Animal health: diseases and control measures

Most common parasitic bovine affections include: gastro-intestinal worms, East Coast Fever, Trypanosomiasis. Cattle infectious diseases include: contagious Bovine peri-pneumonia, contagious smut, foot-and-mouth disease, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and mammary affections.

Note Various actions are taken to protect bovines health: annual general vaccination against smut disease and the Bovine Contagious Peri-pneumonia , anti-tick spray at least once to twice a week , and systematic wormicide treatment twice a year.

Pathologies in bovines and control measures

Affections	Category of animal	Symptoms	Control mesures
1.Worms	Young and adult	- Swollen stomach   - stunt growth, diarrhiea, loss of weight, cough, hair standing	- Administer wormicides such as Nilzan twice per year   - Practice zero grazing
2.East Cost Fever	Young and adult	High temperature 39.5-41°C, Anorexia , lymph nodes, running nose, breathing problem, swollen eyes	Anti tick spray as prevention measure. Treat affected animals with oxytetracycline or Butalex
3. Anaplasmosis	Young and adult	High temperature, anorexia , loss of weight, anaemia	- Anti tick spray as prevention measure. Treat affected animals with oxytetracycline

 

4. Trypanosomiasis	Young and adult	High temperature39-40°C anorexia, loss of weight	- Tse tse fly control - Administer Samorin, Berenil, Trypamidium
5.Foot and mouth disease	Young and adult	High temperature 40-41°C, mouth ulcer and aphtae at tongue and teat level	- Treatment with disinfectants - Treatment with antibiotics and sulfamides - Practice zero grazing
6. Contagious Bovine Pleuro-pneumonia	Young and adult	Hyperthermia 42°C, secretions running out of nose breathing problem, tachycardia, slow and difficult step, pectoral pains, oedema of dewlap, cough, loss of weight, mortality rate 30-50% of affected animals	- Vaccination - Practice zero grazing
7. Bacterial smut (Anthrax)	Young and adult	Often, sudden death without symptoms Hypertherma 40-41°C, shivering , anorexia , tacchycardia , problems of breathing, cyanosis of muscles, bloody diarrhoea, bloody urine	Vaccination antibiotics Incinerate carcasses
8. Symptomatic smut	Young and adult	High temperature41-42°C, tumors in neck, chest, shoulder, thigh, lymph node tumor.	Vaccination  antibiotic treatment
9. Brucellosis (contagious for human being)	Adult	Abortion in the 6th month of gestation, arthritis synovitis, swelling of testicles	Vaccinate with B 19 Slaughter all affected animal
10.Tuberculosis (may infect human being)	Adult	Irregular fiver rise, loss of weight, cough, breathing problems, hypertrophy of lung lymph nodes, Purulent nodules on mammaries and reproduction organs, greenish milk	Slaughter all affected animal
11. mammary inflammation	Adult	Fiver, local pain, mammary glands affected, swelling of teats, milk containing pus.	Ensure milking hygiene Administer antibiotics
12. Piroplasmosis	Adult	High temperature, yellowish urine and swelling	Anti-tick spray, administer berenil

Cattle breeds

In Rwanda, we have the local cow with long horns commonly called " Ankole" and pure exotic breeds ( Horstein, Brown Swiss, Friesiand and Sahiwal) and cross breeds( made through crossing of the local cow and exotic breeds at various level: F1, F2 and F3).

- Local Ankole

The Ankole cattle are kept in East African countries of Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

The purer Ankole cattle have a medium-long head, a short neck with a deep dewlap and a narrow chest. Although the small-uddered Ankole cows yield meager amounts of milk, milking is an important ritual in some tribes. Bloodletting is a common practice. A few tribes use the cattle for work, none use them for meat. In general the animals are highly prized as status symbols, for ceremonial functions and not for their productivity.

- Horstein- Friesian

Holsteins are most quickly recognized by their distinctive color markings and outstanding milk production. Holsteins are large, stylish animals with color patterns of black and white or red and white.

A healthy Holstein calf weighs 90 pounds or more at birth. A mature Holstein cow weighs about 1500 pounds and stand 58 inches tall at the shoulder. Holstein heifers can be bred at 15 months of age, when they weigh about 800 pounds. It is desirable to have Holstein females calve for the first time between 24 and 27 months of age. Holstein gestation is approximately nine months. While some cows may live considerably longer, the normal productive life of a Holstein is six years.

In Rwanda, pure Holsteins are kept for their dairy production ( around 40 liters per day).

Brown Swiss

Sahiwal

The Sahiwal originated in the dry Punjab region which lies along the Indian-Pakistani border.

Today the Sahiwal is one of the best dairy breeds in India and Pakistan. Due to their heat tolerance and high milk production they have been exported to other Asian countries as well as Africa and the Caribbean.

Their color can range from reddish brown through to the more predominant red, with varying amounts of white on the neck, and the underline. In males the color darkens towards the extremities, such as the head, legs and tail.

It is tick-resistant, heat-tolerant and noted for its high resistance to parasites, both internal and external. Cows average 2270kg of milk during a lactation while suckling a calf and much higher milk yields have been recorded.

- Jersey

Jersey cattle are a small breed of dairy cattle. Originally bred in the Channel Island of Jersey. The breed is popular for the high butterfat content of its milk and the lower maintenance costs attending its lower bodyweight, as well as its genial disposition.

The Jersey cow is quite small ranging from only 400–500 kilograms. The main factor contributing to the popularity of the breed has been their greater economy of production, due to:

• The ability to carry a larger number of effective milking cows per unit area due to lower body weight, hence lower maintenance requirements, and superior grazing ability.
• Calving ease and a relatively lower rate of dystocia, leading to their popularity in crossbreeding with other dairy and even beef breeds to reduce calving related injuries.
• High fertility.