you like to receive your copy of the Membership Directory?  Electronic
Veterinary College: ___________________________________________________________Year Graduated: _____________
E-mail: _______________________________________________________________________________________________
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Address: _______________________________________________________________________________  Home  Office
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Membership Application
American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners
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the AASRP Newsletter
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