Adult Sheep: Sudden Death & Ill Thrift Flashcards
what are key performance indicators in a flock concerning ill thrift/sudden death
How many sheep have died/are ill-thriven?
What system are we talking about?
Is the farmer concern/going to do something about it?
Can we do something about it?
How much is going to cost if we do/don’t do anything?
what are diagnostic tools used
Post-mortem:
- Gross pathology
Examine in contact animals
Sampling
Cost
A percentage of animals
what are preventative measures for il thrift/sudden death
Biosecurity (quarantine)
Isolation
Move from incriminated pastures/shed
Reduce stress
- Avoid sudden changes in nutrition/diet
- Mix different age groups
- Overcrowding
- Lack of feeding
Vaccination
- Clostridial diseases
- Pasteurellosis
what is the definition of sudden death and how do you determine if they were just found dead
How often are they checked?
Found dead is better
There may have been clinical signs but they were not seen
BCS
Position of carcass
history (feeding, routine treatments, recent stressful events)
what are the main ddx for sudden death in adult sheep
- Clostridial diseases
- Parasitic disease
- Acute fluke
- Haemonchus contortus
- Respiratory disease
* Pasteurellosis - Poisonings
* Plants and minerals
what are the common clostridial diseases in adult sheep
Blackleg
Black disease
Braxy
malignant edema
Abomasitis
Pulpy kidney (more common dx of sudden death in lambs)
Struck
Acute toxic metritis
Bacillary hemoglobinuria
Botulism
Tetanus
what is the cause of blackleg
C. chauvoei
what are the clinical signs of blackleg if found alive
Stiffness, unwillingness to move, edema and crepitus of hind legs muscle with myositis
how can blackleg be treated if found alive
parenteral penicillin in early cases
what is found on PM with blackleg
Usually greater deep muscle masses (hind and forelimbs)
Edematous and emphysematous
Crepitant, dry, necrotic muscle fibres (dark red/black)
what is the likely cause to these PM changes
black leg
c chauvoei
what is the agent that causes black disease
c. novyi type B
what is black disease associated with
migration of immature liver fluke in the liver
what are the PM changes seen with black disease
Pale areas (hepatocellular necrosis) of variable size and surrounding darker areas (hyperemia)
what is the PM changes seen here and the cause
c. novyi type B
black disease
liver fluke migration in liver
what is the agent that causes braxy
c septicum
what is braxy associated with
frosted food
if the sheep are alive what are the clinical signs of braxy
High fever, abdominal pain, generalized toxemia
what are the PM changes seen with braxy
Severe abomasitis
what is the agent that causes malignant edema (‘big head’)
C. septicum, C. chauvoei, C. sordellii, C. novyi type A
what is the most common etiology of malignant edema
can affect all ages but mostly associated with rams from fighting wounds
what does malignant edema cause
Cellulitis causing massive facial swelling with edema and gas production
what can you treat malignant edema
parenteral penicillin in early cases
what is the agent that causes pulpy kidney
c. perfringens type D
what are the clinical signs of pulpy kidney
sudden death in non immune lambs
what age does pulpy kidney usually affect
4 weeks to 8 month old lambs
often the bigger, better ambs
what are the clinical signs of pulpy kidney if found alive
Severe depression
Abdominal pain
Grinding teeth
Neurological signs (seizures, opisthotonus)
what are the PM findings of pulpy kidney
No gross lesions to very unspecific (clear fluid in body cavities, small petechial hemorrhages on lungs and epicardium) to typical ones (gelatinous clot in the pericardial sac, autolytic kidney, cerebellar coning with hemorrhage, glycosuria)
what are the PM changes seeen
pulpy kidney
what PM changes are seen here
acute liver fluke
what are the PM changes seen here
pasteurellosis
what could be the causative agent for the pathology seen here
OVA
what could be the causative agent of these pm changes
MVV
