Category: Ask Our Resident Vet

Hello,

Can you explain to me what Oedema and Pyaemia is?

It has come up twice on my report.

 

Hello, thank you for your query.

Pyaemia is an infection from a specific type of bacteria called pyogenic that gain to access the bloodstream and form abscess through the body. Generally everything starts from a suppurative focus sush as an injection or injury.

Oedema and emanciation are to very similar pathology and often they are associated. They are generally into a very poor state and then usually end up with accumulation of liquid (oedema) and the jellification of the remnant body fat(emaciation). Carcasses in that condition are very poor and never go to rigor mortis.

Hello, Can you inform me on the rules regarding medicine’s to livestock before slaughter. In particular variations and the number of days before slaughter I should stop.
Thank you.

There is only one rule regarding medicine and livestock before slaughter which is:  any animal that is intended for slaughter, the medicine withdraw period which is clearly  instructed with the product, must be respected . Slaughtering an animal during the medication period makes the carcass and offal of that animal UNFIT for human consumption.  Unfortunately, there is no fixed rule and withdrawal period varies from species to species and medicine to medicine. The only suggestion is that if you intend to slaughter the animal you should bring that  to the attention of your own vet  who is treating the animal,  then he/she is able to take a more informed decision based on the welfare of the animal and your profit.

 

We sent a dozen Barren cows off to the Factory last week, and its come back saying one of them was condemned and disposed of because it had Septicemia. Any ideas on what causes this in the first place, how long the animal will live it, symptoms, and if possible, treatment?

Septicaemia just indicates that the animal had a bacterial infection that had got into the blood stream. What the vet at the Factory probably found was lots of little microabscesses in the organs such as on the heart valves, in the liver and kidneys etc to indicate that bacteria has entered the bloodstream. the animal may not have appeared sick from the outside…but I wouldn’t want to go eating meat that had been supplied with blood+bacteria recently! Any bacteria infection in the body can enter the bloodstream.