What to Watch for with Asian Longhorned Ticks and Theileria in Ohio in 2024

Dr. Tim McDermott, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Franklin County

(Image Source: Tadhgh Rainey, Hunterdon County Health Services, New Jersey)

One of the worrisome things about ticks in Ohio has been the increasing numbers of ticks of medical importance to humans, companion animals, and livestock as we have gone from one tick of medical importance twenty years ago to five now, including two new ticks in the past few years. While ticks have always been a problem in cattle, the invasive Asian longhorned (ALHT) tick that was first discovered in Ohio in 2020 has demonstrated the ability to not only vector, or transmit disease to cattle, but to cause mortality in cattle through high numbers of ticks feeding upon the animals. I first wrote about ALHT  in All About Grazing in July of 2020 with the article “The Threat of Asian longhorned tick continues” and then followed up with a March 2nd, 2023 article “Managing Asian longhorned ticks on pasture” so I want to provide an update on where we are in the state of Ohio with ALHT right now.

Where are we seeing ALHT in Ohio right now?
As of the end of 2023, we had positively identified ALHT in Continue reading

Top Tips for Healthy Lambs

Sarah McNaughton, Editor, Dakota Farmer, Farm Progress
(Previously published online with Dakota Farmer, Farm Progress: January 19, 2024)

Montana State Extension shares management practices for lambing and kidding.

With lambing and kidding season arriving to ranches, now is the time to evaluate management and facilities for a successful spring crop. Brent Roeder, sheep and wool Extension specialist at Montana State University, shared health management tips for lambs and kids during a recent producer-focused webinar.

Sheep and goats are management-responsive, with nutritional, environmental, or predatory stressors opening the door to disease.

“A lot of livestock management with sheep and goats is knowing how to manage the stress, especially in lambing,” Roeder said. “Knowing what to feed, when to feed, when to vaccinate, how to manage in the cold weather, how to keep predators out — all of those things play into maximizing your performance.”

While lamb loss is never ideal, Roeder said that it’s something that can’t be avoided. “It’s impossible to Continue reading

Top Tips for Healthy Lambs

Sarah McNaughton, Editor, Dakota Farmer
(Previously published online with Dakota Farmer: January 19, 2024)

Montana State Extension shares management practices for lambing and kidding.

With lambing and kidding season arriving to ranches, now is the time to evaluate management and facilities for a successful spring crop. Brent Roeder, sheep and wool Extension specialist at Montana State University, shared health management tips for lambs and kids during a recent producer-focused webinar.

Sheep and goats are management-responsive, with nutritional, environmental, or predatory stressors opening the door to disease.

“A lot of livestock management with Continue reading

Navel Dips for Lambs and Kids

Kelly Froehlich, Assistant Professor and South Dakota State University Extension Sheep Specialist
(Previously published with South Dakota State University Extension: May 03, 2023)

(Image Source: Premier1Supplies)

Treating umbilical cords with a navel dip at birth is recommended to ensure a healthy start for lambs and kids and preventing the occurrence of navel (joint) ill. The umbilical cord is important in maintaining a blood supply between the mother’s placenta and fetuses prior to birth. However, during parturition this connection is severed, leaving a hollow, wet tube that can serve as a wick for bacteria with direct entry to the liver and vascular system of a newborn. Bacteria can lead to infections, commonly causing naval ill in lambs one to three weeks-of-age. Navel ill causes unthrifty, lame, arthritic lambs with swollen joints. Treatment of navel ill is often unsuccessful and prevention is key in managing control of infections.

Using an effective navel dip to disinfect and dry up navels can be part of a strategy in preventing infections. With many choices and recommendations of navel dips available, what is considered effective? For the longest time, the ‘gold standard’ was using a 7% iodine or 7% iodine in an alcohol tincture. However, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) ruling in 2007 increased regulation of 7% iodine, making it unavailable for many producers. Seven percent iodine was and has been an effective navel dip because of its ability to kill most pathogens in a short period of time. Many farm stores currently only carry 1% iodine solutions that have reduced effectiveness at killing pathogens.

Research on alternative navel dips, such as Continue reading

Local Plant Toxicities of Livestock

Dr. Bom Harris, DVM, Old Dominion Veterinary Services, VA
(Previously published online with Old Dominion Veterinary Services: March 17, 2021)

Some of the most beautiful and luscious plants can have deadly consequences for our livestock. These are the plant toxicities seen most commonly in livestock in our area:

Acorns
Cattle are most susceptible to acorn toxicity, although sheep can be affected. Tannins in the acorns and oak leaves are the main toxic agent and are present in higher quantities in green acorns. Toxicity is most commonly observed in recently weaned calves. The tannins consumed in acorns can cause kidney failure. Typical signs of this include abdominal pain, excessive thirst, frequent urination and down animals off-feed. Continue reading

Should I be Concerned about Contagious Abscesses in my Small Ruminant Operation?

Dr. Beth Johnson, DVM, Director of Animal Health, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
(Previously published online with Hoof Print – The Small Ruminant Blog, Kentucky Sheep and Goat Development Office: November 17, 2023)

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection, also known as caseous lymphadenitis (CL) is a bacterial disease which infects sheep and goats. The bacteria prefers to set up shop in the lymph nodes of sheep and goats, resulting in a walled off abscess of caseous material within the lymph node. As we all know, lymph nodes are present throughout the body; therefore, this bacteria can infect both external and internal lymph nodes resulting in unthriftiness, loss of milk and meat production, premature culling and is responsible for many sudden deaths. When the abscesses are present within internal lymph nodes, the kidney, liver, gastrointestinal tract, lungs and even brain tissue may be affected. Animals become infected by exposure to infectious exudate from a draining abscess or contact with a contaminated inanimate object, i.e. feed troughs, in the environment which have been contaminated by the exudate from a draining abscess. Continue reading

Give Your Sheep a Dental Check

South Dakota State University Extension
(Previously published online with Farm Progress: August 15, 2023)

(Image Source: Farmers Weekly)

Examining a sheep’s teeth can help establish age and health of the animal.

Looking at a sheep’s teeth can help determine its age by examining the eight lower incisors. Learning to properly “mouth sheep” is a valuable tool to verify age when purchasing or culling ewes.

From 1 to 4 years of age, sheep will replace baby teeth with permanent ones. Beyond 4 years old, age can be estimated by incisor gaping and damage. Erosion of both incisors and molars is inevitable with aging, but proactively monitoring a flock’s dental condition can promote overall productivity.

How to mouth sheep
From birth to about 1 year of age, lambs have impermanent incisors called “milk teeth.” From 12 to 18 months of age, the first set of permanent incisors erupt. This occurs each year until the sheep is 4 years old, starting from the center teeth and going backward. Continue reading