Look out for lead
May to August are the peak months for seeing lead poisoning cases with 74% of our diagnoses made during the summer months after turn out, with younger animals more susceptible.
Food Standards Scotland have responsibility for protecting the food chain and has produced a really useful resource which is of use for vets and farmers and can be found on their website. Please share it with your clients.
Key checks for farmers include:
- Check that vehicle and fence batteries are stored securely and out of reach of animals
- Check fields and fences for fly-tipping before putting animals out to pasture
- Has the fence line been damaged by a car accident on icy roads over the winter? Have all remains, particularly the battery of the vehicle been removed?
- Be aware of bonfire ash remaining in a field as a potential source of lead
- Check buildings and equipment for old lead paint peeling off
Clinical presentations of acute disease to be aware of include:
- Sudden death
- Blindness
- Ataxia, convulsions, hyperaesthesia
- Abdominal distention
- Teeth grinding
If you are concerned about suspect cases, please do not hesitate to get in touch. From a sampling perspective, heparinised blood samples, fresh kidney and fixed brain for histopathology are useful samples / tissues to collect.
Posted by SRUC Veterinary Services on 30/05/2024
