NADIS is currently providing animal health knowledge transfer to farmers delivered by local veterinary practices in seven of the eight RDA regions in England. KT programmes are also running in Scotland and Wales
Using detailed Met Office data, NADIS produces a monthly Parasite Forecast highlighting parasite challenge in the different regions of the UK, along with regional reports from practicing veterinary surgeons.
NADIS aim is to promote animal health and welfare through better disease control and prevention delivered by veterinary health planning. NADIS would like to acknowledge its sponsors for making this service to the livestock industry possible, BPEX, EBLEX, HCC, QMS and Merial Animal Health.
Bovine uterine torsion is a common form of dystocia encountered by farm animal veterinary surgeons worldwide with reports of 1–20% of all attended calvings (Frazer et al., 1996). Anecdotally there have been suggestions that the incidence has been increasing although this may be biased by veterinarians seeing relatively less of the more basic forms of dystocia due to improved obstetrical competence demonstrated by farmers (Laven & Howe, 2005; Robin, 2005). A recent UK study of Holstein Friesian cattle estimated the incidence to be 0.24%, accounting for up to 22°% of all veterinary attended dystocias (Lyons et al., 2012). This article reviews the condition within the context of the fndings of this study.
An outbreak of diarrhoea occurred in a spring calving herd in Hampshire, during February–March 2011. Mortality of young calves, and subsequent disease in older calves, was significant. After reviewing and improving management of the situation in the very young calves, there was a subsequent problem with calves at 3–4 weeks of age, which was resolved with group antibiotic treatment.
An effective plant-cleaning regime for the milking equipment is essential to maintain milk quality and reduce bacterial cross infection between cows. Effective cleaning and disinfection requires adequate volumes of hot water at a suitable temperature, with a suitable sanitising product, at the appropriate rate, circulated for the correct time. The routine needs to be monitored and any procedural drift identified and addressed.
E. coli is one of the most important causes of mastitis in dairy cattle in the UK. Traditionally, E. coli mastitis has been associated with peracute mastitis but it is now more commonly associated with subacute mastitis without obvious systemic signs and with persistence in the udder after treatment. This suggests that the E. coli strains causing mastitis may have become udder-adapted. However evaluation of phylogeny and the possession of virulence factors suggest that E. coli infection of the udder is simply opportunistic infection by commensal stains of the bacteria which are not specifically adapted to invade or persist in the udder.
Over an Easter weekend on duty three recumbent ewes in late pregnancy were presented which had been misdiagnosed by farmers as listeriosis, pregnancy toxaemia and acute respiratory disease, respectively. All three ewes responded within five minutes to veterinary treatment of 40 mL of 40% of calcium borogluconate administered intravenously; relapse did not occur despite the lack of subcutaneous depot calcium injection. It is often assumed that hypocalcaemia should be readily recognised by shepherds but a UK survey revealed that 61.4 per cent of suspected hypocalcaemic ewes treated by farmers died, which raises serious doubts concerning diagnosis and/or treatment. An internet search also revealed some surprisingly confusing articles (Nosdol & Waage, 1981; Bickhardt et al., 1998) regarding the diagnosis and treatment of ovine hypocalcaemia. These data, and the increasing trend to sourcing information and advice via the internet, highlights the importance of veterinary practitioner diagnosis, treatment and advice for hypocalcaemia in sheep.