Veterinary Services

• Unusual clinical presentation of malignant catarrhal fever in a cow
• Fewer cases of nematodirosis but other causes of scour in lambs common
• PMWS confirmed as the cause of ill thrift, scour and piglet deaths
• Review of coccidiosis in game birds in Great Britain from 2002 to 2008

Disease alerts

The following conditions were recorded by SAC Consulting: VS in September 2008. Given similar climatic and management conditions, they could also be important this year.

• Bracken poisoning in beef heifers on hill ground
• Chronic fasciolosis in cattle
• Threefold increase in E.coli mastitis in dairy cows
• Cerebellar abscesses in lambs associated with Peptostreptococcus infection
• Aspergillosis and histomonosis (blackhead) confirmed in turkeys

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

Across Scotland the weather was warm, sunny and dry, compared to the average. This was particularly true in western Scotland where the average temperature was 1.4 degrees Celsius above the 1971 to 2000 mean value and sunshine hours were 134 percent of the thirty year average. Eastern Scotland also had above average sunshine hours in spite of near average rainfall.

The Scottish Government announced the publication of a new protocol to increase protection for farms and estates against animal and plant diseases. The protocol has been produced as part of the work of SEARS (Scotland’s Environmental and Rural Services) to assist in the training of staff undertaking regular farm visits who may not be familiar with biosecurity measures. 

Health Protection Scotland published a booklet on ticks and tick-borne diseases. This is designed to raise public awareness of ticks and the diseases they carry, including potential zoonoses.