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auggie
02-17-2001, 06:19 AM
crufts dog show on Animal Planet TV march 9-11 9pm E/T
don't forget to mark your calendar for the greatest dog show

Pam
02-17-2001, 12:30 PM
I am not familiar with that show, but have marked my calendar anyway. Thank you ! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif

auggie
02-17-2001, 09:15 PM
The Crufts dog show is in Birmingham,UK
This year dogs from all over Europe will compete for the Best in show.In addition of the show, they have many competitions like Agility, Flyball, Obedience, Herding. And my favorite event "dancing with Border Collies

carrie
03-01-2001, 09:27 AM
Cruft's has been cancelled to try and prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth disease in the UK. We now have 33 confirmed cases of this terrible disease in our farms and many large events are being cancelled.

raynie
03-01-2001, 10:17 AM
Carrie, could you tell me what foot and mouth disease is? It sounds serious if events are being cancelled. On a similiar topic, i was wondering about the outbreak of madcow disease there in the UK. How serious is it? Like, do some people choose to take their chances and still eat alot of meat or is it majorly affecting everyones daily life? I've seen the news talk about the disease itself and about the cattle but i haven't really seen much on how its affecting the general population.

carrie
03-01-2001, 10:59 AM
Foot and Mouth is a viral disease that affects cloven hoofed animals - cows, sheep and goats. It is highly infectious and has an incubation period of 10-14 days. It can be spread by almost anything! On car and truck tyres, clothing, hair, fur, body fluids, straw, hay, feedstuffs, skin, boots and shoes...etc. It is also airborne - if the farm next to you has it and the wind is blowing your way then you are likely to be the next outbreak.
Classic signs of the disease are lesions around the nose and mouth that weep and cause pain and lesions around the top of the hoof and between the two toes that cause lameness. A high fever and loss of condition and weight follow. It is not always fatal but as it is so infectious all cloven hooved animals that are in any contact with the virus are likely to become ill and of no commercial value. There is also a great deal of suffering for infected animals.
As soon as a case is confirmed all sheep, pigs, cows and goats on that establishment must be slaughtered, the carcasses burned on site and the remains buried.
BSE has had a terrible effect on the farming industry. Our Government insisted for years that there was no risk to humans, sadly there are many CJD victims that would argue this. The BSE situation is, finally, under control and no beef over 30 months is allowed to enter the food chain.

wolflady
03-01-2001, 11:26 AM
Yikes, we've seen this on the news as well. I've been wondering how one goes to stop outbreaks like this? Do you know what caused it?? We have a dear friend in Darlington, so we get to keep up on the England news! I hope everything is ok!!!!

carrie
03-01-2001, 04:25 PM
Sadly, very sadly, everything is not OK. In Scotland alone there is another 40 - 50 farms awaiting test results tonight. Two hundred and fifty thousand animals have now been slaughtered and burned in the British Isles. Northern Ireland has it's first ever case of Foot and Mouth and the farm is only just over two miles from the border with the Republic of Ireland. That is going to be a miracle if no cases in Southern Ireland appear.
It is generally accepted that the efforts to stop the spread have failed.
We won't be considered clear of the disease until at least fourteen days after the last confirmed case comes to light.....at the moment that seems a very long and painful way off.

raynie
03-02-2001, 12:22 PM
it sounds like it spreads like distemper does, i hope they can come up with a vaccine for it. gosh, it sounds like that Edgar Allen Poe short story about a plague, (i cant think of the name at this moment. thanks for the info, i'll be thinking of you.

carrie
03-02-2001, 04:36 PM
Foot and Mouth is the most infectious disease known in the animal world.
France has slaughtered more animals than Britain has in an attempt to prevent the disease spreading to continental Europe.
We have 40 confirmed cases now and around 90 farms in isolation as they have animals that are suspect or have had possible contact with the infection. The countryside is totally shut. Thank you all for your interest and concern - lambing and calving time is on us and to see newborns in such terrible circumatances is heartbreaking.
(A point of interest - the USA last had an outbreak of the disease in 1929).

jackiesdaisy1935
03-02-2001, 05:07 PM
Carrie, do they not have a vaccine to prevent this from happening? Those poor farmers, it must be heartbreaking losing their animals in this way. If they do have to slaughter their herd, what about their dogs, cats and other pets? Our sympathies are with all of you in Europe in your fight against this dreaded disease.
Jackie

carrie
03-02-2001, 05:51 PM
Thank you.
Yes there is a vaccine. The problem with with the whole situation is that the only way to confirm the disease is to recognise the symptoms and then confirm the symptoms by a blood test. As soon as there is an outbreak you can test healthy animals that have been vaccinated and get the same result as that produced by an infected animal. The test relies on the presence of antibodies to the disease being present in the blood to prove that the animal has come into contact with Foot and Mouth. When an animal is vaccinated, the vaccine replicates exposure to the disease and antibodies to it are produced. These antibodies will then fight any Foot and Mouth virus that enters the animals body thus giving immunity.
Such is the threat of Foot and Mouth that any animal tested that has antibodies to it is then too much of a risk - has the vaccination worked or is it infected?
On the whole animals are not tested unless clinical signs of the disease are apparent and as you can see any other testing would condemn not only infected animals but those protected with the vaccine also.
In Holland the Dutch authorities decided to test a recent batch of sheep imported from England. Antibodies were found and it was just too risky to wait and see if the disease developed or if they were a vaccinated flock and they were all slaughtered.
British scientists have stated that it would take an unlimited budget and five years research to develop a more effective vaccine, that could be detected during an outbreak, to the point of manufacture. As the world's scientists struggle with funding for Aids, cancer, MS, autism....etc, etc. this is a dream that is never going to be realised.
When you take into consideration that the area around Powys, in Wales, has more head of sheep than any other European country (if you think England looks tiny on the map, have a look at Wales and then imagine a small portion of that country!) you can begin to imagine the devastation this disease has the potential to wreck.
Dogs, cats, horses and all other pets and livestock are unable to contract the disease but the potential to spread it is enormous. If you have Foot and Mouth on your farm your cloven hoofed animals ( cows, pigs, sheep and goats) are lost. A five mile exclusion zone is put into effect (no human, traffic or animal movement unless approved and essential is allowed). You and your family and all animals left on the farm are stranded until at least ten days after the last confirmed case is reported. All workers that have been on your farm are not allowed to resume work on any farm until ten days after the last case is confirmed.

During the BSE crisis, as bad as it got, people were still saying, "At least it's not Foot and Mouth."
This is the 12th day since the first case was confirmed.

jackiesdaisy1935
03-02-2001, 07:44 PM
Carrie, it is so hard to believe the devestation this can cause. I can understand if the cattle have the antibodies and they test them there is no way to tell whether they are infected or they have the antibodies. When so much is at stake, it looks like someone would come up with an answer since it destroys the life of the farmer and his family and spreads so quickly. I do hope the States come up with something to help those poor people restock their herd or whatever one can do. Thanks for the information you have provided, I may be isolated, but haven't read anything in our paper. Hopefully this will end and soon.
I didn't know about the Foot and Mouth here in 1929, I'm pretty old but even that was before my time. Ha!
Jackie

carrie
03-03-2001, 03:10 AM
We had eight new cases confirmed yesterday and already one new case this morning in Cornwall. (It's 9am)

Karen
03-03-2001, 01:26 PM
It is heartbreaking to even consider the impact of this disease on the animals, the people, their livelihoods, and even the economy of farming regions. You, Carrie, have kept us more up-to-date than major news/media outlets here, though I am sure it is awful, simply awful for you. Thank you for keeping us informed, we hope there is soon a day with no new cases to report.

carrie
03-03-2001, 02:11 PM
There seems no lessening of the spread as yet. Day 13 and we have ten new cases confirmed today - that's 51 farms in mainland Britain and one in Northern Ireland.
It is impossible to guess how or when the spread will be stopped as all parts of the country are now infected. A farm on the edge of Dartmoor is infected and if signs of disease are seen on the moor then the army will be sent it to begin culling wildlife and sheep.
Overcrowding on farms is becoming an issue as new stock is born and no animals can be moved out. Factories and transport companies are laying off workers in a bid to save businesses that rely on the meat trade and pubs and shops in rural situations are suffering too.
Thank you all for your support, I am passing it on to friends and it helps to know that people are thinking of them and understand what they are going through.

Sudilar
03-03-2001, 06:07 PM
Carrie,
Without your imput on the horrible tragedy, I would really not be aware of the magnitude of the disaster. The news reports it, but with having someone in the middle of it, makes the tragedy hit home. My prayers are with you and your fellow countrymen. I pray for an end to the disaster quickly.
Sue

carrie
03-04-2001, 09:28 AM
It's nearly 3.30pm here and we have just had the 60th case of Foot and Mouth confirmed.
A farm right in the middle of Dartmoor has now been confirmed as having the disease. Dartmoor is 200 square miles of open moorland that is grazed by sheep and cows, native Dartmoor ponies and Red deer. This is a tragic development among the general fear and desperation.
A farmer was stopped last night by police and shotguns were taken from him as the police feared for his safety. The pressure on the rural community is becoming almost unbearable.

jackiesdaisy1935
03-04-2001, 12:39 PM
Carrie, it just seems to be getting worse, instead of better. I know it is very hard for you with your friends and neighbors losing everything they worked for all these years. We will hope and pray for all, that there will be a change and a turn around of this horrible disease. Keep the Faith!
Jackie

carrie
03-04-2001, 02:38 PM
This is terrible to write knowing that the spread has escalted to the scale it is now but our Government has decided that from tomorrow they will start to move uninfected livestock to approved abbatoirs.
Once an application has been made from a farmer in an unrestricted area and that has been approved they are given 24 hours for their animals to be put in disinfected lorries and transported to approved abbatoirs, killed and processed.(The shortest incubation period for Foot and Mouth is 36 hours, so anyone can work out that what appears to be healthy animals may be very contagious by the time they reach their destination)
In a sane world this seems like madness. It can only mean that they have lost the chain of infection and need to clear as much meat as is possible before all hell breaks loose.
They did a similar thing in the sixties - told everyone it was safe to move animals as they thought the outbreak was over - then several more cases came to light. This time we are not even pretending that the peak has been reached.
Many are seeing this as a purely financial desicion, some as a real desire to help farmers. I'd like to believe the latter but they are playing with fire....unless they know more than we do about the true extent of the situation.
Today has been the worst of all so far, I can hardly believe it myself, but we are up to 69 confirmed cases - 18 new cases in one day.
Friends of mine are 3 miles away from the case on Dartmoor and spent most of last night saying goodbye to their animals, they can't believe they will be disease free for long.
There are nearly 250 thousand sheep and cows on Dartmoor.
I just don't know what else to say at the moment - there are still people breaking the law to see the fires burning, still people breaking the law by claiming their rights to walk on common land with their dogs and still animal rights organisations prepared to march, many of them from rural communities, in protest of farming methods. I will continue to keep you updated but am running out of words to describe the situation.

Karen
03-04-2001, 03:07 PM
I am so very sad for your friends, for the farmers, for all those whose livelyhood and hearts are literally going "up in smoke," and it seems like the government is just going to make it worse. If there was anything we could do, we would, and I hope you and those you know and love know that. What an awful, awful time for you.

jackiesdaisy1935
03-04-2001, 03:17 PM
My heart breaks for the people in your part of the world, words cannot express the sorrow we feel. I know how difficult it is for you to write but we appreciate the news you give us and each time we hope it will be encouraging news. Please give our prayers and love to all your friends in this difficult time.
Jackie

RachelJ
03-04-2001, 04:14 PM
I too need to add how very sorry I am to hear of this devastating occurance and how the effects are such that they reverberate to so many of your countrymen, their families, their livelihoods, their animals...
One can only pray that in some way this will soon be contained.

carrie
03-04-2001, 04:54 PM
I have passed on your messages of support and received emails, again, asking me to thank you all for not only your support but the understanding you show.
My friends on Dartmoor have had to report to the Ministry of Agriculture that they have three cows showing symptoms. Tonight they have vets taking blood samples and police sealing the farm - the cows are salivating abnormally.....in normal days it could be nothing, tonight they don't know what to do with themselves.

carrie
03-04-2001, 04:59 PM
My friends have just emailed me to tell me that one of the older policemen on the farm has passed on a disinfected bottle of Scotch, brought them inside, lit the fire for them, poured the drinks and put on a Blackadder ( very funny comedy series) tape very loud and told them to shout when they need some more Scotch.

Corinna
03-04-2001, 11:42 PM
Carrie It must be hard to report all of this info, but we are all glad to receive it. We all are getting to rely on the fact that we can take a pill or a shot and ,poof the problem is gone. I'm not old enough to remeber past plaques but as anamail caretaker it is so important to make sure all animals in our care need to be watched ALWAYS. We have so much freedom of movement around the globe today, we forget the old diseases are still around. Small pox is a good example heard of a case in an developing nation. They would not immunice my children even though I demanded it.As a spinner I'm very concerned as you floks have some very rare breeds that could be lost forever with this problem. (I try to keep up with the rare breeds, as soon as I get my farm I'm raising several kinds of rares) All my faimlies prayers for all of you having to deal with this horrible time in history.

jackiesdaisy1935
03-05-2001, 11:16 AM
Carrie, I think you should have some of that scotch and blackadder to help you through this traumatic time. Hopefully you will see the light at the end of the tunnel soon.
In another vein, I have been to Europe twice and England is my very favorite place. I just didn't have enough time to visit all that I wanted to. We were in London then crossed the channel. In our archives, I found that one of our ancestors William Eddye, officiated as Vicar from 1591 to the time of his death Nov 23, 1616 to St. Dunstan's Church in Cranbrook, England. I thought that was kind of interesting.
Anyway, Carrie, keep your chin up and we do appreciate you keeping us posted, hopefully soon it will be good news. Take Care.
Jackie

carrie
03-05-2001, 05:12 PM
St Dunstan - rings a major bell - I'll have to have a think......
Cranbrook also rings a bell - do you know what county?

I will post again shortly but the last update I had was that cases now number 71 - it's unbelievable! My friends are so amazed that people from all over the world are in touch with what is happening to them and are so concerned and thoughtful. Most of this country doesn't realise how dreadful it is for people caught up in this and they have asked me to pass on their thanks and to tell you all what a lift and spur they got from knowing you are thinking of them and their animals. You really have made a difference to them. They are isolated and to know that there are people outside of family and friends who understand and even know that they are still alive makes them stronger. Thank you all so much.
Karen ( moderater) thank you for your email - you made us all smile, my friends couldn't believe Paul knew what a "cunning plan" was and want to tell him that it will only work if it has a turnip involved somewhere.

carrie
03-05-2001, 06:41 PM
Ok - we now have seventy four cases of Foot and Mouth throughout the country. The Government has changed it's mind and is now saying that at the same time in the sixties outbreak ( two weeks after the first reported case) there was 1,000 confirmed cases. So, apparently, we should be thankful.

The head vet in Iceland has given the go ahead to start shooting migrating swans as they may be a source of infection. Shot birds will then be tested to see if the action is justified.

A farmer's union here has called for the Government to scale up the slaughter policy and slaughter all animals that are known to have been at risk of infection ( those that have been in contact with infected animals). This has to be the most terrible thing for farmers to call for, but it has to be the only way forward. When they know where these animals are and are doing nothing to contain them you have to wonder, not only what planet they are living on, but what they are trying to achieve.

KYS
03-05-2001, 07:13 PM
Not to take away from any updates on this deadly disease:

My friend who lives in Staffordshire, England just sent me this update.

Crufts update: The KC has now announced re-scheduled dates for Crufts.
Crufts will take place on May 25th-May 28th
unless further notice.

For full details: http://www.crufts.org.uk

carrie
03-07-2001, 03:43 PM
So sorry I haven't been in touch, it is becoming a bit of a circus. We are being told that the peak has been reached and we are looking at the light at the end of the tunnel.
Farmers are asking for restrictions to be lifted so they can move ewes to safer lambing grounds.
Horse racing resumed today despite urgent calls from farmers, and many racehorse trainers, not to put livestock and farmers at risk in this way.
We had eleven new cases today, the first in Yorkshire were confirmed, the total farms infected now number 96.
It does seem that the powers that be are more interested in collecting the taxes from racing - the Cheltenham Festival begins next week - than trying to save animal lives or farmers. This may, of course be a coincidence, but it does make me wonder.......

carrie
03-07-2001, 06:02 PM
It has been announced that the Celtenham race meeting has been postponed - thank goodness!

carrie
03-07-2001, 06:19 PM
I have been a bit of a coward and have not kept you all up to date as I promised I would.
My friends on Dartmoor started to slaughter their animals last night - Foot and Mouth was confirmed yesterday afternoon. The pyres are being built and they are loading the bodies of the animals overnight.
How much do you want to know.......

I didn't want to post this but my friends said that they wanted me to - It has still taken me a while - they say they will be out of contact for a while as they try to get used to it. They say, again, to thank you all for your messages of sympathy and support and that the sleepless nights they have had worrying about the situation were not worth it - the reality is ten times worse.
I can't believe all this fear and caution can end in such a way - it just doesn't seem fair- "it can't happen to me" syndrome. They are the most ethical and caring people who farm animals I have ever met.

jackiesdaisy1935
03-07-2001, 06:52 PM
Carrie, I think you are doing fantastic keeping us posted under the circumstances.
I was a little worried because we had not heard from you. Words just don't come anymore! I know there is little we can do, but would a card or a note help from maybe all of us? Is it the English that say
"Keep a tight lip"? Take care, and thank you so much for your effort in keeping us posted.

Karen
03-07-2001, 11:34 PM
Actually the saying is keeping a "stiff upper lip" though the lower lip is usually what quivers in bad situations.

Carrie, please express to your friends our deepest condolences, what an awful, awful thing to have to go through, both emotionally, physically and financially. Our hearts go out to them.

Gio
03-08-2001, 06:55 AM
Carrie,

my thoughts are with you and your friends. I honestly don't know how I could cope with it all. It's heartbreaking to see all this happening and not being able to do anything about it.

The horrible thing is that they have found cases in Denmark and Belgium as well. I just hope this nightmare will end soon.

Daisy's Mom
03-08-2001, 04:34 PM
There's nothing to say to make it better, but please express my sympathy to your friends and make sure they know they are in our thoughts and prayers.

carrie
03-09-2001, 09:30 AM
By luchtime today there was 16 new cases for today alone - that makes a total of 123 cases confirmed so far. We are now told that this is going to be a long outbreak and the worst is yet to come.

Karen
03-09-2001, 11:28 AM
How awful, how dreadful, how sad
Your friends have already had
The worst part of the plague to date
Now all it seems is the country has to wait
And try to keep it from spreading even more
Through farm and town, to parkland and moors
Our country holds your hand in sorrow
In looking toward the bleak tomorrow
And will think of you all until the day
A cure is found, or the outbreak dies away

We hope the world is watching and caring
And doing its best to keep from sharing
This dreaded disease with other lands
Precautions must be taken, animal friends must take a stand
And make governments be more diligent,
And people, all people more aware
That if it happens anywhere
People and animals everywhere
Will suffer, for this earth is one that - despite borders and boundaries
We really all must share

ownerof3dogs
03-09-2001, 01:15 PM
If I'am right it seems that Animal Planet is showing the cruft show tonight.

I am confused

I Love My Aussie
03-09-2001, 02:35 PM
Well, I thought the same thing but, now when the commercials come on it says, "A special ENCORE presentation" Instead of saying that its coming on it says that it will be an encore presentation so apparently they will not be having them and Crufts is the most popular dog show IN THE WORLD!

------------------
*Get a Grip Get an Aussie*

jackiesdaisy1935
03-09-2001, 04:24 PM
Karen that is a wonderful poem, you are very talented with words. I picked out this poem for Carrie and her friends, the author is unknown.

To Carrie and friends

If I could...
send you sunshine on a rainy day or the stars on a cloudy night.
a robin's song, a kitten's purr or the smile of a child

If I could...
send you the smell of a rose, the roar of the ocean, the colors in a sea shell or a fresh mountain breeze.

If I could...
send you a sunset in springtime, a tumbling waterfall, or the quiet of a forest, or the softness of a cloud

If I could...
send you the taste of a snowflake, the light of a moonbeam, the flight of a butterfly, or dewdrops in the early morn.

If I could...
box up a rainbow and send it to you I would,
because I want to send you joy.
This truly is my wish to all of you
If only I could send you joy!

Jackie

carrie
03-10-2001, 03:43 PM
Thank you all so much - the poems had us all so touched by your kindness and thoughtfulness we were quite speechless. You will never know how much it means to my friends that people all over the world are thinking of them. It is a sad fact of life that news becomes old very quickly and even in this country the plight of farmers and animals alike is no longer the major news of the day. This makes those isolated feel ten times more alone.

We now have an astounding 139 cases confirmed, one that is just about to be confirmed by all accounts, and around 141 farms under suspicsion. It is spreading through cattle herds as well as sheep, this is bad news as it means the path of infection has been lost - it is loose and unpredictable and out of control.
The ministry of Agriculture are warning that the level of manpower is just not enough to cope with the slaughter and burning and a backlog is building - this is also a major reason the outbreak is spreading.

Badminton Horse Trials have now been cancelled (three day eventing).

AdoreMyDogs
03-11-2001, 04:39 PM
I heard on the news today that the hoof and mouth disease may have made it to the US. Some used farm equipment was sent from England to one of the states in the US (don't remember which one) and it's being quarantined and then disinfected. I am not sure why used farm equipment would have been shipped, I did not hear the whole story, but they are worried that it'll spread before they can prevent it. Hope not. It's scary and it spreads so fast.

jackiesdaisy1935
03-11-2001, 06:55 PM
I heard the same news, but didn't get the particulars. It is a dreadful disease for people of all countries. We all hope and pray there will be an end to this soon for everyone.

carrie
03-12-2001, 05:10 PM
While your Government and port authorities must take any risk seriously, it is highly unlikely that any animals have been infected from farm machinery. As soon as the equipment was known to come from the UK it would be disinfected. Do you know if it was on a farm before the origin was discovered or if it was spotted at customs?

It is now 21 days since the first case of Foot and Mouth was confirmed. Yesterday was a record day - 25 new confirmed cases. 19 today. This makes the total number of farms where all sheep, pigs, cows and goats have either been slaughtered or are awaiting slaughter to a massive 168.
The Government and the Ministry of Agriculture are discussing a range of issues now. Up to 500,000 sheep, so far all healthy animals, may be slaughtered in their fields as the lambing season starts. Animal welfare and the increased risk of infection are the reasons why such a measure is being considered.
Calls for the army to move in to help with the disposal of slaughtered animals are growing - it is estimated that around 50,000 - 90,000 dead animals are lying in fields and farmyards awaiting disposal. Each one has the potential to spread the disease even further via scavengers - foxes, badgers, rats and birds.
The disease is running rampant - the chain of infection has been lost and birds and airborne virus are being blamed for the continuation of the spread.
One case was a shock and it spread fear through the coutryside - 168 was unthinkable three weeks ago and there are no farmers sleeping well tonight.
The tourism trade is now in deep trouble too, the country as a whole losing around £21 million a week in revenue through cancelled bookings alone.
Riding and trekking centres are begining to feel the edge of panic and some are saying that they have one to two weeks left without income before they can no longer keep their horses. As there are no markets open to sell them at.....
This is a nightmare without end.
We are in a safe area at the moment - there are no cases within a hundred miles of us. Thank goodness this community is pulling out all stops and pulling together to try and keep the infection away. There is a £5,000 fine for anyone walking their dog on the Plain or on farmland or on any grass area. There is still a feeling of dread, it seems impossible to think we will escape - what was the unthinkable is like a bomb ticking over the Plain and the community. We are , of course, obsessed. Every morning, we check the new areas infected, every lunchtime and at least four times during the evening, then last thing before bed.
I can only thank you all again for your support for my friends who are just coming out of the shock of events and starting to believe what has happened. They also are just realising how far flung the support has been and how many people are listening and reacting even although they feel so isolated and alone.

Phred
03-13-2001, 10:32 AM
Hi, Carrie & Friends ~

Sure wish there was something we could either do or say that would make this terrible curse go away... Know that we are all praying for you.

For anyone who is not sure just what "Foot & Mouth Disease" actually is, here's a link that explains it pretty well. Note that "Foot & Mouth" is not the same as the other dreaded disease "Mad COw Disease". But read for yourselves at: http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=mad-cow-disease.htm&url=http://www.howstuffworks.com/question586.htm

There are a lot of other links to the subject at the bottom of the page.

wolflady
03-13-2001, 12:12 PM
Thanks Phred for the info about the Foot and Mouth. I was wondering if it could affect people or our fur legged kitties and doggies, so that helped clear things up. Yikes. I really hope there is an end to all of this. It's scary to see something like this happen, and the plight it has on the people! I wish there was something that could be done. Know that everyone there is in our thoughts and prayers, and we're hoping there will be an end to this nightmare!

carrie
03-13-2001, 03:01 PM
We have 205 confirmed cases in the UK.
France has confirmed the first case of Foot and Mouth on the continent - this is so out of control.

Logan
03-13-2001, 03:46 PM
This is becoming a nightmare and I feel so terrible for all of our friends in the UK and other European countries. Interestingly enough, we're finally hearing more and more about it on our local news reports. I had heard earlier that the first case had been reported in France. Carrie, please know that we are all devasted about this situation, and know how lucky we are that it isn't affecting us directly.
Our prayer is that things will improve soon for all of you.
Logan

Gio
03-14-2001, 06:28 AM
I heard on the news earlier this morning that around 300 sheep are going to be slaughtered in Central Italy for suspected Foot and Mouth disease. There are rumours that Germany and even Argentina might be affected.

Sudilar
03-14-2001, 12:34 PM
Is there no end to this terrible disease? It is so devastating!! My prayers are still with you.
Sue

carrie
03-14-2001, 04:35 PM
We have 27 new cases today in the UK - the total now, 131.

Italy is awaiting test results on suspected animals.

Argentina has confirmed one case of Foot and Mouth.

The United Arab Emirates have confirmed 8 cases.

Saudi Arabia also have a confirmed case.

I just really don't know what else to say at the moment except that the light at the end of the tunnel is not even on the map. My friends say we are not even in the tunnel yet.

[This message has been edited by carrie (edited March 14, 2001).]

jackiesdaisy1935
03-14-2001, 04:52 PM
Carrie, I don't know how you and your friends carry on except by keeping the faith.
England has the brunt of this terrible epidemic, but now the whole world is at risk.
There aren't too many words one can say!

carrie
03-17-2001, 04:23 AM
My last post should of read 231 confirmed cases - the total is now 260!!!!
The Government are now planning to kill all healthy animals in a three km radius of any confirmed case of Foot and Mouth. Many farmers are against this, they have worked so hard to keep their stock disease free and have lived under extreme stress. Many are threatening to band together to stop the authorities reaching their stock.

ownerof3dogs
03-17-2001, 11:34 AM
I think I heard last night that there is suspition that Lambs in Vermont might have it so they are being tested. But I am not sure if that is true.

Corinna
03-17-2001, 01:39 PM
Carrie I know this sounds like an of the wall question, but as a spinner I have a feeling of being part of this whole thing. Can seman and eggs be harvested fron the healthy animals before the slaugher? I work on a project called spin a rare fleece, which we spin fleeces from rare or endangered breeds to then they are shown at clothing shows, fairs,and conventions. I fear we will lose a lot of the rare breeds left in the european countries. I samples can be saved and the used as insemanations to those we have in uninfected countries it could save them. Have you heard of any one doing that kind of thing? We are getting nothing as answers on the couple of spinning and knitting boards I use. Thanks Corinna ( still praying for all)

jackiesdaisy1935
03-17-2001, 05:17 PM
Carrie, this is all to much for the people to bear, the press is finally taking this serious over here and reporting the awful slaughter being done over seas. Not much we can do or say but keep our prayers going that there will be an end to this horrible
killing of all those animals and that the farmers will get some relief.

carrie
03-17-2001, 08:10 PM
Thank you, again, for your concern and caring - you will never know how much you touch individuals caught in a rollercoaster that nobody seems to have control of. It is appreciated, deeply, by more people than you know.

The total of farms that, tonight, are without beasts to take care of in the morning is a staggering 297.

A case in Shropshire has come to light - the farmer had one goat and 786, yes that is the correct number, sheep that were obvious Foot and Mouth cases. Who knows how long his farm has been infected and how far the infection has spread from his animals..... but you have to have some small sympathy. The creatures he lied about and hid are all now gone.

Any rare breed that is under threat is a lost cause in this country, at least. The moment of birth, the first breath is the moment of infection. This is such a relentless disease that if embryos are not already stored, sadly, now is not the time to do it. On that score, at least, Britain can be proud - we have such a huge collection of rare domestic as well as wild animals, most of which are part of the international "Frozen Zoo" project.

Karen
03-17-2001, 10:31 PM
Hoof-and-Mouth, 260 cases

Hiding from this disease
Seems as fruitless as hiding from the air
As hiding from the changing seasons
As hiding from the windy rain
that finds you no matter what you hide behind

Keeping your animals safe and healthy
Amidst hysteria of people and government
Seems as likely as keeping your feet dry
When crossing a rushing stream on moss-slick rocks
Possible, and so hard you try, possible
But so improbable, it seems

Watching your neighbors' livelyhoods
The inn-keeper, the butcher, as well as the farmer
Go up, literally and figuratively, in smoke
Is as heart-wrenching as seeing a sudden flood wash away a home
And being helpless, from your safe hilltop,
To do anything but cry out in despair

Knowing the pain and heartache you share
The fears and dread of farmers
in Europe, in Argentina, in our own Vermont
The bleak sight of empty countryside
No soft bleat of sheep of shuffling snort of hog
And knowing we cannot help
Tears at our hearts like a sharp rock in a brook-bed
When it meets an unsuspecting bare foot

The cold brookwater washes away the blood
But cannot touch the pain
As we can offer sympathy and understanding
But cannot hope to help heal the wounds
Your battered countrymen bear, but still, we offer

Corinna
03-18-2001, 08:48 AM
Crrie thanks for answering my question. I sure hope we here in the United States can keep this nightmare from happening here. Hopefully then we can help your countries rebuild from stock here. I know it doesn't help the loss of many bloodlines and time in the breeding programs . I have another question is it only cloven hooved animals or are the draft horses I love so mach in trouble too?

Karen
03-18-2001, 04:11 PM
It is only cloven-hooved animals that are in danger from it. Horses can carry it, but they are not affected by it, thank heavens for at least one kind spared.

carrie
03-18-2001, 04:23 PM
Karen, your words totally capture the feeling of impotence. It is now three weeks since the first case and things are at desperation point for many farmers. Families have been kept apart - friends of mine work on different farms, they have a five year old son that a Grandparent is caring for and have not been able to see him or each other for nearly two weeks now.
The Government has issued a statement today saying that this situation is likely to go on for several months.
In Cumbria the Chief Veterinary Officer is meeting with farmers tomorrow to try and talk them into allowing healthy stock to be slaughtered in a bid to stop the disease.
In Scotland there is less resistance to the scheme as farmers there are worried that if the whole of Scotland is infected they will have nowhere to go to restock.

We have 325 cases in the UK now - another massive rise today of 25 new cases.

Horses are not infected with the virus but are potential carriers so any horses in an infected area are not allowed to move from the farm or yard they are in.

carrie
03-21-2001, 02:18 AM
The Netherlands have reported, yesterday, that they have a suspected case of Foot and Mouth.
In the UK the cases confirmed yesterday was a massive 45!!

Karen
03-21-2001, 07:18 AM
I also heard that there have been cases in Kazakhstan, though the report was unclear. Our hearts ache for you all.

jackiesdaisy1935
03-21-2001, 03:35 PM
Carrie, the news does not sound very encouraging, there has to be an end to this nightmare sometime soon. I see from our news that they think they have found a farm in Vermont with goats who they are pretty sure have Mad Cow disease. I thought that disease was confined to cows. Every day we hope to hear from you that the number of cases of Foot and Mouth disease will go down and it seems to increase. Those poor farmers, we just can't even imagine the agony they are going through along with you seeing your friends losing their animals and farms. We have just about run out of words, I think only prayers will help now.
Now I'm not sure if it was goats or sheep!

[This message has been edited by jackiesdaisy1935 (edited March 21, 2001).]

carrie
03-22-2001, 01:41 AM
The Netherlands have now confirmed three cases of Foot and Mouth - they can not find the source of infection which is very scary as it means they also don't know the pattern of likely spread, if any.

We had another 40 new cases confirmed yesterday - 85 in two days!!

We have been told not to expect the peak of the disease until May - farmers under intolerable pressure can see no end or relief.

BSE only affects cows. There are, however many variants of spongiform ecephalitis - CJD in humans, scrapies in sheep. There is a known feline variant. It is also known to affect some wild deer populations in the USA.

carrie
03-23-2001, 01:39 AM
Another 42 new cases yesterday - total is now 479 farms that have lost all stock.
The slaughter of healthy animals has started in Cumbria to try and create a zone around infected areas that the disease will not be able to spread over.
Animals are really suffering now. Sheep that are without grazing in their fields, due to the length of time they have been there and the bad weather we have had in the last few weeks, are now lambing. Many lambs are being lost as they are either drowning or dying from exposure.
Farmers in affected areas are finding it harder every day to carry on.

Corinna
03-23-2001, 11:11 AM
Carrie, we all really thank you for the up dates as painful as they must be. i have another question, I know hoof and mouth ,and mad cow are different but havig trouble getting Truthful facts about the "scapies?" in sheep.it has to do with the Vermont sheep, it seems they have been watching them since 1989?Two showed up with antibodies but no active virus. It sounds just odd to me ,why wait so long and if no active case why distroy the whole flock? I know you probley don't have all the answers but if you know some place to look. My vet can't even answer these questions. thanks Corinna

carrie
03-23-2001, 01:09 PM
Scrapies is the form of spongilitis ecephalitis that affects sheep. (BSE is the form that affects cattle and CJD is the form that affects humans.) Once cases have been confirmed in cattle the whole herd is slaughtered as a precaution to prevent the spread of the disease. This is because the route of infection was largely unknown until recently. Now it is known that infected material from an animal has to be ingested by another animal for that infection to spread. It is accepted that BSE originated as the brain and spinal cord material from infected sheep was fed to cows. Waste material from infected cows (ie the brain and spinal tissue) was then processed and put back into the feed given to cows. (Most "normal" people would see the feeding of any material from an animal source to vegetarian animals ludicrous and full of hidden dangers.....but what do we hippy tree huggers know?)
It has been confirmed that at least seven cases of CJD in this country can be directly linked to the victims eating tissue that was contaminated with brain and/or spinal tissue from cattle. It is accepted that this is the route of infection.

For sheep, I'm afraid I know little, although scrapies is an older form of the disease. I will see what I can find and get back to you.

We now have 501 cases of Foot and Mouth, the first in the Republic of Ireland was confirmed yesterday.
The Government has warned that if the disease is not under control soon then half the country's stock of susceptable animals will be culled.

jackiesdaisy1935
03-23-2001, 03:17 PM
This is just so sad for our friends in England and Europe.


When things go wrong,
As they sometimes will,
When the roads your trudging,
seem all uphill,
When the funds are low,
and the debts are high,
And you want to smile,
but have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must,
But don't you ever quit.

carrie
03-24-2001, 05:47 PM
We have 559 confirmed cases.

The powers that be have predicted that we will not see the end of this until, at least, August. By then they estimate the total number of farms to loose livestock because of infection to be 4,400.

The Government have now authorised the culling of all livestock susceptible to the disease in all farms adjacent to an outbreak. In Southern Scotland, Cumbria and Devon, where the "hot spots" are, a three km cull zone is still in operation.

We went to visit with my in -laws today. A forty minute journey that, at this time of year, is usually a joy. New lambs and calf heavy cattle are the normal and delightful scenes to look at. Today we saw a small herd of deer in one field and a flock of about twenty sheep in another. Two seconds after I shouted, "I saw some sheep!" we passed the "INFECTED AREA" sign. Those fat and peaceful sheep will be gone in the morning.

Foot and Mouth has touched our lives deeply. My friends have seen the animals they bred and cared for, cherished and were proud of killed and burned. They have been isolated for a month in an empty farm. They still wake at four every morning and can find nothing to fill their waking hours.
Foot and Mouth is now less than three miles, as the crow flies, from our doorstep. This does not make it worse or more real to us, somehow it's inevitable.
The really frightening thing is that thirty seven years ago farmers were saying, "They won't let this happen again, they will never forget this!" In thirty years time will we have learned anything?

AdoreMyDogs
03-24-2001, 11:25 PM
Carrie, being a strict vegetarian I never thought this horrible foot & mouth would actually have an effect on me simply because any shortage of meat was a moot point...that is until I read your last post. I realized that this is not just a loss of meat in the market, it's the slaughter of way too many innocent animals, animals not even bred to be meat animals, and the potential bankruptcy of many farmers. And until I read your last post, I never actually thought that among all the slaughtered animals, there had to be some very special individuals who were "pets" to the farmers. I am not saying I did not care about the disease, it is still horrible and sad and scary, but I realized that it's not just affecting the animals that were going to be slaughtered anyway, it's affecting mother animals, baby animals, "pet" animals, working animals, dairy animals and it's cutting off possibly all sources of income for alot of people. I can't imagine if computers all went dead tomorrow...not only would I be out of work because I do desktop support, but so does my husband. It would leave us either living with my mom or out on the streets...it would cause us to have to sell our cars, our possessions, and worst of all...we could no longer afford pets. It's not just about the animals that were going to get slaughtered anyway. Unfortunately I did not realize that until reading your last post. I was narrow-minded to think that, it affects an unmeasurable amount more then that. I am so saddened for all those people who have to send their entire stock of sheep, cattle, pigs, and whatever else is infected or in an infected area to slaughter. In reality, they are not only losing their animals but I can imagine most may also being losing their homes/farms/jobs/income due to this. Is there anything the Government is doing to help the farmers make it through this? Are they setting up a fund for all farmers affected so people don't lose their homes and possessions? Are farmers going bankrupt? I feel bad for not seeing the full reality of this horrible disease just because I don't eat meat. I hope there is an end to it soon before it spreads even further, and I hope the farmers who are losing their animals are able to cope and find other means of income, and I hope that the animals who are sent to slaughter have a quick, painless death with little suffering and fear, and most of all, I hope all of those empty, lonely fields are once again dotted with healthy animals soon. I am headed to bed now, but feeling awfully heavy hearted and guilty for not realizing sooner how sad this disease truly is. I will say a sincere prayer tonight this heartbreaking disease to be over and done with, Carrie...and I will mean it http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/frown.gif

Genia
03-25-2001, 12:13 AM
My heart cries for all the families whose lives have been changed by this horrible disease. A case has now been found in the Netherlands. I keep thinking about my former neighbor. Until 2 years ago I lived in a small town in Belgium. My neighbor was an elderly man who owned cows. Every morning I would see him walking to his fields with his horse to tend to his herd. He would always have a smile and would wave as he passed. I remember driving through the countryside, filled with cows, goats and sheep and smiling because it sort of reminded me of home. Carrie, your last post brought tears to my eyes. I'm imagining all those fields now empty. I think of my former neighbor. Bless him and please keep this horrible disease from him. I know all of these people affected are hard workers. They have to be it is a hard job. This is their lives as well as thier livelihood. I pray for them all. I am curious, as Adore asked, is the government going to provide aid? Is there a fund set up? I would be more than happy to donate. Anyone remember Farm Aid years ago?

carrie
03-25-2001, 03:42 PM
Thank you both so much for your kind thoughts and words.
I, too, am a vegetarian and the supply of meat has not been too badly affected as yet. Areas that are not known to be infected have special movement orders to get stock to approved, disease free slaughter houses.
As for compensation..... once you have a suspect animal and the MAFF people come in to test and investigate they look at how many sheep and how many cows you have and calculate the current market value. In some cases this is taking four or five days. The Government will pay each farmer the price set by these officials. This does not take into account the 50 dairy cows that were your Grandfathers dream and aim when he began his breeding programme. Nor the 200 sheep that you have ploughed years of time and money into to be the best in the district. It does not take into account the quality, time, breeding, money or heart that is put into every farm animal in this country.

carrie
03-26-2001, 04:58 PM
We are up to 628 cases in the UK.

Several mass graves have been dug in a disused airfield in Cumbria and the bodies of up to half a million sheep are to buried there to try and clear the backlog. They are setting up pens so that animals can be brought in on sealed lorries and culled on site.

Farmers now have a choice on how compensation is worked out - they can take an estimate that every animal is worth the same as the first ten or so evaluated and be paid that for every culled animal. Their other option is to have an independent evaluation.

The Lake District reported it's first case today. The nearest case is forty miles away. Thousands of domestic animals roam wild over this area and it was thought to be out of harms way. A devastating development to say the least.

Our main headlines are now the local elections due for May 3rd. It is traditional for the general election to take place on the same day ( election for government). As the crisis becomes worse farmers are saying that to hold a national election at such a time is, at best, insensitive and at the other extreme a sure fire way of spreading disease.

The tourist industry is in a terrible state. The Government is telling people that the countryside is open as long as you stay on the roads and away from any livestock and wildlife.....

Be assured that if you are visiting England this year you are not facing a health risk to you, your family or your pets. If cities such as London are your destination then nothing has changed. If you are planning to holiday in the countryside then it really depends where you are going.

Foot and Mouth is not passed on to humans in any way - it is not usually fatal to the animals that it does infect- it does create suffering and weak and unproductive, sickly livestock.

jackiesdaisy1935
03-26-2001, 06:04 PM
Carrie that is such a devestating report.
Those poor farmers, as you say they may have stock going back to their Grandfather and were proud to keep the line going. Although we feel so bad for them, we cannot imagine how they really feel unless we were in their shoes. San Diego has just begun air roundtrip from England and they are checking everyone to see if they have been in the countryside or carrying meat products etc.
I think this Country is finally realizing how serious this is for our friends in Europe. Please tell your friends we think of them and say a little prayer for them every day.

carrie
03-28-2001, 04:19 PM
Day 36 and we have 729 cases of Foot and Mouth.
The army is now helping to cull sheep that are brought in to the large pits dug in Cumbria.
Vaccination is now being seriously considered as a firebreak measure - all animals that are vaccinated will then have to be slaughtered - as we are not coping with the cull and burn policy. There are around 100,000 dead animals lying in fields and yards awaiting disposal and well over that awaiting slaughter.
Nearly 500,000 animals have already been slaughtered, burned and buried.

The Government has said that around 1.3 million sheep were moved around the country between the times of the disease reaching the UK and the first outbreak being confirmed. A staggering number of animals with no record of movement or identifaction - let us, please, learn from that if nothing else.

The Government has also started to open up tourist attractions in the countryside and are insisting the financial implications of the tourism lost is greater than the risk of the disease spreading. Stonehenge is now open as is Old Sarum, both near us. Local farmers, already in despair, are astounded that such measures can be taken when they have been under such strain financially, mentally and emotionally. Nearly 300 footpaths and rights of way over farmland, in Wiltshire alone, have been opened. A Ministry of Agriculture spokesman said that as it has been two weeks since the last outbreak in Wiltshire it is a reasonable measure. We live on the edge of Salisbury Plain, right on the border with Wiltshire. The nearest outbreak to us was around two weeks ago - two and a half miles away.
Ireland has just reported it's second suspected case - the first was over two weeks ago.
Does this make sense to anyone?
Are we going to screen everyone going onto footpaths and visiting Stonehenge? (The answer there is no, in case you are wondering.)

We have felt we were sitting on a time bomb. People check their stock at the last possible moment before the light fades and then sit most of the night worrying what they will be faced with in the morning. Every morning that you have to drag yourself out to milking or to see how the lambing is going is a nightmare walk - at best you have thin cows, at worst you have dead sheep and lambs that you couldn't help despite the pain they have been through. The worst thing is not even Foot and Mouth anymore, in many cases it is a kind of relief from the constant worry about the hardship your stock is facing.

A scheme has been set up where farmers can ask for voluntary slaughter of their stock on welfare grounds. A vet must then come in and confirm that conditions warrant slaughter. There is such a shortage of ministry vets that such requests are not a major priority at the moment. Farmers that can see no way to allieviate the suffering of their animals are being told that requests for welfare slaughter will take three to four weeks to implement. Some are begining to pray for Foot and Mouth to put an end to their animals suffering as it is a quicker end than waiting for starving, drowning and ill animals to be put down.

carrie
04-02-2001, 05:16 PM
At 5pm on April 1st there was 909 of foot and Mouth in the Uk.

955,000 animals have been slaughtered or identified for slaughter.

610,000 animals have been slaughtered, of which 178,00 remain to be disposed of.

There are 345,000 animals awaiting slaughter.

The numbers are staggering. Our local elections have now been pospotned for a month - June 7th - it is taken as read that the General Election will be on the same day. It is the first time since the Second World War that the date has been put back due to a National crisis.
There are still misgivings as many experts think the situation will be worse by June, not better.

This disease in our lives is no longer a nightmare. It is not something we could of imagined, even in sleep. There is no sign of an end or a slow of infection. The feeling persists that if action had been taken quickly then these scenes of slaughter, burning and burial would not be so common place that the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food could see fit to cut the reports of numbers infected farms. If you know where to look you get one update each day.

jackiesdaisy1935
04-02-2001, 08:25 PM
Hi Carrie: Have been missing your posts, glad to see you are back, even though the news is still not good. It's impossible to understand the horror the people are going through seeing their animals being destroyed by the thousands and thousands. I'm sure they are in a state of shock as any caring individual would be. Did they not find the source of the foot and mouth, I though I heard something to that effect. We are all so appreciative of you keeping us posted. All we can do is hope and pray for a solution soon.

Logan
04-02-2001, 08:55 PM
Carrie...all I can say is that I am so, so sorry. I continue to read about this every day, and wait for your posts as well. Please know that we continue to pray for each person and animal that is affected by this terrible, terrible plague.
Logan

Sudilar
04-02-2001, 10:57 PM
When will all this end? http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/frown.gif

[This message has been edited by Sudilar (edited April 02, 2001).]

karen israel
04-03-2001, 12:31 PM
I thought I read there's a vaccination but even then, there would be no way to distinguish carriers? In this day and age..no way to stop the spread? I think of you, Carrie every day-you know that-and I too am praying for an end to this. i can't even imagine. It's a living nightmare, you're right. My heart just goes out to you and everyone affected!

Karen
04-03-2001, 09:11 PM
The death toll rises day by day
Not just animals are going, we fear
But pride and honor, love and heart
Are being lost to dread disease and slow action

The death toll rises every day
Never it seems, will it ever end but
How can it not, we hope we pray
For the death toll to fall tommorow

The death toll rises with every post
And still on farm after farm, they cry
And watch the morning sunrise as they sit
With forced-idle hands and sad weary eyes

The death toll rises, engraved upon the hearts
Engraved upon the minds of all who hear
And in uninfected places we watch the lambkins
With now-guarded joy, tinged always with fear

Our hearts ache for yours, across the pond
And please know that we'd do whatever we could
But for now, you and we sit, calloused hands virtually tied
And wait for the tide to ebb, and hope begin again

I'd give you my heart, if it would heal yours
I'd send you a lamb if we knew it would be safe
And if I were a scientist, I'd work day and night
To find a cure, to find a way, to save those lovely dark liquid eyes
From breaking anymore hearts, from going dull, and closing in death
I would, and yet I can't, but we will continue, every day
To hold you in our hearts, and promise to treasure those that are still safe.

Gio
04-04-2001, 06:58 AM
My heart goes out to you Carrie, it's bad enough hearing about it but living right in the middle of it must be absolutely horrible.

Gio

RachelJ
04-04-2001, 08:52 AM
I agree with Gio. I hate to even read these posts and I can't fathom having to live them. These numbers are staggering. My heart goes out to all your countrymen.

carrie
04-04-2001, 06:05 PM
I logged on to give you all an update. I read your posts and am touched all over again at how much you all care - I have sent your messages on.
Karen you have the words that I don't and you capture every feeling exactly - it means an awful lot to people who feel - no ARE - so isolated that they feel their own families slipping away. All of you can not imagine what your thoughts and expressions of, not sympathy, but understanding mean to families that are not even headline news anymore. The crisis is but not the people and not the animals - it is a clinical war on a scale of numbers. Your human touch of feeling and the very fact that people outside of this country are thinking of the people affected is a boost that you can not even begin to understand - thank you all.

I have people on the phone and on my email 24 hours a day now and all want to know what the people on this site have to say.

Thank you.

My post is, sadly, two milestones passed in the last couple of days.
We now have over a thousand farms that are confirmed as having Foot and Mouth.

A million animals are in the catergory of either being killed already or waiting for slaughter.

It has also come to light today that an area in Sussex, usually used as a domestic rubbish landfill site, has already buried 2,500 sheep. This is an area that has shown no signs of the disease and people are, obviously, worried about the spread of disease as well as the lack of information.

Vaccination, thank goodness, seems to be off the agenda.

All sport pitches, football pitches, cricket pitches, running tracks etc. are off limits in our area now - £5000 if you are caught on any grass area!!
The Cheltenham Festival is cancelled (horse racing) as it is now within a restricted area.
The Grand National is going ahead - next Saturday - with four runners from Ireland that have no access back to Ireland after the race and will have to find stabling in England until restrictions are lifted.

carrie
04-09-2001, 09:28 AM
We now have 1,138 farms that have been confirmed as having Foot and Mouth on the premises and have lost all their stock. There is still no let up and the future is looking bleak.

carrie
04-11-2001, 03:29 AM
There has now been 1204 confirmed cases of Foot and Mouth.

The authorities are investigating 309 cases of alleged illegal movements of livestock. There has been some suggestions that certain farmers have faked the symptoms of the disease to claim the higher compensation rate given for diseased animals rather than settle for the lower rate given in welfare cases. It has also been claimed that animals have been illegally moved to high risk areas in order that they are exposed to the virus. This is a way of infecting their own stock and claiming the larger compensation package.
As you can imagine the farming community country wide is outraged. Farmers leaders have accepted that there has been a few cases of farmers breaking the law rather than see their animals die in appalling conditions in the fields. To think that anyone would spread this disease on purpose shows how out of touch the Government is with the real countryside.

Sudilar
04-11-2001, 10:21 AM
Oh, Carrie, even more tragedy added to the situation! This is just so overwhelming!

jackiesdaisy1935
04-11-2001, 03:47 PM
Carrie, so sorry the situation has not improved, I check every day to see if there is a post from you saying the tide has turned for the better. All of our prayers are with you.

carrie
04-12-2001, 11:00 AM
The relentless march goes on - 1234 cases now.
Easter holidays abroad have seen a huge increase deepening the problems faced by our tourist industry. If it stopped tomorrow I can't even guess how long it will take us to recover from this.

Again let me thank all of you who show such support and caring, it is valued and appreciated.

carrie
04-13-2001, 06:07 AM
There are now 1,259 cases confirmed.

The prediction now is that around a third of all British farms will be affected by the time this is over.

Farmers are very angry that the authorities are getting slower rather than quicker at responding to new cases. All animals on an infected farm should be slaughtered within 24hours and those on adjacent farms within 48hours. This is still not happening and this is why many farmers believe the spread continues.

Corinna
04-13-2001, 11:12 AM
Carrie I heard a shocking story but only one time .Maybe you could let us know if you've heard it. It seems that a vial of the virus is missing from you minstry of medicine. It was so concentrated that it could be used to infect all of europe. Have you heard anything about this? If it's true , you all need an old fashion lynching like we did here in the west. Corinna, praying for all of you and you critters. Ps I just remembered that Lamas are cloven hooved are they killing them also?

sammi
04-13-2001, 12:40 PM
Carrie, Thank you again for keeping us current on your devastating condition. Its hard to even imagin what its like. But we continue to think of you everyday and hope it will end soon.

jackiesdaisy1935
04-13-2001, 02:08 PM
Carrie, as I have said so many, many times before, I just wait for the day when you can say all is well. The Farmers in your country have had so much pain that I don't think we can really understand, all that we can hope for is that it will end soon.

carrie
04-15-2001, 05:49 AM
As of yesterday the total is 1306 infected farms.

I have not heard any reports of missing virus from any source but will try and verify. I think it is unlikely as if such an massive risk was imminent I'm sure it would be headline news here.

At the moment we are waiting to hear if a suspect case of swine fever is confirmed. Our last outbreak of this disease last year ended with the slaughter of 36,000 pigs.

Llamas are in danger of Foot and Mouth and are treated the same as pigs, cows and sheep.

As more livestock are being buried in mass pits fears about leakage and contamination from these sites are growing. Massive amounts of disinfectant are also being sprayed liberally - 40 years worth of chemicals have been sold in the last 6 months - contamination of water courses is now a major concern too.

We are all hoping for the day I can report some good news....may it be soon.

Karen
04-15-2001, 09:06 PM
From your numbers, maybe it seems like it's slowing down? I do hope so very much that the disease will not spread further, and that ways can be found to contain the virus. Is anyone reportedly working on a cure?

carrie
04-17-2001, 01:58 AM
1341 cases as of yesterday so, yes it does seem that the daily number is starting to fall slightly. It will need to fall a lot more before anyone here is convinced that the tide has turned though.

There are now 3 cases confirmed and two suspected in Northern Ireland. This is worrying as they are 50 - 60 miles apart and appear to have no connection to each other.

carrie
04-18-2001, 03:13 AM
1363 cases have now been confirmed.

The Government and farming unions are at loggerheads over the issue of vaccination. The Government is keen to start limited vaccinations in Cumbria and Devon to, as they say, create a firewall to stop the spread. Ben Gill, the President of the National Famers Union, has expressed fears that this option throws up so many unknown factors it would be like throwing a ball onto a roulette wheel and hoping it comes up trumps.
Welfare issues are also thought to be a major influence on the Government. Cattle that have been inside for the winter are running out of feed but can't be moved due to the restrictions. Farmers are asking for many of these animals to be slaughtered rather than let them suffer. If they were vaccinated they could be put out to grass. They would then be slaughtered at a later date. Concerns are that the vaccination is very unsafe, carriers would remain in the herd, consumers would not want milk or meat from these animals and it would encourage rather than stop the disease spreading.

carrie
04-20-2001, 05:02 PM
There are now 1412 confirmed cases of Foot and Mouth.

1,807,000 animals have been slaughtered or have been identified as awaiting slaughter.

1,294,000 animals have actually been slaughtered.
264,000 of these are still awaiting disposal by burning or burial.
512,000 animals await slaughter.

These numbers are for animals on farms that have had a confirmed case of Foot and Mouth. They do not include the animals that live on the farms next to confirmed cases - these animals are also killed.

Farmers with healthy animals are getting to a point beyond desperation - fear that they will loose their animals although they may never get the disease is terrible. The conditions these animals are now living in is becoming too much for some farmers with no feed to give them and overcrowding issues. Some are threatening to move their animals out to the fields unless action is taken in the next few days and some are blockading their farms to stop the "men from the ministry" killing healthy animals.

jackiesdaisy1935
04-21-2001, 11:31 AM
Carrie, we are still following your posts and happy you can still let us know what is going on despite your pain.. I think we cannot think of any words to express the sorrow we feel for those farmers. All we can do is keep them in our prayers and hope it will end soon.

***Puppy power***
04-21-2001, 03:14 PM
I love that show another show i love on animal planet is crocidle hunter

Dixie Belle
04-26-2001, 10:30 AM
I just joined up on this site this week, and ran across this today. I want to say thank you. I have been hearing about this outbreak but never really knew what it was. It is horrible. I hope we can keep it out of the States. It is really sad to think of the animals that had to be killed over there because of this stuff, and the people that have suffered too. Thank you for explaining what this stuff is. Now when I hear people asking, I can spread the info.

carrie
04-26-2001, 03:34 PM
The infection rate is slowing at last!

Total infected farms are now 1482 - that's over 2 million animals slaughtered.

But, as I said, at last there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

The blanket cull on farms next to infected farms has been stopped. Local vets will now take the decision into their own hands and decide on an individual basis whether it is beneficial to slaughter animals next to an infected area or safe to let them live.

Some stars have been found - a calf in Devon that somehow survived the slaughter on the farm it lives on (the herd was not infected but slaughtered as a precaution) survived for four days among the bodies before being found. She has been named Phoenix and is healthy. She will now be allowed to live.

Also in Devon there is a sheep and her lamb that escaped from the farmyard as the rest of the flock were slaughtered. She has escaped traps, sheep dogs and even a marksman sent in to shoot her - she too will now be allowed to live as long as she stays healthy.

This is not over and some experts are claiming that we will see a huge increase in the Autumn but at the moment it seems we are winning.

jackiesdaisy1935
04-26-2001, 05:46 PM
Hi Carrie, had been looking for you to post. That is good news, at least it is slowing down. I did see on the news about the calf
Phoenix who was being spared her life. Thank goodness for the good things. It is almost inconceivable that so many farms have been affected and so many animals have been slaughtered. Is the Government helping out the farmers who have lost everything? I would hope so. What a tremendous task they have to rebuild their lives and their farms.
Hopefully this dreaded disease will not come back in the fall. Our good wishes and prayers are with all of you.
http://schnauzerville.homestead.com/files/doggy8.gif

Sudilar
04-26-2001, 10:07 PM
Finally, a little bit of good news!

Gio
04-27-2001, 04:59 AM
Thanks as usual Carrie for your update. I am so relieved that things are slowly improving.

Sudilar
04-27-2001, 09:58 AM
Saw a picture of Phoenix in today's newspaper. She's a beautiful white calf! I hope she's a sign that things will be better!

RachelJ
04-27-2001, 12:46 PM
Yes, Phoenix' picture was in our paper as well. Maybe she can be a symbol of hope for better days to come.

carrie
04-27-2001, 05:11 PM
Thank you all again for your interest and support. As always I am passing on all messages. Although I am not in direct contact with the people who own Phoenix I am told that they are amazed that people in the US have heard about her and even seen her picture.

Cumbria is still the main area of concern - all thirteen of todays new cases were in Cumbria.

The New Forest will allow cattle back in soon, maybe by Monday. This is incredible news for farmers in that area who rely on the forest for their animals. For the past seven weeks these cattle have been in holding yards. Food has run out and they are standing in a foot and a half of muck, some even calfing in these conditions. Many have died and many more have been put down to allieviate their suffering. Farmers here were threatening to break the law and let the cattle out to the forest.

There have been several reports of people having symptoms of Foot and Mouth - all have now been tested and all (six in all, I think) have proved negative.

70% of farmers affected by this outbreak say they will not return to farming. Many are tenant farmers with no home of their own, no business of their own and little or no savings or skills for other ways of life. Those that own their own farms will have to sell to a market that is rather against taking up farming at the moment(can't think why!!!!!) and a large chunk of British farmland is likely to be lost forever.

The news is good - we are getting somewhere - but in the months to come the cost to farming, animal welfare, bloodlines and the basic heart of the countryside will have to be counted, let alone the toll on families and individuals who have lived through the worst times farming has ever seen.

[This message has been edited by carrie (edited April 27, 2001).]

Corinna
05-19-2001, 03:19 PM
Hey carrie how are things going in the fight to save animals from hoof and mouth? Unless you've started reports on another place I've missed. We get more about our power crisis and not doing in Mcvay and not any thing about your side of the pond.
Corinna

RachelJ
05-19-2001, 06:00 PM
I just heard on the news today that for the first time there were no new cases reported. Sorry I don't have more specifics as I just heard it in passing.

sammi
05-19-2001, 06:41 PM
We miss you Carrie! Please post and tell us whats going on. Hope you are okay.

Karen
05-19-2001, 07:53 PM
Carrie emailed me a week or so ago to say they were going to change their computer system, so she may be still getting the new system up and running! Just thought I'd let you all know that!

KYS
05-20-2001, 07:59 AM
Thanks Karen,
I was wondering if she was alright.
Glad to know it is only computer
problems.
(I have been missing her posts too)

Corinna
05-20-2001, 09:19 AM
Thanks Karen I was begainning to worry also it's so horrible to hear but not hearing is worse. And thanks for the ok on the chins I sure will miss them , I don't watch tv so they have been my entertainment for a couple of years.

jackiesdaisy1935
05-20-2001, 12:08 PM
I do miss Carries posts, will be glad when she gets back on line.

carrie
05-22-2001, 01:22 PM
Thank you all - I am back online (hopefully!) at last after some pretty major computer hassles.

Our current number of cases is 1624 with well over three million animals slaughtered. Very sad statistics but things seem to be improving.

Sadly an outbreak was reported in North Yorkshire today - sixteen farms are affected in a previously "safe" area. This is very worrying and devastating for farmers in the area just when they thought they had weathered the worst.

Daisy's Mom
05-23-2001, 08:20 PM
Carrie we missed you! Welcome back! I am glad things seem to be improving.

jackiesdaisy1935
05-24-2001, 11:34 AM
Carrie, so glad you are back to give some of that great advice you give us. Sorry things are still not better in your part of the world.

Logan
05-24-2001, 02:05 PM
Carrie....
So glad you are "back"!!!! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif

Keep those messags and good advice coming, please!

Logan

carrie
05-25-2001, 02:30 AM
Thank you - you have started my day off with a smile!!

The biggest dog show in the world and the original subject of this post list starts today. Crufts has over 21,000 dogs taking part although many entrants from overseas have stayed away. Good luck to all concerned!

tatsxxx11
06-03-2001, 06:13 AM
We've missed your sage advice, Carrie! So nice to know you are back with us. We need your excellent advice and guidance!! Welcome back!