April 2017Volume 79 No 2

Dan Posey Dvm DabvP 2 0 1 7 T V M A P R E S I D E N T

TAHC

I n veterinary school we learned

about reportable diseases and what our duties were related to these diseases as accredited

veterinarians It seemed that most of the focus or at least what I retained con-cerned the well-known disease programs such as brucellosis tuberculosis and equine infectious anemia I also recall the emphasis placed on identifying signs of potential foreign animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and on reporting suspicious cases to regulatory

The importance of the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program was a subject I did not fully appreciate or understand when I started practicing veterinary medicine While practicing it was not uncommon to observe ticks on cattle but the thought never occurred to me that those ticks could be cattle fever ticks Perhaps this was a natural function of practicing in North Cen-tral Texas where cattle fever ticks had not been an issue for generations

Fast-forward 10 years and after tak-ing a position with the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) in South Texas and being thrust onto the front lines I now have a much greater appre-ciation for the battle being waged by

ranchers and regulatory agencies against this dreaded pest Since May 2014 cattle fever tick infestations have been dis-covered in several counties located well outside the permanent quarantine zone which is located along the Texas-Mexico border from Val Verde County to Cameron County The reasons for these infestations are multifactorial and include weather pat-terns livestock and wildlife hosts bringing fever ticks into the state from Mexico and then contributing to their spread and the fact that livestock and wildlife are regu-larly transported long distances on trailers across Texas

The most recent fever tick Control Purpose Quarantine Area (CPQA) was established in Live Oak County after an authorized veterinarian observed an uncommonly heavy tick infestation on cattle he was evaluating Fortunately the veterinarian had the awareness and foresight to collect a number of these ticks and contact TAHC to determine if they were cattle fever ticks The TAHC laboratory confirmed the ticks as cattle fever ticks on November 30 The resulting

quarantine and inspections of nearby livestock herds revealed seven additional infested prem-ises in Live Oak County leading to the establishment of a CPQA consisting of more than 61000 acres and impacting 270 land-owners

Fever tick infestations and resulting quarantines have a significant economic impact on the affected produc-ers Given the life cycle of the cattle fever tick infested quarantines generally last a minimum of 15 to 18 months Quarantines involve periodic inspections of livestock and wildlife as well as treatment for ticks prior to moving from the area While quar-antines are a temporary yet substantial hardship for affected landowners and pro-ducers the potential ramifications of not identifying and addressing cattle fever tick infestations quickly could be devastating to the Texas cattle industry especially if interstate movement restrictions such as dipping were imposed

Texas veterinarians are the first line of defense the state has in protecting the heath and marketability of its livestock As we enter the ldquospring bloomrdquo of ticks TAHC is asking all Texas veterinarians to be vigi-lant in checking cattle equine and deer for cattle fever ticks With authorized veterinari-ans on the lookout for this tick in the course of their daily duties they become a force multiplier for the US Department of Agri-culture (USDA) and TAHC better enabling us to address infestations earlier and there-by reducing the impact on Texas ranchers and the livestock industry To help in this endeavor and to raise awareness the TAHC is offering a cattle fever tick continuing edu-cation (CE) program For more information regarding this CE visit the TAHC Veterinary Authorized Personnel webpage at httpwwwtahctexasgovvetsauthorized

Be Vigilant in CheCking for tiCks on Cattle equine and deer

Andy Schwartz DVMExecutive Director

Texas Animal Health Commission

Since1893

SERVING TEXAS ANIMAL AGRICULTUR

E

TEX

AS ANIMAL HEALTH COMMISSION

bull bull

F R O M T H E T E X A S A N I M A L H E A L T H C O M M I S S I O N

43W W W T V M A O R G bull T E X A S V E T E R I N A R I A N April 2017

By Dr Brodie MillerTAHC Region 5 Director

Cattle fever ticks

TAHC

I n veterinary school we learned

about reportable diseases and what our duties were related to these diseases as accredited

veterinarians It seemed that most of the focus or at least what I retained con-cerned the well-known disease programs such as brucellosis tuberculosis and equine infectious anemia I also recall the emphasis placed on identifying signs of potential foreign animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and on reporting suspicious cases to regulatory

The importance of the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program was a subject I did not fully appreciate or understand when I started practicing veterinary medicine While practicing it was not uncommon to observe ticks on cattle but the thought never occurred to me that those ticks could be cattle fever ticks Perhaps this was a natural function of practicing in North Cen-tral Texas where cattle fever ticks had not been an issue for generations

Fast-forward 10 years and after tak-ing a position with the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) in South Texas and being thrust onto the front lines I now have a much greater appre-ciation for the battle being waged by

ranchers and regulatory agencies against this dreaded pest Since May 2014 cattle fever tick infestations have been dis-covered in several counties located well outside the permanent quarantine zone which is located along the Texas-Mexico border from Val Verde County to Cameron County The reasons for these infestations are multifactorial and include weather pat-terns livestock and wildlife hosts bringing fever ticks into the state from Mexico and then contributing to their spread and the fact that livestock and wildlife are regu-larly transported long distances on trailers across Texas

The most recent fever tick Control Purpose Quarantine Area (CPQA) was established in Live Oak County after an authorized veterinarian observed an uncommonly heavy tick infestation on cattle he was evaluating Fortunately the veterinarian had the awareness and foresight to collect a number of these ticks and contact TAHC to determine if they were cattle fever ticks The TAHC laboratory confirmed the ticks as cattle fever ticks on November 30 The resulting

quarantine and inspections of nearby livestock herds revealed seven additional infested prem-ises in Live Oak County leading to the establishment of a CPQA consisting of more than 61000 acres and impacting 270 land-owners

Fever tick infestations and resulting quarantines have a significant economic impact on the affected produc-ers Given the life cycle of the cattle fever tick infested quarantines generally last a minimum of 15 to 18 months Quarantines involve periodic inspections of livestock and wildlife as well as treatment for ticks prior to moving from the area While quar-antines are a temporary yet substantial hardship for affected landowners and pro-ducers the potential ramifications of not identifying and addressing cattle fever tick infestations quickly could be devastating to the Texas cattle industry especially if interstate movement restrictions such as dipping were imposed

Texas veterinarians are the first line of defense the state has in protecting the heath and marketability of its livestock As we enter the ldquospring bloomrdquo of ticks TAHC is asking all Texas veterinarians to be vigi-lant in checking cattle equine and deer for cattle fever ticks With authorized veterinari-ans on the lookout for this tick in the course of their daily duties they become a force multiplier for the US Department of Agri-culture (USDA) and TAHC better enabling us to address infestations earlier and there-by reducing the impact on Texas ranchers and the livestock industry To help in this endeavor and to raise awareness the TAHC is offering a cattle fever tick continuing edu-cation (CE) program For more information regarding this CE visit the TAHC Veterinary Authorized Personnel webpage at httpwwwtahctexasgovvetsauthorized

Be Vigilant in CheCking for tiCks on Cattle equine and deer

Andy Schwartz DVMExecutive Director

Texas Animal Health Commission

Since1893

SERVING TEXAS ANIMAL AGRICULTUR

E

TEX

AS ANIMAL HEALTH COMMISSION

bull bull

F R O M T H E T E X A S A N I M A L H E A L T H C O M M I S S I O N

43W W W T V M A O R G bull T E X A S V E T E R I N A R I A N April 2017

By Dr Brodie MillerTAHC Region 5 Director

Cattle fever ticks

W W W T V M A O R G bull T E X A S V E T E R I N A R I A N 53April 2017

USDA UPDATE

P ractice in todayrsquos veterinary cli-mate holds a great deal of responsibility As accredited veterinarians we are all

responsible for performing our profes-sional duties to a high standard in an effort to protect animal health and pre-vent suffering This extends outside of the individual relationship we have with a sin-gle client and patient Many times our decisions affect not only the life and well-being of the patient before us but also the interest of entire industries especially when livestock are involved As a regula-tory veterinarian I spend substantial time combing over animal health lan-guage contained within our 9 Code of Federal Regulations Within that lan-guage the rules and responsibilities of accredited veterinarians are spelled out and detailed Veterinary practice acts mirror much of this language

During the past seven months the US has seen animal health challenges from old foes New World Screwworm re-emerged on US soil after decades of absence An old nemesis of the cattle industry the cattle fever tick has recently moved out of its quarantine zone and caused extensive mobilization of Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Veterinary Services (VS) resources In both cases a private practitioner stepped up and reported the incidents USDA relies heavily upon the accredited veterinarians in private practice to act as the first-line reporter Without these reports both

pests could have continued to march on reclaiming their old territories and damag-ing both livestock and pet populations all across the southern US

Many of you see ticks and fly larvae frequently as part of your daily examina-tions Knowing the extent of these recent insect incursions will place your senses on high alert to look for the unusual Taking time to review the appearance of the adult screwworm fly the screwworm larva and the responsible tick species will serve the frontline practitioner well Each of these pests has distinguishing physi-cal characteristics that help to differenti-ate them from the domestic pests that routinely inhabit the Texas environment TAHC and VS both offer online resources to further assist you in the recognition of these organisms You are encouraged to continue to submit suspect samples from your examinations to the statefederal laboratory in Austin for definitive identi-fication The laboratory receives several samples per year and welcomes all prac-titioner submissions

Reporting any suspect diseasepest cases immediately to the State Veterinar-ianrsquos office andor the local USDA Vet-erinary Services office is a must Have contact information at the ready in case suspects occur In order to report a sus-pect be familiar with the statersquos report-able disease list and the current state

national disease situations The presence of unusual ticks or mag-

gots is not the only trigger for making that call to your state or federal animal health office Other major flags include1 Sudden abortions or death loss in the

herd or flock 2 Blistering around an animalrsquos mouth

nose teats or hooves3 Severe illness affecting a high per-

centage of the animals4 Staggering falling or central nervous

system disorders

TAHC provides news releases as animal disease concerns occur providing up-to-date information and instruction tailored to the event In addition TAHC maintains information dissemination through a vari-ety of social media applications including Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube and Instagram USDArsquos website is a nice source of disease-specific news with fact sheets in print-friendly form Feel free to print and distribute these fact sheets to your staff and clients Stay current and up-to-date on todayrsquos disease issues by using these resources Be willing and ready to make the call to report a suspect Both TAHC and VS Texas will move quickly to support you and your client Your clients and their industries are count-ing on you to be their veterinary health specialist to identify and manage disease when it strikes their animals as are your partners TAHC and Texas VS

How to Contact TAHC or Texas VSUSDA Veterinary Services903 San Jacinto Blvd Room 220Austin TX 78701Office 512383-2400Fax 512916-5197

Texas Animal Health Commission2105 Kramer LaneAustin TX 78758Office 512719-0700Fax 512719-0719TAHC Region Office Map httpwwwtahctexasgovagencyTAHC_RegionalOfficeMappdf

By Mike Pruitt DVMUSDA Assistant Director of Veterinary

Services for Texas

Recognize and Report