Diseases of growing lambs Flashcards
What are some common clinical problems in growing lambs?
Poor growth
Diarrhoea
Sudden death
Respiratory disease
Trace element deficiencies
Lameness
Neurological disease
Skin disease
Name some DDx for diarrhoea in lambs
Nematodirus battus
PGE
Coccidiosis
Cryptosporidium
Acidosis
Clostridium
E.coli
Salmonella
Clostridium perfingens type B causes which condition in lambs?
Lamb dysentery
Clostridium perfingens type D causes which condition in lambs?
Pulpy kidney
What are the clinical signs of cryptosporiosis in lambs?
- Affects lambs aged 3-7 days old
- Profuse diarrhoea with blood
- Dehydration
- Fatal
How is cryptosporiosis in lambs diagnosed?
- Stained faecal smear
- PM histopathology
How is cryptosporiosis in lambs treated?
- Supportive: house, keep with dam
- Oral fluids
How can cryptosporiosis in lambs be prevented/controlled?
- Use different fields/housing for lambing and calving
- In outbreak move to fresh pasture
- Put newborn animals to clean pasture
- Improve hygiene throughout the farm indoor
- Improve lamb resilience - nutrition
Name some risk factors for coccidiosis in growing lambs
- high stocking rates
- inadequate colostrum
- mixed ages
- stress
- concurrent infection e.g. Nematodirus
What are the clinical signs of coccidiosis?
- 4-8 week old lambs
- clinical diarrhoea
- fever, weight loss, death
- poor growth
How is coccidiosis in lambs diagnosed?
Faecal samples
How is coccidiosis in lambs treated?
- Supportive
- Oral fluids
- Drugs: Vecoxan or Baycox
How is coccidiosis in lambs controlled/prevented?
- hygiene of pens and feed troughs
- decrease stocking rates
- improve colostrum intakes
- batch rearing to avoid grazing younger and older lambs on the same pasture
What is the cause of acidosis in growing lambs?
Consumption of rapidly fermentable carbohydrates (grain, bakery waste)
Describe the pathophysiology of acidosis in lambs
- Fall in rumen PH
- Lactic acid production
- Rumenitis
- Metabolic acidosis
What are the major consequences of acidosis in lambs?
Liver abscessation, fungal rumenitis and death
Describe the clinical signs of acidosis in lambs
Dull, depressed, reluctant to move, teeth grinding, bloat, ataxia
Dehydration, no rumen sounds, diarrhoea
How can acidosis in lambs be diagnosed?
- Rumenocentesis pH<5.5
- PM exam
How can acidosis in lambs be treated?
- IV fluids
- Oral fluids
- Penicillin
- Hay
What IV fluids are most appropriate to give to a lamb with acidosis?
Isotonic saline plus bicarbonate
What are the DDx of bloat in lambs?
- Hypocalcaemia
- Peritonitis
- Ascites
- Uroperitoneum
What are the clinical signs of a lamb with lamb nephrosis syndrome?
- 2-12 weeks old
- Loss of condition
- Diarrhoea
- Standing around water troughs due to increased thirst
How can lamb nephrosis syndrome be diagnosed?
- Raised urea and creatinine
- Hyperkalaemia
- Decreased albumin to globulin ration
- PM exam
How will lamb nephrosis syndrome present on PM exam?
Pale, swollen kidneys due to toxic tubular necrosis
How is lamb nephrosis syndrome treated?
No treatment has been found to have any effect, lambs tend to waste away and die within about a week and consequently euthanasia is preferred
What is cobalt used for in the body?
Vitamin B12
RBC development
Amino acid synthesis
Energy and metabolism
What are the clinical signs of cobalt deficiency?
- Weight loss
- Anaemia
- Slow growth
- Debility
- Weight loss
- Watery eye discharge
How is cobalt deficiency treated?
- Group treatment
- Cobalt rumen bolus
- Oral drenches
- Vit B12 injections
- Cobalt in creep feed
What are the functions of selenium?
Anti-oxidant
Immune function
Which condition is caused by selenium deficiency in lambs?
White muscle disease
What are the signs of white muscle disease in lambs?
ill thrift
weakness, collapse, lame
How is selenium deficiency treated?
Oral, injectable , bolus, selenium salts
Describe iodine deficiency in lambs
- Deaths, weakness illness in new born lambs
- Late abortions
- Ewe deficient due to problem with pasture
- Lambs thyroid goitre
- More susceptible to other neonatal diseases
Copper deficiency in lambs causes which condition?
Swayback
When does copper deficiency need to be treated?
During pregnancy - deficient ewes need to be treated
What is the cause of acute copper poisoning?
Ingestion of large amounts
What is the cause of chronic copper poisoning?
Ingestion over a period of time
How does chronic copper poisoning present?
Intravascular haemolysis and jaundice
What are the clinical signs of copper poisoning?
Ataxic, head pressing, jaundice, haemoglobinuria, recumbency and death
How is copper poisoning treated?
- Sodium calcium EDTA
- Supportive therapy
- Group
- Remove feed source
Name 3 bacterial cases of respiratory disease in lambs
- Mycoplasma spp
- Mannheimia haemolytica
- Pasteurella multicidia
Mannheimia haemolytica occurs secondary to?
Change in diet, worms, ticks, housing, poor ventilation, stress of handling, bad weather
What are the clinical signs of Mannhaemia haemolytica?
Pyrexia, mucopurulent nasal discharge, cough, increased respiratory rate, depth, dyspnoea death
How does Mannheimia haemolytica present on a PM exam?
AV consolidation on lung tissue
How is Mannheimia haemolytica treated?
Long acting antibiotic e.g. oxytetracycline, amoxicillin
How can Mannheimia haemolytica be prevented?
Heptavac P
Ovipast
Describe the clinical signs of Mycoplasma pneumonia in lambs
- Chronic disease
- Cough
- Slight nasal discharge
- Increased RR and depth
- Dyspnoea
- Seen in housed, over-stocked lambs
How is Mycoplasma pneumonia diagnosed in growing lambs?
- History and CS
- BAL
- PM exam
How is Mycoplasma pneumonia treated?
Oxytet LA/ macrolides (consider group)
What is the spp of lungworm in lambs?
Dictyocaulus filaria
Describe the signs on lungworm in lambs
- Lambs are pasture
- Summer/autumn
- Coughing
- Increased RR and depth
How is lungworm diagnosed?
Larvae in faeces - Baermann test
How is lungworm treated and managed?
- Anthelmintics
- NSAIDs
- Move to a low risk pasture
Describe the two common presentations of poor growth in lambs
- A small number never grown normally (and never likely to)
- A large number which have grown normally initially, then had a specific condition
What are some DDx for the whole batch of lambs doing well but have one or two growing poorly?
- Low birth weight
- Border disease
- Congenital problem
- Neonatal infection
- Inadequate milk/nutrition
What are some DDx for a whole group of lambs having poor growth?
- Inadequate nutrition
- Parasitic disease especially anthelmintic resistance
- Trace element deficiencies
- Pneumonia
- Lameness
- Orf, scab
How should poor growth be investigated i.e. what needs to be considered?
- Main clinical signs observed
- Time of year
- Breed
- Singles, twins, triplets
- Diet
- Signs of disease
- Worming history
- Coccidiosis history
How should poor growth be investigated when looking at the farm history i.e. what needs to be considered?
- Main clinical signs observed
- Time of year
- Breed
- Singles, twins, triplets
- Diet
- Signs of disease
- Worming history
- Coccidiosis history
How can poor growth be investigated diagnostically?
- Work out growth rates if possible (assume 4kg BW and weigh average bunch now- give DLWG)
- Samples: FEC, coccidia, fluke, BS trace elements, test for AH resistance
- Abattoir feedback
- Monitor lamb weight
- Assess grazing e.g. grass sword height, quality
