I’ve received a text from DEFRA telling me that Bluetongue Virus is in the UK. What is Bluetongue virus and why do we need to know about it? Bluetongue Virus (BTV) is a virus which affects cattle, sheep, other ruminants such as goats and deer, and camelids (such as alpaca and llamas). It causes […]
Tag Archives: Bovine TB
NEW PODCAST Listen To Bluetongue Advice For Farmers From Our Vets
Bluetongue Virus (BTV) is a virus which affects cattle, sheep, other ruminants such as goats and deer, and camelids (such as alpaca and llamas). It causes severe symptoms including fatalities in some circumstances and is therefore classed as notifiable. Unfortunately, there are no vaccines available for BTV-3 vaccine in the UK and Europe. Synergy vet […]
What is Bluetongue?
Bluetongue is a viral disease transmitted by biting midges. It affects all ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats & deer) and camelids (llamas & alpacas). What are the clinical signs of the Bluetongue virus? In Cattle: lethargy crusty erosions around the nostrils and muzzle redness of the mouth, eyes, nose reddening of the skin above the hoof […]
October – News From Our Rounds
NORTH – James Aitken It is now three months since the clients of Orchard Vets in Glastonbury moved over to Synergy, and likewise three months since I joined the Synergy team. As a traditional mixed practice Orchard had been finding it increasingly difficult to provide a gold standard service to the vastly different clients and […]
Reduce stress when TB Testing
Six month testing is in full swing and each test seems to come around so quickly. TB testing can be stressful for both the cattle, and everyone involved. You don’t have to have new high tech handling systems for the test to run smoothly and safely. I have not yet seen a perfect handling system […]
Bovine TB – roll out of the PCR test (yes the same style test used to test humans for Covid!)
We have had long-awaited news from APHA that they will begin their rollout of using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, in place of standard culture when confirming a TB diagnosis from lesions at slaughter. This should be a step forward in reducing the time taken for a decision to be made on any further […]