u/Bufobufolover24

I am not a professional, I struggle to read scientific papers so it’s hard to get information on this. I will provide background on the death history of this infected flock.

My family purchased a small group of sheep nearly 11 years ago (2015). I quickly became the main carer of these sheep and this has remained the case since then.

In 2019 the ram who we purchased separately died suddenly of a mystery respiratory disease. The vet had done the “wheelbarrow test” to check for ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma, but as no fluid came out it was decided not to be. However, this mystery “pneumonia” did not improve and he ended up dying, after death a huge amount of fluid left his lungs.

This left seven sheep, all had some relation in some way. 18 months later, the oldest ewe (let’s call her ewe A, aged 6-10 years) developed low body weight and nasal discharge. She was euthanised and it was obvious that it was OPA.

Next, ewe A’s daughter (let’s call her ewe A1, aged 6) developed the same symptoms suddenly and was also euthanised.

The half sister of ewe A1 (I will call her ewe B, also aged 6) showed no symptoms. However, one of her twin daughters from the deceased ram (I will call her ewe B3) developed symptoms and was also euthanised just two years later (2023). She was only 3 and a half years old, but was a small and weak lamb who was partially neglected by her mother, didn’t get colostrum and refused the bottle (her twin sister was huge).

This left four sheep. Ewe B, her first daughter (ewe B1), her following twins (ewes B2 and B3) and the castrated son of ewe A1.

The wether (castrated son of ewe A1) developed early symptoms, but died of another rare condition before he could worsen.

The three remaining ewes (ewe B and her two daughters) were showing no symptoms whatsoever. One died last year of unknown causes (ewe B2, aged 7), the other (ewe B1, aged 9) died this week of unknown causes.

I am left with ewe B. She shows zero symptoms of this disease, and neither did either of her daughters.

The thing is, this disease is supposed to begin the wasting process at 5-8 years old. This ewe is 11 and fat as can be. She has a good fleece, can run without coughing (a key symptom) and does not have nasal discharge.

Is it possible for a genetic line to be resistant to a retrovirus? My understanding was that resistance to this group of viruses is extremely rare.

I am in the south west of the UK, this disease is rarely seen around here. The vets have very little knowledge or experience with it. They didn’t even know that the “wheelbarrow test” guarantees euthanasia for an infected sheep (otherwise they will die slowly).

I became fascinated with this disease when I first found out they had it. I read every available online resource and even sat and watched hours of online presentations for farmers and vets in the Lake District (where it is common).

Having had these sheep for 11 years and dealt with this disease for 7, it feels strange knowing it will be over in a week or so when this ewe is euthanised (assuming she isn’t some kind of special medical anomaly!).

Can anyone explain how this might work in terms of the virus? How is it possible that she is not dying?

Hi. I am a student (not at uni yet) and I have an assignment on the diet and energy requirements of two animals. One I have chosen is a theraphosidae spider (no specific species). The problem is, I have been told by my assessor to completely start the whole thing all over again (I had virtually finished it 😩) because the formula for calculating the RER of a small animal does not apply to invertebrates.

I was wondering whether there is a way of calculating the energy requirements of an invertebrate (specifically a tarantula)?

I can’t find anything online about it, but Google searches are getting harder to get reliable results from. I’m honestly despairing at the thought of having to rewrite the whole assignment after how much effort I put into it.

Thank you to anyone who can help.