General Farm animals - euthanasia, stunning, heavy metal toxicity, rodenticide, nitrate, plant poisoning, mycotoxins, skin parasites, wooden tongue, clostridia, blue tongue, tse etc Flashcards

Question

What is the problem with nitrate poisoning in ruminants?

Answer 1

Nitrate -> nitrite -> ammonia -> bacterial protein But if ruminants consume lots, get accumulation of nitrite which is then absorbed into bloodstream and converted to haemoglobin to methaemoglobin which cannot transport oxygen

Answer 2

``` Due to lack of oxygen: - anoxia - cyanotic mm - tachypnoea - weak and rapid pulse Can get subacute or chronic forms with more vague signs ```

Answer 3

Clinical signs/history Blood - plasma protein bound nitrite Chocolate brown discolouration of blood Treat with methylene blue IV

Answer 4

Usually occurs accidentally Spilt fertiliser on pasture that animals turned out on to graze Run off entering cattle accommodation Carry over to bowsers and equipment used to carry water previously used for fertiliser are not properly washed out

Answer 5

``` Poor pasture availability ie heavy snow Overgrazing Incorporation into conserved forages Use of herbicides Increased accessibility e.g. dumping of hedge cuttings Transportation - hungry on arrival ```

Answer 6

Evidence of potential exposure Believable time frame Risk factors e.g. overgrazing Clinical signs

Answer 7

Remove stock from suspected source Give access to good quality forage Eliminate poison - rumenotomy or adsorption with activated charcoal Treat symptomatically

Answer 8

Weight loss, oedema, straining diarrhoea Photosensitisation Pigs quite resistant to toxicity

Answer 9

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids - hepatotoxic | Liver biopsy - fibrosis, vein occlusion, bile duct proliferation

Answer 10

``` Sudden death Cardiac depression Dyspnoea Abdominal pain Muscle tremor Weakness ```

Answer 11

Taxine - very acute ingestion of yew | Diagnosis - presence of plant in rumen or mouth

Answer 12

``` Projectile vomiting (pathognomic) Abdominal pain Tremors Staggering Recumbency Paddling Death ```

Answer 13

Ingestion of polycyclic diterpenes - access to woodland or ornamental shrubs Diagnosis - clinical signs and presence of plant in rumen

Answer 14

SMCO, nitrate/nitrite, goitrogens, oxalates in common feed plants (fodder beets, rape, turnips) Poss inherited predisposition e.g. Zwarbles to oxalate deposition Diagnosis - bloods (nitrate levels, haematology - RBC inclusions on smear) SMCO - haemolytic anaemia, haemoglobinuria, pallor, jaundice, tachycardia Nitrates - hypothyroidism, goitre and hypocalcaemia

Answer 15

Hypericin | Diagnosis - clinical signs and history

Answer 16

Photosensitisation - erythema, swelling, skin necrosis in white areas (sunburn on hairless and unpigmented skin especially on dorsal aspect)

Answer 17

Move affected animals into shade Anit-inflammatories and antibiotics if required Supportive therapy for liver

Answer 18

Prevent production of mycotoxins - influenced by temperature, CO2 and water levels (more likely problem in warm wet conditions) Ensure grain is dried to correct moisture content Prevent exposure of silage to oxygen by ensuring adequately compacting and covering With big bale silage, handle care to avoid damaging the wrap Keep straw dry Avoid feed, forage or bedding with visual mould or spoilage Clean crop storage areas between batches Consider adding mycotoxin binder to ration

Answer 19

Aspergillus fungi Occur in field prior to harvest or post harvest if drying delayed, insect or rodent infestation Highest risk of contamination - corn ``` Primarily a hepatic disease Decreased feed intake Decreased milk yields Recurrent infections - immune suppression No treatment - remove source ```

Answer 20

High prevalence in UK cereals Fusarium fungi ``` Lower feed intake Lower milk yields Diarrhoea Immune alterations No treatment - remove source ```

Answer 21

``` Fusarium fungi Production enhanced by high temperatures Pigs more susceptible Diagnosis - clinical signs and history Treatment - none, remove source ``` Signs of hyperoestrogenism Hyperaemia and swelling of vulva and mammary glands Nymphomania Other signs - rectal and vaginal prolapses, poor libido in boars

Answer 22

Ingestion of sporidesmin - produced by Pithomyces chartarum found in the mat of leaf litter in shaded pasture Occurs in humid warm weather Toxin concentrates in the liver causing epithelial necrosis of the bile ducts Ill thrift, reduced fertility Severely affected animals develop photosensitisation - photophobia, swelling of face and ears Serum GGT concentration can be used to diagnose subclinical disease Can measure pasture spore counts No specific treatment available Oral administration of zinc salts prior to exposure Feed hay, or brassica crops during high risk periods and avoid close grazing Remove stock from high risk areas Breed for resistance

Answer 23

Ingestion of mycotoxin Lolittrem produced by Acremonium loliae found on perennial ryegrasses Neurological signs 1-2 weeks after introduction to toxic pasture: - fine tremors of head and neck at rest - head nodding - jerky movements of neck and limbs - alteration in stance - severely affected animals can collapse head first before rolling into lateral recumbency with necks arched back and limbs extended - tetanic spasma can persist for several minutes before apparent recovery No specific treatment Remove from affected pasture Avoid close grazing Consider feeding supplementary hay/reseeding

Answer 24

Ingestion of ergot alkaloids produced by Claviceps purpurea (parasitic fungus of rye and other small grain crops) Ergots = resting stage, seen as dark horn like structures which replace grass seeds Capillary damage - painful, inflamed extremities - then cold with numbnesss and development of dry gangrenous lesions Weight loss Reduced milk yield Painful udders Irritation of digestive tract - abdominal pain and vomiting Diagnosis - history and clinical signs No specific treatment available Remove from affected pasture

Answer 25

Hock scuffs and hygromas Stifle/pelvic/upper hindlimb injuries 'Neck rub' - hair loss and skin thickening (cubicle design of neck rail, feed barrier position) Dirty

Answer 26

Sucking - Damalinia bovis Chewing - Haematopinus eurysternus, Lignognathus vituli, Solenopotes capillatus Treat with ivermectin, permethrins

Answer 27

Seen in winter - housed cattle Tail head lesions and udder Mild pruritus - erythema, rubbing, crusts Treatment - Ivermectins (any in cattle, only Eprinex licensed for dairy cattle with a milk withhold) Often left untreated, goes away in summer

Answer 28

Intense pruritus Alopecia, crusting, thickening of skin Head, neck and shoulders Zoonotic

Answer 29

Intensely pruritic Bloody, crusty lesions - tail head, shoulders Weight loss, death Don't treat with ivermectin (variable results) Use 4% permethrin pour on If unresponsive, use amitraz

Answer 30

``` Trichophyton verrucosum Housed animals (UV light kills it) Rectify underlying husbandry/disease e.g. pneumonia Antiseptics, iodine Enilconazole Griseofulvin is illegal!! ```

Answer 31

Uncommon - associated with wet conditions Seen on back and udder - crusty Diagnosis - smear and methylene blue stain Associated with milk scald in calves Treat with penicillin, oxytetracycline

Answer 32

``` Actinobacillus lignieresi Abscesses and fistulation Granulomatous lesions Especially of head and LN Treatment: antibiotics (pen/strep, oxytet), potassium iodide (not licensed) ```

Answer 33

``` Peracute/acute High mortality Head and neck Gross swelling Pyrexic often Treat with antibiotics Staphs and Clostridia associated ```

Answer 34

``` Primary - photodynamic agents in diet Secondary - hepatic damage (phyloerythrin accumulation) Lesions of white/unpigmented areas Erythema, pruritus, crusting, fissures Also in congenital porphyria ```

Answer 35

``` Viral Young animals Resolve spontaneously Can be problem if on penis/teats Autogenous vaccine ```

Answer 36

``` Common in dairy cows Flank, hindlimbs - large swellings Resolve spontaneously Don't open! Care with needle centesis (can introduce infection) ```

Answer 37

'Blood sweating disease' Due to Ab transmission via colostrum Newborn - 4wo Dairy and beef calves Bleed from orifices, injection sites, skin, internal haemorrhages Bone marrow & blood changes - Granulocytopaenia, thrombocytopaenia, anaemia, aplastic anaemia Possible causes: - Infectious - Toxic - Vaccine associated “Pregsure” (now off the market but cases still occurring)

Answer 38

``` Capripoxvirus Closely related to sheep & goat pox Transmission: - biting flies, ticks, needles - cattle movement Fever 10 -14 days Skin nodules (can persist), erosions Lymph nodes enlarged, nasal discharge Mastitis Emaciation Control: - biosecurity (national & local) - vaccine ```

Answer 39

``` Besnoitia besnoiti (toxo-like group) Forms cysts - eye & skin Chronic, debilitating disease Arthropod transmission Wildlife reservoir ? ```

Answer 40

Gram positive, rod shaped, anaerobic spore former Widespread in environment and GI tracts Disease associated with injury/wounds, diet changes, over eating, co-infection or ingestion of preformed toxin Major toxins - alpha, beta, epsilon, iota, enterotoxin (CPE), beta-2, NetB Minor toxins - theta, delta, gamma, kappa, lambda, Mu, Nu, sialidase Type A: necrotic enteritis in chickens, gas gangrene, enterotoxaemia, colitis in horses - alpha toxin Type B: lamb dysentery, bovine enterotoxaemia, bovine and equine haemorrhage enteritis - a, b, epsilon Type C:necrotic enteritis in piglets - a, b Type D: pulpy kidney disease in lambs, enterotoxaemia in sheep, goats and cattle - a, epsilon Type E: rabbit enterotoxaemia - a, iota

Answer 41

``` Alpha: - Membrane damaging toxin - Essential with theta toxin for causing gas gangrene - Associated with type A - Sudden broiler flock mortality - Immunisation with a-toxoid protects against necrotic enteritis Beta: - heat labile pore forming toxin - increases capillary permeability - dermonecrotic and cytotoxic - sensitive to trypsin - lamb dysentery (type B) and Pig-bel (type C) Epsilon: - pore forming toxin - activated by trypsin - vascular permeability in organs - affinity for kidneys - type D: enterotoxaemia in sheep and goats, pulpy kidney disease ```

Answer 42

``` C chauvoei - blackleg C septum - malignant oedema, braxy C novyi type A - big head C novyi type B - black disease (necrotic hepatitis) C haemolyticum (novyi type D) - bacillary haemoglobinuria C sordelli - gas gangrene, abomasitis C tetani - tetanus C botulinum - botulism (A-G) ```

Answer 43

A disease caused by a pathogen spread by an arthropod host (not a disease caused by an arthropod itself e.g. scabies)

Answer 44

``` Spread by Ixodes ricinus Human disease: - rash - flu - joint pain - fatigue - neuroborreliosis ```

Answer 45

Bluetongue virus = orbivirus 25 serotypes Causes severe disease in sheep and mild disease in cattle Spread by culicoides

Answer 46

Climate change - causing midges to spread, increasing their vector competence Global movements of animals/goods - bringing the viruses into Europe Virus evolution

Answer 47

Complex life cycles and immune evasion

Answer 48

Produced from a pathogen isolated from infected animals in a flock/herd during a disease outbreak Can be used/licensed by VMD as an emergency vaccine, usually when no effective commercial vaccine available Usually simple inactivated vaccine

Answer 49

Compounds delivered with the Ag in a vaccine that help develop the immune response Aluminium salts most common Most work by stimulating APC

Answer 50

The microbiome is the genetic material of all the microbes - bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses - that live on and inside an animal

Answer 51

BSE | Scrapie

Answer 52

PRP = a gene with 5+ alleles Sc and C = 2 physical forms of protein PrPc and PrPSc have an identical amino acid sequence (primary structure) but a different tertiary structure PrPSc converts PrPc to itself In a normal cell, PrPc is constantly made and digested PrPSc is partially resistant to digestion so it accumulates and leads to disease

Answer 53

``` Long incubation period Progressive and invariably fatal Holes in brain give spongiform texture No signs of fever No signs of inflammation No antibody response No signs of a pathogen with a genome No sign of infection! ```

Answer 54

``` Only TSE of wild populations Only naturally spreading TSE Limited genetic control of susceptibility Affects deer Incubation period: 16 months Clinical signs: - loss of condition - standing away from herd - listless - ataxia - nervousness - excessive drinking and urination - aspiration pneumonia common cause of death Transmission: - faeces, urine, saliva - shed infectious prions into environment, contaminated herbage - also direct animal-animal ```

Answer 55

Responsible antibiotic use under the cascade requires vets to take into consideration not only the most appropriate active substance(s) but also: - the most appropriate formulation - the posology (dosage) - the current pattern of resistance in their locality - an awareness of how to reduce selection pressure - and related factors eg good biosecurity and husbandry/hygiene, avoiding surgical sepsis etc If a vet can demonstrate that these steps have been taken, then cascade use of antibiotics is supported

Answer 56

``` First Choice (not induce ESBL or AmpC): - Pencillins - Tetracyclines - Phenicols - Sulphonamides - Licosamides - Macrolides Second choice: - need justification due to natural or acquired resistance of bacteria AND bacteriology cannot be done - Amino-penicillins - 1st and 2nd generation Cephalosporins - Aminoglycosides Third line: - only after individual bacteriology has been performed and NO alternatives was available - 3rd/ 4th generation Cephalosporins - Fluoroquinolones ```

Answer 57

Oxytet: 73% Prostaglandin: 67% Oestradiol: 63\5

Answer 58

Florfenicol - licensed Macrolides Oxytetracycline

Answer 59

Posterior to stifle - lame Confirm abscess with needle/US Slash open and drain Usually Trueperella progenies

Answer 60

Udder and perineum | Pustular Staph infection

Answer 61

Often sudden onset oedema of vulva Treatment: antihistamine, corticosteroids Resolves spontaneously

Answer 62

Copper deficiency