Cattle Diseases
I have decided to add a page on cattle diseases that may be of interest to fellow Dexter breeders.
1. Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD)
BVD is a widespread cattle disease which can have disastrous effects in breeding cows that have never been exposed to the disease before. The breeding cow may only show mild signs, such as diarrhoea or she may look a little depressed for a day or two. However, if she becomes infected while she is pregnant, then it can have very serious effects on her calf. The effects on the calf are determined by how far through pregnancy their mother is when she is first infected by the BVD virus. The calf may be aborted, born dead or born alive with brain abnormalities. I cannot stress enough the importance of vaccination against BVD. Ask your vet now!
2. Blue Tongue (BT)
As you will all know in 2008 we had an outbreak of bluetongue virus in the UK. The UK is constantly under threat from new outbreaks of BT as we continue to import untested animals from Europe. As part of the EU, our government is forbidden to stop untested livestock from being imported into the UK. Once the animals are in the UK they are tested for BT, however, they may have already spread the disease to other animals before the results of the tests come back. Therefore please DO vaccinate all your animals (sheep/cows/goats) against BT.
3. Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis
This is a respiratory disease that can cause adult cows to abort their calves. Infected cows may also fail to get pregnant if they have recently been exposed to the disease. Cows will normally have runny eyes and snotty noses. Most cows will recover from the disease without any longterm affects. You can vaccinate your cows - speak to your vet.
4. Leptospiosis
5. Johnes - causes weight loss and diarrhoea in cows over 3 years old. Blood tests can be done to confirm the disease.
