Ridgeway Research News Archive - Page 6 of 11

This is the main category that all Ridgeway News is posted to.

Calf Diseases: The Importance of Colostrum

25th September 2020

Cattle, Dairy, Farm Animals, Home Page News, Ridgeway Research News, Ridgeway Science

Calf Diseases: The Importance of Colostrum In terms of survival, the first few weeks for a calf are particularly important. As their bodies are still developing, they are not yet primed to effectively fight illness. The colostrum they receive is a vital step in protecting them from disease. It is important for livestock farmers to be aware of these three common calf diseases and also to know what steps can be taken to prevent and treat them. What exactly puts…

Parasite Watch Autumn Edition: Parasites to Watch Out For in Your Ruminants

18th September 2020

Georgie Atton

Cattle, Farm Animals, Home Page News, Parasites, Ridgeway Research News, Sheep

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…

Anthelmintics: When Should I Use a Wormer?

10th September 2020

Georgie Atton

Anthelmintic Resistance, Cattle, Farm Animals, Home Page News, Lungworm, Parasite Resistance, Parasites, Poultry, Ridgeway Research News, Sheep, Tapeworms, Worm Egg Counts

Anthelmintics: When Should I Use a Wormer? What are wormers? An anthelmintic, or wormer, is a drug which treats infections of parasitic worms. These could be nematodes — roundworms like Ascaradia galli in chickens, cestodes — tapeworms like Moniezia expansa in sheep, or trematodes — flukes like Calicophoron daubneyi in various livestock species. Anthelmintics are widely used across the globe, but misuse is leading to the growing issue of resistance. How do I know which wormer to use? Firstly, how do you know your animals need…

Moving Towards Sustainable Global Use of Veterinary Antibiotics

28th August 2020

Georgie Atton

Companion Animals, Dairy, Farm Animals, Home Page News, Ridgeway Research News

Moving Towards Sustainable Global Use of Veterinary Antibiotics Misuse of antibiotics Penicillin has saved millions of lives since its discovery in 1928 by the famous Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming. Since then, scientists have developed antibiotics further and now there are hundreds of different types. Across the world, these drugs treat bacterial infections from acne to meningitis. Similarly, antibiotics have quickly become vital in veterinary care. These days, the lives of millions of animals are improved thanks to these vital drugs.…

The Challenges of Going Off Grid and Preparing for the Unexpected!

21st August 2020

Georgie Atton

Home Page News, Parasites, Ridgeway Research News, Uncategorised

The Challenges of Going Off Grid and Preparing for the Unexpected! If you’re seeking to explore some less crowded areas this summer, we have a cautionary tale for you! A staff member’s recent experience brought ticks back into the spotlight here at Ridgeway Research. It’s never a good sign when you’re travelling and you look down at your legs only to scream “WHAT IS THAT?!” It was a tiny “seed” tick, the young larval or nymphal tick stage. Tiny but…

What is Blowfly Strike in Sheep?

14th August 2020

Georgie Atton

Farm Animals, Home Page News, Parasites, Ridgeway Research News, Sheep

What is Blowfly Strike in Sheep? Blowfly strike is a common annual battle that sheep farmers must face, particularly during the summer months. When the weather is warm and wet, it creates optimum conditions for flies and maggots to thrive. What causes blowfly strike? Blowfly strike is caused by the larvae of dipteran flies. They invade the skin of living sheep, causing lesions that can lead to tissue and muscle damage. The primary flies (green bottles) strike first, laying their…

Struggle and Strength During COVID-19

7th August 2020

Georgie Atton

Home Page News, Ridgeway Research News

Struggle and Strength During COVID-19 Now in August, it has been almost five months since our lives were changed by COVID-19-related restrictions. There are so, so many things that have changed within the business as a result of it. Despite all of the changes and associated challenges, we are performing and achieving results. Having heard Dr. Pippa Grange talking about deep wins (as opposed to shallow wins), it feels as if we have actually increased our capacity to achieve deep…

Quality Monitoring of Liver Fluke Metacercariae

31st July 2020

Georgie Atton

Anthelmintic Resistance, Farm Animals, Home Page News, Parasites, Ridgeway Research News

Quality Monitoring of Liver Fluke Metacercariae At our laboratory part of the work we do is to maintain several colonies of mud snails. These are intermediate hosts in the life cycle of the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica. After eggs pass out of infected sheep in faecal matter, the eggs remain dormant on pasture until conditions are optimal. When weather conditions are warm and wet, the eggs hatch into the free-living stage. These miracidium actively seek out the snail hosts and subsequently…

Heat Detection: Is Your Heat Detection Method Ineffective?

23rd July 2020

Georgie Atton

Cattle, Dairy, Farm Animals, Fertility Management, Home Page News, Ridgeway Research News

Heat Detection: Is Your Heat Detection Method Ineffective? Why do we need heat detection? Heat detection is an essential component of the dairy industry. Missed or mistimed heats lead to increased calving periods and a resulting financial burden. Similarly, wasted Artificial Insemination (AI) and loss of pregnancies caused by mistiming of AI adds to this financial burden. There is a plethora of heat detection aids on the market, ranging from simple mount detectors to fully automated robotic in-line systems. These…

Progesterone in Dogs: Assessment of Heat and Whelping

17th July 2020

Georgie Atton

Companion Animals, Dogs, Fertility Management, Home Page News, Progesterone, Ridgeway Research News, Ridgeway Science

Progesterone in Dogs: Assessment of Heat and Whelping For dog breeders, one of the most difficult parts of breeding can be identifying the right time to mate. Female dogs usually have just two seasons a year, and the fertile window can be very small. Even though a bitch might show bleeding and behavioural signs of heat for over 2 weeks, her fertile window might be as narrow as just a few days. progesterone testing is one of the ways breeders…