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Livestock Health III: (Diseases)

Notes

Introduction 

Livestock diseases are classified according to causative agents as follows: 

Protozoan diseases -caused by protozoans. 

Bacterial diseases - caused by bacteria: 

VIral diseases - cause by virus. 

Nutritional diseases - brought about by nutritional disorders. 

Protozoan Diseases 

East coast Fever (ECF). 

Anaplasmosis (gall sickness) 

Coccidiosis 

Trypanosomiasis (Nagana) 

East coast Fever 

Animals attacked: Cattle 

Cause: Protozoan. (Theileria parva) 

It is a tick-borne disease transmitted by red-�legged tick and brown ear tick. 

Symptoms 

Rise in body temperature. 

Swelling of lymph glands below the ear. 

Difficulties in breathing. 

Dullness. 

Control and Prevention 

Control of vectors through dipping and fencing. 

Treatment by use of clexon in the early stages. 

Anaplasmosis (gall sickness) 

Animals attacked: 

Cattle between 2 months and 2 years. 

Poultry. 

Lambs and kids. 

Rabbits. 

 

Cause: Protozoan (Anaplasma marginale) 

Transmitted by the blue tick 

contaminated surgical instruments and hypodermic needles. 

Symptoms 

Fever/rise in body temperature. 

Constipation or hard dung. 

Paleness in the gums, eyes and lips. 

Drop in milk production. 

Control 

Tick control. 

Intramuscular injection of antibiotics and iron giving injections. 

Coccidiosis 

Coccidiosis of Poultry 

Cause: Protozoan (Eimeria spp.) 

Symptoms 

Sudden death of chicks. 

Whitish, yellow and blood stained diarrhoea. 

Ruffled feathers. 

Chicks become paralysed before dying. 

Chicks become anaemic and dull. 

Control 

Disinfection of chick house. 

Prevention of contamination of food and water with droppings. 

Use of prophylatic drugs for example, Coccidiostats. 

Trypanosomiasis (Nagana) 

Animals attacked: cattle, sheep and goats. 

Cause: Protozoan of the trypanosome species, 

Vector-tsetse flies. 

Symptoms 

Fever. 

Dullness. 

Anorexia/loss of appetite. 

Loss of body condition/emaciation. 

Swollen lymph nodes. 

Lachrimation which leads to blindness. 

Diarrhoea 

Rough coat and sometimes without hair and may be cracked. 

Swelling in parts of the belly. 

Drop in milk production in lactating cows. 

Loss of hair at tail end. 

Anaemia. 

Abortion may occur in pregnant females. 

Control 

Treating animals with trypanocidal drugs. 

Effective  vector (Tsetse flies)control 

Confinement of wild animals in game parks. 


Bacterial Diseases 

Fowl typhoid 

Foot rot. 

Contagious abortion. 

Scours. 

Blackquarter. 

Mastitis. 

Anthrax. 

Pneumonia. 

Fowl Typhoid 

Animals attacked: All domestic birds which include chicken, turkey and ducks. 

Causes: Bacteria (Salmonella gallinarum} 

Symptoms 

Depression/appearing very sick. 

Respiratory distress. 

Dullness. 

Drooping wings. 

Sleepy eyes. 

Anaemia resulting in pale and shrunken 

combs and wattles. 

Greenish yellow diarrhoea. 

Control 

Killing all affected birds and proper disposal of the carcasses. 

Maintaining hygiene in the poultry house. 

Ensuring that the house is dry and well ventilated. 

Obtaining chicks from reliable sources. 

Treatment using sulphur drugs which are mixed in drinking water or mash. 

For example: application of Furazolidone (Furazol) at the rate of 0.04% in mash for 10 continuous days treats the disease effectively. 

Foot Rot 

It is also referred to as foul-in-the foot. 

Animals attacked: cattle, sheep and goats. 

However, it is most serious in sheep. 

Cause: Bacteria (Fusiformis necrophorus and Fusiformis nodosus). 

Symptoms 

Animal's foot becomes swollen. 

Lameness is observed. 

Pus and rotten smell come out of the hoof. 

Sheep are found kneeling while grazing when the front feet are affected. 

Animals spend most of their time lying down when the hind feet are affected. 

Emaciation due to lack of feeding. 


Control 

Hygiene in the living places. 

Regular foot examination and hoof trimming. 

Use of a foot bath of copper sulphate solution at 5-10% solution or formalin at 2-5% solution. 

Treating wounds on the feet with antiseptics. 

Affected animals should be given antibiotic injections. 

Isolation of sick animals from healthy ones. 

Avoid dampness and muddy conditions. 

Contagious Abortion (Brucellosis/ Bang's Disease) 

Animals attacked: cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. 

- It also affects man. 

Cause: Bacteria 

- Brucella abortus in cattle, 

- Brucella suis in pigs 

- Brucella malitensis in goats and sheep. 

Symptoms 

Spontaneous abortion or premature birth. 

Retained placenta if abortion occurs during the later stages of pregnancy. 

Infertility in cows while bulls have low libido and inflamed testis also known as orchitis. 

A yellowish brown, slimy, odourless discharge from the vulva may occur after the abortion. 

Control 

Use of artificial insemination. 

Slaughtering affected animals followed by proper disposal of their carcasses. 

The attendant to the animals should avoid contact with the aborted foetus. 

A blood test should be carried out for all breeding animals to detect the infected ones. 

Hygiene in the animals' houses. 

Scours (white Scours) 

Animals atacked: calves, piglets, lambs and kids. 

Cause: A bacterium which attacks young animals in the first week of life. 

Symptoms 

White or yellowish diarrhoea. 

Pungent smelling faeces. 

Fever. 

Anorexia/loss of appetite. 

Listlessness. 

Sunken eyes. 

Undigested milk and mucus with blood spots observed in the faeces. 

Faecal matter sticks to the hind quarters. 

Sudden death if no treatment is given. 

Control 

Maintaining hygiene in the young animal housing units. 

Avoiding dampness on the floor of the house. 

Fingers of the attendant training calves to drink milk from a bucket must be disinfected. 

Calving should be carried out in a clean area. 

Have separate attendants for the infected calves to prevent disease spread. 

Replacing milk with warm water mixture. 

Treating affected animals with antibiotics. 

Black Quarter 

It is also known as black leg. 

Animals attacked: All ruminants aged between 8 - 18 months. 

Cause: Bacteria (Clostridium chauvei and Chauvei septicum) 

Symptoms 

Lameness. 

Fever. 

Fast and heavy breathing. 

Cracking on the swollen parts if touched. 

Swelling of the affected parts usually the hindquarters, shoulders and chest or back. 

Dullness. 

Anorexia. 

Grunting and grinding of teeth. 

Animal stops chewing cud. 

Control 

Treating with recommended antibiotics. 

Vaccinating using black quarter vaccine known as blanthax. 

Burying the carcass deep or burning it completely. 

Mastitis 

Is an inflammation of the udder. 

Animals attacked: Goats, cows, pigs and human beings. 

Cause: Bacteria (Streptococcus spp. or Staphylococcus spp.) 

Pre-disposing Factors: 

Incomplete milking. 

Injuries on the udder and teats. 

Weak sphincter muscles of the teats allowing free flow of milk. 

Symptoms 

Milk is watery, blood stained or clotted. 

Swollen udder 

Control 

Proper milking techniques. 

Treatment by use of antibiotics. 

Culling of animals which are often attacked. 

Anthrax 

Attacks all domestic animals. 

Cause: Bacteria (Bacillus anthracis) 

Symptoms 

Sudden death. 

High fever. 

Grinding of the teeth. 

Pneumonia 

It is an inflammation of the lungs. 

Animals attacked: Calves, kids, lambs, piglets and poultry. 

Cause:

Bacteria (Mycoplasma mycoides) 

dust 

worms in the lungs. 

Symptoms 

Dullness. 

Anorexia/loss of appetite. 

Staring coat. 

Emaciation. 

Breathing rapidly. 

Abnormal lung sounds when breathing. 

Coughing if the chest is pressed. 

Fluctuating body temperature. 

Nasal discharge. 

Control 

Keeping young animals in warm pens. 

Proper sanitation. 

Isolation of the affected animals. 

Treating using antibiotics. 


Viral Diseases 

Rinderpest. 

Foot and mouth disease (FMD). 

New Castle 

Fowl pox 

Gumboro 

African swine fever 

Rinderpest 

Animal attacked: Cattle and wild game. 

Cause: virus. 

Symptoms 

Harsh staring coat. 

Rise in temperature. 

Eye discharge (Lachrimation) 

Diarrhoea and dysentery. 

Ulcers in the mouth. 

Foot and Mouth Disease 

Animals attacked: Cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. 

Cause: Virus . 

Symptoms 

Sharp rise in temperature. 

Blisters in the mouth, hooves, udder and teats. 

Loss of appetite. 

Control 

Vaccination. 

Quarantine 

nursing wounds with disinfectant. 

New Castle 

Animals attacked: Poultry. 

Cause: Virus. 

Symptoms 

Difficulties in breathing. 

Beaks remain wide open and necks are strained. 

Birds become dull. 

The birds stand with eyes closed all the time. 

Anorexia/loss of appetite. 

Nasal discharges which force the birds to shake their heads to clear it. 

Birds walk with a staggering motion. 

Paralysis of wings and legs may occur. 

Birds have their beaks and wings down. 

Birds produce watery greenish diarrhoea. 

Birds lay soft shelled eggs. 

Control 

Killing all birds and burning them followed by cleaning and disinfecting the houses before bringing in new stock. 

Vaccination should be done during the first 6 weeks and then 2-3 months later. 

Quarantine. 

FowlPox 

Animals affected: Poultry. 

Cause: A virus known as avian fox. 

Symptoms 

       Two types of fowl pox with different symptoms. 

Cutaneous type 

Diptheritic type 

The cutaneous type affects the skin and has the following signs: 

Injuries on the combs and wattles, legs, vent and under the wings. 

Loss appetite. 

The diptheritic type affects internal membranes and has the following symptoms: 

Injuries in the inside of the throat and mouth membranes resulting in difficult breathing and swallowing. 

Eyes and nose produces a watery liquid. 

Loss of appetite. 

Dullness. 

Emaciation. 

Control 

Killing all affected birds followed by proper disposal of their carcasses. 

Vaccinating remaining healthy birds. 

Gumboro 

It is also referred to as poultry AIDS. 

Animals attacked: Poultry. 

Cause: A virus known as Birma virus. 

Symptoms 

The glands above the vent (bursa) become swollen. 

Drop in egg production. 

Birds develop respiratory distress. 

Loss of appetite. 

Low water intake by birds. 

Loss of immunity making the birds more susceptible to opportunistic diseases. 

Control 

Vaccination. 

Administering vitamins and especially B12. 

African Swine Fever 

Animals attacked: All domesticated pigs. 

Cause: A virus known as Irido virus. 

Symptoms 

Fever. 

Loss of appetite. 

Depression/dullness. 

Emaciation. 

Coughing. 

Nasal discharge. 

Diarrhoea in serious conditions. 

Control 

Vaccination. 

Quarantine. 

Killing all affected animals and proper disposal of their carcasses. 

Double fencing to keep wild animals away. 

Nutritional Diseases/Disorders 

Milk Fever 

It is a non-infectious disease brought about by calcium deficiency in animals which have recently given birth. 

Animals attacked: Cows, goats and pigs that have recently given birth. 

Causes: 

Due to low calcium levels in the blood.

Which leads to an increase in the magnesium and sugar level in the blood.

Mostly occurs in high producing cows in the first few months of lactation.

This is because these animals loose more calcium through milk secretion than they are getting from the diet.

Symptoms 

Dullness. 

Muscular twitching causing the animal to tremble. 

Staggering as the animals move. 

Animal falls down ands becomes unconscious. 

The animal lies down on its side and the whole body stiffens. 

Body functions such as urination, defecation and milk secretion stops. 

Stomach contents are drawn into the mouth which later cause lung fever when breathing in. 

Loss of appetite. 

Treatment 

Intravenous injection of soluble calcium salt in form of calcium boro-gluconate ,60gms dissolved in 500cc of water. 

Keeping the animal in a comfortable position on its sternum. 

Giving fresh water. 

Note: The animals suffering from milk fever should not be given medicine orally for   the following reasons: 

It will not be able to swallow medicine. 

The medicine may get into the lungs thereby promoting lung fever. 

Control 

Partial milking for the first 10 days. 

High yielding cows should be given rations containing phosphorus and calcium. 

Giving high doses of Vitamin D. 

Bloat 

Animals attacked: Cattle and sheep. 

Cause: Accumulation of gases as a result of fermentation in the rumen. 

Symptoms 

The left side is blown up. 

Sudden death. 

Control 

Relieve by use of trocar and cannula. 

Chasing the animal around if noticed early. 

Drenching by use of stop bloat. 

Feeding ruminants with dry roughages during the wet season before grazing on lush pastures. 


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