Having 5 carcasses condemned for discolouration brought on by cysts has cost a farm dearly and highlighted the problem of the risks of canine muck.
The expensive case occurred in 2021 and was written up by colleagues within the Journal of Veterinary Parasitology in 2022 (see “Farm hit with cyst condemnations”).
See additionally: Guide to understanding a beef killing-out sheet
About the writer
Ben Strugnell
Ben Strugnell is an unbiased vet in County Durham. Ben labored in combined observe in North Yorkshire for 5 years, specialising in cattle. He then went on to work for the Veterinary Laboratory Agency in Thirsk, the place he developed his abilities in pathology and his perception that an correct put up mortem can diagnose the vast majority of illnesses in cattle and might forestall pointless losses and enhance productiveness on farm. He now runs the Farm Post Mortems service.
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This will not be a fallen inventory story, however the end result is similar – the affected cattle didn’t enter the meals chain and all of the cost and time of feeding and administration was for nothing.
This makes the problem of dogs on farmland a perennial drawback (see “What are the three key health challenges of dog muck?”) and value dialogue.
The offending parasite was a sarcocyst. These are discovered globally in every kind of animals, from tree shrews to elephant seals. They will be each disease-causing and innocent.
The time period eosinophilic myositis is given to muscle tissue when it’s discoloured by the degradation of a sarcocyst. This is brought on by a hypersensitivity response and can lead to a inexperienced or yellow mottling in meat.
Benign sarcocysts are generally present in all tissues in sheep and cattle. What triggers the sensitivity response is unknown.
Farm hit with cyst condemnations
- Farm 250 native-cross suckler cows grazing on home pasture
- Affected inventory 22 home-bred steers and heifers had been slaughtered at 20-24 months, of which 5 had been affected with cysts
- Context Cattle had grazed at home. Some public footpaths went by means of the farm, the farm had dogs and the native fox hunt had handed by means of with the hounds. There had been no campsites close by
- Cost In right this moment’s money, 5 350kg carcasses at £5/kg are price £8,750, which, divided by 250 cows, equals £35 a cow
Dogs on the rise
According to a 2023 survey by statistics database Statista, 31% of UK households reported canine possession, in contrast with 22% in 2011.
Furthermore, a Vetoquinol survey of two,000 UK canine house owners in July this 12 months discovered that 33% walked dogs close to livestock, and 36% stated they might be extra more likely to go away canine poo behind if it was in a rural discipline.
(Vetoquinol makes Droncit, a tapeworm pill containing praziquantel, which successfully kills tapeworms, however not neospora or sarcocysts.)
This means that graziers are greatest reminded of the risks of canine faeces and provided some concepts as to the way to restrict the problem when the general public have access to land.
Prevention
With no remedy available for points similar to neosporosis and sarcocystosis, prevention is the one approach:
- Concentrate on fields with rights of approach by means of them and encourage canine walkers to take away canine faeces
- Supplying a poo bag dispenser and a bin is a minimal cost and should prevent losses, however may turn out to be relied on by walkers
- Make efforts to get to know common canine walkers, as they will educate others
- Ensure farm dogs are skilled to a latrine or kennel space and don’t have any must defecate on grazing land
- Do not let dogs eat carcasses, placentas or foetuses
- Consider signage encouraging canine walkers to worm dogs with praziquantel
- Improvements may additionally cut back the probabilities of sheep worrying, which might additionally end in losses, abortions and graphic harm
The three key well being challenges of canine muck
Sarcocystosis (eosinophilic myositis)
What is it?
- A protozoan intracellular an infection usually related to producing muscle cysts (sarcocysts)
- Different species-specific predator-prey lifecycles have been recognized for various species, specifically cattle-to-dog transmission (S cruzi) and sheep-to-dog transmission (S capracanis, S hircicanis)
- Has a two-host cycle, reproducing asexually within the intermediate host
- Sheep and cattle can graze or eat feeds contaminated with faeces containing infective sporocysts (handed by dogs or foxes). These penetrate the intestinal wall and multiply in blood, coronary heart, skeletal muscular tissues and even nerve cells. They take about three months to mature
- The cysts are sometimes microscopic and embedded in cattle muscle
Its influence
- Cattle with S cruzi can endure fever, anorexia, decrease milk manufacturing, unfastened dung, lack of tail hair, weak point and even dying. It could cause related results in sheep, together with abortion
- The situation gives no risk to human well being however is roofed below the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 of the UK as being unfit for human consumption
How to handle it
- Prevent ingestion of prey carcasses or uncooked tissues by dogs and foxes and cut back grass and water contamination with their faeces
Neospora
What is it?
- A cyst-causing protozoan parasite that’s sexually mature and reproduces in dogs and different canids (foxes)
- It begins life as a tissue cyst in an intermediate host (sometimes cow, deer or canine), the place it reproduces asexually
- Cattle can turn out to be contaminated at pasture after which infect gestating calves as foetuses. It is estimated that about 90% of neospora circumstances in calves are congenital infections, based on the National Animal Disease Information Service
- Parasites will be maintained and propagated between the definitive and intermediate hosts for a lot of years throughout the similar herd
Its influence
- The Animal and Plant Health Agency reviews Neospora caninum as probably the most generally identified reason for abortion in dairy cattle
- High charges of abortions, and calves born with the illness are sometimes weak, underweight and have neurological signs similar to inco-ordination and eye protrusions
How to handle it
- A vaccine did exist however was withdrawn attributable to questionable efficacy
- Farmers are really helpful to not retain replacements from contaminated (seropositive) cows, as they will move the illness to their calves throughout gestation (an infection will not be cow-to-cow)
- Blood testing can determine constructive animals, which will be culled or bred to beef. Ensure solely detrimental females are bred from
- Maintain excessive hygiene requirements at calving so placental membranes and aborted calves can’t be eaten by dogs or foxes
- Minimising canine faeces on pasture can keep away from transmission between cattle and dogs
- Stop dogs accessing feed storage areas, feeding areas or calving pens
Tapeworms
What is it?
- A flat, segmented worm, usually white in look. Its head has hooks that connect to the intestine wall of sheep and cattle
- Moniezia expansa is the most typical species within the UK, usually seen being handed by sheep. This will not be unfold by dogs, however by a mite, and is taken into account innocent to sheep
- Some different tapeworm species (for instance, Echinococcus granulosa, the reason for hydatid illness) reproduce in different species (normally dogs or foxes) as intermediate hosts
- Taenia multiceps can result in massive cysts forming within the mind inflicting coenurosis (generally known as “sturdy” or “gid”)
Its influence
- Moniezia expansa has little or no influence
- Hydatid cysts in carcasses can result in condemnation
- Occasionally, numbers of Moniezia expansa worms will be nice sufficient to trigger lack of situation, diarrhoea and even intestinal obstruction
How to handle it
- Not all wormers deal with tapeworm, however albendazole, oxfendazole, fenbendazole and ricobendazole are sometimes efficient
- Check whether or not the farm dogs want worming (with praziquantel)
