What diseases are there in cows and bulls
Farmers may have some difficulties in raising cattle. The most common question among all livestock breeders is what diseases can cows and bulls have? Indeed, animals can experience a lot of different problems, most often arising from improper care and cultivation. Diseases and treatment of cows should not be ignored, since any malaise in animals requires the intervention of a veterinarian. It is necessary, if possible, to understand how to determine the disease at the initial stage of development, how to treat and carry out prevention.
Diseases of cows and bulls
Diseases in cows are most often caused by infectious microbes, viruses or parasites. In this case, you need to have separate pens in the room, where sick individuals can be quarantined. If you keep sick and healthy cows and bulls together, then with a viral infection, all livestock can be covered by one disease. Among the most insidious ailments are radiation sickness, various inflammations of the udder, mastitis, rabies, rashes such as smallpox, heme.
Non-communicable diseases are not so insidious, but they can crush the entire herd. Such diseases include postpartum problems arising from poor maintenance or insufficient observation of animals, as well as problems with milk excretion, gallstone disease.
Causes of diseases in cattle
- Inadequate living and maintenance conditions. In cold climates and unheated rooms, cows can get cold udders, especially during lactation.
- Damp and dirty flooring can provoke a kind of lichen and inflammation.
- Poor ventilation of the room creates a favorable environment for the development of any diseases, especially viral ones.
- A poor-quality, meager diet leads to major problems with digestion and vitamin deficiency.
- Under improper housing conditions, cows and bulls can pick up almost any disease. Most often these are colds with fever.
Foot and mouth disease in bulls and cows
Infectious infections and fungal diseases of cows and bulls can be dangerous not only for animals, as they spread throughout the herd, but also for people. Infectious diseases in cows often occur, and the most dangerous is foot and mouth disease. Such a disease begins with the fact that only 1 or 2 cows become infected, then the disease can spread to the entire herd. Foot and mouth disease from a bull or a cow can be caught by a person, moreover, he willingly infects children, therefore, when working with a sick individual, you need to exercise maximum caution. The main signs of the appearance of foot and mouth disease are a decrease in milk yield, a deterioration in the cow's appetite, and an increase in the body temperature of the animal.
Further, there may be teeth creaking, salivation, in some cases - cracking of the nipples.It is worth paying attention to where to start treatment: first of all, you need to invite a veterinarian, since foot and mouth disease is a complex disease and should not be treated on your own. In the early stages of development, foot and mouth disease is successfully treated with antibiotics. The main thing is to notice the symptoms in time and start treatment.
When inflammatory processes appear on the skin, many veterinarians prescribe treatment with disinfectants, for example, iodine, potassium permanganate, acetic acid solution are popular for such purposes. If symptoms of the disease are observed in only one individual, it should be placed in a separate enclosure for a while. If you keep sick and healthy individuals together, then there is a risk of spreading the disease to the entire herd.
Smallpox in cows
Basically, this disease occurs in young cattle at the age of 6-8 months. Such an ailment is not uncommon Smallpox is easiest to notice in young heifers after calving, as warts appear on the udder near the nipples. Such formations on the genitals lead to the fact that milk yield is noticeably reduced, the fat content of milk becomes less. The genitals should be free of scabs, warts and inflammations. In bulls, warts are observed on the abdomen. Smallpox causes the quality of milk to begin to change. The animals themselves can refuse to eat and be passive.
The incubation period in smallpox lasts about 4 to 8 days, after which cows and bulls may experience an increase in body temperature, roseola forms on the skin over time, which develop into papules. Infectious growths in young animals, the so-called pustules, are different. It is possible to carry out procedures to cure smallpox at home. To do this, farmers first clean the pustules with cotton soaked in collodion. Then you can grease the warts with boric or zinc ointment.
As a preventive measure, it is recommended to give the smallpox vaccine. The peculiarity of the vaccine is that it protects against infection. This method is administered as an injection and is prescribed by a veterinarian. To prevent the development of smallpox in the pen, you should be careful about maintaining cleanliness in the room and animal hygiene. Home care must be appropriate and timely. How the growths look in cattle with smallpox can be seen in a photo or video.
Bovine brucellosis
Diseases in cows include infectious brucellosis, which develops rapidly and is considered very dangerous. A week after infection, cattle may experience a situation where the entire lymphatic system, as well as the gastrointestinal tract, is swollen. Signs of brucellosis can still be seen on the udder. In the third week after infection, if the disease is started and not treated, the liver, spleen, all lymph nodes and even the eyes are damaged. Careful monitoring of pregnant females is recommended, as brucellosis lesions mainly occur in this category of animals. Young animals rarely get sick with such a disease. If a pregnant female contracted brucellosis, then it can provoke a miscarriage.
Brucellosis is so insidious that even exposure to low temperatures in an animal room will not help get rid of it. The disease can occur both in heated pens and in cold ones. Such an ailment can proceed in a latent form from one week to several months. The first noticeable symptoms of brucellosis are gynecological.
Gynecological processes occur in the uterus, the pathology of the fetal membrane develops. An experienced veterinarian is needed to diagnose the disease. Brucellosis is diagnosed using bacteriological studies. To prevent pregnant females from being exposed to such ailment, a veterinarian should be invited for preventive examinations and for taking tests at least 1 time within 3 months. As a preventive measure, it can be recommended to maintain optimal conditions for living and keeping cattle.
Cattle rabies
There are symptoms that are simply impossible not to notice, for this you need to know their description. There is nothing easier than recognizing rabies in cattle. There are manifestations in animals immediately after infection, sometimes it can take some time. Rabies is manifested in cattle in the literal sense of the inappropriate behavior of animals. If cows get sick, they can throw themselves at people, do not eat normal food, chew rags or bedding, and behave inappropriately.
A certain part of the brain is affected, which disrupts its normal functioning. The animal may begin to salivate, worsen, or, conversely, the feeling of fear disappears. The sources of infection with such an insidious disease are still unknown. There is no cure as such. A veterinarian must be called in to inspect the entire flock for rabies.
Non-communicable diseases of cows and bulls
Many farmers believe that non-communicable diseases are less insidious and can be treated slowly. In fact, this is not the case. Although diseases are not transmitted as an infection, infection can cause significant damage to the farmer. The disease affects the amount of milk yield. Each farmer should know the description of such diseases at least briefly, so that, with possible symptoms, he knows how to treat his cow and in what form to give certain medications.
If you find any symptoms of the disease, you need to invite a veterinarian, since many diseases have similar symptoms of manifestation and it can be quite difficult for an inexperienced person to recognize an ailment. Also, the veterinarian will take the necessary tests and, based on their results, confirm or deny the presence of the disease.
Pneumonia
A symptom of pneumonia is primarily a cough for 4-12 weeks. Lung inflammation occurs in animals that live in improper conditions. If the conditions of detention do not meet the requirements, the disease will spread - after some time it will be confirmed in one more cow, and then in another.
If the cattle has a cough, this symptom should not be overlooked. Of course, a cough does not mean that animals have pneumonia, but if you skip the treatment of individuals at this stage, then the disease will soon turn into a chronic phase.
Animals may experience an increase in body temperature up to 40 ° C and diarrhea. Only a veterinarian should treat pneumonia. Antibiotics are usually prescribed, but taking the risk of giving them yourself is a big mistake. The fact is that even an effective medicine, chosen incorrectly for a particular cow, can only worsen the situation. The veterinarian prescribes antibiotics taking into account the characteristics of the disease and condition, the weight of the animal and the presence of associated factors. Lung inflammation spreads most often in rooms where the floor is damp and cold, the litter is damp and dirty, and there is a lack of normal ventilation. Individuals who are deprived of daily walks and are deficient in vitamin A are ill.
Hypodermatosis in cattle
Carriers of this disease can be gadflies and ticks. Infection occurs in the summer, when the insects have a period of activity. They tend to accumulate in areas where the animal has thin skin, such as around the eyes or on the limbs. The eye sites are the most favorite places for parasites. Insects can bring not only hypodermatosis to the eye area, but also many other diseases.
The constant biting of ticks or gadflies near the eyes leads to the fact that dirt and infections are brought into the wounds. The animal is combing the bitten areas.
Disease prevention boils down to regularly examining livestock for bites and hanging ticks. If insects are found, they must be removed from the skin of the cattle. Wounds and combed areas should be treated with special products. Many farmers carry out autumn special antiparasitic treatments.
Traumatic reticulitis and pericarditis
Another disease that leads to problems in the gastrointestinal tract is reticulitis. If an individual has swallowed a foreign object, and this happens in pens where the conditions of detention are not observed, then the following symptoms may be observed: muscle weakness, especially if it is a calf only after calving, which drags everything it finds into its mouth, the body temperature is lowered , the pelvic limbs are brought under the abdomen. The milk-excreting function is absent, the animal is passive. In this case, surgical intervention is necessary. Prevention should be about cleaning pastures of items that can harm livestock, especially metals and unnecessary things.
Pericarditis is considered a slightly different disease and results from traumatic injury. With this disease, it is necessary to support the work of the cardiovascular system. The cow's head is kept straight, the animal does not particularly move it unnecessarily, the gait is very smooth, careful, without sudden movements. When urinating and defecating, the animal may moan. Damage to the genitals may occur. In the absence of appetite and normal nutrition, the metabolic function is impaired. The disease must be treated in the early stages, first of all, the work of the heart should be supported. For this, a solution of caffeine with glucose is used. If such treatment has yielded a positive result, iodine or diuretic substances can be used for further treatment.
Mastitis in cows
Mastitis is considered to be a disease that affects only females, most often after calving or while bearing a calf. There are times when mastitis can affect females due to improper housing conditions, for example, if the room is cold, damp, and food is scarce. If it becomes noticeable that the cow's milk has become somehow tasteless, has an unpleasant odor, or it contains clots or even pus, these are sure signs of mastitis. Prevention consists in providing comfortable conditions for both the baby and the cow after calving.
First of all, after calving, the calf is allowed in so that the first colostrum goes to him. Both the female and the calf need this. Milking a cow should only be done with clean hands; before each milking, you should wash your hands with antibacterial soap and wipe the udder with warm water. After calving, swelling may develop on the udder.
If suspicious symptoms of mastitis are found, the cow should be shown to the veterinarian. Antibiotics are mainly used to treat mastitis. During lactation, you can carry out a special massage of the udder so that the milk does not stagnate and the udder does not swell.
Atony of the proventriculus
This disease occurs mainly in adults, both in cows and in bulls. Atony of the proventriculus is a lack of muscle tone in the proventriculus. Such a disease appears due to stagnation of food or its indigestion. The symptoms of the disease are as follows: lethargy, sometimes apathy, lack of appetite, in some cases a temperature of about 40 ° C, a noticeable decrease in milk yield. If you do not attach importance to such symptoms, the disease enters the next phase and can provoke intestinal obstruction.
There can be a lot of reasons for the occurrence of such an ailment, the most basic ones are feeding cattle with bad and low-quality feed, feeding only solid feed, straw or bad hay. Eating rotten potatoes and moldy hay.
Changing the type of feeding, especially in the autumn period, provokes a certain resonance in the animal. If the cattle were grazing all summer and ate only fresh grass, and with the arrival of autumn they immediately began to feed them with concentrates, this can negatively affect the digestive tract of the animals.
Infection with atony of the proventriculus may appear due to poor-quality drinking water. You can only drink clean water at room temperature.
Treatment of such a disease should be comprehensive, only in this case you can count on success.
First of all, it is necessary to normalize the work of the proventricles, improve the microflora in the organs, and eliminate the process of decay and intoxication. Correctly selected therapy improves the condition of cattle in the first few days. With the timely start of treatment, full restoration of the work of the proventriculus occurs in 5-7 days.
Conclusion
If you follow all the basic rules for caring for cattle, timely prevent and vaccinate against common diseases, the livestock will always be active and healthy. Any disease of bulls and cows is curable, the main thing is not to miss the appearance of symptoms, otherwise veterinary medicine will be powerless. In general, the main rule: everything must be done on time.