Case notes on veterinary investigations in sheep, cattle and other species
2017 Autumn edition of case studies
Sheep
Bacterial meningitis in a ram
Written by: Rahul Shankar - District Veterinarian (DV), Young and Erika Bunker - Veterinary Pathologist,
EMAI
This case report describes an animal exhibiting severe neurological symptoms that was also eligible for the
National Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Program (NTSEP), a program that underpins market access with
our trading partners ... Read More
High prevalence mild dermatophilosis (lumpy wool) in unweaned merino lambs following a wet
spring
Written by: Will Berry (Final year veterinary student, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga NSW) and Bruce
Watt, Central Tablelands Local Land Services, Bathurst, NSW
Dermatophilosis in sheep (lumpy wool) is a dermatitis caused by the bacterium Dermatophilus
congolensis, but can affect a range of animal species including horses, cattle, goats and humans ... Read More
Ovine segmental axonopathy in two fine wool merino flocks
Written by: Petrea Wait1, Katherine Loring2, Patrick Shearer3, Tom
Westermann3 & Erika Bunker3, Peter Windsor4
District Veterinarian, Cooma1; 5th year veterinary student, Charles Sturt University2;
State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, EMAI, Menangle3; Professor Emeritus and Specialist
Veterinarian (Pathbiol., Small Ruminant Health Management), University of Sydney4
Cases of OSA are reported sporadically and incidence within affected flocks and age of affected animals
varies, however, all cases are reported to be progressive, occur in adult fine wool merinos and cause hindlimb
paresis, resulting in ataxia and recumbency ... Read More
Phalaris sudden death in lambs
Written by: Lucienne Downs, District Veterinarian, Central Tablelands Local Land Services and Erika Bunker,
Veterinary Pathologist, NSW Department of Primary Industries
Phalaris is responsible for three apparently unrelated syndromes of toxicity: phalaris “staggers” which has
been reported to affect sheep, cattle and kangaroos, and two forms of phalaris “sudden death” which have been
reported to affect sheep, cattle, alpacas and horses ... Read More
Two outbreaks of scabby mouth (orf infection) in small ruminants on the Central Tablelands of
NSW
Written by: James Tamone (Final Year veterinary student, Charles Sturt University, Wagga) and Bruce Watt
(Central Tablelands Local Land Services, Bathurst)
Scabby mouth, a viral disease of sheep and goats caused by a Parapox virus endemic to Australia, is
responsible for a range of pox like diseases that produce proliferative crusting lesions around mucocutaneous
junctions ... Read More