bluetongue 4
The infuriating niggle-niggle that keeps irritating and scratching persistently away in my mind’s eye is ‘you!-you-ostrich-head-in-the-sand’ and ‘maybe-if-I-look-from-behind-my-hands-it-won’t-happen’ as well as the ‘if-I-squint-I-might-not-really-see-what-I’m-looking-at’. I don’t know if you experience them…those irksome posters that march across your field of vision making sure you are perpetually aware of a subject you really don’t want to think about. This particular no-no is, of course, Bluetongue. And no, it won’t go away however much I will it.
As I breathe deeply, sigh and marvel at the fabulous weather of the last few days, another part of me is scanning for midges and hoping that the cold, frosty mornings and chilly Easterly wind might give us a few more weeks grace. Might, miracles of miracles, allow us to evade the next month of certain infestation and infection. At least, get us a little bit nearer the promised vaccination.
I’m itching – operative word here – to get the cows out. But if cold wet rain, sleet and snow – in fact a ‘fimble-winter’ - is the recipe for that miracle, well, bring it on!
The day before yesterday the midges were biting…and hard. The cows were careering about, bellowing and kicking; a heavily fleeced sheep cast herself itching; and the rams decided that the persistent irritation obviously originated from one of the others which resulted in a bloody battle. I also frenziedly scratched and pulled at my hair. It hasn’t been too bad since then.
This evening I’m attending a talk arranged by my vets on Bluetongue. The speakers will be a Dutch vet who has first hand experience, Intervet, the vaccine manufactures and possibly a vet from Animal Health. I wait to see what, if anything, I can do.
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April 17, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Jane Barribal
I hope you find the meeting this evening interesting and learn more about Bluetongue for the sake of your livestock.
If you want to know a little more take a look at this - http://www.farmtalking.com/the_farm_bluetongue.html
Best wishes - Jane Barribal - Farmtalking
April 19, 2008 at 4:26 pm
heidi
Somedays Paula, I try not to think about all the mayhem and destruction going on in the world.
I refuse some days to even watch the news or listen to it on the radio, as it is enough to make me want to just give up.
But I don’t, because I am alive now. I have to just get on with it, in the face of it all.
Revel in the joys of this Earth, love our friends and families, and do what we can to not contribute to the mayhem.
On a weather related note, winter refuses to leave here.. My apple orchard is bursting forth with bloom and since the weather is so cold=no bees. The Mason Bees are hiding, as are the Honey Bees,the rest of the little wild pollinators refuse to brave the hail, sleet and snow.
All that wassailing we did produced tons of blooms, but now..
April 19, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Mopsa
Paula - look forward to hearing what you find out at the meeting; the midges were indeed out in force in last week’s warm weather.
April 19, 2008 at 9:37 pm
paula
Thank Jane and for the link too.
Yes the evening was a bit of an eye opener with an excellent talk given by a Pirbright vet. Hopefully we will have enough vaccine and be aloud to use it to get in front of the disease.
April 19, 2008 at 9:42 pm
paula
I know Heidi; I know exactly where you’re coming from. I just want to enjoy the good days at the moment too.
We have quite a few bumble bees scooting around, but our butterflies are very late. Swallows and house martins flying over the Rutleighs this evening which was good to see.
April 19, 2008 at 9:46 pm
paula
Interesting but frightening…hardened folk who kept reiterating how awful it was to see the animals suffering so.
But all not gloom and doom if they have enough of the vaccine. The government has ordered 22.5 million doses. Is that enough? I’m not that sure.
April 21, 2008 at 3:37 pm
mary
I heard on Farming today Paula that each animal needs a 1ml dose and that the bottles will contain 50mls of vaccine. Therefore if a small farmer has say 20 animals to vaccinate, 30mls will probably go to waste as it has a life of 8hrs after exposure. Unless there is a huge amount of organisation and liasion that is asking a lot to get the vaccine used on another site. Do these facts sound correct. Very worrying times.
April 23, 2008 at 9:37 am
paula
Mary I thought the first batch was in the 20ml bottles with the larger size to follow. But you may have heard an update.
I agree - the whole delivery of a tiny 1ml of vaccine is going to be difficult - especially in larger animals with thick skin. Intervets are making a vaccine gun (and their fortune!) and I believe there will be a cd out to explain the correct delivery process to ensure the best vaccine take up by the animal possible. However this problem of smaller numbers of animals is a big one. I have heard that some vet practices will be holding clinics for these animals - but they may not have transport means, so it’s not much of a solution.
With every drop of vaccine required there really is no room for mistakes. As you say very worrying times.
April 24, 2008 at 10:32 am
mary
You were right Paula. I listened again to last Monday’s Farming Today and there are two sizes, 20ml and 50ml. The speaker who is a farmer in the East of the UK who has already had the disease on his farm was worried about the difficulties of using up the vaccine whilst viable.
Hope you enjoyed your ‘night out’ at the concert and that you behaved yourself!
April 28, 2008 at 8:39 am
paula
I think there is going to be difficulty in the administration of the vaccine in many ways Mary. 1ml is a tiny amount to administer to a large animal with thick skin such as a cow. I reckon we’re going to have to be great care and caution so we don’t waste a drop of the precious stuff and ensure as good a take up as we can in our stock.
Unfortunately my virus ridden family and friends left me with a legacy - I’ve been without voice and lungs for over a week - so the concert was enjoyed hugely by the part of me that’s never off colour, but the other part decided that the inner bass beat was a bit more than it could handle!