Calving difficulties dominate in the west

Ronan Gallagher, Kilbride veterinary clinic, Swinford, Co Mayo

The spring has been quiet so far compared to last year. A large proportion of our calls are to animals with scour and respiratory disease. This year, the spring for us is running late. It is only in the past week that we have seen an increase in the volume of calving cases. The majority of calving calls I have attended have been for cows carrying oversized calves requiring a caesarian section.

There has been a slight increase in the number of scour cases with cryptosporidium being the primary pathogen isolated. Most of the scour issues have been where autumn calves have been present on the farm and then spring calves have been born into the same sheds. These new calves have then been exposed to cryptosporidium in the environment. There is also an increase in pneumonia in recent weeks, the variable weather being the primary cause.

On the BVD front, I would strongly advise farmers to test calves as soon as possible after calving. I have seen farms where there have been numerous problems with scour and pneumonia in baby calves. When samples have been taken after a few weeks, some have tested positive for BVD. This delay in testing results in a constant viral challenge, weakening the immune response of the healthy calves in the shed. As soon as a calf tests positive, it should be isolated.

On the sheep side, there has been an increase in orf and hacks on sheep teats, due mainly to the cold and wet weather. At this stage of the year, I would not advise farmers to vaccinate for orf, unless there is a serious outbreak. For most farmers, isolating and treating individual cases will work fine.