PostedAugust 26, 2022, 10:17 PM
A breeder from Courgenay saw more than half of his animals perish. Analyzes are in progress but the breeding veterinarian suspects botulism.
On a farm in Courgenay (JU), seventeen cows have died since Sunday. The breeder lost more than half of his herd, without being able to do anything to help them. The beasts showed neurological problems that quickly led to a sort of paralysis: they could no longer drink or eat and ended up dying of asphyxiation, explains the radio RFJ. Corpses have been sent to the Tierspital in Bern for autopsies, but the results of the analyzes should not be known for ten days.
Questioned by the RTS for the «19h30», the veterinarian in charge of this farm suspects that the cows have been victims of botulism. They may have ingested fodder in which there was a corpse, of a mouse or a hare for example, she explained. Toxins develop in this corpse and contaminate the fodder. The problem is that botulism, which has a 95% mortality rate, occurs within a period of time ranging from a few hours to several days after contamination. This means that other cows on the same farm could still perish. Moreover, three of them presented symptoms on Friday afternoon, when the RTS carried out its report.