'We were doing an euthanasia round every day'

In September, 260 Tolakker sheep grazed on various meadows at Utrecht Science Park. The grazers are useful for the management of the land and they also allow Veterinary Medicine students to experience what happens on a farm in practice. Since the outbreak of the Bluetongue virus, students and caretakers have been walking around the meadows every day to remove sick sheep from the meadow and take them to the stable, where they receive the best possible care. However, success has been limited when it comes to making the sick sheep better again.

Bluetongue virus
Ruurd Jorritsma is a Veterinarian and Associate Professor at UU. He is actively involved in the Bluetongue cases at Tolakker. “Bluetongue is a viral disease transmitted by midges, a relative of the mosquito. It causes damage to small blood vessels, which can make sheep very ill. Initially, the sheep become lethargic and feel pain in their mouths, causing them to drool. As a result, they feel less like eating and they are not active. We don't actually see blue tongues a lot.” Student Marjelle adds: “Sheep with bluetongue also have difficulty breathing. They also grind their teeth loudly, which is a very unpleasant sound to hear.”

It is difficult for students to deal with so many sick sheep, according to Marjelle and Sanne, who are Master's students in Farm Animal Healthcare and Veterinary Public Health, respectively. They are both in their final year. “It is more difficult for some than for others," says Sanne. "I think it also depends a bit on how intensively you interact with the animals. This is not keeping me awake at night but it does something to you. You do take it home with you.”

The same applies to Marjelle who has sheep at home too. "We did a round of euthanasia every day, which was quite intense. Sometimes we let a sick sheep live because it was still eating well, but then their situation can deteriorate very quickly. That's when the sheep suddenly gets convulsions and dies. Then you think: 'Oh if only we had euthanised them.'”

Educational
If there is anything positive that can be taken away from this experience, it is the fact that the students were able to learn a lot from it. Marjelle: “We were able to see and work with the disease every day. We investigated which treatment is the most effective, for example. The considerations we had to make on whether or not to euthanase certain animals really became a central part of our day. We were able to practice that a lot.” Sanne agrees: “It was very useful for us to think carefully about the choice of euthanasing them or not. We first examined the animals together with the students and tried to make a choice: should we let this sheep go or let it live?' Then, we would discuss it with Tolakker's veterinarian and livestock farmer.”

Some of the deceased sheep were sent to the Pathology department. Jorritsma: “They will be used for educational purposes so that other students can learn a lot from them as well.” But there is something to be learned on a larger scale too. “There is a social discussion going on: how was this possible? What should we do about it? Why is there no vaccine yet?'" says Ruud. Sanne adds: “Yes, not to mention the sadness felt by livestock farmers. How do you deal with that?"

Future
The storm seems to have subsided for a while due to the cold weather, when midges are not active. No new cases of Bluetongue have been discovered lately, but a number of sheep are still sick. The students are wary: “Will we keep doing the same thing next year, when it gets hot again?” The teacher emphasises that pharmaceutical companies are already working on vaccines and medicines for the Bluetongue virus. But whether or not they will be available next year, it remains to be seen.