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Neonatal lamb mortality constitutes a significant economic cost and is an important welfare challenge. Despite compelling evidence for reduction strategies and cost benefits associated with them, there has been no documented reduction in mortalitysince the 1970’s. We aimed to evaluate whether a knowledge exchange solution could be used to define farm specific loss risks accurately. This was done by training farmers how to examine neonatal lambs post-mortem to record and interpret common causes of mortality by following a basic framework. We used participatory rural appraisal to assess some of the existing challenges to reducing lamb mortality. When considering outcomes for specific post mortem questions, there was 87.5% agreement between veterinary and farmer answers and 82.3% of farmer diagnoses ( n = 96) agreed with the veterinary conclusions. When merged with farmer performed post-mortems, farm specific mortality pie-charts were developed to highlight the variation between flocks and the necessity for flock specific advice. Common challenges to reducing lamb loss included level of labour, skill set of labour, communication within teams and whether farmers generally considered post-mortems to be a valuable tool. We consider that farmer post-mortems of lambs could be a tool for the veterinary-farmer team, facilitating the communication of farm specific advice and empowering farmers to effect positive change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between sheep farmers and their veterinary surgeons is a challenging enigma in modern day farm animal practice. The necessity for flock health planning, disease surveillance and performance monitoring is ever increasing and demanded by legislation, industry and the consumer, but the working dynamic between both parties may be limited or in many cases non-existent. This article will consider the immense value sheep veterinary surgeons can deliver to sheep flocks, positively influencing productivity and animal welfare. It will attempt to define flock health planning and discuss the challenges for both shepherd and veterinary surgeon in embracing and delivering preventative strategies, considering the potential for engagement in the future and the opportunity to deliver innovative practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abortion is a significant cost to the British sheep industry, outbreaks can severely affect flock productivity and many agents pose a zoonotic risk. As such, effective control measures are a vital part of flock health planning. This article outlines a risk-based approach to the control of ovine abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low profitability and poor economic returns are common complaints from a number of commercial sheep farmers, yet many do not measure their production costs or monitor lamb performance. Disappointing growth rates have significant implications for the productivity of lamb-production enterprises, resulting in finishing flocks missing peaks in market prices, reduced uniformity in finished groups, fewer lambs finished preweaning, an increased ratio of lambs kept or sold as stores compared to those sold fat, and decreases in ewe lamb fertility performance. An understanding of expected growth rates and the monitoring of weight gains in the commercial sheep flock can have benefits for productivity and be used to inform flock health decisions. This article describes the importance of maximising growth rates in lambs and how this can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disbudding of goat kids is an elective procedure performed routinely. The procedure is considered an act of veterinary surgery (in accordance with the Veterinary Surgeons Act, 1966). Potential complications can arise as a result of the use of general anaesthesia in neonates, the low therapeutic index of local anaesthetics for small ruminants and potential risk of thermal necrosis of the brain if excessive pressure or duration of heat is applied. This article reviews the legislation, anaesthetics and techniques involved to reduce the risks for maximum efficacy and safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine tapeworms that have sheep as their intermediate host can be responsible for unpredictable significant economic losses for individual farms. In addition, one of these dog-sheep tapeworms, Echinococcus granulosus, is zoonotic, causing cystic echinococcosis in humans, which can be fatal. Given that detection of tapeworm infestation is often only achieved at postmortem abattoir inspection, reactive control measures are limited. The aim of this article is to illustrate how the principles of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, which is widely used in the food industry, can be used to identify proactive control measures. The role of the small animal veterinary surgeon in control is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of fathers, grandmothers and other family members on maternal, infant and young child nutrition practices has been well documented for decades, yet many social and behavioural interventions continue to reach only mothers. While recent guidelines recommend involving fathers, grandmothers and other family members in maternal and child nutrition, we lack a comprehensive review of interventions that have engaged them. This scoping review aimed to address this gap by describing social and behavioural interventions to engage family members in maternal and child nutrition in low‐ and middle‐income countries. We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Global Health and CINAHL for peer‐reviewed studies meeting inclusion criteria. We screened 6,570 abstracts, evaluated 179 full‐text articles, and included 87 articles from 63 studies. Studies reported a broad range of approaches to engage fathers, grandmothers and other family members to support maternal nutrition (n = 6); breastfeeding (n = 32); complementary feeding (n = 6) and multiple maternal and child nutrition practices (n = 19). Interventions were facility and community based; included individual and group‐based interpersonal communication, community mobilization, mass media and mHealth; and reached mothers and family members together or separately. Most interventions were located within the health sector; rare exceptions included nutrition‐sensitive agriculture, social protection, early child development and community development interventions. Few interventions addressed gender norms, decision‐making, and family dynamics or described formative research or theories informing intervention design. These diverse studies can shed light on innovative programme approaches to increase family support for maternal and child nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fathers, grandmothers, and other family members' influence on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) is widely recognized, yet synthesis of the effectiveness of engaging them to improve nutrition practices during the first 1000 d is lacking. We examined the impact of behavioral interventions to engage family members in MIYCN in low- and middle-income countries through a mixed-methods systematic review. We screened 5733 abstracts and included 35 peer-reviewed articles on 25 studies (16 with quantitative and 13 with qualitative data). Most quantitative studies focused on early breastfeeding, primarily engaging fathers or, less often, grandmothers. Most found positive impacts on exclusive breastfeeding rates and family members' knowledge and support. The few quantitative studies on complementary feeding, maternal nutrition, and multiple outcomes also suggested benefits. Qualitative themes included improved nutrition behaviors, enhanced relationships, and challenges due to social norms. Interventions engaging family members can increase awareness and build support for MIYCN, but more rigorous study designs are needed. This systematic review is registered at PROSPERO as CRD42018090273, https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=90273. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article about the multidrug resistance in lambs with enterotoxigenic K99 E coli infection.

Border disease is a syndrome of sheep caused by pestiviral infection, most commonly by border disease virus (BDV), but also by bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV). Border disease results in a varied spectrum of clinical signs, but most commonly increased barren rates, abortion, stillbirths and the birth of weak lambs. Outbreaks of acute severe clinical disease in adult sheep are rare, but have been reported. There is increasing evidence of its negative impact on lamb health and growth rates through its immunosuppressive effects. There is currently little knowledge on how widespread border disease is within the British sheep industry and how much of an effect it is having on flock health and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first year in practice is arguably the most challenging, stressful and emotional, says Emily Gascoigne, who qualified in 2012. She has begun her career on a one‐year intern programme with the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and Synergy Farm Health [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A range of novel β-nitroacetamides with an alkenyl- or alkynyl tether were synthesized using the deprotonative or conjugate addition nitro-Mannich reaction. They were subjected to radical denitration-cyclisation with a 10 equivalent excess of tributyltin hydride, catalytic AIBN in refluxing benzene to explore the structural and electronic requirements for efficient cyclisation. Cyclisations of the β-nitroacetamides were successful in most cases, undergoing 5- exo -trig cyclisation to give the desired cyclopentyl or indanyl structures. Radical 1,4-translocation of a phenyl group was observed in several cases. Diastereoselectivity was low, with 2 or 3 of 4 possible diastereoisomers observed in most cases. Further purification by crystallisation allowed the isolation of some as single diastereoisomers. It was found that higher yields were obtained by increasing the substitution or reducing the degrees of freedom of the tether between the nitro group and the radical acceptor. Graphical abstract Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]