Sheep

Lice infestations in Cattle and Sheep: Indoor Winter Housing What are lice? Lice are ectoparasites that live permanently on their host. They either feed off blood meals or on the skin, hair, fleece or any other debris on the skin.  These are named sucking or chewing lice, respectively. Bovicola ovis and Bovicola bovis are chewing lice which are found on sheep and cattle, respectively. In the UK, three species of sucking lice commonly affect cattle — Linognathus vituli, Solenopotes capillatus, Haematopinus eurysternus…

Parasite Watch Autumn Edition: Parasites to Watch Out For in Your Ruminants This week we’re going to focus on parasites which cause two specific diseases in ruminates. These are parasitic gastroenteritis or PGE, caused by roundworms, and liver fluke, caused (unsurprisingly) by liver fluke flatworms. What is PGE? Parasitic gastroenteritis is one of the major contributors of reduced productivity in ruminants. An overburden of parasitic nematodes (roundworms) causes the infection in cattle, sheep and goats. These parasites reside in the…