Rapid diagnosis: in general practice any animal with vesicles must be treated as a case of FMDV, the farm isolated, and the local Divisional Veterinary Officer (DVO) and local police notified by law. Even if mouth erosions from BVD or calf diphtheria are seen they can be confused with ruptured vesicles and it is safer to telephone the DVO for a second opinion rather than to miss the start of an outbreak. You remain on the farm and prevent movement off it.