yard, stable & paddock Atypical
Health risks posed to dogs and cats
Myopathy Strong winds can spread seeds further than you think!
Recent storms have resulted in yet more cases of the potentially fatal disease Atypical Myopathy (AM), now correctly called Seasonal Pasture Myopathy (SPM), as seeds from sycamore trees have unfortunately blown much further than owners anticipated. Seasonal Pasture Myopathy is caused by the toxin hypoglycin A contained in tree seeds, including that of the sycamore. Veterinary practices across the UK have seen an unfortunate caseload of horses with this condition recently, with the strong winds clearly the cause of accidental ingestion of seeds by horses.
Most equine households have dogs and/or cats and they are invariably all enjoy the run of the place without any problems, but there are a number of health risks on any busy yard, particularly if the property is also a farm. Would you recognise the potential problems? The most obvious risk is probably that of physical injury from being around farm machinery and animals – which can kick and even trample small animals, sometimes without intending to hurt them. Care also needs to be taken to avoid injury in buildings from sharp objects or trying to escape from unintended entrapment, which can also happen in stores, hay and straw stacks, slurry pits and stores, open drums and water tanks and troughs. The less obvious risks to dogs and cats include ingestion of poisons left around the yard; dogs will eat almost anything and might eat a dead or half dead rat or mouse that has been poisoned with rodenticide or eat the rat bait directly. Equally cats might catch a rat or mouse on the farm that has ingested poison. Farm animal or equine drugs should never be used for treating dogs and cats. Drug dosages and crucially, concentrations, differ between species and some drugs are entirely unsuitable and can be fatal if given, for example ivermectins administered to collies. It is always advisable to check with your vet before
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deciding on any treatment. Leptospirosis is passed out of an infected host in the urine. This can be picked up by vulnerable, unvaccinated dogs and can cause them to become very unwell. This is something that they can be vaccinated against yearly. However, many farm and yard dogs are not routinely vaccinated. The belief is that they don’t come in contact with other dogs and thus are at a lower risk of catching diseases. In reality they are at an increased risk, as their immune systems are so naïve that they would become very sick very quickly. The general public (and their dogs) use footpaths through public access land, thus walking their (potentially) unvaccinated, disease carrying dogs on the same land as your dogs. Foxes also carry leptospirosis and can be a source of infection for dogs in a rural location. Salmonella, campylobacter and neospora can be the cause of abortions in cows. If afterbirths are eaten by dogs (if not disposed of properly and left lying around) it can cause them to suffer gut upset or become seriously unwell. It is not unheard of to have farm dogs presented with intestinal obstructions following ingestion of calving/lambing ropes either, so these also need to be tidied up. Furthermore dogs (and cats) can be a source of infection to livestock for many diseases. Toxoplasma infected cat
faeces are a particular risk to sheep (and humans) thus it is important for cats to be prevented from accessing animal feed stores. Unneutered cats, particularly male cats, will fight for territories and wounds often become infected and require veterinary treatment. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) are passed in saliva (from fighting or grooming); many feral cats will carry these viruses and they can cause high morbidity and mortality. Cats can be effectively vaccinated against FeLV. Neutered cats have a much-reduced chance of contracting these viruses. Many equine properties have sheep on the land at some point in the year, so it’s important to realise that sheep wormer residue (particularly ivermectin based products) is passed out in the faeces, which if eaten by dogs can be toxic and potentially fatal. Dogs and cats can be a great asset to any yard; many horse owners and farmers wouldn’t be without them, but it is worth sparing a thought for the potential risks to which they can be exposed. Keep rodent poisons out of harm’s way, if it needs to be used at all. Clear away afterbirths and always ask your vet before treating the cats and dogs. Get them vaccinated, wormed and neutered. It will be better for their health in the long term.
While the seeds may not be directly palatable, horses grazing on poorer quality pasture may ingest considerable numbers of them. As a result, horse owners are advised not just to identify sycamore trees on or near grazing land, but to actively consider how far the seeds might travel in windy conditions. Steps should then be taken to prevent horses grazing that land by one or more of the following methods: • Restrict access to seeds by using temporary fencing.
• Ensure horses have access to good quality, uncontaminated pasture.
• Move horses off pasture at times of risk.
• Provide supplementary feed in the field to minimise the risk of horses being tempted to ingest seeds.
• Avoid leaving wet hay on the ground where it will rot.
• Be aware that a field without sycamore trees can still contain seeds spread by high winds or flood water.
• Discuss the risks and how to identify early clinical signs of AM with your veterinary surgeon
Sycamore seeds are easily visible at this time of year
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