Changes

==Treatment and Control==

==Treatment and Control==

The first sign of pulpy kidney is sudden death, and so there is often no opportunity for treatment. Even if affected animals are found prior to death, treatment is usually unrewarding as organs are irreversibly damaged by toxins by the time signs present². Instead, a definitive diagnosis should be pursued before greater losses occur, and the farmer should be encouraged to submit the carcase for further investigations.

The first sign of pulpy kidney is sudden death, and so there is often no opportunity for treatment. Even if affected animals are found prior to death, treatment is usually unrewarding as organs are irreversibly damaged by toxins by the time signs present³. Instead, a definitive diagnosis should be pursued before greater losses occur, and the farmer should be encouraged to submit the carcase for further investigations.

Control of pulpy kidney involves avoiding the fators that can precipitate disease. Diets should not be changed suddenly and concentrate feeding should always be introduced slowly^dos. Feeding of whole grain slows the transit of feed to the small intestine, so cereals should be fed in this form. ''C.. perfringens'' type D is ubiquitously distributed and so management measure will never completely prevent disease. The best method of disease prevention is vaccination.

Control of pulpy kidney involves avoiding the fators that can precipitate disease. Diets should not be changed suddenly and concentrate feeding should always be introduced slowly¹. Feeding of whole grain slows the transit of feed to the small intestine, so cereals should be fed in this form. ''C.. perfringens'' type D is ubiquitously distributed and so management measure will never completely prevent disease. The best method of disease prevention is vaccination.

Before the development of modern clostridial vaccines in the 1970s, losses of up to 15% of the lamb crop could occur due to pulpy kidney². The vaccines used today are effective against a variety of clostridial diseases and some vaccines are combined for effects against ''Pasteurella''. The vaccines consist of toxoids which are inactivated forms of the toxins produced by clostridial organisms. The principles of vaccination are the same whether a clostridium-only or ''Pasteurella''-combined product is used: a sensitising dose must be given 4-6 weeks before a second, confirming dose². As immunity wanes over a period of a year, booster doses are required annually. Therefore, ewes should receive the primary vaccination course before entering the breeding flock and an annual booster approximately six weeks before lambing. Timing the booster vaccination in this way affords passive protection to lambs until they are around 16 weeks of age. Lambs born to unvaccinated ewes should be vaccinated between 3 and 12 weeks old, with a second injection given at least four weeks later.

Before the development of modern clostridial vaccines in the 1970s, losses of up to 15% of the lamb crop could occur due to pulpy kidney³. The vaccines used today are effective against a variety of clostridial diseases and some vaccines are combined for effects against ''Pasteurella''. The vaccines consist of toxoids which are inactivated forms of the toxins produced by clostridial organisms. The principles of vaccination are the same whether a clostridium-only or ''Pasteurella''-combined product is used: a sensitising dose must be given 4-6 weeks before a second, confirming dose³. As immunity wanes over a period of a year, booster doses are required annually. Therefore, ewes should receive the primary vaccination course before entering the breeding flock and an annual booster approximately six weeks before lambing. Timing the booster vaccination in this way affords passive protection to lambs until they are around 16 weeks of age. Lambs born to unvaccinated ewes should be vaccinated between 3 and 12 weeks old, with a second injection given at least four weeks later.

==Links==

==Links==