Disease Testing, Prevention, and Control

Disease plays a big role in sheep production efficiency and profitability. For example, Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP) is a viral disease of sheep in North America. The OPP virus can lead to disease with severe and progressive weight loss, labored breathing or pneumonia, paralysis, swollen joints associated with lameness, and palpably hard, unproductive udders. A recent study found that 26% of the sheep in the United States are infected with the OPP virus. OPP can be a huge drain on your operation. To eliminate this profit drain you need to test and manage it out of your operation.

Optimal Livestock Services has unique experience in testing for and removing OPP from large sheep flocks of several thousand head. Using electronic identification tags, bar code printing, and our SheepScan™ software we have virtually eliminated error and increased speed and efficiency ten-fold over what it was just 10 years ago. These techniques, hardware and software can be applied to almost any livestock disease testing endeavor to eliminate this economic drain on your operation. Give us a call today to find out how we can help you.

Additional information on OPP is available by clicking here to research information provided by the OPP Society.  Optimal Livestock Services personnel have made frequent contributions to the OPP Society Newsletter.  For a list of newsletters provided by the OPP Society, click here.

For further information or to schedule your flock disease testing program, contact Geri Parsons at (970) 231-2477 or by email at geri.parsons@OptimalAg.com.