- Facial eczema (FE) in cattle. Lab test results have recently identified the first confirmed case of facial eczema in Tasmania's North West. FE has only been previously reported in the North East. The FE case in the North West is a little unusual in that it occurred later in the season than is normal for a temperate climate. DPIW vets are investigating further.
The issue with FE is that it is not just a case of photosensitisation and the skin problems arising from that. FE is the key sign of serious liver damage. It is caused by a poisonous substance, sporidesmin, that can be produced on a variety of pasture plants, particularly those pastures that have a high carryover of litter from the previous season. Information about FE and how to prevent or control it is on the DPIW website.
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Poisoning
There have been a few poisoning issues recently. None has involved significant numbers, but a summary of the incidents may be valuable for hobby farmers and others who may not be familiar with some of the poison risks on a property
- Lead poisoning. Some properties have lead laying around. Most commonly that involves old vehicle batteries left out but it can also be a derelict building that's old enough to have lead pipe plumbing. Exposure to the weather typically results in a furry white residue on the battery terminal, lead piping etc. That tastes great to cattle - and can kill them. Typically it's the best cow that consumes the most and therefore dies. That's what happened on a Tasmanian property recently. Prevention is easy - dispose of old batteries and anything else containing lead properly. Ensure they're not left around in the "blue sky barn" where livestock can get to them !
- Ranunculus poisoning. Tasmania has just had its first confirmed case of ranunculus poisoning. A private vet did the autopsy and found significant liver damage. There are hundreds of species of ranunculus, the common ones being the various buttercups. These plants don't taste good to livestock so are not normally a problem. However, if livestock (incl horses) are turned into a paddock with a lot of these plants and not much else to eat, they may eat the plants out of desperation. It's worth noting that these plants are not a problem in hay - the haying process reduces the toxins significantly. Click here to see a picture of the rununculus that probably killed the cow in Tasmania.
- Oxalate poisoning. A Tasmanian farmer recently lost a few lambs to oxalate poisoning after turning a large mob into a brassica crop. Unfortunately, the crop was quite weedy but the height of the brassica plants tended to obscure the weeds and, as a result, the risk of oxalate poisoning was underestimated. There are several weeds that contain high levels of oxalates and can cause oxalate poisoning. The two most common in Tasmanian pastures are sorrel and fat hen. Sheep and cattle that are getting a decent feed can generally tolerate a small intake of oxalate, but it is important to ensure they don't go into any area (pasture or areas such as roadsides, yards etc) where there's a lot of oxalate-risk weeds. It's handy if you know what sorrel and fat hen look like - there's good information on the Weeds Australia website.
- Grain poisoning (acidosis). A Tasmania farmer recently lost one third of a small mob of lambs through grain poisoning. With winter upon us, and that means many will be handfeeding over the next few months, it's timely to stress the need for any grain feeding to be introduced gradually. The NSW DPI website has an excellent fact sheet on how to do that.
- Riverbank grazing. We are currently investigating a poisoning death that may be linked to a plant, Trident river bush, that is typically found alongside rivers in the North East. If you experience any illness or death in your livestock after grazing a riverside area, please contact us! Ideally before the affected animal recovers or decomposes, so we have a chance of getting some useful samples!
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