Free blood testing service to identify cause of barren ewes

Intervet has launched its annual free blood testing service, Barren EweCheck, which aims to identify whether or not ewes have been exposed to toxoplasmosis, one of the most common yet preventable causes of abortion and barrenness in ewes.

Toxoplasmosis is only a problem when ewes are infected during pregnancy – usually through contact with pasture, bedding and/or feed that has been contaminated with cat faeces. Symptoms are barren ewes, ewes that abort in late pregnancy or the birth of weak and sickly lambs that die soon after birth. Results from Intervet's 2007 Barren EweCheck showed that up to 73% of flocks had been exposed to the disease.

Because it is impossible to control cats, the most reliable way of protecting against the disease is through vaccination. Barren EweCheck involves taking blood samples from ewes at scanning time that appear to be barren but were expected to be in-lamb. If these test positive for toxoplasmosis, measures can be put in place to prevent losses during successive seasons, typically by whole-flock vaccination.

Barren EweCheck runs from 1st January to 31st March 2008 and is available to flocks of 100 or more ewes. Any producers who think that they may have a productivity problem in their flock should ask their vet about Barren EweCheck.