Central Kentucky Small Ruminant Veterinary Services LLC

10/23/2024

08/12/2024

Some good reminders here going into breeding season. FAMACHA scoring especially important right now given environmental conditions here in Kentucky.

https://easternalliancekatahdins.com/preparations-for-breeding/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=preparations-for-breeding&fbclid=IwY2xjawEmFwNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHeX7is4fuNlC_I2NqLDkDXfM-vkWZvRrWIj17HsfGf7ZxEp1s_X0lWkatw_aem_xA_OxnTHo1MVBFuEO7tn9g&sfnsn=mo

The joining of ewes and rams at breeding time seems like a relatively simple task, but there are a lot of important steps that need to be taken several weeks

07/26/2024

Still eating. Still making milk. FAMACHA good (excellent actually, all things considered here). Hasn't left the farm in a month, thoroughly vaccinated. Just looked a little "off." Sometimes I will neglect my own animals depending on time and who they are but I got this doe back on the stand for closer evaluation.

Yikes!

Watch those animals closely this time of year, mostly for parasites but don't forget about respiratory issues especially in the midst of summer heat stress and show season.

03/22/2024

PSA!
I am already seeing quite a few animals with barber pole worm this year. Usually peak season for that here seems to be July/August (although absolutely possible outside those times). I suspect the mild winter we had is playing a role.

-I do NOT advocate for blanket deworming. Resistance to our chemical dewormers is here and it is bad. The drugs we have are the drugs we have. Use oral formulations of dewormers and at proper dosages for the species being treated to minimize development of resistance. Work with your veterinarian to come up with research-backed protocols, both with chemical control and other (IMO more important!) ways to reduce parasite risk.

-Monthly FAMACHA checks, while not foolproof, can help to catch issues before animals show clinical signs. FAMACHA scores range from 1-5 ("five = fatal," those are the white mucus membranes).

-FAMACHA should be used in conjunction with other knowledge of the animal. Are there other clinical signs such as weight loss, loose f***s, etc? Is this animal under significant stress such as post kidding/lambing, heavy show schedule? In my own herd I never deworm anything that is a 1-2, always deworm if a 4-5, and sometimes deworm 3s depending on those other factors.

None of my young stock has ever been dewormed, and I try to deworm adults as little as possible. I am not as great as I'd like about routinely checking my own herd but here and there will grab an animal I'm curious about. Good color on this recently fresh adult doe I grabbed last night.
(ETA not ideal technique, see below for links on popping mucus membrane out more appropriately - it's hard getting a picture with one hand and popping eyelid up with the other, especially when the goat has had enough. 😅 But this color is still representative of what it looked like when I did it "correctly" before the picture.)

My go-to resource for small ruminant parasite information: American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control - http://wormx.info

02/03/2024

That time of year. What's on your kidding/lambing "must have" list? 🐐🩺
(Besides coffee. 😴)

01/20/2024

⚠️ Bo-Se limited stock⚠️

Just a heads-up that Bo-Se and similar products are currently on the seemingly ever-growing list of backordered veterinary items.
I only have my open bottle on the truck. Most veterinary suppliers do not seem to have it in stock.

Some things to think about...

-Like most shortages I have no information on how long this one will last. There are other drugs I've had on my backorder list for months.

-A consistent mineral program is always the best strategy in managing mineral levels in your herd. Livestock should have free choice, loose mineral available at all times.

-Kentucky is a selenium deficient area - make sure whatever mineral you are feeding is able to meet selenium requirements! There is a maximum legal limit to selenium concentrations in mineral and I generally recommend staying fairly high in that allowed range.

Typically in my own herd, in addition to always having loose mineral available, I give a low dose of BoSe prior to breeding season and several weeks prior to kidding. However with the shortage, I've instead reevaluated my minerals to make sure selenium concentration is adequate, and I'm filling those mineral feeders twice a day. I'll be skipping pre-kidding BoSe in hopes that the minerals are doing the heavy lifting for the does and fetuses, and saving BoSe injection for kids that may develop clinical white muscle disease (selenium deficiency).

If you've already got your own stock of plenty of BoSe, great! But if not, just be aware that you'll probably be unable to get more for quite some time, and consider adjusting your management strategies accordingly.

(And remember that while we always hope not to have losses, a liver mineral analysis at necropsy on any animal can provide useful insight into the effectiveness of your mineral program.)

Please contact your county extension service to determine local selenium status.

For more information on the importance of selenium and other mineral supplementation:

http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/mineral-requirements-and-impact-dairy-and-meat-goat-production

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/musculoskeletal-system/myopathies-in-ruminants-and-pigs/nutritional-myopathies-in-ruminants-and-pigs

01/17/2024

The key to success at lambing and kidding time is timely intervention by your veterinarian!