Reproductive Diseases of Small Ruminants Flashcards
Goats and sheep both respond to reduced daylight, they are?
Seasonally polyestrous
What are the 6 S’s of summer ram management?
- Shear
- Shade
- Sand
- Salt and water
- Semen testing
- Serology
How many days do rams need to synthesize viable spermatozoa?
~50 days
What impact does ram fertility have on flock economic performance?
- Size and uniformity of lamb crop
- Reduced ram numbers
- Lambing labor
What does RBSE stand for?
Ram breeding soundness exam
What is the goal of RBSE?
To identify infertile or subfertile rams for removal from flock
What is a burcellosis infection in rams called?
Brucella ovis
Gram negative bacteria
What is the pathogenesis of Brucella ovis?
Venereal disease –> can spread to involve most or all the rams in a flock
What are the clinical signs of Brucella ovis?
- Reduced lamb crop
- Non-uniform lamb crop from repeat breedings
- Abortion (rare)
- More rams purchased to cover ewes
How do you detect Brucella ovis?
- Feel the epididymis
- Attempt to culture B. ovis from ram semen
- Examine semen for white cells
- Serologic testing
What effect do teaser rams have on the flock?
Synchronizes ewe estrus
* All in heat at about the same time
* All bred at about the same time (when 1st team rams are turned in)
* All lamb at about the same time
What is the purpose of flushing?
To increase the nutrition plane of ewe flock
No documented benefit for well-conditioned ewes
What are the benefits of ultrasound examination for pregnancy?
- Serves as early indicator of infertile ram. An entire lamb crop can be missed if the ram is infertile
- Allows one to cull open ewes. This provides savings on winter feed costs
- Can see open ewe lambs –> If sold in the fall, will sell as lamb
- Allows for sorting of ewes according to stage of prenancy or by # of fetuses
- Can confirm pregnancy for bred ewe sales in the fall and winter
Lamb sells better than mutton in the U.S.
What is the best prevention of abortion in small ruminants?
I think this is important
Do not expose pregnant animals to outside animals
What is the campylobacter that affects small ruminants?
There are 2
- Campylobacter fetus fetus
- Campylobacter jejuni