Cowra Local Livestock Health Update - LLS

Phalaris Warning for Sheep Graziers

Several animal health issues on Phalaris pastures have been diagnosed by our District Vets in recent weeks marking the beginning of the high risk period for our area. There are 2 different types of toxicity to be mindful of following the Autumn break;

1. Sudden death in the first 36 hours of grazing, and

2. Secondly, the more common, staggers which is more often seen after sheep have been grazing a paddock for weeks to months. The most obvious symptoms are a ‘bunny hopping’ gait and tremor. To reduce the risk of seeing these toxicities we recommend:

• Never introduce hungry stock onto Phalaris
• During first 6 weeks following the Autumn break consider using a small number of animals to ‘test’ graze a paddock for 24 hours prior to introducing an entire mob
• Avoid putting recently purchased young ewes on to Phalaris
• Continuous grazing as opposed to rotational grazing which promotes ongoing growth of fresh shoots
• Properties that have known high risk pastures either spray with foliar Cobalt spray or use Cobalt intraruminal bullets administered *Please note cobalt bullets and sprays are only useful in prevention the staggers syndrome (NOT pharlaris sudden death). B12 injections, loose licks and blocks containing cobalt are not effective in preventing either syndrome.

Most commonly diagnosed disease this month? - Barbers Pole Worm

It is a timely reminder that Barbers Pole larvae are surviving in significant numbers. While the colder weather will stop barbers pole eggs from hatching, it will not kill the larvae already on your pad-docks. Sheep often do not look ‘wormy’ and worm egg counts (WEC) should be used to make evidence based decisions and to monitor. We strongly encourage Autumn lambing producers to complete a WEC prior to lamb marking, and based on those results discuss with your veterinarian if drenching lambs would be appropriate or not.

If you would like further information or to chat about any animal health issues, please feel free to contact your local District Veterinarian’s: Em Johnstone (0419 334 077) Mon - Wed or Evie Duggan (0427 147 939) Wed - Fri

• Topics:
• Agriculture / Farming
• Farming