Livestock Parasites
Parasite risks this spring
The weather conditions this spring could increase the risk of coccidiosis with some very high oocyst counts already recorded in earlier born lambs and suckled calves.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 19/04/2024
December liver fluke update
We last sent out our liver fluke forecast and thoughts in November, so thought that now would be a good time to update things given that we are approaching or already in a handling window for ewes in mid pregnancy.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 21/12/2023
Louping ill: Vaccine support sought
Louping ill virus is a flavivirus, transmitted by Ixodes ricinus ticks, and is commonly found in the Highlands, Perthshire and Argyll & Bute in Scotland. SRUC makes ten to 25 diagnoses of louping ill in flocks of sheep every year, and around five diagnoses in cattle annually.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 08/11/2023
Liver fluke update
So far this autumn we have examined a lot of sheep and not seen any evidence of recently acquired liver fluke infection in sheep coming through the postmortem rooms at Dumfries and Glasgow.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 07/11/2023
Look out for Lungworm
We have seen confirmed cases of lungworm last month across all of Scotland, including Aberdeenshire. This may be as a result of the hot dry weather earlier this year followed by warm and wet weather.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 02/11/2023
September case highlights
Parasitic disease dominated the diagnoses made in Aberdeen in September with lungworm and Ostertagiasis diagnosed in cattle and gastrointestinal parasites in sheep causing ill thrift and death.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 31/10/2023
Making the most of testing for sheep scab
As part of Scottish Governments ‘Preparing for Sustainable Farming’ initiative, farmers can claim £250 per intervention for undertaking up to two animal health interventions per year in 2023 and 2024. One of the interventions included in the scheme is to investigate sheep status in a flock by screening 12 animals per management group using the sheep scab ELISA test.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 22/09/2023
High lamb worm burdens this month
High worm burdens have been found in many of the lamb carcases received for post-mortem examination since the start of August through our Dumfries disease surveillance centre.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 16/08/2023
Sustainable farming initiative: Sheep and cattle roundworms
As part of Scottish Governments ‘Preparing for Sustainable Farming’ initiative, farmers can claim £250 for undertaking up to two animal health interventions per year in 2023 and 2024. Two important interventions which will receive funding are the control of roundworms in sheep and cattle.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 28/06/2023
It’s not Fluke it’s Worms
Diagnoses that we make in the post mortem room can sometimes give us a skewed picture of livestock health locally and are often assumed to be the tip of the iceberg. A run of similar cases might therefore suggest quite a big iceberg!…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 10/11/2022
Type 2 ostertagiasis – Is there an impact and are we missing it?
We have had a few submissions, case reports and post-mortem examinations recently regarding scour in groups of older cattle that grazed last year.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 06/06/2022
The ticks are rising
SRUC Veterinary Services has examined two post-mortem cases in cattle so far this week that have presented as sudden death and pneumonia after recent turn out to hill pasture.…
- SRUC Veterinary Services
- 25/03/2022