For every clinical case of facial eczema you see, there will be at least ten sub-clinically affected animals. Infected stock will fail to thrive, have reduced milk production, poor fertility, lose weight and possibly die.
Summer is just around the corner and it is never too early to ensure plans are in place to protect the herd. To be effective, preventative measures need to be in place before Pithomyces chartarum spores are found.
It’s what you can’t see that you should be worried about.
We offer a range of cost effective solutions to assist with monitoring facial eczema (FE) risk, minimising the incidence of disease, checking your management programme is working and assessing the damage caused by sporidesmin toxin from ingested spores.
Testing options available include:
> Spore counts (pasture and faeces)
> Individual GGT and zinc testing
The national FE spore count monitoring service coordinated by Gribbles Veterinary is active during the summer and autumn months. With our online Lab-portal, you can start submitting your local spore counts as soon as you start doing them. For more info about this fabulous portal click here.
Data is shown in real-time on the graphs in the Lab-portal, so you will always be up-to-date with the latest local and national trends. All veterinary clinics can register for a user account and we encourage you to do so. The more data that is received in the portal, the better the indication or risk in your region.
See full details of how you can keep on top of facial eczema in the article and information sheet located on our website.