Poisonings can occur unwittingly, as when toxic plants end up in harvested grains and forage or curious cattle stick their noses in the wrong barrel. Certain plants cause death, illness, abortion, metabolic disorders, and other problems....

A cow can live for around 20 years but in commercial systems she will be culled at 6 years old, on average . She can give birth from 2-3 years old. ...

Urinary calculi or “water belly” is a common metabolic disease of male sheep and goats. The disease occurs when calculi (stones), usually comprised of phosphate salts, lodge in the urinary tract and prevent urination. ...

Tetanus is a disease caused by Clostridium tetani, an organism commonly found in the soil. It is much more prevalent on farms where horses have been kept. The spores live in the soil for years and can present a continuing disease problem on some farms....

Sub-acute fasciolosis occurs in the late autumn and early winter but in these cases the disease is not so rapidly fatal and the affected sheep may show clinical signs for one or two weeks prior to death....

Ticks will only feed once per year and therefore there appear to be two distinct populations of ticks, one active in spring and the other in autumn....

Selenium deficiency generally occurs in spring and early summer on clover-dominant pastures. ...

Schmallenberg Virus affects ruminant animals and is spread between animals by biting mid-animals and from mother to offspring via the placenta. Direct animal-to-animal transmission is considered unlikely....

Scabby Mouth, a viral disease that affects sheep, goats and humans. It is a hardy virus that can survive on the ground for years. Multiple animals may be affected, with the most common site for infection being on the lips...

Salmonellosis is a bacterial, zoonotic disease of humans and animals. Abortion can occur in severely ill animals, but more often it occurs in a cow with no other signs of disease....