[Jacob-list] Opp testing

[Betty Berlenbach]

I've resisted testing because I'm still not convinced OPP is really a problem, if it doesn't effect any sheep under 10 years of age...I've heard it said that if there weren't a test, the disease wouldn't be a problem.  I also know that these sorts of tests get such a high degree of false positives and false negatives (depending on which test) that I'm not certain that the results mean a whole lot.  My theory is if you have older sheep than 8 on your property and they are good and healthy, it's not likely you have OPP.  I have a few eleven year olds, and down, and no symptoms that could be construed to be OPP; in fact, no symptoms at all.  I lose the occasional sheep, but none have died with chronic wasting, respiratory pneumonia things, etc...I know some people have sheep which are 16, so I know they live longer than 10, but it has been suggested that at least among jacobs, symptoms don't appear til between 8-10 years, and if there's no symptoms and you have sheep over that age, then...

Perhaps if I ever have the money to have them tested, I'll consider it, and if I had a sheep get ill which looked like it MIGHT be OPP, I would certainly have them tested.  In fact, I did have one tested twice, 6 months apart, several years ago, and both tests indicated the sheep did not have OPP.  I think she just died of old age at around 12 or 13.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/jacob-list/attachments/20031105/6f8c8908/attachment.html