The weather at present doesn’t look like we are going to have an early spring. Hopefully, this will change as I type and you read. So, we will be looking at yearlings in sheds for a good while yet.

When they are not thriving as they should, we correctly need to review their nutrition. This is something that we don’t have a whole lot of control over, as whatever silage we have they are going to get.

We can supplement with concentrates if silage analysis indicates that is necessary. Also, we blame trace elements, such as copper, selenium and iodine, but analysing for deficiencies can take time and be expensive.

Faecal samples

What we can do cheaply, if cattle are not thriving as they should, is collect faecal samples from a number of pens, but also, importantly, review with your vet what dosing has been carried out so far this winter.

Sometimes we think our yearlings are dosed correctly, but on review and in conjunction with faecal analysis it might become obvious that we have neglected a certain parasite.

Liver fluke is a parasite that catches people out. If yearlings are dosed early in the housing period with a dose that doesn’t kill immature fluke, the fluke will mature to adults over the three-month period from housing. While this won’t cause fatalities, it is still like heating your house with the windows open and cattle won’t thrive as well as they should.

We may think we have dosed well during the summer and autumn, but Ostertagia can hibernate in its larval state within the walls of yearlings’ stomachs

While successful efforts have been made in the past few years to reduce rumen fluke burdens, faecal analysis will indicate if they are present and your vet will choose a dosing regimen that will deal with whatever fluke you have. This may mean using an oral dose, which is difficult and time consuming, but it is always worth the effort.

The one that fools us most is Type II Ostertagia. We may think we have dosed well during the summer and autumn, but Ostertagia can hibernate in its larval state within the walls of yearlings’ stomachs only for them to erupt suddenly, causing severe diarrhoea.

Huge damage

These larvae together will cause huge damage to the lining of the bowel, leading to a profuse scour, weight loss and dehydration. It can be so severe that the yearling will go down. It often occurs in younger animals.

You will first see a scour with a bottle jaw in one or two animals and then suddenly some of the weaker younger stock will get this debilitating scour that can result in high mortality rates in affected animals.

This condition catches a few clients out every year, as eggs will not always show up on faecal analysis.

Therefore, as I mentioned, reviewing the dosing regimen with your vet is important, if you are in doubt.

Sean Coffey works at Mulcair Vet Clinic, Newport, Co Tipperary. Mulcair Vet Clinic is part of XLVets. XLVets is a group of progressive practices who are working together to achieve a better future for agriculture and veterinary in Ireland. For further information, go to www.xlvets.ie.

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