Hunting and the Tao of Pooh

A few years ago I received as part of my weekly mailing as a councillor a note regarding Neospora abortion in cattle. It seems that according to the NFU this is the most commonly diagnosed cause for cattle aborting.

It seems that Neospora canimum, a parasite, in which the definitive host is usually canine; e.g. a dog and they pass oocysts; this is a hardy, thick-walled spore able to survive for lengthy periods outside their host and is contained in the dogs faeces. 

The NFU are therefore calling for dog owners to clean up after their dogs, as I suspect that being in the countryside people assume that nature will clean up for them and also as they are fewer people about the dog mess collection can mistakenly be forgotten when free from watchful eyes.

Now this has got me thinking, as not a dog owner myself but I usually hear that around this time, the local vets putting up signs to warn dog owners that a new outbreak of Kennel Cough has been detected, and to ensure your pet is vaccinated. This leads on to me thinking where does this outbreak originate from? Could it be the start of Autumn Hunting, formally called Cub Hunting where new hounds are trained on fox cubs; as the hound shows are all but over and fresh from their travels the hounds are out and about on local farmland once again!

But this begs the critical question: 

When is a dog not a dog?

Hound Dogs

Answer: 
When its a hunting hound!

Now hounds are still classed as sporting dogs and so not subject to the usual rules and regulations that other dog owners have to follow. I have yet to see a huntsman picking up hound pooh, but I live in hope. Or the vet popping around to the hunt kennels to do the annual inoculations and heath check for 101 hunting hounds.

But to return to the Neospora canimum problem where if cattle or sheep ingest part of the dog’s faeces then that animal becomes an intermediate host. Then if the intermediate host, for example the cow dies and bits of it are eaten by the definitive host (e.g. dog), the cycle for this disease is complete. 

The Neospore Cycle

Therefore surely it would make sense to ensure that casualty sheep and cattle (including still born calfs) are not fed to hounds!   These casualties are usually termed as “Fallen Stock” by the hunt and often used to promote one of two reasons for fox hunting to exist. The other being “Pest Control”, but with hunts using artificial earths that seems a red herring of a reason.

The Old Lies for Fox-hunting

1. Fallen Stock

2. Pest Control

Even more interestingly and strangely, apparently foxes can be intermediate hosts, but not definitive hosts, and therefore if a fox carrying the disease is killed and eaten by hounds, the hounds could be infected, and they in turn could infect cattle and sheep as they pooh on farmland!  

Perhaps the most critical reason for banning hounds from killing foxes!

Hounds Feeding on a Fox

I suppose the hunts could employ many volunteer “Pooh Pickers” in much the same way they employ “Fence Menders” to repair broken fences on hunt days, but would they get all the pooh? But they would also need to muzzle the hounds!

The NFU have produced a new leaflet entitled “Enjoy the countryside responsibly with your dog”, I just wonder if they will call for hounds to be banned from running free over farmland!

I suspect not as the farmer will shoot any pet dog worrying livestock but again hunt hounds are exempt and are allowed to worry and kill livestock accidentally while out hunting.

The NFU struggle with science, as can be witnessed with the Badger Cull, begs the question if this is another example where an acute selective understanding of the science is required in order to maintain the traditional rural countryside and all its barbaric rituals.

I just wonder if the NFU have taken the lead on this without consulting the Countryside Alliance who would not like to see their hounds brought under the normal rules and regulations that everyone else has to obey regarding their dogs. Oops I mean hunting hounds!