Causes of Health Problems

Illness is generally the result of either a chemical or a biological agent, though sometimes it is simply the result of improper diet or a change in diet. As with people, injuries are the result of accidents. Falls and cuts are the two most common injuries livestock suffer.

Disease (also known as sickness) is any process that interferes with the way the different parts of the bodywork look. We do not normally consider injuries such as broken legs and cuts as diseases.

There are many causes of disease in animals. Knowledge of what causes disease, and how animals can get a disease, help us to know how to prevent disease and treat sick animals.

You must have knowledge of the normal functions and anatomy of an animal before you can differentiate between the normal and the abnormal.

When clinical examinations are done you should do it systematically and all systems or organs should be examined. It is important to identify the animal and to get the history of that animal before you start with the clinical examination.

Pathogenic organisms, which are those organisms that are harmful to the animal and that cause infection, may enter the body directly or indirectly by an intermediate host.

Bacteria and viruses gain entry to the body through several routes e.g. the intestinal tract, air passages, sex organs, and wounds in the skin. The organisms then enter the bloodstream, which transports them through the body and to target organs. The changes that these organisms cause produce the condition known as disease. If any changes in the physiology of the organ take place the whole body is affected. The animal starts to display abnormal behaviour e.g. it stops eating, starts coughing, lies down or develops diarrhoea that may be linked with fever. Ticks, mosquitoes, midges, etc. act as intermediate hosts for some bacteria.

Prevention is better than cures. Prevention seldom causes an interruption in production, while treatment of disease can only start after production has already been affected.

• Prevent contact between the animal and the pathogen through good hygiene and management.
• Dip animals frequently to prevent external parasites
• Dose/deworming animals
• Vaccinate
• Provide good balanced feeding
• Use quarantine camps

You can control external parasites by the application of chemicals which is toxic for the ticks etc. but harmless to the animal. There are various methods that you can use to apply these chemicals.

Internal parasites can be controlled by the regular application of dosing remedies to all animals.

It is impossible to prevent exposure to some organisms and in these cases, vaccines are used exclusively.

Diseases like contagious abortion can be diagnosed in apparently healthy animals. During clinical examination, symptoms can be identified but laboratory tests are also necessary to confirm diagnoses. These tests can identify infected animals, which do not show any clinical symptoms.

Good feeding provides natural resistance to all diseases and parasites. Deficiencies of nutrients like minerals can cause diseases, which can be rectified by means of nutritional supplements. Supplements are feed that is given as an addition to complement/complete the dietary balance.

It is important that animals undergo a period of quarantine when entering a specific area of production. During this period the animal can be observed for any disease symptoms. Treatment against parasites and the necessary vaccine is administered.