"It stopped the deaths immediately."

"Dis dood in sy spore gestop."

Good day everyone. We have two dairies in Mamogaleskraal, Brits. The main farm and the second dairy are about 1.5 km apart. On Thursday 22 January, two calves died unexpectedly on the second farm and the workers were reprimanded about it. But they said the calves were not sick and had no fever. On Friday 23 January, another two calves died suddenly and I realised something big was wrong. I examined the one carcass: no diarrhoea, no wounds, no sign of dehydration. I cut it open: no sign of heartwater, but the lungs looked like a road map and the veins on the heart looked like thick plant roots.

Our vet diagnosed it immediately as foot and mouth disease just from the photos. That same morning we received the bucket of Quantum Silver powder that we had ordered two weeks earlier and I arranged that the workers responsible for feeding the calves start treating the calves that same afternoon. A pea-sized amount of powder in a milk bottle twice per day. Four hours later, before they could even give the first milk with the Quantum Silver to the bottle calves, another three died on that farm. But from Saturday until now (28 January) we have not lost a single calf. It stopped the deaths immediately.

Saturday morning (24 January) the first 3 cows had small wounds on their teats. That was not there the previous day. We started mixing the Quantum Silver into the feed that same morning. Four days later there are still only those 3 cows with small wounds on their teats.

There are cows that started limping slightly on the morning of 26 January. We are now on day 7 of the disease and about 10 cows are walking with difficulty. We are now feeding it preventatively on the main farm as well because the milkers move between farms. We also started putting copper sulphate in the drinking water and both herds were injected with Vit ADE to boost immunity. Vehicles moving in and out have their wheels sprayed with Virocid mixture. I shudder to think how many calves would have died if that bucket of Quantum Silver had not been delivered on Friday.

There are still no signs on the main farm and it looks like the disease is developing much slower than normal. I just wanted to share this because I think it is something to strongly consider in this outbreak. Every bit of advice can help. Our visible symptoms and losses are much lower than other farms I have seen on social media.

Dag mense. Ons het 2 melkerye op Mamogaleskraal, Brits. Die hoof plaas en die 2de melkery is omtrent 1.5 km uit mekaar. Donderdag 22 Januarie, dood twee kalwers op die 2de plaas onverwags, en die werkers kry ñ kopwas daaroor. Maar hulle sê die kalwers was nie siek nie en het geen koors gehad nie. Vrydag 23 Januarie dood nog twee kalwers skielik, en ek besef iets groot is fout. Ek ondersoek die een karkas, geen diaree, geen wonde, geen teken van dehidrasie nie. Ek sny oop: geen teken van Tierhart nie maar, die longe lyk soos ñ padkaart en die are op die hart lyk soos dik plantwortels. (Sien foto’s).

Ons veearts diagnoseer dit dadelik as bek en klou, sommer van die foto’s af. Op dieselfde oggend ontvang ons die emmer Quantum Silver poeier wat ons 2 weke terug bestel het (voorraad is min want die rep sê hulle is toegegooi met bestellings) en ek reël dat die werkers verantwoordelik vir die kalwers se voeding, daardie selfde middag die kalfies begin behandel. Ñ ertjie grote hopie poeier op ñ melkbottel 2x per dag. 4 ure later, nog voor hulle die eerste keer kon melk (met die quantum silwer in) gee vir die suipkalfies is nog 3 dood op daardie plaas. Maar van Saterdag tot nou toe (28 januarie) nog nie een kalfie verloor nie. Dis dood in sy spore gestop.

Saterdag oggend (24 Januarie) is daar die eerste 3 koeie met klein wonde op die spene. Dit was nie die vorige dag daar nie. Ons het daardie selfde oggend die Quantum Silver in die voer begin inmeng. Dis nou 4 dae later (28 Jan) en dis steeds slegs daardie 3 koeie met klein wonde op die spene.

Daar is wel koeie wat die oggend (26 Januarie) effe mank begin loop het. Ons is op dag 7 van die siekte en daar is sowat 10 koeie wat moeilik loop.
Ons voer dit nou voorkomend op die hoof plaas oor die melkers op die 2de melkery op die hoof plaas slaap en trekkers en voertuie nog heeltyd heen en weer beweeg. Ons het intussen ook begin kopersulfaat in die drinkwater gooi en altwee kuddes is vit ADE gespuit in ñ poging om hul immuniteit ñ hupstoot te gee. Voertuie wat in en uit beweeg se wiele word met Virocid mengsel bespuit.
Ek sidder om te dink hoeveel kalfies nou al sou dood gewees het as daai emmer quantum silver nie Vrydag afgelewer was nie.

Nog geen tekens op die hoof plaas nie. En dit lyk of die siekte onder die besmette plaas se diere baie stadiger ontwikkel as normaal. Ek wil dit net graag met julle gedeel het, want ek dink dis iets om sterk te oorweeg in hierdie aanslag. Elke bietjie raad kan help. Ons staan nou op dag 7 en ons sigbare simtome en verliese is aansienlik minder as ander plase wat ek al op sosiale media gesien het.