Country Vet
Facial eczema is a disease unique to New Zealand, and it can show itself in strange ways.
- the very odd faces of facial eczema
Most sheep and cattle owners know the classic signs of facial eczema. It's caused by fungal spores in the grass that flourish during warm, wet spells. The same kind of weather that sprouts mushrooms. The spores produce a toxin that damages the liver of livestock. The most common symptom is sunburnt-looking patches on cattle and the faces of sheep. Animals seek shade, are restless, and may look depressed.
But there are other, more unusual signs and symptoms of liver damage.
False pneumonia Symptoms: chesty cough, swollen muzzle
This 5-month-old pet lamb's owner thought it had pneumonia, after hearing a chesty cough. The lamb also had a swollen muzzle.
However, the cough was caused by watery fluid leaking from blood vessels. When the liver is failing, protein in the blood drops to critically low levels, allowing fluid to leak out into other spaces. This lamb had fluid in its lungs, making it cough.
Sensitisation of the skin (also due to liver damage) and fluid caused his nose and lips to swell.
“Farmers judge a bad FE year by the number of ‘clinicals' or animals with visible symptoms. But the greater concern is the number of sub-clinicals, since this is liver damage that is not visible.
“If you get, say, five percent clinicals, then at least 50 percent of the flock has sub-clinical FE. With 20 percent clinicals, the whole flock will be affected.”
Dr Clive Dalton, former Ruakura Agricultural Research Centre scientist and Waikato Polytechnic tutor
Irritated eyes that turn blue Symptoms: inflamed and/or bulging eyes, opaque blue colour
The eyes act as an accessory lymph node in the body. If an animal has severe inflammation in its system, the eyes are affected too.
Facial eczema can inflame the inside of the eyes, preventing fluid from draining out. It makes the eye bulge and turns it an opaque, blue colour.
This is an emergency and needs immediate veterinary assistance.
I commonly see this in alpaca and llamas, but it can happen in any species.
Bottle jaw, puffy eyes Symptoms: fluid pooling under the skin beneath the jaw, swollen eyelids
Bottle jaw is a common sign of barber's pole, a particularly nasty parasite that affects sheep, goats, and alpaca.
But it's also a sign of liver damage, caused by FE or other liver issues. When the liver is severely damaged, protein levels in the blood drop to deathly low levels, resulting in fluid leakage. The fluid then pools in the skin under the jaw.
This fluid can also leak into the conjunctiva around the eyes, giving them a puffy appearance.
Bottle jaw requires immediate treatment. Distinguishing its cause will require a veterinary visit.
Pica Symptoms: craving and eating odd things, such as mud, rocks, or ice
I witnessed this strange condition in an alpaca in 2019. The owner was concerned it was vomiting black fluid. But the alpaca was eating large mouthfuls of mud, which were coating the inside of its mouth.
There were no obvious signs of liver damage. However, blood tests to check the alpaca's nutritional status (deficiencies can sometimes cause bizarre cravings) showed liver damage from facial eczema.
While a liver disorder is a rare cause, pica can indicate a serious health issue and should always be checked out by a vet.
The eyes have it
Often, the only outward sign of facial eczema you may see is an animal with weeping, squinting eyes, both signs of irritation and pain. It can easily be mistaken for pinkeye but is actually caused by ultraviolet light. This photosensitisation (which also affects the skin) is why FE-affected animals seek shade.
Localised burns Symptoms: burnt skin in specific areas
Patches of burnt skin on the body of cattle or the faces of sheep are the most common clinical signs of FE.
But it can also cause localised burns. This cria developed terrible burning and swelling of the upper and lower eyelids in just a few days. While the owner was doing everything right in terms of preventing FE, feeding out zinc pellets to the herd over the summer months, the cria was still drinking milk from its mum and hadn't eaten them.
Young alpaca may not always get a protective dose of zinc pellets. Also, if you have a lot of alpaca, the animals low in the hierarchy may miss out on their fair share, leaving them vulnerable.
Sunburnt udder Symptoms: peeling, cracked skin, reluctance to walk
It's rare to discuss goats when it comes to FE as they're naturally far more resistant to it than cattle, sheep, or alpaca.
Saanens are the most susceptible, but even they still require 2-4 times the amount of toxin as sheep to develop liver damage. Feral goats can handle up to eight times the dose of spores and yet show little effect.
However, in the warm, wet, northern areas of New Zealand, where spore burdens can be exceptionally high, goat owners may see signs. A commonly affected area is the hairless, often pendulous udder, and it can be incredibly painful. The skin thickens and cracks, so the animal will be reluctant to move around, and may appear to be lame.
Liver damage causes animals to become sensitive to UV light, which is why FE-affected animals seek shade.
Once an animal shows outward (clinical) symptoms of a damaged liver due to FE, research tells us there will be many other stock also affected but not showing signs (sub-clinicals).
To help manage symptoms:
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SEPARATE affected animals from the rest of the flock;
• DOSE with zinc;
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MAKE sure animals have access to cool, shaded areas;
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PROVIDE plenty of clean water, and a low protein, low chlorophyll diet, such as hay;
• COVER affected skin in an animal
sunscreen;
•
CHECK carefully for signs of flystrike as they are far more susceptible;
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GET a vet to administer pain relief and antihistamines to reduce suffering, as a minimum. Open wounds, bottle jaw, swollen lips, puffy eyes or rattling lungs will require intensive veterinary treatment.