- Mastitis
- It affects dairy cattle
- It is an infectious disease of the mammary glands
- It is caused by bacteria
- Pre disposing factors
- Injury to the udders or teats
- Poor milking hygiene
- Teat sores
- Incomplete milking
- Milk left in the teat canal acts as a culture media for bacterial growth
- Level of milk production
- High milk producers are much more prone to mastitis than low milk producers
- Age of the cow
- Old cows are more prone to the disease than young ones
- Genetic factors
- Some breeds are more susceptible to mastitis than others
- Pendulous udders
- They are liable to injuries which facilitate mastitis infection
- Signs/symptoms
- Blood clots or pus in milk
- Pain in the udder or teats during milking
- Swollen or inflamed udder
- Rise in the body temperature
- Clots in milk or appearing as a clear liquid
- Drop in milk yield
- Blocked teat canal
- Rapid and weak pulse
- Control/treatment measures
- Practise farm hygiene, milk the infected cows last, use a single clean towel for each cow to wipe the udder or use disposable towels
- Immediate treatment of infected cows to avoid the spread of the disease
- Test for mastitis before milking to avoid the spread of the disease
- Apply milking jelly or milking salve after milking
- To prevent drying and cracking of teats
- Use teat dip on each teat after milking
- Use good milking techniques
- Infuse long-acting antibiotics into the teat canals during the drying-off period
- Cull those animals which do not respond to treatment
- Vaccinate the animals against mastitis once a year
- Administer anti-mastitis drugs or antibiotics, e.g., Tetracycline, Streptomycin or Penicillin
- Give corticosteroids if the udder is inflamed
- Milk fever/Parturient paresis
- It affects dairy cows
- It is as a result of hypocalcaemia
- Hypocalcaemia is a condition of low calcium level in the blood
- It is more common in heavy milking cows and those cows extremely fed on feeds rich in proteins but low in calcium
- It is common in animals aged 5-9 years
- Breeds mostly affected are Jersey, Guernsey and their crosses
- Signs/symptoms
- Muscular twitching causing the animal to tremble
- Staggering as the animal moves
- Inability to stand
- Dull and staring eyes with dilated pupils
- Extremities feel cold to touch
- The animal lies on the sternum with its neck twisted on one side (sternal recumbency)
- Breathing becomes slow and weak
- The body temperature falls
- General paralysis
- Control/treatment measures
- Feed animals on a diet rich in calcium especially during pregnancy and early lactating periods
- Give intramuscular injection of calcium 2-3 days before calving
- Cows with past cases of milk fever should be partially milked for the first 10 days
- Cull susceptible animals
- Injection of calcium borogluconate solution intravenously, calfojet or calcijet intramuscularly
- Pump air into the udder to limit milk synthesis
- Bloat/Tympanites
- It is a condition in which gases accumulate in the rumen due to rapid fermentation of the feed eaten by the animal
- The rumen becomes so distended that it compresses the lungs and other internal organs
- It may result in death
- Causes:
- Feeding animals with large amounts of legume and lush forage
- Abrupt change in feeds given to animals
- Blockage of the oesophagus by large food particles
- Injury to the nerve supply of the rumen causing paralysis of the rumen
- Signs/symptoms
- Distension of the left side of the abdomen due to gas or froth accumulation which can be felt by pressing with hand
- Difficulty in breathing
- Profuse salivation
- The animal lies down and is unable to rise up
- Grunting and kicking at the belly
- Death occurs within hours due to pressure on blood vessels, heart and lungs
- Control/treatment measures
- Provide dry roughages just before feeding the animal on green and succulent or wet pasture
- Feed livestock on wilted grasses and pasture legumes
- Exercise the sick animal by walking it around
- Use medical oils as defrothing agents, e.g., liquid paraffin or turpentine mixed with vegetable oil
- Epsom salt can be used to empty the stomach since it acts as a laxative
- A stomach pump can be used to remove the gas
- In extreme cases, trocar and canula or sharp sterilized knife is used to pierce through the skin of the rumen so that gases escape
- Methyl silicone injected directly into the rumen to prevent frothing
- Foot-and-Mouth disease (FMD)
- It is caused by viruses
- It is highly contagious and spreads quickly if not controlled
- It is a severe disease in cattle
- Signs and symptoms
- Animals have a high fever which lasts for a few hours and look dull
- Loss of appetite in cattle
- Profuse and continuous salivation and saliva is sticky
- Swaying of the animal due to tenderness and weakness in the legs
- In some cases, cattle may be lame
- The animals become emaciated and produce less milk
- There are blisters and wounds on the tongue, mouth, gums, toes, burst, teats and nose of the infected cattle
- Kicking of feet
- Control/treatment measures
- Imposition of quarantine in cases of outbreaks
- Vaccinate the animals every six months
- Disinfecting the animals’ hooves
- Slaughter, burn and bury infected animals
- Nurse the animal by giving it antibiotics, multivitamins, fluids and electrolytes
- Anaplasmosis/Gall sickness
- It is a vector-borne disease
- It is known as the disease of the blood
- It is commonly transmitted by ticks and livestock equipment, e.g., contaminated needles, dehorning equipment and castration tools
- Signs and symptoms
- Cattle have high fever
- They suffer from constipation which leads to loss of appetite
- Animal develops constipation or releases hard dung
- Fast breathing and fast heart beat
- No rumen movement (no chewing the cud)
- The animal produces yellow urine
- Animals suffer from anaemia and the mucous membranes become yellowish
- A drastic loss in weight in the affected cattle
- Most of the cattle have uncoordinated movement
- In extreme cases, the animals usually die
- Control measures
- Burning carcasses of dead animals
- Controlling ticks and ensuring that cattle are kept in a clean environment
- Controlling biting insects
- Using clean surgical instruments when carrying out operations such as castration
- Vaccination to control the spread of the disease
- Red water/Bovine babesiosis/Tick fever
- It is caused by bacteria
- It is spread by ticks
- Signs and symptoms
- Cattle have high fever
- Urine excreted is dark or red in colour
- They have uncoordinated movement
- Animals have swollen lymph glands
- Control measures
- Dipping and spraying cattle with appropriate chemicals to control ticks
- Vaccination
- East Coast Fever (ECF)
- This is a protozoan disease
- It is transmitted by ticks
- Signs and symptoms
- Infected ticks experience difficulty in breathing
- The eyes and gums discolour and become white
- Cattle have enlarged lymph nodes in the areas where ticks are
- Cattle die since their blood capillaries are blocked
- Cattle diarrhoea and the stool has blood stains
- Control measures/treatment
- Spraying and dipping cattle
- Carcasses of dead cattle should be disposed of well
- Fencing the farm to keep away stray animals
- Use appropriate drugs, e.g., Butalex and Clexon
- Trypanosomiasis/Nagana
- It is caused by protozoa
- It is transmitted by tsetse flies
- Signs and symptoms
- Intermittent fever in affected animals
- Dullness and loss of appetite
- Cattle become anaemic
- Animals may be seen licking soil and have swollen lymph nodes
- Running eyes or they may become totally blind
- Staring coat
- The animal is exhausted and very weak
- Loss of hair at tail switch
- Belly region becomes swollen
- Death of the animal after 2-3 weeks
- Control measures
- Elimination of breeding grounds for tsetse flies
- Clearing bushy areas where tsetse flies breed
- Spraying or dipping animals with appropriate chemicals
- Keep animals under a well-managed grazing system to minimize contact with tsetse flies
- Traps can be set to trap tsetse flies
14. Lumpy Skin Disease
- It is an acute infectious disease of cattle of all ages.
- It is caused by the lumpy skin disease virus.
- It is transmitted through bites of mosquitoes and flies.
Signs/Symptoms
- Fever
- Emaciation
- Milk production ceases
- Low mortality
Control/Treatment Measures
- Vaccination
- Quarantine
- Vector control
- Animals generally recover with good nursing care.
- Antibiotics for secondary infections are administered.
15. Brucellosis/Contagious Abortion
- It is caused by a bacterium known as Brucella abortus.
- It causes abortion and premature calving between the fifth and eighth month of pregnancy.
- It is normally spread through vaginal discharges of an infected cow or from a fetus that has been aborted.
- Infected bulls can infect cows when the cows are served using the infected semen.
Signs and Symptoms
- The vulva becomes swollen and inflamed.
- There is slight discharge from the vulva.
- An increase in blood-stained discharge from the vulva.
- A yellowish-brown discharge can be seen from the vagina after abortion or normal delivery.
Control Measures
- Vaccination of cattle and calves.
- Quarantine infected cattle to prevent the spread of the disease.
- The uterus can be washed with antiseptic solutions.
16. Anthrax
- It is highly infectious.
- It attacks both cattle and human beings.
- It is very fatal.
- It is caused by a bacterium known as Bacillus anthracis.
Signs and Symptoms
- Sudden death occurs in cattle.
- The cattle become weak and have a high fever.
- The animals become excited at first and then depressed.
- There is difficulty in breathing.
- Uncoordinated movement in animals.
- Blood is discharged from natural body openings, e.g., nose and ears.
- Dead cattle decompose rapidly.
Control Measures
- Treat the animals early with antibiotics.
- Vaccinate cattle against the disease.
- Bury the carcasses of dead cattle deep in the ground.
General Methods of Controlling Parasites and Diseases
- (a) Vaccination
- (b) Deworming
- (c) Dipping using a plunge dip
- (d) Spraying
- Hand spraying
- Using a spray race