VN April 2023

Vetnuus | April 2023 48 Last month's letter had a remarkable response, mainly due to the little bit of history that was included, so I thought I might expand on this a little. The problem we all have with internal parasites in sheep is a vet's nightmare. There are few vets that deal with this aspect of practice that have not torn their hair out not knowing what way to turn where there is broad resistance to the available remedies right up to you respected colleagues like Faffa Malan, Gareth Barth and Alan Fisher, who have really put their shoulders to the wheel with varying degrees of success.. So what of the farmers of old? How did they manage? I took to the historical veterinary books to take a closer look. The interesting aspect was the importance the farmers placed on this problem. Solutions were not that evident. The major problem of the early 20th century was Liver Fluke, Haemonchus and taenia. Liver fluke was responsible for a condition known as the rotten liver.The flukes were obviously easily identified, but no intermediate host had been identified. The knowledge of the disease was restricted to the fact that it was associated with marshy areas and very little else. Treatment recorded as being largely unsuccessful was salt, lime, and sulphate or iron. Also included was Coopers Dip, which was a standby for all ailments. Tapewormwas a regular in the lambs with tapes of up to 5 feet long being recorded. Occlusive parasites were found in post-mortems of lambs as young as six weeks. Treatment here was largely experimental, with various farmers offering various remedies, including Cooper Dip, Arsenic and washing soda mix, and wormwood and turpentine mix. The dose rate was particularly interesting here, which was described as critical. But reading into it, the mortalities could well have been from the parasite load and not the remedy. However, we are all aware of the effect of an arsenic overload, let alone Coopers dip and washing soda. Results were not recorded. Then the interesting one: Wireworm. The scientific name at the stage was Stronguloides ssp. The post-mortem revelations were very accurate, with the predominant observation being anaemia, but the description of "a multitude of hairlike worms in the abomasum" was the most significant. The treatment for this pest, blatantly stated as being poor, was Nitre and sulfur, arsenic and then copper sulphate. It was recommended that the sheep be starved for 36 hours before dosing, and should copper sulphate be used; no water be given for 12 hours post- dosing. Another interesting aspect was that sheep did better on acid soils, which can be related to the fact that saltbush was very good for controlling parasites. What is a fact? What is urban legend? and What is good "boere raad"? The jury is still undecided. This phenomenon led me to another interesting aspect of the bygone days: the development of useful horses in South Africa. The general opinion in the early 1700s was that the best horse was between 13.2 and 14.2 hands high, stocky and capable of doing "continuous" work on "unnutritious" food, not asking too much of the poor steed! It was stated that the" bigger horses were not better weight carriers'. Also, imported horses could not compete with the "Cape" horse. This "cape" horse stock was originally from the east around the Persian Gulf and had been imported by the Dutch East India Company and by 1688, they were plentiful. There was a rapid deterioration in these horses, and Arabs were then imported. In 1702 eight English Roadster stallions were imported to add to the genetic pool, followed in 1807, over 100 years later, by Spanish horses. In 1813 the first English Thoroughbreds arrived in an attempt to heighten the local horses. In 1887 the War Office stated that the "cape" horses were too small and stunted with deficient bone, pinned elbows, and good fore quarters, but poor hindquarters. At this stage, it finally dawned on the population that the available food was inadequate for the needs of the working horse, and the first supplementations became the fad. And then things improved; however, the Boer war ten years later took its toll on local mounts and vast numbers of horses were imported from Argentine with disastrous results due to horse sickness playing its hand. And today, horse-sickness is still playing its hand with confidence in the vaccine declining rapidly. What changed and what has remained the same over the 100 years since this book was carefully written and edited? You decide! v Life plus 23 without parole Mike Lowry Mike Lowry has been in veterinary practice for "life plus 23" years. In this column, he shares his experiences and opinions . Regulars I Life plus 23 + 23