5 FACTS ABOUT FE & why you need to start treatment this month
- 5 facts about FE - jobs for January
Facial Eczema (FE) is caused by fungus spores growing on the litter at the base of pasture. The spores release a toxin which attacks the liver. FE can be fatal; livestock that survive will be up to 25% less productive.
Zinc supplements can prevent liver damage caused by FE. Zinc can be added to water or feed, or animals can receive a slow-release bolus. It must build up in an animal’s system over several weeks to be effective. Treatment should begin in January, to provide protection when w spore counts begin to rise in February.
Most M animals affected by FE show no outward symptoms s (these are called sub-clinicals). If I five percent of animals are showing symptoms s of FE (known as clinicals),
approximately 70 percent of sub-clinicals will be affected, often with serious damage to their livers. FE clincial symptoms include: sensitivity to light/ seeking shade; distress; reddening and swelling of skin exposed to the sun (eg around the eyes, ears, lips, nose); restlessness; shaking; rubbing of the head and ears.
A study of cattle being treated with zinc showed only a third had the levels required for protection from the FE toxin. The most common reasons for animals not achieving the right levels of protection were: farmers assuming animals weren’t affected because they didn’t see symptoms; zinc doses that were too low (because the farmer misjudged animals’ weights); not getting spore counts done or not sampling pasture correctly.