Axiom Farm Vet Lab

21/01/2026

Johne’s herd test – consider testing now in spring calving suckler herds

A Johne’s herd test done now allows the high risk cows to be identified and removed from the calving pens, which will reduce the infection risk to the young calves. The positive ones are likely to be shedding MAP (the cause of Johne’s disease) in their faeces. They can be calved and managed as a separate group until their calves are old enough to be weaned though some may develop signs of the disease within a few months of calving. Annual herd testing allows the positive ones to be identified earlier in the course of the disease so that they can be removed from the herd through planned culling before they lose condition.

We report Johne’s blood test results within three working days.

Discounted test rates are available for herds testing more than 40 as a batch. Further discounts for 100+ or 200+ batches are available when testing through our Johne’s Monitoring Programme. No membership fee or compulsory rules to follow. Neospora testing can also be done at discounted rates on the same samples.
www.cattlehealthscheme.com

20/01/2026

Liver fluke – consider testing before treating

In the current fluke season, from September to December, only relatively small numbers of submissions have tested as positive for liver fluke from over 1400 submissions tested.

Using the fluke antigen ELISA on faeces 1 in 7 submissions have tested as positive. About 60% of these positive submissions were from sheep and just over a third were from cattle.

With the blood antibody test one in ten submissions had positive results and it was the same proportion of positive submissions where faeces were checked for eggs using microscopy.

The higher proportion of positive samples in the fluke antigen ELISA appears to be down to samples from the west of Scotland, which were mainly tested with this method and the vast majority of them were positive.

It is likely that drought conditions in some areas in recent years have eliminated or reduced the number of mud snails, which are an essential part of the liver fluke life cycle.

Consider testing to determine if treatment is required rather than automatically treating for liver fluke, which could save time and money. It is of course important to sample sufficient animals and also each separate group if conditions differ between fields.

30/09/2025

Acorn poisoning risk
With some regions still suffering from a lack of grass following the dry summer then the risk of acorn toxicity in cattle and sheep is likely to be higher this year. Signs can include dullness, being off feed, abdominal pain and constipation followed a few days later by dark diarrhoea, which can be bloody. Fluid can sometimes accumulate under the skin resulting in swellings, especially on the underside. The toxins cause kidney failure, which can make affected animals drink more. Green acorns, which unfortunately also tend to be more palatable, contain higher levels of toxins than mature acorns and the leaves can also be poisonous. The area around oak trees should be fenced off to prevent access, particularly if there is a shortage of grass.

09/07/2025

New more sensitive test for lungworm in cattle

We are pleased to be able to offer a PCR test for lungworm in cattle. Unlike the current method it does not require the larvae in faeces to be alive in order to obtain a positive result. Faecal samples should still be collected freshly voided and kept cool until submission. Another benefit is that the test has been validated for the pooling of up to five samples, which makes it more cost effective to sample multiple animals. Ideally target animals that are coughing or showing suspicious respiratory signs.

03/01/2025

03/01/2025

Potentially save time and money by testing for liver fluke before routinely treating
Although we started finding evidence of liver fluke earlier than usual this year – the first cases in lambs were recorded in July – infections have been running at a low level since then though higher than last year. Fewer than one in seven livestock submissions have given positive/suspicious results in the autumn to early winter period in 2024. Continue to monitor though as the situation can change e.g. if sampling has been carried out early in the autumn period and they have since become infected.
It is possible that dry conditions a few years ago reduced wet habitats and therefore the numbers of mud snails and it is taking time for them to re-establish and to become re-infected with liver fluke, which then act as a source of infection for livestock.
Liver fluke antigen is a product released by liver fluke during a current infection and it is found in the host animal’s faeces from around six weeks after infection.
Testing of milk or blood samples detects antibodies, which are produced by the animal in response to liver fluke infection and it can take a few weeks for them to become detectable. We can pool up to ten blood samples, which makes it a low cost test. Antibodies can still be detected for several months following successful treatment so may not necessarily indicate that liver flukes are still present in the animal/s. Therefore, either take blood samples before treating in the autumn/winter or if treatment has already been given this season and there are still concerns about infection then faeces can be tested instead.

06/08/2024

Still time to health screen sheep and gain status before sale
Boost interest in your breeding stock at sales by providing sellers with information on their health status.
We offer low cost, fully validated tests for:
• Border disease virus carriers - PCR testing of pooled blood samples with follow up testing of positive pools with a validated low cost antigen ELISA or PCR. From £4.03 & VAT per head. Alternatively use pooled ear tissues for PCR testing.
• MV – gain MV Monitored-Free flock status by testing a sample of the flock. No membership fee. £3.85 & VAT per test. Results within three working days. Infected flocks can also benefit from the same low cost testing plus advice from a vet experienced in MV control and eradication. For health planning purposes, we also offer a low cost 12 sheep MV screen for testing of thin ewes which works out at £4.09 & VAT per head.
• Johne’s disease – our Monitoring Programme offers discounted test rates for testing batches of 40+, 100+ or 200+ sheep. £4.25 - £4.75 & VAT per sample. No membership fee. Smaller sample numbers can be tested through our diagnostic system for £6 & VAT. Results within three working days.
• CLA

07/02/2024

Herd screening for Johne’s control?
Want results within three working days?
Don’t want to pay a membership fee to access discounted test rates?
Don’t want to have to follow set rules?

Test before calving to remove Johne’s high risk animals from the calving pens

At Axiom we offer discounted test rates through our Johne’s Monitoring Programme for herd tests involving more than 40 cattle.

Sliding scale of discounted test rates for 40+ (£4.45 per sample), 100+ (£4.20 per sample) and 200+ samples (£4 per sample).

No need to sign up in advance of submitting the samples – just ask your vet to complete the half page form and send it with the samples.

Discounted test rates also available for Neospora.

16/01/2024

Consider testing before treating for liver fluke
The past autumn/early winter period appears, like the previous year, to have been a relatively low risk one for cases of liver fluke. It is therefore worth testing before automatically treating for liver fluke this season. We can test for evidence of liver fluke in multiple ways – faeces samples for either fluke antigen (saliva product from the fluke) or for fluke eggs and blood samples or bulk tank milk samples for evidence of exposure. Antibodies in blood or milk can remain present for months following successful treatment so these samples are most useful before any treatments have been given that season. However it is possible that a lot of stock could have been routinely treated unnecessarily this season as the results to date suggest that liver fluke challenge has not been widespread across the country so testing blood samples may still be worth considering now to determine if there has been exposure. We can pool blood samples to keep the cost down. If treated animals are found positive on bloods faeces samples could then be tested for evidence of current infection. It is also important to bear in mind that the risk can change during the season and the sensitivity of the tests generally increases over time once they are infected so a negative result in the autumn doesn’t necessarily mean there is no risk now. Late winter into spring tends to be when most cases are detected through testing. In addition to the cases shown in the charts, liver fluke eggs have only been found in a relatively small number of samples so far this autumn/winter.

07/12/2023

Schmallenberg virus alert

We have been seeing results that are suggestive of an incursion of Schmallenberg virus, particularly in the last month or so. There have been some very high bulk milk antibody levels and also widespread high antibody levels in affected animals. Counties where there appears to have been recent exposure have been mainly in the south but as far north as Shropshire and Powys so far. Flocks and herds have reported reduced conception rates, early embryonic and/or foetal deaths and abortions. High body temperature, milk drop and scour can also occur in outbreaks of Schmallenberg virus. It is likely that some lambs and calves will be born in late winter or spring with deformities as a result of the virus infection e.g. twisted spine, fixed limb joints and it can also result in “dummy” newborns, which are slow and reluctant to suck due to brain damage.

08/08/2023

BCVA webinar tonight - Blood sample analysis - what does it mean?

If you are a BCVA member join us tonight at 8pm for a webinar where Catriona will be covering how to gain the most from serology and PCR testing on blood samples.