Photosensitization

Durrus Boy · 26-05-2015 10:29am #1

Just a quick one out of interest....

Have many of ye had cases of the above. Have been having 4 to 5 animals showing symptoms every year for the past 3 years. Have already had 2 cases this year. All continentals here so probably more pre-disposed due to lighter skin pigmentation e.g CHX or BAX but actually had a dark Saler X cow with it last year.

Animal ages range from yearlings to cows and stock grazing old pasture to new reseeds - just seems to be no common factors that I can see.

So...many others seeing this? It's easily treated but just another bloody nuisance of an ailment to deal with!!

lefthooker · 26-05-2015 11:00am

Have seen 1 animal/year for the last 2 years. Both fr heifers sucks after turning out to grass. From 2 different herds as I buy in all replacements. Never in the continentals

Only remedy for it is indoors, pucks of meal and off to the factory.

onyerbikepat · 26-05-2015 11:15am

I had a cow with it a few years back. Put her in shed, dark as possible and let out at night to graze. She got it again a year later but not as bad.
She doesnt seem to get it now at all, but I keep an eye on her in sunny weather.

They reckon they get it from eating certain plants like 'St John's Wort'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypericum_perforatum

Are you dosing your cattle for fluke? It might be related to a weakened liver.

Edit - I should add too that my cow was nearly all white and very short fine hair.

Kovu · 26-05-2015 11:22am

Have never had it here but I've heard that it can be also a symptom of cattle eating certain plants like ragwort. Would your silage contain that as it's especially palatable to them then?

Greysides had a very good post on it here-

greysides wrote: »

The link above is a good one but as most work on this problem has been done in countries with different climates and therefore flora to ours a lot of it is not relevant or extrapolation needs to be done.

One plant omitted is Bog Asphodel.

Extrapolating from plants mentioned..... Hogweed, Cow parsley and other members of that family,

..........................................Clover, white and red on occassion.

..........................................Fungal spores and mycotoxins are mentioned and we're likely to have our own culprits here.

Ragwort poisoning is mentioned and I've seen photosensitisation preceding the obvious Ragwort Poisoning.

It can be a occur in Malignant Catarrah and there have been suggestions that it can occur in Leptospirosis too but the suggestion applies to exotic species of Lepto.

It can be very severe and should not be underestimated. The colloquial name 'Sunburn' does animals a disservice by trivialising the condition. Luckily most times it is mild and it can be trivial enough to go unnoticed unless pointed out. Most dairy herds would have animals with it in the early grazing season- the trivial form that is.

However, it is a chemical burn that starts at the level of the blood vessels in the skin unlike sunburn which starts closer to the surface.

The pain is usually gone by the time the animal begins to look like a rag doll.

The light reaches the chemical to activate it on areas of the body not protected by melanin/black pigment, so white or light-coloured areas; or areas where the hair is thin or absent (nose, eyelids, back of ears, udder).

Ever noticed it on just one side of an udder?.........................Guess which side of the udder was facing up when the animal was sitting down then.

The chemical reaction is sparked by light, not bright sunlight, just light. The place for an affected animal is the house you have that most resembles a dungeon.

The body temperature reaction can often cause abortion. The circulation of chemicals released from damaged tissue is what causes the nervous signs.

One other curiousity................it can rarely occur in jet-black animals...............just to validate 'The exception proves the rule'.

ganmo · 26-05-2015 12:08pm

happens the odd time in sheep too

agriman27 · 26-05-2015 1:31pm

I had one yearling heifer last year, very painful for them. One small injection of an antihistamine cured it. I read somewhere that buttercups can cause it too.

_Brian · 26-05-2015 1:40pm

I've only seen a few cases here and always in Ch cattle.

I wonder how this goes in places like France. Every Sumer I drive through France seeing huge herds of CH stock basking in the relentless sunshine. Is there any chance this is exasperated by a mineral diffeciency or some such in our soil types. I mean, it's not like we have an unbelievably sunny climate !!

Dawggone · 26-05-2015 2:00pm

_Brian wrote: »

I've only seen a few cases here and always in Ch cattle.

I wonder how this goes in places like France. Every Sumer I drive through France seeing huge herds of CH stock basking in the relentless sunshine. Is there any chance this is exasperated by a mineral diffeciency or some such in our soil types. I mean, it's not like we have an unbelievably sunny climate !!

We had a case here last week in a heifer (Holstein) that calved in February.
It was the first case ever in the herd.
There are 11 vets in the practice and it was the first case in 10 years.
The cows were grazing a high amount of clover at the time...
I think it may be genetic as we always had one or two every summer in Ireland.

greysides · 26-05-2015 2:12pm

Clover is known to cause it.

tanko · 26-05-2015 2:35pm

greysides wrote: »

Clover is known to cause it.

I always assumed that eating St Johns wort is the main cause of it?

greysides · 26-05-2015 4:51pm

tanko wrote: »

I always assumed that eating St Johns wort is the main cause of it?

St John's Wort is a woodland, possibly hedgerow plant that I see only rarely. Maybe it's more common where you are. I think it's just a name that sticks in the mind better.

Here is a list of potential causal agents:

Sporidesmin toxin from the fungus Pithomyces chartarum which grows on pastures of Ryegrass and White Clover.
Waterbloom algae, Microcystis species.
Ragwort Poisoning. Rarely.
Corticosteroid use. Rarely.
St. John's Wort
Wild Parsnip
Hogweed
Celery
Angelica
Garlic
Red Clover
White Clover
Lucerne
Bog Asphodel
Common Vetch
Buckwheat

Base price · 26-05-2015 6:57pm

I have only come across two cases of it and I have been breeding/rearing cattle for the last 33 years.
The first case, 20 odd years ago, was in a simmental suckler cow. It affected the areas where she had white hair more than red hair. The white hair fell out. Also the pigment around her eyes, nose and vulva was affected. Vet gave her some sort of antihistamine injection. I had to keep her indoors during the day and let her out to graze at night. I used to put pseudocrem on her to help heal the cracking skin.
Second case was in a yearling fr bull a few years ago. He was more ho type and predominately white haired. He never had the problem as a calf.
I used to breed PBR BA and also had BAx/Lmx/Six suckler cows. As Brian said the Blondes liked nothing better than to bask in the full sunshine while the others preferred to stay in the shade.

_Brian · 26-05-2015 8:38pm

greysides wrote: »

Clover is known to cause it.

So is there little/no clover in continental Europe ?? Do our swarths contain that much more ??

Dawggone · 26-05-2015 8:39pm

_Brian wrote: »

So is there little/no clover in continental Europe ?? Do our swarths contain that much more ??

Clover is very important here because of nitrate restrictions.

_Brian · 26-05-2015 10:16pm

Dawggone wrote: »

Clover is very important here because of nitrate restrictions.

That's what I would have thought..
Must be something else to it that we see much more off here in Ireland, or more likely a combination of factors that increase the incidence..

Base price · 26-05-2015 10:40pm

I am surprised to see lucerne on the list as most of the French Blonde breeders that I came across grew it.

greysides · 26-05-2015 11:30pm

It may not be the lucerne or clover directly but mycotoxins from moulds that grow on them and it may only apply to certain climates. That list was compiled some time ago.

orm0nd · 27-05-2015 9:11am

it's important to follow up with a laboratory liver analysis when the affected animal(s) are slaughtered

cuts out a lot of guess work re causes

patsy_mccabe · 20-09-2015 7:03pm

What do ye reckon?

greysides · 20-09-2015 9:04pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

What do ye reckon?

Yes. Rub in udder ointment, talk to your vet. If pregnant, may abort.

whelan2 · 20-09-2015 9:09pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

What do ye reckon?

is that the one that had meningitis or a different one?

patsy_mccabe · 20-09-2015 9:22pm

whelan2 wrote: »

is that the one that had meningitis or a different one?

Ya, that's the one. It was pitch dark at the time so in fairness hard to see the red colouring. She is being treated now for photo' and seems to be improving. The pigment seems to be coming back on her nose. I have her inside too.
I lost a weanling heifer a month ago that just pined away to nothing. Vet (another one) treated for all the usual stuff but didn't seem to know what it was. He did mention that she looked toxic. Looking back now it was the same bloody thing as the calf had some scapping on the nose.
They were both in the same field at the time too. It was some land I bought this year so I never grazed it before. Wonder what plant caused it. I walked it today and couldn't see anything odd.

orm0nd · 20-09-2015 10:33pm

we found with sheep it helped to bring them in doors

tanko · 20-09-2015 10:43pm

Does eating St Johns Wort cause it?

greysides · 20-09-2015 10:43pm

orm0nd wrote: »

we found with sheep it helped to bring them in doors

First thing to do.

patsy_mccabe · 20-09-2015 10:58pm

This was the only strange plant I could see today.

Mad4simmental · 20-09-2015 11:00pm

I had a heifer like that this year. Every time we got a sunny spell she would go like that so into the shed for a few days and she would be fine.

I thought she ate sumthing first, she was in a field away from home. Got vet out, gave her a few shots but I brought her home as it kept happening when we got a few sunny days. She would be kicking her hind legs and getting up and down every few minnets in distress.

She's a light coulered sim. I'm convinced it's the sun she's burning up from like a red head. She's been fine the last month or so. Hopefully she won't do the same next year as she's one of the best girls I have.

It only happens on her udder and nose, starting right at her hair line. Basically only exposed skin.

Mad4simmental · 20-09-2015 11:06pm

tanko wrote: »

Does eating St Johns Wort cause it?

Is that the same thing as ragworth?

tanko · 20-09-2015 11:08pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

This was the only strange plant I could see today.

Maybe I'm wrong but I think that's St Johns Wort. I had a cow with photosensitisation or "brown snout" as its called around here last year. The vet had a look in the fields and came across a plant like yours and said that caused it.
If an animal hasn't been properly treated for liver fluke the condition can be more severe.

greysides · 20-09-2015 11:09pm

St John's Wort..yes. But I don't think the plant is St John's Wort.

That is a different plant to Ragwort.

tanko · 20-09-2015 11:10pm

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Is that the same thing as ragworth?

No, i think it's different.

Photosensitization

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