Livestock Health

Healthy Animals• Are a large

investment in time and money

• Grow faster and produce more profit for their owners

• Better able to resist disease and stress

Sick animals• Usually display outward

signs of illness• Sick animals may be:

– Listless,– Go off feed and water– Be restless, – Have a dull coat– Emaciated– Feverish

Why do animals get sick

• Malnutrition

• Parasites

• Disease

• Poisonous plants

Parasites

• Worms

• Bloodworms

• Ticks

• Lice

• Mites

• Mange

Worms

• Internal parasites, common in all livestock• Live in intestines• Damage intestinal wall• Drink animals blood or• Prevent absorption of nutrients• May kill sheep & goats• Symptoms:

– Animals are bloated– Emaciated– Poor coat– Low energy

Worm Treatments

• Deworming every 3-6 mos– Serious cases: 2 doses given 10-14 days apart

• Rotate pastures after deworming

• Don’t feed on ground – use trough

• Alternate worming products

External Parasites

• Skin/coat parasites

• Lice, Ticks & Mites are Insects

• Treat with dips, sprays, rubs

• Mange & Ringworm are fungi

• Treat with fungicides

Flies

• Cause infection in eyes

• Uses sprays and masks

Immunity

• Ability of body to fight off disease by the development of antibodies

• Colostrum – – 1st milk after birth– Mothers antibodies are passed to baby– Baby’s intestinal tract will only allow absorption in the

first hours after birth• Babies make their own antibodies in about two

weeks• Vaccinations – allows animals to make

anitbodies to fight common diseases

Vaccinations

• All species have a recommended vaccination plan

• Additional vaccinations needed for pregnant animals

• Many vaccinations cannot be given within a specified period of slaughter

• Never inject into a prime cut in a meat animal• Keep refrigerated

Vaccinations

• Intravenous– Requires training

• Subcutaneous– Pinch skin

• Intramuscular– In large neck

muscles

GUIDELINES FOR PROPER VACCINATION OF ANIMALS

• Use a clean syringe in good working order• Use only the dose directed• Use proper method and proper route• Keep vaccine bottles refrigerated• Do not expose live biologicals to sunlight• Observe slaughter withdrawal time• Do not inject in primal cuts; use shoulder of

neck muscles• Disinfect or change needles for each different

animal • Follow all manufacturer’s directions

Diseases

• Many diseases can be prevented by – Vaccinations– Preventive Care– Adequate nutrition

• Some diseases are not easily preventable

• Some are deadly

• Some cause lower reproductive rates and poor growth

Foot & Mouth Disease

• One of the most feared diseases in the world. • Highly contagious• Affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle,

sheep, pigs and goats.• Symptoms:

– blisters in the mouth and on feet– salivation, – lameness and – decreased milk production

• If detected, the whole herd must be destroyed

Hoof & Mouth Disease

• Outbreak in UK & Ireland in 2001

• Seven Million animals destroyed to contain the disease

• Tourism industry crippled

• Many farms never recovered

Avian Flu

• Highly Contagious virus• Potentially devastating to Va. Poultry industry• All poultry must be checked before slaughter• 2007 antibodies detected• Major outbreaks in 1983 & 2002

– 5 million birds destroyed to contain

• Symptoms: coughing, sneezing, ruffled feathers, swollen heads, nervous signs such as depression, and diarrhea

Biosecurity on Farms

• Keep a “closed herd”– Quarantine & test animals coming in– No shows or fairs, breeding animals– Good fences & buffer zones

• Limit visitors

• Footbaths/wheel baths

• Dispose of dead animals quickly

Calf Scours

• Diarrhea

• Dehydration

• Dried-out mouth

• Can be caused by bacteria, protozoa, or viruses

• Primary cause of calf loss

Colic

• Colic is a disease that affects a horse’s Gastro-intestinal tract(GI tract).

• Generally caused by obstruction in the digestive tract

• Can be caused by worms

• Frequently fatal

Foundering

• Laminitis

• Inflammation of the feet

• Caused by eating too rich a diet

• Very common in ponies

• Very common in springtime

Poisoning

• Pasture plants– palatability

• Biggest problem in early spring

• Can be a problem during drought

• Hay – harder for animals to separate

• Provide salt/mineral• Spray or pull weeds

• Buttercups• Cherry trees• Milkweed• Jimson Weed• Pokeberries• Pigweed• Skunk cabbage

Herd Health Plan

1. Provide adequate nutrition

2. Maintain adequate livestock facilities; avoid overcrowding.

3. Keep facilities clean and disinfected.

4. Use proper immunization.

5. Develop procedure for parasite control.

6. Isolate new or returning animals for 3-4 weeks before combining with herd.

7. Rotate pastures.8. Keep animal stress to a minimum.9. Control possible disease spread by

visiting humans.10.Work closely with veterinarian in

developing prevention programs as well as treating diseases.

Herd Health Plan

11. Drain lots so that they will remain dry and free of stagnant water

12. Isolate all animals known to have contagious infections.

13. Treat open wounds and navels of newborn calves with reliable disinfectant.

14. If cows calve in places other than clean pastures, be sure area is well-bedded and disinfected.

15. Provide plenty of clean, fresh water

Upcoming Events

• Livestock Species ProjectsComplete PowerPoint TODAY

Monday – Handout & Quiz due - FFA

Tuesday – Presentations

Wednesday – Food For America Presentations

Thursday – Food for America

Friday – Guest Speaker – Poultry Farmer

Food for America

• Need stations & guides• 24 groups• 24 stations• Go to advisory, then come to the FFA field• Kids arrive 10, eat 12:30, leave at 1.• High school students clean up & eat after kids

leave• Permission Slips soon - signed by teachers• NO SHORTS ALLOWED!

Sample Class

• Chickens