Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma or Jaagskiete disease is a devastating disease. It is known as an iceberg disease, this is because when problems materialise, it really is only the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot more going on within the flock. The disease is a result of a virus, takes time to come to a head and results in tumours developing within the lungs, leading to animals that can develop pneumonia like symptoms and begin to waste away. It has a devastating impact on productivity. It can only be truly diagnosed at post mortem, but it can be screened for through ultrasound. Removing suspected cases early, minimises the risk to the flock and allows some value to be recouped before these animals’ waste away. We are fortunate in that several of our vets are specifically trained in OPA scanning.
We have a clamp, if you do not have a suitable set up for scanning. It is recommended you scan every 6-12 months.
