Recent discussions with experts at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), have raised concerns around potential issues of grazing cattle in late summer and autumn 2022.
Farmers are warned to remain vigilant for signs of lungworm following reports of coughing in grazing cattle, consistent with lungworm infection.
Outbreaks can be difficult to predict. There are warnings that this year could be particularly challenging as the drought suspended lungworm life cycles, which may result in a greater infection pressure in a short space of time. And with autumn now bringing wetter weather, rainfall can promote the release of infective larvae from faecal pats.
If farmers are seeing cattle coughing, they should speak to their vet about the best means to diagnose and treat disease.
The main parasitological method of confirming lungworm disease is by detecting the L1 stage in faecal samples using the Baermann technique. In the patent phase, when the worms are mature and producing eggs, many larvae are usually present. However, clinical signs can occur before this stage so negative test results do not exclude disease.
Affected cattle should be treated as early as possible because severely affected animals may either not respond, or symptoms may become exacerbated, as dead or dying larvae block the lower airways in the lungs.
Treated cattle should be removed from infected pasture and transferred to clean pasture if available or housed in well ventilated facilities.
All available anthelmintics are effective against developing fourth-stage larvae and adult lungworm. Follow up any poor responses tom treatment with the vet.
When selecting the most appropriate products to use, it is important to consider any other worming requirements. Anthelmintic measures taken with respect to roundworm species may have an impact on lungworm control.
When treatment for lungworm is indicated remember the five ‘Rs’ for effective use of wormers – as outlined by the Control of Worms Sustainably (COWS) Group:
- Use the Right product for the type of worm
- Give this to the Right animal
- At the Right time
- At the Right dose-rate
- And administer it in the Right way.
Further information can be found on the COWs website at https://www.cattleparasites.org.uk/app/uploads/2020/01/lungworm-231219.pdf
In addition, livestock and wildlife health and welfare and production problems may arise during and following periods of hot weather. Examples are listed in this APHA Information Note at this link to raise awareness.