Good stockmanship and early detection of sick animals is vitally important in reducing mortality rates.
Signs of ill health
Not eating/ poor appetite
Isolated
Lying for prolonged periods
Signs of good health
Active
Lively/bright
Good Performance/Liveweight gain
Scour with traces of blood
Dull
Poor performance/Liveweight gain Normal temperature
Breathless or blowing Steady breathing
Raised temperature
Normal eating or grazing pattern
Normal Faeces

Biosecurity is the prevention of disease causing agents entering or leaving any place where they can pose a risk to farm animals, other animals, humans, or the safety and quality of a food product.
The same principles apply within the farm, preventing disease spreading between animals and groups

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The main biosecurity risk for a sheep farm is from purchased in sheep
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Try to maintain a closed flock
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Quarantine purchased animals
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Examples of the main infection risks from purchased in stock:
Scab Orf Foot rot CODD Jaagsiekte
(OPA)

Step 1: Yard
On arrival, yard or house sheep. Do not put directly out to pasture or mix with other sheep.
Step 2: Treat
Treat all new sheep with an orange or purple drench (no resistance detected) and treat for sheep scab.
Step 3: Quarantine
After 24-48 hours put out to pasture that has been used to graze sheep but keep separate from other sheep for 3 weeks

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Worms can cost £10 +/lamb

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In 2013 49% of anthelmintic treatments as part of the
STAP programme in ROI were not fully effective
(did not kill > 95% of worms)

What is anthelmintic resistance – when a worm can survive exposure to a dose that would normally kill it. The ability to survive is genetic and is passed onto the next generation of worms.
Resistance categories

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Weigh the group to be treated – use the dose rate recommended for the heaviest of the group
Check your dosing gun using a syringe or measuring jar. Clean the dosing gun after use
Dose correctly over back of tongue

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Don’t treat and move
When sheep are drenched only resistant worms survive.
To reduce the selection pressure for resistant worms you should either:

1. Know which parasites threaten your lambs
2. Use regional information and assess risk
• Did the pasture graze lambs last year – higher risk
• SCOPS www.scops.org.uk
3. Use Faecal egg counts to monitor the need to drench only dose if there is a high worm burden

Choose a narrow spectrum product to deal with specific parasites. Avoid combination products.

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A FEC gives an indication of the number of adult worms in the gut of a sheep.
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Measured as eggs per gram of faeces
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FEC’s are used to:
◦ Help determine the need to treat
◦ Determine the level of pasture contamination
◦ Test the efficacy of a worming treatment

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Collect dung samples fresh from lambs
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Take random samples. Do not seek out scouring or dry lambs.
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Take 10 samples per group. These will be pooled at the lab.
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Send to either vet / AFBI VSD or you can use a DIY test kit

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Mature fit and healthy sheep have a good immunity.
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Pre tupping – no treatment usually needed
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At lambing - ewes immunity levels are low. This allows more worm eggs to be shed, contaminating ground for lambs.
◦ Dose at or soon after lambing
◦ Give correct dose
◦ Leave 10 – 20% untreated (fittest, mature and rearing singles).

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Alternative crops – chicory and birdsfoot trefoil
Breeding for resistance to worms

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Results in the movement of large numbers of immature flukes through the liver or from the presence of adult fluke in the bile ducts.
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Can infect all grazing animals both cattle and sheep
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Bigger problem in sheep – no natural immunity

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History of liver fluke on farm
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Wet ground/meadows
(habitat for snails)
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Very wet years
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Grazing pattern

◦ Acute Disease ◦ Chronic Disease

1.
Use abattoir feedback – currently underused
(Aphis Online)
2.
Investigate deaths – post mortem results
3.
Watch for clinical signs – weight loss, poor thrive, bottle jaw, abdominal pain and sudden death
4.
Use performance indicators – BCS, LWG in lambs, scanning results
5.
Discuss with vet – fluke egg detection and use of blood tests.

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Key to the fluke life cycle is the snail - therefore reduce the area suitable as snail habitats e.g.
◦ Identify the high risk wet areas!
◦ Fencing off wet areas
◦ Drainage
◦ Repairs to water leaks / broken troughs
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Quarantine purchased stock and treat
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Grazing management – either avoid grazing wet areas or graze wet areas where snails are likely to be present in early summer.

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Consult your Vet
Use the right flukicide for the right stage of liver fluke
If high risk use triclabendazole (Fasinex) in the autumn – kills mature and immature fluke
No residual effect
Manage stock to avoid re-infection – graze dry areas
Avoid unnecessary use of combination products
Treat effectively (weigh/dosing gun/technique)
Treat ewes in spring to remove adult fluke and reduce contamination of pasture

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Triclabendazole
Closantel
Nitroxynil
Albendazole
Oxyclosanide
90-99%
50-90%
50-90%
99%
50-70%
50-70%
91-99%
91-99%
80-99%
80-99%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Age of Fluke (weeks) Adult s

 Can lead to high economic losses in infected flocks
 Form of allergic dermatitis
 Mainly a winter disease
 Signs: restless, rubbing against posts, soiled stained wool
 Severe cases – bleeding wounds
 Leads to loss of condition, secondary infections, hypothermia, death
 Treatment: either Dip or inject with
Moxidectin/doramectin or Ivermectin product

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Affects 80% of flocks each year
Fly attracted to wounds of soiled fleece
Each female fly lays 250 eggs, hatch in 12 hours
Signs:
◦ Patch of discoloured wool
◦ Agitated
Risk period – May to September
Prevention/ Treatment
◦ Dip
◦ Pour – on

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Lameness can cause long term pain and increase production and treatment costs
Main issues identified in NI sheep flocks include scald, Shelly hoof, Foot rot
(covered in vet night)
Lameness is impossible to eliminate but can be controlled
Regular foot inspection important
Routine foot trimming not necessary, can cause more harm than good

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Correct diagnosis and early treatment improves the chances of success
Rough or dirty handling pens can cause hoof damage and spread infections
Always record or mark treated animals. If lameness persists, repeat treatment after 14 days
If third treatment is required consider culling
Seek vet advice if necessary

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Forms of treatments
Antibiotic sprays
Long acting antibiotic injections
Foot bathing – Zinc sulphate, copper sulphate (blue stone),
Formalin, commercial solutions

Routes of Administration:
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Injection
 Subcutaneous – Under the skin
 Intramuscular – Into the muscle
 Intravenous (vet) – into the vein
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Intramammary: tubes for mastitis
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Topical: Pour-on, Spraying, Dipping
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Oral: Dosing, Bolus, In feed

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Locked medicine cabinet
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Sharps container
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Record book in cabinet

Veterinary Medicine Record Book:
 Legal requirement
 Need to be kept for at least 5 years following administration of medicine
 Failure to keep proper records can affect SFP and result in a fine of up to £5,000.

 Name of the product
 Batch number
 ID of animals treated
 Quantity given
 Date(s) of administration
 Withdrawal period
 Name of person administering medicine
 Reason for use

Dosage and administration
Sheep of all ages: 2 ml per injection.
The vaccine should be administered by subcutaneous injection. In adult breeding ewes the yearly booster injections should be given during the pre-lambing period, 4-6 weeks before lambing

11/11/14
250 ml
Heptavac P
Plus
H176Y
A02
12/15 Andy Vet, 14 Practice
Road, Mallusk. BT36 4TY
0 days

Heptavac
P Plus
100 ewes
AF 0
200 ml
H176Y
A02
Andy
Vet

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Antibiotics are essential for the treatment of infectious diseases in both animals and humans.
Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria that are usually sensitive to a type of antibiotic to become resistant to it.
The more you use an antibiotic, the higher the risk that bacteria will develop resistance to it.
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Why worry about it?
- Very few new antibiotics being developed.
- Important we use our existing antibiotics wisely to ensure these life-saving medicines continue to stay effective for ourselves and our animals.

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Important we use antibiotics in the right way:
the right medicine
at the right dose
at the right time
and for the right duration to slow down the development of antibiotic resistance.
 http://www.dardni.gov.uk/responsible-use-of-antimicrobials-in-livestockleaflet.15.108_responsible_use_of_antimicrobials_in_livestock_leaflet_final_2.pdf