Facial eczema
Sheep, cattle, deer, alpacas and llamas in the North Island and the top of the South Island are susceptible to facial eczema, though severity can vary between species. There is no cure for facial eczema but you can help prevent it with careful planning and a robust management plan.
Your veterinarian can help you create a facial eczema management plan tailored to your farm. This can involve:
- monitoring the spore counts in your region and on your property
- topical sprays applied to your pasture to stop spores from developing
- recommendations for zinc administration to your animals.
Monitoring spore counts
FE is caused by sporidesmin, a toxin produced by the spores of the fungus Pithomyces chartarum growing on pasture. Sporidesmin growth occurs when ground temperatures are warm with high humidity. It's important to monitor the spore counts in your region and on your property to help minimise the risk to your animals.
Spore counts can vary between pastures and even within a pasture due to a range of environmental factors. The best time to conduct a spore count on a pasture is just before it is grazed. Talk to your vet about the best way to monitor spore counts and manage facial eczema on your farm.
The key to FE prevention is to act two to three weeks before the spore growth danger period. These are variable each year due to variations in weather conditions, however prevention should begin in January for most regions affected by facial eczema. You may wish to start in December if you are experiencing warm, humid weather as spore counts have been known to escalate before January.
Spraying paddocks with a fungicide is a great way to significantly reduce the sporidesmin growth but it needs to be done early as the fungicide cannot overcome high numbers of spores present in the grass.
Facial eczema in camelids
Camelids are the most at-risk production species for facial eczema, and the clinical signs they show can be different to sheep and cattle.
Alpacas and llamas cannot be administered zinc bolus; instead, they should receive supplemental zinc pellets daily. In high-risk areas (such as Auckland and Northland), these pellets should be introduced to the animal's diet as early as December.
