ANIMAL HEALTH AND HYGIENE
Health and Diseases
When all body organs and systems are functioning normally we say the animal is in state of good health. On the other hand, disease is a condition of ill health. This is a condition when the body systems and organs do not function well. It is a deviation from the normal functioning of the body organs and systems. In other words, any interference with the body process may lead to a state of ill-health.
In case of poor healthy, production of milk, eggs, and wool, hides and wool is poor and the animal also grow poorly. Farm animals should be healthy in order to realize good production of milk, meat, wool, hides and skins.otherthan production of good products, farm animals should be kept healthy for the following reasons.
• Healthier animals are easier to manage as the cost of production is less.
• It is a source of encouragement to the farmer once the animals look nice and healthy.
• High production is realized and therefore, more income.
• The animals quickly grow and reach market age in a short time.
• The animal products are safe for human consumption
• Animals have long fecundity and longevity(production cycles)
• Animal products are of good quality and therefore, fetch high market prices.
Causes of ill-health in livestock
(i) Pathogens: - Like bacteria, fungi, protozoa or virus.
(ii) Parasites: - Such as worms, flukes etc.
(iii) Poisoning: - e.g. when the animal ingests a toxic substance.
(iv) Heredity: - An animal can inherit a disease from the parent.
(v) Metabolic disorder:- e.g. indigestion or constipation.
(vi) Malnutrition or nutritional deficiency.
(vii) Injuries and fractures.
Signs of good/ ill-health in livestock
1. The eyes are very bright and clear, watery and runny eyes indicate ill-health.
2. The skin is smooth, pliable and shiny. A rough skin indicates ill-health.
3. Healthy animals yield good amount of milk. A drop in milk yield can be a sign of ill-health.
4. The body temperature should be about 39.5oc. Higher temperatures are for diseased animals.
5. Urine is of a pale- straw colour. Red or brownish urine indicates an abnormality.
6. Feaces are fairly loose, very hard or watery dung indicates ill-health.
7. The pulse rate of a diseased animal is always faster than that of a normal animal.
8. Diseased animals normally loose appetite.
9. Health animals walk with stability, lameness and sluggishness means sickness.
10. A health animal grazes continuously. Long standing hours and weakness means abnormality.
11. The nose is always cool and moist. Dry and warm nose can mean an abnormality.
Classification of diseases
(i) Infectious (contagious):- Its a disease cause by a pathogen and can be transmitted by direct or indirect contact between animals.
(ii) Non infectious:- Its a disease caused by something else than a pathogen e.g. poisoning, metabolic disorder, injuries, inheritance and nutritional deficiency such diseases cannot be spread by contact.
(iii) Notifiable or reportable disease:- It is a fact, spreading acute disease that normally occurs as an epidemic. It therefore needs reporting or notifying the government. Such diseases include anthrax, foot and mouth disease, Rinder, Swine fever and Bovine pneumonia.
(iv) Zoo noses: - These attack both animals and man. Examples include anthrax, T.B, rabies etc.
Others:
• Poison and allergy.
Once taken into the body poison may cause death. Farm animals can consume poison through improper disposal of chemical containers or by accidentary eating poisonous plants.
When animals eat poisonous plants, they develop allergic reactions. For this reason, the animals normal body process get disrupted for sometime.insome cases the animals die of diseases that may result from poisoning. Examples include sweetcloverdisease photosensitization, cyanideposoning and serum shock. Snake bites introduce poison into the animals body.
• Injuries
Body injuries can be a cause of ill Health to livestock. The open wounds created encourage entrance of pathogens. The injuries may result from fights or sharp pieces in the homestead or kraal.
• Thermal injuries.
This is common in pigs and chicks. High temperatures cause sun burn in pigs and cold temperatures chill chicks to death.
How diseases are transmitted (spread) in livestock
(i) Through introduction of diseased animals on the farm.
(ii) Through contact with objects such as feeders, drinkers which are contaminated.
(iii) Through dead animals that are not well disposed.
(iv) Through mans shoes and clothings as they can carry germs from one farm to another.
(v) Through contaminated water and food to animals.
(vi) By vectors such as tsetse flies, ticks, mites etc.
(vii) Through air especially the virus air bore diseases.
(viii) Through insemination using bad semen.
(ix) By diseased wild animals such as warthogs.
Effects of diseases
• Retarded growth: affected animals grow slowly, reach reproductive stags late, produce low quality products reducing the income of the farmer
• Lowering quality of products; products from affected animals have bad taste for instance milk from a cow suffering from mastitis, meat from affected animals has bad texture and such products are rejected by consumers; loss of hair from hides and skins.
• Poor feed conversion rate: this leads to waste of feed as animals have no appetite. This will be unnecessary expense to the farmer.
• Increase in cost of production; buying drugs and paying for the services of veterinary Doctors is an extra cost incurred.
• Decreased reproductive efficiency; affected animals fail to conceive and to mount; continuous abortion, still births lead to fewer animals on the farm.
• Death; Notifiable diseases,
Ways of controlling disease spread on the farm
1. Regular vaccination of livestock.
2. Isolation and proper examination of new animals letting them into the farm.
3. Keeping cleanliness all round animal houses.
4. Proper disposal of dead carcasses.
5. Burning or burying excretes of dead animals.
6. Isolation of sick animals.
7. Getting breeding stock from authorized center.
8. Controlling vectors like tsetse flies, ticks and mites.
9. Properly cleaning and disinfecting the feeding and drinking containers.
10. Avoiding uncontrolled access to the farm units by visitors.
11. Use of well examined high quality semen for insemination.
12. Feeding the animals on balanced food rations.
13. Ensuring hygiene all over the farm.
14. Frequently drenching or deworming livestock.
15. Proper fencing of the farm to prevent stray animals from accessing the farm land.