With the warm, wet weather we have been experiencing, parasites on our pastures are thriving! Over the recent days, we have begun to see some cases of Lungworm (Dictocaulus viviparous) in young calves around the area. Check out these pics of the adults in a calf’s lung on post mortem exam, as well as the larvae seen under the microscope when carrying out testing on a poo sample.
Lungworm spreads rapidly across the pasture during warm, wet weather as the larvae in faeces attach to a fungus which grows on cow pats under these conditions. This fungus, called Pilibolus klenii, then fills with water and bursts, shooting the lungworm larvae up to 3 meters across the grass where stock subsequently graze.
Youngstock ingest the larvae, which are absorbed from the gut into the lymphatic system and travel to the lungs where they mature. Adult worms then produce eggs which are coughed up, swallowed and pass through the gut and back onto the pasture via faeces where they hatch into larvae for the cycle to begin again.
It is the damage caused by adult worms travelling around the lungs which cause the clinical signs we see in affected animals-coughing, panting, open mouth breathing, nasal discharge and even death in severe cases. It only takes a small number of worms to cause clinical signs and reduce growth rates in a mob.
Luckily, lungworm is easily killed by most drenches and has not shown any evidence of resistance to date. However, clinical signs may worsen after drenching in severely affected animals as dead worms clog the airways and cause a large inflammatory response. These animals often need anti-inflammatory treatment at time of drenching to minimise these complications.
It is very important to be vigilant with drenching intervals from now onwards to avoid lungworm causing problems in your youngstock. In general, if using oral drenches, a 28 day interval is advised, whereas with an injectable or pour on drench, this interval can be extended to 6 weeks.
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Tommy
We still have 3 beautiful kittens at our Inglewood clinic who are looking for homes.
We've added a video today of one of the kittens "Tommy". Tommy is looking for a special home, he was quite scared when he came to us but after only a short time he has really come out of his shell.
Tommy loves playing with ALL his toys (sometimes all at once!) and just loves cuddles. He has a tiny meow but a very loud purr! We are looking for a quieter home for Tommy with someone who has the time to patiently help him build his confidence, which is growing every day! He is a really sweet little fella and has been hanging out with the Admin team at Energy Vets (we love him!).
If you think you can offer Tommy a home and would like to meet him, come and introduce yourself to him at the Inglewood Clinic. Tommy's adoption fee includes his first vaccination; microchip; initial worm and flea treatments already given; a 1kg packet of Hills Kitten biscuits plus a $20 voucher towards desexing at our clinic - all included for $112.
Richmond Brook Station Flea control
