Left displacement of the abomasum was diagnosed radiographically in an 8-week-old female Friesian calf. At surgery, a 4 cm ulcer was repaired and an abomasopexy performed during closure of the abdomen. Recovery from surgery was slow, and regurgitation of rumen contents occurred. Despite medical treatment, the calf died 4 days later. Left abomasal displacement is a well documented disease of dairy cattle (Robertson 1968; Coppock 1974; Martin et al 1978a; Poulsen 1976), but in young calves the condition is rare (Dirksen 1981). This report describes a case of left abomasal displacement with ulceration in an 8-week-old female Friesian calf.

The conventional method for estimating the average strongyle egg count for a group of sheep was compared with a single count from a group composite faecal sample. Sixty-one groups of field samples were used. Composite samples were prepared in the laboratory by pooling equal amounts of faeces from individual samples. Data were logtransformed for analysis to meet the assumption of normality. There were no significant differences in the variances and overall mean counts obtained by the 2 methods. The regression line of log (composite count) on log (group arithmetic mean) did not differ significantly from the line of identity. When untransformed egg count data were categorised as low, moderate and high, the 2 methods were in agreement for 53 of the 61 groups. The mixing and counting process used for both methods (modified McMaster technique) gave highly repeatable results (repeatability = 0.94). The composite method was a quicker and valid alternative to the conventional method for monitoring helminthosis in sheep flocks.

A severe paretic syndrome accompanied by intense neuronal lipofuscinosis is described in sheep and horses exposed to Trachyandra divaricata. This is a newly recognised toxic hazard for grazing livestock in the coastal region of the south west of Western Australia. Animals appear to become affected over a period of weeks when summer conditions induce a scarcity of alternative feed. The disease is discussed in relation to its recent documentation in South Africa where the plant is indigenous.

Occasional, isolated diagnoses of beef measles are still made in most states of Australia, but since the last regional surveys were conducted 30 years ago, when the estimated prevalence was 50 to 200 per 100,000 cattle slaughtered, the parasite has become extremely rare.

No abstract