Salmonellosis takes many forms.
Historically, our dairy cattle and sheep have been the focus of acute cases of salmonellosis – generally as single cases or at most a small cluster.
Sheep emerged during the 1990’s to have flock wide florid abortions and acute deaths.
This of course has been successfully managed by vaccination and/or management techniques.
In more recent decades, we have seen herdwide gastroenteric outbreaks in our dairy cows.
The most recent re-invention of this very old disease is also in dairy cattle.
We are now seeing large herd wide abortion outbreaks in late pregnancy, most often within heifers but also mixed-age cows
Now is the time of the year to get ready to implement a vaccination programme for dairy heifers, or to review your existing vaccination programme for other age groups and species.
Vaccination is effective in preventing these terribly traumatic and costly outbreaks.
It is extremely cost-effective to vaccinate annually.
Talk to one of our Vetlife vets – this is an important and complex subject worthy of discussion.
Keep safe over the summer season.
Best regards, Adrian
Campbell (Vetlife Managing
Director and veterinarian)
