Articles

Identification of key performance indicators for on-farm animal welfare incidents: possible tools for early warning and prevention

The objective of this study was to describe aspects of case study herds investigated by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF) in which animal welfare incidents occurred and to identify key p...

Authors: Patricia C Kelly, Simon J More, Martin Blake and Alison J Hanlon

Considerations on BVD eradication for the Irish livestock industry

Animal Health Ireland has produced clear guidelines for the control of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) infection in Irish cattle herds. In the course of developing these guidelines it was clear that a framework f...

Authors: Damien J Barrett, Simon J More, David A Graham, Joe O'Flaherty, Michael L Doherty and H Michael Gunn

Aspects of the owning/keeping and disposal of horses, and how these relate to equine health/welfare in Ireland

Ireland has long been renowned as a major centre for the breeding, rearing and keeping of horses. Since 2007, however, there has been increasing concern for horse health and welfare standards, and links betwee...

Authors: Joseph A Collins, Alison Hanlon, Simon J More, Patrick G Wall and Vivienne Duggan

Calf health from birth to weaning. I. General aspects of disease prevention

Calfhood diseases have a major impact on the economic viability of cattle operations. This is the first in a three part review series on calf health from birth to weaning, focusing on preventive measures. The ...

Authors: Ingrid Lorenz, John F Mee, Bernadette Earley and Simon J More

Calf health from birth to weaning. II. Management of diarrhoea in pre-weaned calves

Calfhood diseases have a major impact on the economic viability of cattle operations. The second of this three part review series considers the management of diarrhoeic diseases in pre-weaned calves. In neonat...

Authors: Ingrid Lorenz, John Fagan and Simon J More

Communication in production animal medicine: modelling a complex interaction with the example of dairy herd health medicine

The importance of communication skills in veterinary medicine is increasingly recognised. Appropriate communication skills towards the client are of utmost importance in both companion animal practice and prod...

Authors: Joachim L Kleen, Owen Atkinson and Jos PTM Noordhuizen

A HACCP-based approach to mastitis control in dairy herds. Part 2: Implementation and evaluation

Part 1 of the study described the development of a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) based programme and accompanying handbook for the control of mastitis. This paper describes the implementat...

Authors: Lies Beekhuis-Gibbon, Catherine Devitt, Paul Whyte, Luke O'Grady, Simon J More, Bairbre Redmond, Suzanne Quin and Michael L Doherty

Genotypic characterisation and cluster analysis of Campylobacter jejuniisolates from domestic pets, human clinical cases and retail food

The genetic similarity of Campylobacter jejuni isolates from pets, compared to human clinical cases and retail food isolates collected in Ireland over 2001-2006 was investigated by cluster analysis of pulsed-fiel...

Authors: Els Acke, Cyril Carroll, Aoife O'Leary, Kevina McGill, Lorraine Kelly, Amanda Lawlor, Robert H Madden, Lynn Moran, Pam Scates, Eleanor McNamara, John E Moore, Boyd R Jones, Seamus Fanning and Paul Whyte

Genetics of animal health and disease in cattle

There have been considerable recent advancements in animal breeding and genetics relevant to disease control in cattle, which can now be utilised as part of an overall programme for improved cattle health. Thi...

Authors: Donagh P Berry, Mairead L Bermingham, Margaret Good and Simon J More

Gastrointestinal nematode control practices on lowland sheep farms in Ireland with reference to selection for anthelmintic resistance

Gastrointestinal parasitism is a widely recognised problem in sheep production, particularly for lambs. While anthelmintics have a pivotal role in controlling the effects of parasites, there is a paucity of da...

Authors: Thomas Patten, Barbara Good, James P Hanrahan, Grace Mulcahy and Theo de Waal

Anaesthesia of three young grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) for fracture repair

Three young grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) were presented separately for fracture repair to the veterinary teaching hospital of University College Dublin. The seals were premedicated with a combination of pet...

Authors: Vilhelmiina Huuskonen, Lynne Hughes and Rachel Bennett

A HACCP-based approach to mastitis control in dairy herds. Part 1: Development

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems are a risk based preventive approach developed to increase levels of food safety assurance. This is part 1 of a pilot study on the development, imple...

Authors: Lies Beekhuis-Gibbon, Paul Whyte, Luke O'Grady, Simon J More and Michael L Doherty

Irish Veterinary Journal goes open access

Authors: Michael L Doherty

A survey of bone integrity from cull sows in Ireland

The objective of this study was to examine the differences in sow metacarpal properties through various parities and to compare the incidence of locomotory problems between stalled and loose-housed sows. Metac...

Authors: WF Ryan, PB Lynch and JV O'Doherty

An investigation into reduced milk production following dietary alteration on an Irish dairy farm

A nutritional evaluation of an Irish dairy herd indicated gross overfeeding of late lactation cows, over-conditioning of cows at parturition and a high rate of body condition loss in early lactation. Metabolis...

Authors: Timothy Geraghty, Luke O'Grady and Finbar J Mulligan

A review of bovine cases consigned under veterinary certification to emergency and casualty slaughter in Ireland during 2006 to 2008

The emergency and casualty slaughter of cattle for human consumption (in cases where animals are likely to have suffered from acute or chronic pain, respectively) in Ireland requires that the animal is accompa...

Authors: Mary Cullinane, Edmond O'Sullivan, Gerald Collins, Daniel M Collins and Simon J More

Pemoline and tetramisole 'positives' in English racehorses following levamisole administration

Pemoline is a central nervous system stimulant that has been used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy in humans; its identification in horses could be considered evidence of attemp...

Authors: J. Gutierrez, R.L. Eisenberg, N.J. Koval, E.R. Armstrong, J. Tharappel, C.G. Hughes and T. Tobin

Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia associated with angiostrongylus vasorum infection in a Jack Russell terrier

A twenty-month-old Jack Russell terrier was presented with a four-day history of thrombocytopenia, echymotic inguinal haemorrhages, coughing and reduced exercise tolerance. Clinical examination revealed severa...

Authors: Emma JO'Neill, Els Acke, Emma Tobin and Grainne McCarthy

Antimicrobial resistance in commensal faecal Escherichia coli of hospitalised horses

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of hospitalisation and antimicrobial drug administration on the prevalence of resistance in commensal faecal E. coli of horses. Faecal samples were collected ...

Authors: Jill Bryan, Nola Leonard, Séamus Fanning, Lisa Katz and Vivienne Duggan

latrogenic lipoid pneumonia in an adult horse

A 20-year-old gelding presented with a history of acute respiratory distress which began immediately after administration of a mineral oil and water mix, via nasogastric intubation, for treatment of suspected ...

Authors: Lucy Metcalfe, Carolyn Cummins, Eva Maischberger and Lisa Katz

Veterinary dairy herd fertility service provision in seasonal and non-seasonal dairy industries - a comparison

The decline in dairy herd fertility internationally has highlighted the limited impact of traditional veterinary approaches to bovine fertility management. Three questionnaire surveys were conducted at buiatri...

Authors: JF Mee

Oesophageal foreign bodies in dogs: factors affecting success of endoscopic retrieval

Oesophageal foreign bodies are common in dogs. Endoscopic removal is a viable treatment option but few studies have assessed the clinical and radiographic features that would be useful in decision-making and p...

Authors: Florence Juvet, Manuel Pinilla, Robert E. Shiel and Carmel T. Mooney

Causes of disease and death from birth to 12 months of age in the Thoroughbred horse in Ireland

A retrospective study was carried out to investigate the causes of disease and death in a population of foals in Ireland during their first 12 months post partum. Foaling and veterinary records from 343 foals ...

Authors: NP Galvin and KTT Corley

A review of Ireland's waterbirds, with emphasis on wintering migrants and reference to H5N1 avian influenza

Ireland is characterised by its diversity and large abundance of wetlands, making it attractive to a wide variety of waterbirds throughout the year. This paper presents an overview of Ireland's waterbirds, inc...

Authors: O Crowe, J Wilson, I Aznar and SJ More

A non-invasive technique for standing surgical repair of urinary bladder rupture in a post-partum mare: a case report

An 11-year-old mare presented 36 hours after foaling with a ruptured bladder. Uroperitoneum was diagnosed on ultrasound and from the creatinine concentration of the peritoneal fluid. Bladder endoscopy demonstr...

Authors: JO Stephen, MS Harty, AR Hollis, JM Yeomans and KTT Corley

Omentalisation as adjunctive treatment of an infected femoral nonunion fracture: a case report

A three-year-old male working border collie with an infected femoral nonunion fracture was managed in a two-stage procedure involving debridement and omentalisation, followed by stabilisation with a bone plate...

Authors: A McAlinden, M Glyde, H McAllister and B Kirby

Prevalence and distribution of paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) in cattle herds in Ireland

A simple random survey was conducted in Ireland during 2005 to estimate the ELISA-prevalence of paratuberculosis, commonly called Johne's disease (JD), in the cattle population. Serum samples were collected fr...

Authors: M Good, T Clegg, H Sheridan, D Yearsely, T O'Brien, J Egan and P Mullowney

Direct and indirect effects of Johne's disease on farm and animal productivity in an Irish dairy herd

Johne's disease (JD) is caused by infection with the organism Mycobacterium avium spp. paratuberculosis, leading to chronic diarrhoea and ill thrift in adult cattle. JD is considered to adversely affect farm perf...

Authors: EKB Richardson and SJ More

Effect of pre-milking teat preparation procedures on the microbial count on teats prior to cluster application

A study was carried out to investigate the effect of six pre-milking teat preparation procedures on lowering the staphylococal, streptococcal and coliform microbial count on teat skin prior to cluster applicat...

Authors: D Gleeson, B O'Brien, J Flynn, E O'Callaghan and F Galli

Molecular epidemiology of clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from horses in Ireland

Clinical isolates (n = 63) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa obtained from various sites in 63 horses were compared using ERIC2 RAPD PCR to determine their genetic relatedness. Resulting banding patterns (n = 24 genotype...

Authors: A Tazumi, Y Maeda, T Buckley, BC Millar, CE Goldsmith, JSG Dooley, JS Elborn, M Matsuda and JE Moore

Demographics of cattle positive for Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis by faecal culture, from submissions to the Cork Regional Veterinary Laboratory

The demography of bovine infections caused by Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) in Ireland is poorly defined. The objective of this study was to describe the demographics of cattle positive to...

Authors: EKB Richardson, JF Mee, C Sánchez-Miguel, J Crilly and SJ More

An outbreak of tuberculosis affecting cattle and people on an Irish dairy farm, following the consumption of raw milk

Bovine tuberculosis is an ongoing problem in Ireland, and herd incidence has remained at approximately 5% for some years. Spillover of infection from cattle to people remains an ever-present possibility, given...

Authors: P Doran, J Carson, E Costello and SJ More

Correlation of the Havemeyer endoscopic laryngeal grading system with histopathological changes in equine Cricoarytenoideus dorsalismuscles

The establishment of a single validated endoscopic laryngeal grading system for assessing recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) is desirable to facilitate direct comparisons between the findings of different cl...

Authors: N Collins, E Milne, C Hahn and P Dixon

Paratuberculosis sero-status and milk production, SCC and calving interval in Irish dairy herds

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of paratuberculosis sero-status on milk yield, fat, protein, somatic cell count and calving interval in Irish dairy herds. Serum from all animals over ...

Authors: K Hoogendam, E Richardson and JF Mee

Focus on bovine mastitis: knowledge into practice

Authors: Luke O'Grady and Michael Doherty

Changing trends in mastitis

The global dairy industry, the predominant pathogens causing mastitis, our understanding of mastitis pathogens and the host response to intramammary infection are changing rapidly. This paper aims to discuss c...

Authors: RN Zadoks and JL Fitzpatrick

A national programme for mastitis control in Australia: Countdown Downunder

In 1998, Countdown Downunder, Australia's national mastitis and cell count control programme, was created. With funding from the country's leading dairy organisation, Dairy Australia, this programme was origin...

Authors: PB Brightling, RD Dyson, AF Hope and J Penry

Farm management factors associated with bulk tank somatic cell count in Irish dairy herds

The relationship between bulk tank somatic cell count (SCC) and farm management and infrastructure was examined using data from 398 randomly selected, yet representative, Irish dairy farms where the basal diet...

Authors: PT Kelly, K O'Sullivan, DP Berry, SJ More, WJ Meaney, EJ O'Callaghan and B O'Brien

Treatment of mastitis during lactation

Treatment of mastitis should be based on bacteriological diagnosis and take national and international guidelines on prudent use of antimicrobials into account. In acute mastitis, where bacteriological diagnos...

Authors: S Pyörälä

Mastitis diagnostics and performance monitoring: a practical approach

In this paper a review is given of frequently used mastitis diagnostic methods in modern dairy practice. Methods used at the quarter, cow, herd and regional or national level are discussed, including their usa...

Authors: TJGM Lam, RGM Olde Riekerink, OC Sampimon and H Smith

Norwegian mastitis control programme

This paper describes the methods and results of the Norwegian Mastitis Control Program implemented in 1982. The program has formed an integral part of the Norwegian Cattle Health Services (NCHS) since 1995. Th...

Authors: O Østerås and L Sølverød

HACCP-based quality risk management approach to udder health problems on dairy farms

Against the background of prevailing udder health problems on dairy farms, this paper discusses a new approach to mastitis control. Current udder health control programmes, such as the 'five-point plan', are h...

Authors: JPTM Noordhuizen and J Cannas da Silva

Nutrition and udder health in dairy cows: a review

Mastitis is still one of the three main diseases that affects the profitability of dairy farmers. Despite the implementation of the five-point mastitis control programme in the early 1970 s, the incidence in t...

Authors: D O'Rourke

Global trends in milk quality: implications for the Irish dairy industry

The quality of Irish agricultural product will become increasingly important with the ongoing liberalisation of international trade. This paper presents a review of the global and Irish dairy industries; consi...

Authors: SJ More

An all-island approach to mapping bovine tuberculosis in Ireland

This study used techniques in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to explore the spatial patterns of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in the whole island of Ireland over an 11-year period. This is the first time th...

Authors: G McGrath, D Abernethy, L Stringer and SJ More

An evaluation of Irish cattle herds with inconclusive serological evidence of bovine brucellosis

Since 1998, there has been a steady decline in herd restrictions and de-populations in Ireland due to bovine brucellosis. There is concern that the interpretation of laboratory results may become increasingly ...

Authors: M Hayes, S Ashe, DM Collins, S Power, K Kenny, M Sheahan, G O'Hagan and SJ More

Nutritional muscular dystrophy in a four-day-old Connemara foal

This report describes a four-day-old, full-term Connemara colt, presented for the evaluation of a progressive inability to rise unassisted. A diagnosis of nutritional muscular dystrophy was made based on muscu...

Authors: LM Katz, S O'Dwyer and PJ Pollock

Analgesic management of an eight-year-old Springer Spaniel after amputation of a thoracic limb

Analgesic agents were administered perioperatively to an eight-year-old Springer Spaniel undergoing amputation of its right thoracic limb. The amputation was carried out due to a painful, infiltrative and poor...

Authors: E West, V Andreoni, BJ Keeley, IA Self and BR Jones

Survival and dispersal of a defined cohort of Irish cattle

An understanding of livestock movement is critical to effective disease prevention, control and prediction. However, livestock movement in Ireland has not yet been quantified. This study has sought to define t...

Authors: S Ashe, SJ More, J O'Keeffe, P White, G McGrath and I Aznar

Farm management factors associated with bulk tank total bacterial count in Irish dairy herds during 2006/07

Research has shown that total bacterial count (TBC), which is the bacterial growth per ml of milk over a fixed period of time, can be decreased by good hygiene and farm management practices. The objective of t...

Authors: PT Kelly, K O'Sullivan, DP Berry, SJ More, WJ Meaney, EJ O'Callaghan and B O'Brien