Respiratory diseases - sheep Flashcards
What should you pay particular attention to when investigating a respiratory problem in sheep (often a flock problem)?
- age
- number affected
- CS, progression and whether acute/chronic
- time period
- management
What should you pay particular attention to when doing a distance exam of a flock of sheep when you suspect a respiratory problem
- demeanor
- size heterogeneity
- nasal/ocular discharge
- signs of dyspnoea, resp distress
- cough
- particularly bad animals
What should you pay particular attention to when doing an individual sheep when you suspect a respiratory problem
- temperature (normal is 38.8-39.9)
- RR (normal is <20/min)
- HR (normal is 70-80)
- Size and BCS
- MM and hydration status
Outline findings of the sheep respiratory system
- abdominal respiration
- normal RR <20/min (usually faster)
- lung sounds may be loud
- poor correlation between lung sounds an dpathology
How are most sheep respiratory diseases confirmed?
PME (£58.24 at APHA)
What tests can you do for sheep respiratory diseases
- BAL (but consider commensals and significance of findings)
- valuable animals –> ultrasound or radiography
What do you need to decide when you have a respiratory problem on the farm?
- risk to flock
- contributing factors
- short-term control
- long term preventative strategy
What are the 5 broad categories of ovine respiratory disease?
- sudden death
- acute or sub-acute ill-health, cough, +/- discharges and fever
- chronic ill thrift, occasional cough. lambs
- chronic weight loss, breathing difficulties, adults
- acute respiratory distress
What ovine respiratory disease is likely to cause sudden death?
- Peracute pneumonia (M.haemolytica, ‘enzootic pneumonia’) –> septicaemia –> death (typically lambs, can be gimmers)
What ovine respiratory disease is likely to cause acute or subacute ill-health, cough +/- discharges and fever? 3
- acute bacterial/viral pneumonias (fever)
- aspiration pneumonia (fever)
- parasitic pneumonia (fever)
What ovine respiratory disease is likely to cause chronic ill-thrift, occasional cough in LAMBS? 2
- chronic pneumonia (Mycopl., resolved pneumonia) –> Lung damage –> poor weight gain
What ovine respiratory disease is likely to cause chronic weight loss and breathing difficulties in ADULT SHEEP?
‘Slow virus’ diseases (Maedi-Visna, SPA) –> lung tissue replaced with solid tissue. Only 1-2 animals affected at one time.
What ovine respiratory disease is likely to cause acute respiratory distress?
URT problem e.g. laryngeal constriction (Texels, Suffolks etc) or damage, laryngeal chondritis (due to high RR –> damage)
What is the most common respiratory problem in sheeP/
- Ovine pneumonia. = enzootic pneumonia = pneumonic pasteurellosis*
- Usually young animals
- Endemic throughout UK
- Multi-factorial aetiology
- Predisposing factors (ventilation, age, stress)
What agents are principally involved in ovine pneumonia?
- BACTERIA - especially M.haemolytica (also P. trehalosi, P.multocida, B.parpetussis, others)
- MYCOPLASMAS
- VIRUSES - especially PI3 and adenoviruses (also RSV and reoviruses)
- Typically viruses cause the primary infection and bacteria and mycoplasmas follow secondarily*
