Treatment of lumpy skin disease in a cow

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Dermatitis in a cow, or tubercle, is an infectious disease and primarily affects the skin of cows. Dermatitis in cattle appears as a result of contact with sick animals, but there are also cases of infection with tubercles through dirty equipment, clothes of farmers, blood-sucking insects or birds. How to treat lumpy skin disease in cows depends on how advanced the disease is and what condition the cattle is in.

Bovine lodular dermatitis

Also, lumpy skin disease in a cow may appear even after the individual has been removed from the veterinary record. Because of this feature, outbreaks of infection can occur in a herd at different times and in different individuals. To prevent the spread of foci of infection, you need to keep the individual in quarantine, even if she has normal tests and the disease is completely cured. The fact is that the bacteria of the tubercle remain active for some time and can infect other individuals in the pen. Such a disease is recorded in different climatic conditions, but most often in hot climates, therefore, lumpy skin disease in the Krasnodar Territory is not uncommon.

Also, the disease was recorded in many southern regions: in Dagestan, South Ossetia, Azerbaijan, India and other countries. In the heat, any bacteria multiply most actively, and a simple midge bite can lead to the fact that the individual will constantly comb the affected area and bring other infections into the wound. The main prevention against such a disease is compliance with the conditions of keeping and caring for animals, then many infections can be avoided.

Bump symptoms in cattle

Nodular dermatitis of cows can not be detected immediately, since the first symptoms, if they are noticeable, then only a few days after infection. Most often, bumps on the skin of cattle appear a week after infection, but reference materials indicate a period from 2 days to 45 days, so that even in such a period of time, the identification of such symptoms will indicate a possible lumpy dermatitis. The acute stage of the disease is characteristic mainly of young animals.

The main symptoms are:

• temperature 40 ° C;
• lack of appetite;;
• tear fluid oozes from the eyes
• seals on the skin in the form of small bumps;
• milk yield is reduced due to the general condition of the cattle.

Such symptoms are typical for the initial stage of the disease. Also, in each individual, these symptoms can occur in a different form. The initial scars change after a while, the skin on the scars is separated from the outer layer. At best, the indentation in the skin is scarred. Such particles can spread disease throughout the herd.If the disease was diagnosed in a dairy cow, then signs of tubercle can be found in milk.

In a cow, milk becomes thick, during heat treatment it becomes jelly-like, and its color changes to pink. Infectious dermatitis in a cow can be diagnosed with tests and skin examinations by an experienced veterinarian. You can see what lumpy skin disease looks like in a photo or video.

Complex form of the disease

Sometimes the disease proceeds in the classical form, but it happens that the cattle picks up acute lumpy dermatitis. Treatment for cow dermatitis should not be delayed in this case. This form of the disease is the most difficult and requires complex treatment. Symptoms in the acute phase of the disease are similar to the classic manifestation of the disease. In the acute stage of dermatitis, most often cows refuse to eat and lose weight, the bumps on their skin can be purulent and grow throughout the body. The virus affects not only the skin, but also the mucous membrane, leading to purulent inflammation.

Cattle can also suffer, due to the fact that the nature of the saliva secreted changes: it becomes viscous, with a putrid odor. This form can affect both calves and adults. What to do in this case? It is necessary to constantly inspect the livestock during feeding or nursing, and at the first suspicion of any illness, invite a veterinarian for further examination. The complex form of tubercles can cause cattle to develop pododermatitis when the skin near the hooves becomes inflamed, leading to suppuration.

Nonclassical manifestations of dermatitis

Nonclassical dermatitis in young calves can occur at any time. Basically, with this form of the disease, treatment is not always done on time. It is difficult for a specialist to diagnose this form of the disease, since there may be no bumps on the skin of calves, and there may also be no other accompanying symptoms. Many farmers report that this form of dermatitis causes loose stools and temperature changes in cattle.

There is also an inapparent form of the disease, which to a greater extent does not pose a danger to cattle. The only caveat is that carriers of this form of the disease carry a virus that is released into the air and can become a source of infection for a healthy individual.

How to properly diagnose lumpy skin disease

Disease in cows, dermatitis, can mainly be diagnosed by biomaterial. The specialist takes a sample for the biomaterial. It can be used as semen, milk, purulent discharge, urine or blood. Bacteriological culture is considered an effective test in order to find out if there are tubercle viruses. For accurate research or in order to double-check the results, take a sample of the infected tissue for examination. Recently, they began to carry out the latest method for diagnosing dermatitis - this is a bioassay.

Using such a bioassay, the presence of the disease can be determined in almost any animal, even in rodents, which are one of the main carriers of the disease.

After the bioassay, the cow will have a reaction in the form of a seal at the injection site on days 6-8. In order not to confuse lumpy dermatitis with other diseases, you need to invite a veterinarian for examination. You should not self-medicate, even if all the symptoms scream that it is dermatitis. Many manifestations of the disease are somewhat identical, and it is possible to accurately establish the disease only by the results of the analysis.

Cattle treatment

Dermatitis in cattle and its treatment should be diagnosed and carried out only by a veterinarian. Regardless of what types of disease are diagnosed, you need to take all measures to improve the condition of the animal. At the moment, no cure has been invented for tuberculosis, but the only effective method is a vaccine.Since there is no cure for lumpy skin disease, a timely vaccine provides good protection against this disease. All calves are vaccinated at the age of 2 months. The vaccine is most often done on a farm under the supervision of a veterinarian, the drug is placed under the skin.

The vaccine gives stable immunity only for a while. Basically, immunity is not enough for more than a year. After that, the vaccination is repeated. If at least one individual falls ill in the herd, it should be transferred to a separate pen for keeping. It is also necessary to develop a special diet and vitamin supplements for her. During illness, the body of cattle is weakened and an integrated approach to treatment is required. If the cow refused to eat and lost weight, then you need to try to restore her weight.

If the animal refuses to eat, then you can try to give your favorite food, perhaps this measure will improve the appetite. It is also necessary to provide a sufficient amount of clean drinking water. During cattle illness, vitamins A, B, C, D, E are most often lacking. It is important to consult with a specialist on which vitamin supplement is better to choose. In the room where the animals are kept in quarantine, it is necessary to install air ventilation and carry out constant disinfection of all items. Provide the cow with good bedding and, if possible, provide fresh grass. If the types of dermatitis are simple, then within 5-7 days the animal should recover.

Disease prevention

Prevention of lumpy skin disease consists only in the timely administration of the vaccine. Also, due to the fact that the disease can actively spread, all measures should be taken to protect healthy livestock. If you have worked with an infected animal or you have a suspicion that some individuals may be ill with something, then in order to find out these diseases, the cattle should be isolated in a separate enclosure. Care must be taken whenever handling a sick calf, bull or cow. All work equipment and clothing must be disinfected immediately.

It is impossible in the same shoes to go first to an infected individual, and then go to the corral to healthy animals. All rooms where animals are kept should be treated daily with disinfectants. Cows are not allowed to drink and eat from the same bowl. In order for the entire livestock to have strong immunity, it is required to provide only high-quality and balanced food. The herd should be periodically fed with various vitamin and mineral supplements. Only in this case the animals will have strong immunity that can resist viruses and infections.

What happens after an illness

Even if it was possible to cure the tubercles, in cattle, regeneration of the skin can be observed at the site of the appearance of tubercles. The more complex the form of the disease, the more rashes on the body. In those places where there were tubercles, the hair may fall out and not grow for some time. Also, any disease can give complications, negatively affect the body.

In order to somehow support the work of all organs, you need to gradually restore strength and take the herd for a walk. As complications, it is not uncommon for bulls to no longer be able to fertilize females. Cows can be diagnosed with udder inflammation, mastitis. As a preventive measure, massage the udder can be advised. If the diagnosis has been officially confirmed, then the veterinary commission makes a decision on quarantine for a period of 1 year.

The farmer must comply with the following requirements

• If there are animals in the herd that have had dermatitis, even if now all tests are normal, the farmer has no right to sell livestock and move animals anywhere outside the quarantine zone.
• The farmer is not allowed to sell the animal or use it in the meat or dairy industry. The milk and meat of these cows is considered contaminated.
• The owner of recovered cows must necessarily carry out a number of preventive measures to destroy flies, mosquitoes and other insects that can be the source of the disease.

Proper nutrition during illness

If the animal falls ill in the summer, then juicy and fresh feed should be included in the basis of the diet, silage is considered their main component. You should give corn, sunflower, tops and meadow grass. The daily allowance is approximately 15-18 kg. If a cow refuses to eat or eats less, then you need to take action or so she will lose weight, milk yield will decrease. You can give root crops: sugar beets, fodder beets and carrots. It is very important to feed root crops as it has a beneficial effect on the quality of milk.

Raw potatoes improve milk yield, so it is recommended to give some potatoes when they decrease. One adult should consume no more than 10-12 kg of potatoes. A whole storehouse of vitamins is found in cabbage, Jerusalem artichoke and fish oil. Table salt is given to cattle for any type of feeding at the rate of 10 g per 100 kg of animal. Also, concentrated feed is given as feeding based on the productivity of the cow and its condition after illness.

Veterinary Department advice

Currently, active cases of the spread of the disease on the territory of the Krasnodar Territory have been recorded, so the Russian Department of Veterinary Medicine has come up with a whole list of recommendations. It is very important to carry out measures to eliminate insects and rodents. On many farms, rats and mice walk in colonies. It is necessary to direct measures to destroy the carriers of infections. It is also necessary to eliminate holes in the room where the cattle are kept. To protect against insects, special mosquito nets should be installed on the windows, electric repellents should be used and the doors should not be left open in the evening.

Ventilation must be installed according to all standards, and also equipped with a fine mesh so that mosquitoes and midges do not fly from there. In unfavorable areas, where such a disease is mainly recorded, it is necessary to carry out control of animals and try to bring the situation to a new level, because if infected animals get to another backyard, they can infect other individuals, and the virus spreads.

What a farmer should do

First of all, every farmer who does not want to incur losses due to a common infection needs to identify his livestock. It is imperative for the farmer to monitor the annual vaccination. For her, you can invite a veterinarian to the farm. When living in rural areas, it is very important to find specialized veterinary centers, which should be located at least in large towns and villages.

In such centers, they can explain and carry out prophylaxis against various diseases of cattle. The farmer can also perform a control cut using bioassays. In Russia, lumpy dermatitis is not uncommon, it is an extremely common disease, therefore, when deciding to breed and raise animals, you need to invest in them both money and time. Only then, with the right approach, it will be possible to protect the livestock from diseases and get healthy offspring.