It’s that time of the year again; we often see outbreaks of lungworm in grazing cattle throughout September.
The first sign is coughing which is particularly noticeable if animals exert themselves; left untreated this will gradually worsen, animals may lose condition, display open mouth breathing, develop pneumonia and in some cases may even die.
Whilst outbreaks are most common in young stock disease can also be seen in adult cows, particularly dairy cows who have been purchased from another farm. If they haven’t been exposed to lungworm as young stock then they will be highly susceptible to infection as adults and signs can be severe.
Lungworm is easily controlled through use of Huskvac vaccine and appropriate worming treatment. If you are concerned about lungworm in your herd, please contact us for advice.
This article was taken from our September 2019 newsletter which also includes information on Pneumonia vaccines and updates in the Red Tractor Dairy Standards for Medicine.