Over the last few weeks we have seen an increase in sudden death cases in lambs. We would always advise post-mortems to investigate these cases. There are a few options available; our farm vets can carry out a post-mortem and send any samples away to the laboratory, or cases can go to a APHA subsided service.. With the latter option a free carcass collection is often available depending on your postcode. All supplementary testing is included in the price and a full comprehensive report is received making it excellent value from money.
The most common causes of sudden death are parasites, Clostridial disease, and Pasteurella. In our Spring Newsletter we told you about Haemonchus Contortus the barbers pole worm which lives in the abomasum of ruminants feeding on their blood. We have seen an increase of cases this year – identified on post-mortems, clinical signs and worm egg counts. Usually these cases will have reduced by this time of year but we are still seeing a high number of cases due to the mild wet weather. Please remain vigilant; unlike normal worms Haemonchus does not cause dirty back ends or loss of condition, you will instead see pale membranes, lethargy, bottle jaw and sudden deaths.
Please call our farm team if you have any concerns regarding your flock.
