Husbandry Unit 11.1: 

Technical Notes 

Note: Numbers in brackets refer to illustrations in the Extension Materials.

Losses from diseases can be due to any one or a combination of the following.  (1-3)

- Drop in productivity (reduced weight gains, milk yields and reproductive efficiency).  Even after recovery the animal may remain less than optimally productive.
- Expenditure for treatment.
- Death of animal.
- Possibility of transferring disease to other animals.

Prevention and control are, therefore, of extreme importance.  The various measures can be considered under several headings.
 

1 You should pay attention to your animals':
- environment
- nutrition.

2 He can advise you on:
- vaccination
- parasite control
- diagnosis of disease.

3 You must:
- cull and slaughter them
- dispose of carcasses and infected materials.

Provide a comfortable environment for the animals and adopt adequate hygienic precautions and all possible precautions against accidents.

Adopt measures to prevent parasitic infestations. 

(See H.10.6 Parasites)

Nutrition  (7)

Ensure feeding of colostrum to new born calves. 

(See H.8 Calving and H.9 Calf Rearing)

Provide optimal nutritional conditions. 

(See H.4 Feeding and H.5 Feeds)

Provide ample amounts of clean water for drinking.
 

Vaccinate animals against diseases prevalent in the area (a vaccination schedule to be prepared by the extension officer in consultation with animal health authorities of the area).

Parasite control  (10)

Deworm/detick animals regularly (a schedule for drenching/dipping/spraying animals to control internal and external parasites to be prepared by the extension officer in consultation with the animal health authorities of the area.  In some areas, control of vectors e.g. snails which are not parasites themselves, is important).
 

Do not bring into the farm, sick animals or animals from an area where infectious diseases are present.

Do not send healthy animals into an area with infectious diseases.

Do not send animals having infectious diseases from your farm into an area with healthy animals.
 

11 Always separate sick animals from healthy animals.

- bring to your farm animals which are sick or have contact with infectious disease
- send animals from your farm which are sick or have contact with infectious disease.

Use appropriate tests to diagnose diseases early e.g. Strip cup; California Mastitis Test; Milk Ring Test; Tuberculin Test.

Observe for abnormalities and seek early advice/treatment (abnormalities in feed intake, behaviour, secretions, excretions, reproduction etc).  Early detection and treatment of diseases would be helpful in ensuring early recovery of affected animal(s) and in the case of infectious diseases, in preventing other animals being affected.

Seek advice/diagnosis if an animal dies suddenly.
 

Cull the animals with chronic infections not responding to treatment e.g. Chronic Mastitis, Johne's Disease.  In some situations, legislation may require the slaughter of affected/in contact animals, e.g. in eradication programmes and in programmes to prevent the spread of a new disease.  These will have to be strictly adhered to in the interest of the individual farm enterprise and that of the industry as a whole.

Disposal of infected materials/carcasses  (18-19)

Dispose of infected materials/carcasses, adopting all hygienic precautions.  Burning is a very good method of disposal.  If burial is practised, the topmost part of the body should be more than 1.8 m below ground level and a layer of quick lime on top will be useful.
 

 

1 Environment	(5-6)      and see H.3.2
2 Nutrition	(7)          and see H.4
3 Vaccination	(9)
4 Parasite control	(10)        and see H.10.6
5 Movement of animals	(11-12)
6 Diagnosis of disease	(13-16)
7 Culling and slaughter	(17)
8 Disposing of carcasses and infected materials	(18-19)