CIRCUMVENTING SHEEP AND GOAT PRODUCTION LOSSES FROM PINK EYE

Members

Dennis Ferrer

Hermano John Lenard

Khryss Ivan Galimba

Liezel Fabros

Rolando Gusto Ill

Learning Objectives

At the end of this activity students would be able to formulate and identify possible approaches needed
for the management of a specific sheep and goat disease causing production losses.

Activity

Preventing diseases entering and spreading in livestock populations is the most efficient and cost-
effective way of managing disease. A standard disease prevention program does not exist but some
basic principles should always be observed.

Based from the nature of the different diseases presented and their causative agents, work with your
pairs and select one disease. Identify possible approaches to manage the specific disease so as not to
cause production losses.

You may use the following practices as a guide in your proposed prevention:
1. Specify some of the sheep and goat production parameters/ products that may greatly be affected
with the selected disease and the management needed for the said products.

The condition is contagious and can spread rapidly in susceptible groups of animals. Alternatively, it may
present in individual animals in groups where most animals are immune.The condition is painful and
weight gains can be negatively affected. Animals left with corneal scars or blindness may have reduced
sale value and suitability for purpose.Most cases of pinkeye will heal without treatment and this will
typically occur over the same time period as if treatment was administered. This must be considered
when there are large numbers of animals affected, where catching and restraining animals is difficult,
and where handling may stress animals and may predispose to other problems or increase the spread of
pinkeye infection. There is a small risk of severely affected animals suffering long term effects or even
permanent loss of eyesight.

2. What needs to be elaborated and in included in your herd health record

The approximate age of goats and sheep can be determined by their teeth, as illustrated in figure 7. At
birth, kids and lambs have eight milk teeth, or temporary incisors, arranged in four pairs on the lower
jaw. The central pair of temporary incisor teeth is shed and replaced by the permanent teeth at
approximately 1 year of age. At 2 years, a pair of permanent incisors replaces the second pair of milk
teeth. At 3 and 4 years, the third and fourth pairs, respectively, of permanent teeth appear. At 4 years of
age, the goat or sheep has a full mouth.The amount of wear on the permanent teeth is an indication of
the approximate age of animals older than 5 years. When a ewe or doe loses some of her incisor teeth,
she is called a broken mouth.

3. Management of the diseased animal and selection and monitoring of the new stock
There is no vaccine available. Provide good fly control, preventing stress, overcrowding, and separating
infected animals from healthy ones.3. Management of the diseased animal and selection and monitoring
of the new stock

There is no vaccine available. Provide good fly control, preventing stress, overcrowding, and separating
infected animals from healthy ones.

4, Good biosecurity and hygienic practices that needs to be included.

Biosecurity and hygienic practices that needs to be included is give the goat/sheep a good wide pen to
ensure that there's no overcrowding and keep away the infected ones in the herd also ensure fly
control .
5.Issues that required to be communicated with the Veterinarian or animal observation requirement
that needs to be reported to the Veterinarian

Communication has always been an important pillar for veterinarians The ability to communicate
effectively leads to better clinical outcomes, such as client satisfaction during the veterinary visit and
increased client compliance with the veterinarian's recommendations.

6. Management of dead animals for untreatable diseases.

Three common effective methods of carcass disposal are: incineration, burying, and rendering.
Incineration is the preferred method to use when the carcass is diseased; however, it can also be the
most expensive. An acceptable alternative is to bury the carcass.

You may include other parameters that needs to be included in the above practices

Other parameters:Sheep and goats need to be handled, either in groups or individually, for vaccination,
treatment, mating, weighing, etc. Handling pens are useful in reducing injury and stress on animals and
workers. An ideal layout for a handling pen includes a receiving pen, forcing pen, crush, sorting gate,
foot bath, dip or spray race (long and narrow passage wide enough for only one sheep or goat), draining
pens and a holding pen. In particular, the receiving pen should match the number of animals expected
to be handled at one time. Under the current smallholder conditions of Ethiopia, one handling pen per
village may serve the purpose as long as complications with disease transmissions are minimal.